Chapter 564: God's Paradox
"Then what can I rely on…?" Qi Xia looked out the window and answered calmly, "Rely on 'brute force'? Rely on 'information'? Rely on 'connections'? Rely on 'Echo'?"
Xu Liunian gripped the steering wheel tightly, pursing her lips without a word, staring straight ahead.
Yes, Qi Xia had almost nothing to rely on. The only thing he could depend on was his own brain.
"What else do I have?" Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes, leaving only boundless despair in his gaze. "I don't have a single tangible thing I can see, and now even the intangible things are slipping away."
"Intangible things…"
"That's how humans are," Qi Xia explained quietly. "When they feel despair over everything, they desperately seek a 'spiritual anchor.' But most of the time, this so-called spiritual anchor can neither be seen nor touched. It's just a clue about 'life' buried deep in everyone's heart. But that clue is becoming more and more elusive for me, and I'm about to lose her."
Qi Xia's figure reflected in the car window seemed especially desolate, like a tiny candle flame burning alone in the boundless, pitch-black universe.
"So what are you saying…?" Xu Liunian knew that every word now required extreme caution, after all, Qi Xia was in the middle of an 'Echo'.
A single thought from him could stir the entire 'Zhongyan Land'.
After all, every one of his thoughts, every word he spoke, could completely alter the layout of the entire 'Zhongyan Land'.
"I miss her," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "All my motivation, the reason I've given everything, is because she's still here. So you can toy with me however you like, but you must never, ever toy with 'Yu Nian'an.'"
"Qi Xia… I have no intention of toying with you…" Hearing what Qi Xia said, Xu Liunian's expression also turned dejected.
Perhaps this man wasn't as strong as he appeared to be. Everyone here, regardless of their ultimate goal, had to step on Qi Xia to achieve their objectives.
So Qi Xia didn't need to make any mistakes; as long as he was still Qi Xia, he had to bear everyone's 'schemes'.
He might even die here completely, simply because he was Qi Xia.
He was a piece in the game, and also the game itself.
"But do you really not believe that Wen Qiaoyun is more powerful than you?" Xu Liunian made one last probing attempt. "She was also someone who once stood before Azure Dragon and Celestial Dragon back in the day. Maybe it was just a small mistake that kept her from staying active…"
"This is 'God's Paradox,' Xu Liunian." Qi Xia cut her off, then let out a sigh, still looking out the window.
"God's Paradox…?"
"That's right." Qi Xia nodded. "If there were an omnipotent god in this world, could he create a stone so heavy that he himself couldn't lift it?"
Xu Liunian thought about it carefully after hearing this, feeling it was indeed a question worth exploring.
If the omnipotent god could create that stone, then failing to lift it would prove he wasn't 'omnipotent.' If he couldn't create it, he still wouldn't be 'omnipotent.'
"So what are you getting at?" Xu Liunian asked. "What does 'God's Paradox' represent?"
"It represents that I cannot create Wen Qiaoyun." Qi Xia turned his head and looked at Xu Liunian with those sorrowful eyes. "If I believed there was someone stronger than me in the entire 'Zhongyan Land,' I wouldn't be this desperate, nor would I have obtained such a powerful 'Echo.' So I am the 'god,' and Wen Qiaoyun is the 'stone I cannot lift.' Do you understand what I mean?"
Hearing this, Xu Liunian's speed dropped sharply. It took several seconds before she steadied the steering wheel again, crossing a few black lines in the middle of the road before accelerating once more.
"You're saying… it's precisely because you're more desperate than everyone else that you obtained 'Endless Rebirth'…"
"Do I have someone to rely on?" Qi Xia retorted. "We've been here for over thirty years, haven't we? If there really were someone to rely on here, someone I could fully support or slightly ease my mind with, how could I have ended up where I am today?"
Only then did Xu Liunian fully realize just how powerless she was in this so-called 'scheme.'
Her memories had been preserved for decades, and every cycle she reconsidered the 'path' forward.
Meanwhile, Qi Xia's memories could barely be preserved, yet decades ago, he had laid down a 'path' for his future self.
That was the gap between herself and Qi Xia.
"I lost," Xu Liunian said.
Hearing those three words, Qi Xia slowly turned his head and asked in a deep voice, "I never gambled against you, so how can you speak of 'losing'?"
"I didn't lose to you, but to this world." Xu Liunian gave a bitter smile. "Qi Xia, you're truly remarkable. Now I only have one last strategy left."
"'Strategy'…?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "Against me?"
"That's right." Xu Liunian nodded. "I'm going to use a strategy on you now. This strategy is the key to whether we can escape this place."
"Alright, speak. I'm listening."
"I have a plan. This plan might sound extremely absurd, but it's also a 'path' for us to break out."
Qi Xia didn't speak, just extended a finger and lightly tapped the window.
"Think about it, Qi Xia… As long as you can tell your subconscious that all of us have already escaped to the outside, then according to the nature of 'Endless Rebirth,' our 'duplicates' will surely appear out there. At that time, we… we…"
Xu Liunian's expression grew more and more pained, and her eyes gradually turned red.
"At that time, we'll become the 'duplicates,'" Qi Xia said. "Is that right?"
"Is that wrong?" Xu Liunian let out a tearful bitter laugh. "What other way do we have…? Right now, everyone wants to use your ability… and I'm one of them, even if I'm not as smart as the others…"
"I… I… although…"
Xu Liunian slowly brought the car to a stop and buried her head deeply. Her nose stung, and she was choked with tears.
"Qi Xia, I don't know if you believe me… Even if I'm not as smart as everyone else here… even if my methods often seem foolish… my 'ultimate goal' is absolutely the most selfless one… All the 'schemes' I set up never included myself in the equation from start to finish. I just want the entire 'Zhongyan Land' to put an end to all this, even if it takes a method no one accepts… even if I'm shattered to pieces, even if I vanish into thin air…"
Xu Liunian sobbed uncontrollably, her face pressed against the steering wheel. "But I'm truly useless… Let alone the fact that my schemes can be seen through… Even every word I say right now is being heard by those above…"
"But we can't give up," Qi Xia said softly. "To live on here as duplicates, and then end our absurd lives—are you content with that?"