Chapter 510

Chapter 510 Qi Xia

Zhang Chenze approached the plaza where she had parted with Yun Yao and the others, her heart heavy with apprehension. It was then she noticed the sun-kissed skinned Li Xiangling already waiting.

Beside her, the bodies of Qin Dingdong and Su Shan lay neatly, as if arranged with care. Li Xiangling had placed two reasonably clean rags over their faces, a small act of dignity amid the grim scene.

At that moment, Li Xiangling knelt before them, hands pressed together, eyes closed in solemn prayer.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her tense immediately. She turned with sharp alertness, only to find Zhang Chenze stepping forward.

“Zhang jie!” Li Xiangling let out a soft laugh, brushing the dust from her clothes as she rose slowly. “I was afraid you wouldn’t know the way to Terrestrial Snake’s game venue, so after settling them, I waited here for you. How are things on your end? Has the matter with Wen Qiaoyun been resolved?”

“Qiaoyun’s matter…” Zhang Chenze’s expression darkened, shadows of unease crossing her features.

The words Xu Liunian and Chu Tianqiu had spoken earlier echoed relentlessly in her mind, leaving her bewildered and uncertain how to respond. Should she follow Chu Tianqiu’s plan, staying hands-off and letting events unfold naturally… or heed Xu Liunian’s guidance, using Qi Xia’s subconscious to forge an entirely new Wen Qiaoyun?

“Xiangling, let’s go group up with Yun Yao and the others first… I have something I need to discuss with you all.”

Li Xiangling nodded and led Zhang Chenze toward Terrestrial Snake’s game venue. Before leaving, they cast a glance at the large screen not far off. The number of {Reverberations} was immense, and the names scrolling across it were largely unfamiliar: {Scarlet Flame}, {Giant Morphing}, {Affliction Dismissal}, and even…{Purge All Power}.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to debate such matters; there were more pressing issues demanding attention.

When Zhang Chenze stepped into Terrestrial Snake’s game venue, the stench struck her immediately. The air was thick with a pungent, sour odor, interlaced with the sharp tang of blood and decay, enough to make one wince within seconds.

Fortunately, Yun Yao and Tian Tian had already cleared much of the scattered rubble. The room was reasonably tidy, and Lin Qin rested in the center of the floor, though her right leg still looked troubling.

“Lawyer Zhang?” Yun Yao wiped the sweat from her brow, dust smudging her cheeks. “You’re back?”

“Mm…” Zhang Chenze’s expression remained heavy, weighed down by uncertainty. “Although you’ve just finished a long, exhausting task…there’s a rather delicate matter I need to discuss with you all now.”

At her words, the others retrieved chairs and formed a circle in the main hall of the game venue, turning their gazes toward her in silence.

Zhang Chenze, maintaining a neutral stance, recounted everything she had witnessed at {Passage to Heaven} earlier today. Out of professional habit, she even conveyed every single word spoken by Ole Lu and Auntie Tong, leaving no detail omitted.

As she spoke, the expressions of those listening shifted in waves, reflecting the weight of the revelations.

Whether it was Chu Tianqiu’s words or Xu Liunian’s, the implications were difficult for them to comprehend.

“I think I roughly understand…” Yun Yao nodded slowly. “In short, Tianqiu’s final objective and Xiao Nian’s final objective are directly opposed…”

“That’s right,” Zhang Chenze nodded, turning her gaze toward Lin Qin and Yun Yao. “Both of you know far more about {End Point} than I do, so I want to hear your thoughts.”

Lin Qin and Yun Yao exchanged glances. Even with all their memories, it was hard to see how they could offer any constructive advice on a matter like this.

One sought to {become God}, the other to {create Mortals}.

“I think we should first clarify the direction of our discussion…” Zhang Chenze straightened in her chair, leaned back slightly, and crossed one leg over the other. “First, do we consider helping either of them? If so…whom should we help? Second, if we choose not to interfere with their affairs, where should we focus our efforts instead?”

“There’s a third issue,” Lin Qin interjected. “{Qi Xia}.”

“Right,” Zhang Chenze acknowledged with a nod. “Qi Xia is another thorny issue… The elderly White Tiger had previously mentioned, {He is the closest to becoming a God}. In other words, even the overseers here recognize Qi Xia’s potential. They believe Qi Xia has the highest chance of success… From the most rational perspective, assisting Qi Xia could also be a valid choice.”

Yun Yao exhaled deeply, as if she had something she wanted to say, but before speaking, she shook her head lightly and turned her gaze toward Lin Qin.

“What is it?” Lin Qin noticed Yun Yao’s gesture and asked, turning to her.

Yun Yao gathered her thoughts before speaking. “Lin Qin, I haven’t interacted with Qi Xia much… I want to know, what kind of person is he in your eyes?”

“He…” Lin Qin paused, reflecting carefully, then spoke with deliberate clarity. “To be honest…the first impression Qi Xia gave me was {danger}.”

“Danger…?”

“Yes,” Lin Qin nodded. “There’s something profoundly strange about him… I’ve studied psychology thoroughly, yet I could never truly see into his mind. Even if I observed every micro-expression, every subtle movement, I would never know what he would do next or what he might say. Forget anticipating the hidden plans in his mind… I constantly felt as if I were dealing with someone extremely dangerous. Even if his ultimate goal was to harm me, there would have been no way for me to detect it in advance.”

Yun Yao nodded in understanding. She had had a brief encounter with Qi Xia herself, and that memory of the {Mortal Dragon} game remained vivid. His behavior had been unsettling from the start.

While on the {seesaw}, he panicked, even his voice trembling. But when Tian Tian personally cut her neck and released her blood, something in Qi Xia shifted. When Tian Tian finally died, all traces of panic and grief vanished from him, leaving only a single, cold statement: “Watch closely, we’re about to win.”

On closer reflection, it aligned eerily with what Lin Qin had described. Had Qi Xia truly been panicked at that time…?

Had he really been so flustered that he could think of nothing?

During that game, she had begun to doubt Chu Tianqiu…but was Qi Xia any less worthy of suspicion?

“You’re right,” Yun Yao said, her expression grave. “Qi Xia can indeed be a dangerous individual at times…”

Lin Qin noticed Yun Yao’s solemnity and suddenly smiled. “But later, I changed my mind.”

At this, the others all turned to look at her again.

Lin Qin paused, then continued, “I don’t know how advanced artificial intelligence has become in your era. But Qi Xia is very much like a machine designed to master games. His algorithm is written with only one directive: {victory}. Such a machine has obvious strengths and weaknesses. Its strength lies in near-perfect success, but its weakness is equally evident: if necessary… in pursuit of victory, it will account for every single person around it.”

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TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)