Chapter 505: Insight
Saturday noticed Qi Xia’s unusual behavior from nearby and walked over with a hint of concern. "Tsk, Qi Xia, you alright?"
Qi Xia covered his forehead, turning his head to look at her with an indifferent expression. "I… have a headache."
"Headache…?" Qiu Shiliu and Luo Shiyi from nearby also turned to look at Qi Xia. "Are you injured?"
"It's nothing." Qi Xia shook his head and asked Saturday, who was not far away. "I originally thought something was blocking my thinking, but now I suspect there might be something growing inside my brain…"
"This…" Bai Jiu looked at Qi Xia with slight worry. "Did you have any condition like a brain tumor before you came here?"
"A brain tumor…?" Qi Xia was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized this was nonsense. Although he didn't retain many memories of the "Land of the End," his memories from the real world hadn't disappeared. He had never had any brain disease, so how could he possibly have a brain tumor?
He changed the subject and looked at Saturday. "Saturday, what are the limitations of Qian Wu's ability to save people?"
"Tsk, what?"
Qi Xia paused, then asked, "If you were to cut open my skull right now… could he bring me back to life?"
The people around him found Qi Xia's words puzzling. The situation was already chaotic enough, with many injured, and now Qi Xia wanted to cut open his own skull?
"Why?" Bai Jiu blinked and asked. "What's the point of cutting open your skull for no reason?"
"Didn't I already say?" Qi Xia replied honestly. "I feel like there's something inside my brain… I want you to help me cut open my skull, take out my brain, and let me see what it is."
Saturday and Bai Jiu exchanged glances, feeling that Qi Xia might have gone a bit crazy.
"Tsk, that's hard to do," Saturday said. "Fifth Brother's ability isn't as powerful as you think. The moment you cut open your skull, you'd die instantly. No one could save you."
"Is that so…" Qi Xia's gaze gradually turned cold. "What a pity… I really wanted to see for myself—what exactly in my brain has been hurting all along…"
"But do you understand the structure of the brain?" Bai Jiu asked. "Even if you could actually get your hands on your own brain and see its structure… would you be able to identify your condition?"
"I…" Qi Xia suddenly seemed to think of something. "You're saying… the best way to know what's wrong with my brain is to find a 'brain surgeon'…"
"If you know a 'brain surgeon,' that would be ideal," Bai Jiu said with a light smile, nodding. "Once you die, let the brain surgeon dissect your brain, and then you'll understand everything, right? He could leave a note or preserve the memory to tell you."
Qi Xia thought carefully. To dissect his own brain, he would have to sacrifice his life regardless.
If he wanted the answer he was seeking, he could only wait for the next cycle.
"In that case… the best method would be to find Dr. Zhao before the 'End' descends on the tenth day and ask him to help me with this…" Qi Xia muttered to himself. "What a coincidence…? Among the ten people in the initial room, there happens to be a 'brain surgeon'…"
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and pondered the current situation. Dr. Zhao had always been at "Heaven's Gate." Although he was somewhat timid, his "Echo" ability was not to be underestimated. There was a chance Tianchu Qiu would recruit him. But if Dr. Zhao really joined "Heaven's Gate," would he still be willing to cooperate with Qi Xia?
"How troublesome…" Qi Xia gradually released his hand from his forehead. The headache had slowly faded. The others looked closely at his expression, now only cold and desperate. "Why does this damn place require so much from me…?"
A doubt arose in his heart. Could it be that without him, all the "participants" in the "Land of the End" could only desperately kick their legs like rabbits caught by a hunter and admit defeat?
Was "strength" really so rare?
As this thought drifted, three words surfaced in Qi Xia's mind.
Wen Qiaoyun.
According to Di Ma, this woman named Wen Qiaoyun was very powerful, but she seemed to be failing, always failing.
Someone so powerful, yet Qi Xia had never heard of her in the "Land of the End." Wasn't that too strange?
But thinking about it carefully, wasn't he also always failing?
"Someone… as strong as me?" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes sharply, feeling that this argument was hard to establish. If such a powerful person had been active in the "Land of the End," she would at least be a faction leader. But whether it was Qian Wu, Tianchu Qiu, Lin Qin, Chen Junnan, or anyone else who retained memories, none of them had ever mentioned Wen Qiaoyun.
If Wen Qiaoyun was even stronger than him, that meant she was insane enough. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine a clear-minded, rational woman who could make him willingly submit.
But if she was crazier than both him and Tianchu Qiu, then she would be infinitely close to being a native, and she wouldn't have such powerful abilities.
"This is the 'Catch-22 paradox'—only a madman can do it, and the one who does it is not a madman."
Qi Xia quickly sorted out his thoughts. If Di Ma wasn't lying, it meant that a very powerful woman named Wen Qiaoyun had indeed existed on this land a long time ago.
But she hadn't appeared for a long time, so she had most likely failed—either completely insane or turned into a native, since there were no traces of her existence now.
And Di Ma's memory spanned over twenty years, which was enough to prove that Wen Qiaoyun's existence was also distant enough.
Let's make a bold guess. If no one was lying and Wen Qiaoyun was indeed powerful, could she have been a leader from twenty years ago, or even earlier?
Thinking this far, a slight smile curved at the corner of Qi Xia's mouth.
"If this woman named Wen Qiaoyun really was a leader from twenty years ago, then the situation becomes even stranger…" His eyes gradually grew contemptuous. He felt like he had found a single thorn standing upright on an airtight iron plate. This thorn was the same color as the iron plate, trying to hide itself, but Qi Xia had caught it from another angle.
Yes, as long as you changed your perspective, that thorn would stand out conspicuously.
"More than twenty years have passed… Di Ma, why do you still keep her name on your lips even now?" Qi Xia stroked his chin, unraveling this hidden thorn thread by thread and bringing it fully before his eyes. "Haven't you seen any other strong people in those twenty years? Haven't you seen how powerful I once was?"
Qi Xia let out a faint smile. "Interesting… Di Ma, did you do this on purpose?"