Chapter 511

Arc 5: I Am Deeply Disappointed Feb 4 Written By Pure Preview

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Chapter 511 True God

“You’re comparing Qi Xia… to a machine?” Yun Yao asked.

“Correct,” Lin Qin replied with a smile, “and that’s precisely why I want to collaborate with him. When you know there’s a machine this powerful, wouldn’t you want to risk acquiring it for yourself?”

“But you also said…he’s dangerous,” Yun Yao said. “Aren’t you worried that one day he might hurt you?”

“I can’t say for certain… I’ve spent some time with Qi Xia,” Lin Qin continued in her gentle voice. “Though he appears cold and stern, he has serious psychological issues. He’s anxious, sensitive, and paranoid—but deep down, he craves someone to be by his side. He often radiates a profound sense of helplessness.”

Her words delved into a territory none of the others had considered; all they could do was listen and absorb her analysis.

“He is contradictory. He frequently suppresses his own thoughts. Put another way, Qi Xia worries about forming deep bonds with us, his {teammates}, because that could jeopardize his plans. Yet, whenever he is able, he saves every person he possibly can.”

“That is…very contradictory,” Yun Yao said. “One moment you say he’s like a cold, calculating machine; the next, you say he genuinely wants to save everyone… Can someone really think that way?”

“Exactly,” Lin Qin nodded. “From a psychological standpoint, the coexistence of these extremes suggests that one of these states is merely a facade. So… if there’s a disguise, is it the {cold-blooded} exterior, or the {compassionate} actions?”

Her words left little doubt: Qi Xia’s outward indifference contrasted sharply with his deeds. That, she implied, was his true facade.

“I still don’t understand… If he’s been masking himself, what is his goal?” Yun Yao asked.

“That, I am completely in the dark,” Lin Qin replied. “All I know is one thing: Qi Xia may have actually escaped. And as long as I follow him, there’s a very good chance I could escape too…”

Seeing the confusion on everyone’s faces, Lin Qin explained the existence of a strange old man from her world.

That old man was extraordinarily intelligent, yet utterly mad. No matter how anyone addressed him as {Qi Xia}, he showed no reaction at all. But the moment the name {Yu Nian’An} was spoken, the old man would completely collapse, spiraling into uncontrollable madness.

“You’re saying…you’ve seen Qi Xia in the real world?” Yun Yao asked, disbelief written plainly across her face.

“Not with my own eyes,” Lin Qin shook her head. “I’ve mentioned this to Qi Xia before. I suspect he’s in the hospital where my friend works. Everything I know about him came from that friend.”

Zhang Chenze, who had been listening in silence for a long while, finally spoke. “So…you’re collaborating with Qi Xia?”

“Yes. It’s not exactly stable, but we do share a cooperation as thin as a cicada’s wing,” Lin Qin said. “If I truly had to choose, I would choose to help Qi Xia, not Chu Tianqiu or Xu Liunian. I simply don’t know enough about them yet.”

The room gradually fell into silence. 

Zhang Chenze felt her thoughts grow even more tangled. Everyone here was struggling desperately to escape this place. Compared to them, she herself had done almost nothing.

“But that’s {Endowing Life Without End}…” Yun Yao muttered quietly. “When {Endowing Life Without End} descended, I was standing right in front of the display screen. No one could be clearer than I am about how terrifyingly powerful {Endowing Life Without End} is. That tremendous tolling shattered car windows completely. Every word on the screen was swallowed up by {Endowing Life Without End}. If that wasn’t a {divine miracle}… then how else should it be interpreted?”

“So your conclusion is…?”

“It’s straightforward,” Yun Yao said. “The potential of {Endowing Life Without End} is simply too great. If it truly can create a person at will, I would choose to help Xu Liunian.”

Her perspective clearly diverged from Lin Qin’s, but Lin Qin did not find this objectionable.

After all, in her mind, Qi Xia was merely a clever individual with the potential to escape. If a better option presented itself, she could abandon Qi Xia at any time.

Zhang Chenze nodded, then asked, “Yun Yao, do you think creating a {Wen Qiaoyun} would bring us any tangible benefit?”

Yun Yao lowered her head in silence, then played with her hair before lifting her gaze. “Think about it, just Qi Xia alone is already immensely powerful. But if…I mean, if…Qi Xia truly believed there was someone far stronger than himself, and as a result created that person…this being would undoubtedly bring cataclysmic changes to {End Point}.”

“Far stronger than Qi Xia…” Lin Qin muttered the words to herself, feeling the concept stretch beyond anything she could comprehend.

Such a person—no, they could no longer be called a mere {person}. Could such a being truly exist?

Qi Xia’s thoughts were already impossible for her to predict. And if another being emerged, one far stronger than Qi Xia… What would run through their mind?

What actions would they take?

An utterly unimaginable, unpredictable, and terrifying being—there was no way they could be called a {person}. They would resemble a {God} far more than Qi Xia. If that were truly the case, would this {God} even stand on the side of {participants}?

What reason would they have to help {participants}?

“I can’t… my thoughts are a mess,” Lin Qin muttered, pressing a hand to her forehead. “I just have a very strong sense that this plan is unreliable… I have an ominous premonition…”

As she spoke, she covered her mouth and nose, as if trying to shield herself from some unseen stench.

Yun Yao too understood this was a risky move, and executing it would be extraordinarily difficult.

They would not only need Qi Xia to obtain his {Reverberation} again, but they would also have to deceive him.

In {End Point}, deceiving an ordinary person was easy, but deceiving Qi Xia was near impossible. One faint clue, one subtle trace, and he could unravel even the most meticulously constructed lies.

After a moment of contemplation, Yun Yao and Lin Qin both lifted their eyes to Zhang Chenze.

Both had already made their stance clear. Only Zhang Chenze had yet to make a choice.

“I…” Zhang Chenze shook her head helplessly. “By the principle I live by, I know far too little about these matters. Whether it’s Qi Xia or {Endowing Life Without End}, this is my first time delving so deeply. And my guiding principle has always been simple: I will not make a choice rashly before having all the information. Doing otherwise would be unfair to everyone involved.”

“So you want to abstain from choice…?”

“Yes,” Zhang Chenze nodded in acknowledgement. “Perhaps I think like Chu Tianqiu. Even though we come from the same probation room as Qi Xia, no one should interfere with his actions. Let everything unfold naturally. At least for now…we should hold off on deciding.”

The three had clearly reached differing conclusions, but fortunately, the room held more than just the three of them. Their gazes shifted to Li Xiangling and Tian Tian.

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TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)