Chapter 602: Troublemaker Meets Troublemaker
Qi Xia walked to the side, raised his hand, and rubbed his temples. The situation felt increasingly complicated.
He had originally been driving a rickety car along a muddy road, with no idea what scenery lay ahead—only knowing that the path beneath his feet was one he had paved himself.
But now, "Qinglong" had rudely climbed into this car, not only pointing out a direction but also trying to seize the steering wheel.
Where did he intend to drive this car?
On the surface, he did all this just for amusement. But to say he had no agenda of his own—Qi Xia didn't believe that for a second.
After all, while "Tianlong" had been searching for him, Qinglong had taken the initiative to intercept the information and arrived before him.
So, to understand all of this, he first needed to know Qinglong's ultimate goal.
What kind of "game" had he set up?
And what was he expecting?
Right now, there were too many unanswered questions, but fortunately, Qinglong had left clues. Qi Xia had already planned to drive forward on this road anyway; now that Qinglong had provided a map, so much the better.
The worst that could happen was crashing the car and dying. There was no other way out.
"Dihu." Qi Xia turned to call out. "I want to rest here tonight."
"No problem!" Dihu replied. "Wait here, I'll go close up shop right now. You can start resting from this moment."
"That won't be necessary." Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. "Just do your job. Pretend I don't exist."
"Uh, well..." Dihu stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Liunian. "And her..."
Xu Liunian wasn't sure of her position either at this point, so she turned to ask Qi Xia: "Do you still need me?"
Qi Xia looked at her without expression and replied, "Xu Liunian, the reason I saved you is that you said, 'None of my schemes accounted for myself.' That piqued my interest."
"So you mean..."
"I mean that doesn't mean I value your abilities or intelligence very highly." Qi Xia spoke as if to a complete stranger. "So you can choose now. You can stay here with me, or find your own way out."
Xu Liunian thought for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Qi Xia, you should know my ultimate goal. Right now, I'm not sure whether our goals conflict."
"You want to destroy this place. I want to escape it." Qi Xia said. "That doesn't sound conflicting."
"Though it's selfish to say this... I still..." Xu Liunian shook her head with a look of disappointment. "To you, our goals aren't conflicting. But to me, they are."
"Oh...?"
"If you escape, how could I possibly destroy this place on my own strength...?"
"That is indeed selfish." Qi Xia said. "I can understand you, but I can't support you. You can leave."
Xu Liunian nodded, slowly stood up, glanced at Dihu, then at Qi Xia. "I'll destroy this place my own way."
"Farewell."
Xu Liunian took a few steps toward the stairs, then turned back to Qi Xia. "Thank you for giving me an 'identity.'"
"Don't overthink it." Qi Xia said calmly. "I just felt that preserving your sanity wouldn't be a bad thing for anyone."
"Is that so..." Xu Liunian's expression was clearly a bit dejected.
"There's no need to thank me too early. I can't confirm whether 'Endless Life' actually succeeded."
Xu Liunian nodded. "At least you tried."
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded too.
"Then I'm really leaving."
"Can you say hello to him for me? I'll be waiting for him here." Qi Xia added.
Xu Liunian let out a bitter laugh, then turned and left.
She climbed the stairs step by step, a mix of emotions churning within her.
Had Qi Xia seen through it after all?
Her method of destroying this place was actually simpler than anyone else's. She no longer needed to search for any other solution.
All she had to do was find Qiao Jiajin.
When Qiao Jiajin, bearing the "Breaker of All Laws," met Qi Xia, bearing the "Endless Life," wouldn't that be the perfect moment to completely destroy this place?
Just one sentence—the eternal curse set in motion by Qi Xia could be broken.
As long as Qiao Jiajin was willing to activate that ability...
Xu Liunian's expression grew more and more desolate. She had spent decades searching for a way to break this place, and the answer turned out to be this simple.
The consequences brought about by "Echo" could only be broken by "Echo" in the end—that was the most tragic part.
But... Qi Xia had already thought of that.
As soon as she walked out this door, she would find a way to locate Qiao Jiajin and subtly instill this idea in him.
Why hadn't he stopped her?
Did he already have a countermeasure?
Xu Liunian knew she couldn't predict Qi Xia's actions, but she had no better options.
She could only follow her predetermined path, heading toward an unknown destination.
...
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin lay sprawled on the street like two dead men, neither of them seeming willing to move.
"Lao Qiao... get up, come on, the ground's dirty..." Chen Junnan said weakly.
"Brother Jun Nan... you go first... I don't have time right now..." Qiao Jiajin replied.
"You don't have time? What are you doing...?"
"Resting..."
The two fell silent, just lying there panting and staring at the sky.
Chen Junnan had no idea how others managed to get through "Pegasus Hour." All he knew was that he and Qiao Jiajin had spent the whole time arguing, cursing, and wild sprinting. They had exhausted every ounce of their strength and had been lying on the ground for nearly an hour.
Finally, Chen Junnan felt his legs again. He turned his head with difficulty and suddenly noticed a game venue not far away. A "Zodiac" was standing at the entrance, staring at the two of them.
"Oh no..." Chen Junnan frowned, reaching out to pound on Qiao Jiajin. "Lao Qiao, quick, quick, get up... those guys are laughing at us... been watching for ages..."
"Can't do it, Brother Jun Nan..." Qiao Jiajin seemed genuinely exhausted. "This body of mine is just too weak... if you want to get up, go ahead... I don't have time right now..."
"Damn it... then I guess I've gotta get up..." Chen Junnan rolled over, pushing himself off the grimy ground to stand up. "There's no way I'm letting some stranger look down on me..."
Once on his feet, Chen Junnan knocked on his own legs and then looked at the "Zodiac" in the distance. Mustering his energy, he called out, "Hey, buddy, what a coincidence. You hanging out on the street here?"
The "Zodiac" rubbed his nose and gave a fake smile. "Boss, you flatter me. I'm not 'hanging out on the street'—I'm just watching you two fine gentlemen playing corpse in broad daylight. Please, keep lying there, keep performing. I'll watch, I'll learn."