Chapter 683: Passing a Message
"Knock, knock, knock."
In the living room, Qi Xia's lips moved slightly as he said softly, "An, someone's at the door."
"I know, Xia. I'll get it."
Yu Nian'an snapped back to reality, a hint of urgency in her eyes. She continued speaking to Xiao Cheng in a low voice, "Xiao Cheng, don't worry... that crack isn't a crack at all—it's the 'fuse' of everything."
The sudden influx of information was so overwhelming that Xiao Cheng's thoughts momentarily ground to a halt.
"'Fuse'...?"
"Yes. It's about to ignite a spectacular firework, so I can't seal it up, and neither can you. The only thing you can do is die. Otherwise..."
"Knock, knock, knock."
"An... someone's at the door," Qi Xia said.
"Xiao Cheng, 'He' is here now. You have to die." Yu Nian'an smiled bitterly. "Once you're dead, Qi Xia will wake up. This time, I've held the line for him again."
"You mean... the 'Celestial Dragon' is standing right outside the door...?"
Xiao Cheng was trembling all over. He had never imagined he'd be dragged into such a terrifying affair.
"Not just the 'Celestial Dragon'," Yu Nian'an said. "Everyone from the 'End of Eternity' is standing outside that door, Xiao Cheng. Are you afraid of dying?"
"I..."
In the real world, Xiao Cheng might have feared death, but in the 'End of Eternity', he wasn't nearly as afraid. Yet even without fear of dying, he still feared the 'Celestial Dragon'.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock."
"Listen... he's getting impatient," Yu Nian'an said. "He's come for you."
"Kill me, Sister Yu... kill me..."
Xiao Cheng was indeed starting to panic. He had never even faced a 'Heaven-grade' zodiac, so how could he confront the 'Celestial Dragon' directly? With the 'Celestial Dragon's' abilities so bizarre, how could he possibly survive this nightmare unscathed?
"I will, don't worry." Yu Nian'an slowly tightened the noose around Xiao Cheng's neck. "But there's one thing you should know—I need to use you to pass a message to the people outside."
"What...?"
Before Xiao Cheng could grasp her meaning, he felt a searing pain on his back, as if a blade was cutting into his skin. The immense agony made him grimace and bare his teeth.
"Bear with it," Yu Nian'an said. "It's just a few words."
"Sister Yu..."
"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock."
"An, someone's at the door."
The frantic knocking pushed Xiao Cheng's sanity to the brink, but every time he felt on the verge of passing out, the tearing pain on his back yanked him back to reality.
Xiao Cheng clenched his teeth, waiting for the sharp pain to subside. Though his whole body was numb, he could feel Yu Nian'an carving letters into his back with her fingernails. She moved as lightly as if she were scraping through foam board, and since Xiao Cheng was already a dead man, there was no need to worry about his pain.
Xiao Cheng felt the burning sensation on his back gradually give way to a chill. He guessed blood was already streaming down his back. He wanted to turn and struggle, but the rope around his neck felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, pinning him down so he could barely move. If not for Yu Nian'an supporting the rope with her hand, he might have already been crushed to death.
A few seconds later, muffled voices came from the distant sky:
"Damn! What the hell happened to this kid's back?!"
"Is there any bandage left? Stop the bleeding first!"
"No good... the wound is too large. A bandage probably..."
The voices grew duller and faded away.
Yu Nian'an glanced at the sky, then whispered to Xiao Cheng, "Don't worry. Your death was worth it. When Qi Xia wakes up this time, everything will be different."
Before Xiao Cheng could respond, Yu Nian'an yanked the rope tight and hoisted him off the ground with a single pull. As an outsider, Xiao Cheng couldn't resist anything inside the dream. He dangled like a flimsy piece of paper, and then a crisp crack—"crack"—echoed from his neck, snapping instantly.
Everything in the dream dissolved into nothingness—the frantic knocking, Xiao Cheng's life. He had left this terrifying world for good.
The onlookers nearby saw Xiao Cheng's body move, assuming the 'dream entry' was over. Just as they were about to ask what had happened, Xiao Cheng collapsed headfirst to the ground.
**BAM!!**
His body seemed to lose all balance, his head hitting the floor with a thunderous sound.
"Ah..." Tiantian, who had been wiping the blood from Xiao Cheng's back, was startled. She quickly knelt to check on him.
Beside her, Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin sensed something was wrong. They glanced at Xiao Cheng, then back at Qi Xia. Qi Xia was still sleeping soundly, but his complexion looked much better than before.
Had it worked... or not?
Tiantian knelt down, reached out, and shook Xiao Cheng a few times. He showed no reaction. Blood continued to seep from his back, soaking his clothes.
Qiao Jiajin crouched down as well, reaching out to feel Xiao Cheng's neck. In a low voice, he said, "He's gone."
Chen Junnan froze at those words. He stared at Xiao Cheng's corpse in disbelief, then slowly furrowed his brow, clasped his hands together, and bowed.
"Kid, I'll remember you. Next time you come back, find me. I'll offer my own life to make it up to you."
Everyone felt a complicated mix of emotions. Xiao Cheng was a stranger, yet he had given his life here for Qi Xia. They couldn't help but feel a sense of shame. They didn't even know what had killed him or what he had discovered inside Qi Xia's dream.
Was Qi Xia really having a nightmare? A terrifying nightmare that could kill people at will?
Earth Monkey walked over to Xiao Cheng, pinched a bit of blood between his thumb and forefinger, then took the cigarette from his mouth and extinguished it with those two blood-stained fingers. He shook his head.
"It seems this kid's dream really was 'invaded.' But 'dream entry' as an ability..." Earth Monkey seemed to be thinking of something, but it was too hard to believe.
Earlier, Qi Xia had said at the gambling table that his 'superior' would stop at nothing to make him lose. Could it really be that the 'Celestial Dragon' had made a move?
"Qi Xia... what exactly..." Earth Monkey's brow furrowed deeper. He felt events spiraling beyond his imagination.
Had Qi Xia's plan failed...?
Had the 'Celestial Dragon' seen through him?
If Qi Xia had really been targeted by the 'Celestial Dragon', then he himself...
"Wait..." Qiao Jiajin suddenly noticed something odd about the large wound on Xiao Cheng's back.
He stepped forward, tore off the rest of Xiao Cheng's torn shirt to expose the bloody skin, then used the fabric scraps to wipe away the surface blood. Four dark red characters were revealed to the group:
"The Beginning of the Overthrow."