Chapter 1070: Needle of Human Rank

"He said that... just to me?" Qi Xia asked hesitantly.

"No... there was... a little more," Ren She replied.

"Tell me," Qi Xia said in an unquestionable tone. "Now, if you don't choose to believe me, you might miss the best opportunity."

Ren She knew what Qi Xia said was true, so after hesitating for a moment, he spoke up. "He said, 'If you people of the Ren Ji Sheng Xiao don't like the new leader, then take off your masks.'"

Qi Xia lowered his head and carefully pondered these two sentences. He thought to himself that it was no wonder Ren She had taken them as a farewell, but now they seemed more like a mission. Because these words would only turn into a mission when he himself appeared; otherwise, they were just a goodbye.

This mission seemed to extend beyond just Ren She, and Qi Xia vaguely caught a glimpse of something more.

Why did Bai Yang say to Ren She in advance, "He is him and I am me"?

Was this also due to Bai Yang's contempt for him?

Qi Xia quickly shook his head, feeling that Bai Yang was being unnecessarily redundant. If Bai Yang had any contempt for him, he could have conveyed it directly through other information without telling Ren She this separately.

Although Qi Xia also wanted to distance himself from Bai Yang, there was no need to point it out specifically at such an important moment as parting.

Of course, the second sentence was also worth noting: If you people of the "Ren Ji Sheng Xiao" don't like the new leader, you can take off your masks.

This sentence was like a death sentence, yet Ren She had seen it as a farewell.

"Ren She, do you want to take off your mask now?" Qi Xia asked.

After hearing this, Ren She smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I've thought about this sentence for a long time, but I haven't reached any conclusion."

"How so?"

"I know Ge Yang doesn't want to kill me," Ren She said. "But he clearly knows that taking off the mask would kill me, so I've guessed at many possibilities. Unfortunately, none of them can explain his words. Maybe Ge Yang was also sad at the time...?"

"Then let me help you explain it," Qi Xia stroked his chin and said. "Although I don't remember exactly what he was feeling when he said it, I should be able to recreate his line of thinking."

Ren She nodded.

"You know that neither I nor Bai Yang wants to kill you, so the first thing to consider is, under what circumstances can you take off your mask without dying?" Qi Xia asked.

Ren She thought for a few seconds and found the question already a bit absurd.

"As long as we're still in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di, taking off the mask will definitely kill us," he replied. "Unless... we're no longer here."

"That doesn't hold up," Qi Xia denied it outright. "Because Bai Yang said, 'If you don't like the new leader,' and I'm assuming that new leader is me. He also assumes you'll be taking off the mask in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di, so what I'm asking is... how can you take off your mask in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di without dying?"

"This... I don't know..." Ren She shook his head. "Based on my experience, all 'Ren Ji' who take off their masks die. There are no exceptions."

"You're stuck in a thinking trap," Qi Xia reached out and tapped the notebook on the table. "Haven't all these puzzles strengthened your thinking yet?"

"I..." Ren She lowered his head, at a loss for words.

"Whether a 'Ren Ji' dies from taking off their mask depends on only one person," Qi Xia said gravely. "And that's 'Zhu Que,' right?"

Ren She's eyes widened, and he quickly nodded. "Yes... 'Zhu Que' is the punisher of the 'Sheng Xiao' for breaking rules... but what do you mean by that...?"

"To survive while taking off your mask, there are currently only two paths," Qi Xia held up two fingers and said. "The first is for 'Zhu Que' to die..."

"Ah...?"

"If 'Zhu Que' dies, it means all 'Ren Ji' are freed," Qi Xia explained. "At that time, all 'Ren Ji Sheng Xiao' can take off their masks and return to being 'Can Yu Zhe' without facing any penalties."

Ren She stared wide-eyed, speechless for a long time.

"'Zhu Que' dying...?"

The "Ren Ji Sheng Xiao" worried every day about how to escape from "Zhu Que," but they had never imagined that "Zhu Que" might die one day.

But how could "Zhu Que" die...?

Qi Xia didn't respond. Instead, he slowly stood up and walked to the door on one side of the room.

This door didn't lead to Cang Jie Qi; instead, it opened onto the street.

Qi Xia opened the door and looked at the sky of the Zhong Yan Zhi Di. Then, he roughly determined the direction and glanced toward the prison.

As if sensing what Ren She was thinking, Qi Xia said softly: "Someone will take care of 'Zhu Que.'"

"What...?"

"I've figured out Bai Yang's intention..." Qi Xia added. "The 'Ren Ji Sheng Xiao' might get caught up in the flood of 'killing Zhu Que.'"

"Ah?" Ren She paused after hearing this, finding it somewhat incomprehensible. "Didn't you just say someone would handle 'Zhu Que'?"

Qi Xia organized his thoughts and replied: "Yes, but neither Bai Yang nor I can guarantee they'll succeed one hundred percent. We still need support from the side, and that's where you come in."

After hearing this, Ren She hurriedly went over and closed the door, asking in a low voice: "...What do we need to do?"

Qi Xia didn't answer directly. Instead, he was silent for a moment before saying: "This brings us to the second way of taking off your mask without dying."

"What is it?"

"It's when too many 'Ren Ji Sheng Xiao' break the rules at the same time, and 'Zhu Que' simply can't kill them all," Qi Xia explained.

Ren She felt that every word from Qi Xia was shattering his limits of understanding, even changing the sound of his voice. This made him strangely want to call out "Ge Yang," but the words "He is him and I am me" blocked his way.

"Wait... hold on..." Ren She waved his hand. "Isn't this too outrageous...? Even if 'Zhu Que' can't kill them all, does that count as not dying?"

"That's how the world works," Qi Xia said. "If violators suddenly increase, all cities' law enforcement would be overwhelmed. It's the same here—all the 'Ren Ji' are intimidated by 'Zhu Que''s ruthless killing methods, so none of you dare to break the rules. That's why 'Zhu Que' has it easy."

"That's really outrageous..." Ren She said, looking down. "Are you comparing us to 'violators' and 'Zhu Que' to 'enforcers'?"

"It's not my comparison," Qi Xia stared into Ren She's eyes with a serious expression. "But if we reach the time to act... in the eyes of all 'Can Yu Zhe' and 'Sheng Xiao,' we'll already be outright 'violators.'"

Ren She lowered his head again and fell into thought.

Qi Xia's words seemed to confirm from the side that in this operation, their opponents weren't just the "Sheng Xiao," but also those unaware of the truth and standing with the "Sheng Xiao."

"Ren She," Qi Xia called out again. "This afternoon, how many 'Ren Ji' can you rally to take off their masks together?"

(Wishing all high school examinees that their pens point where their hearts desire. May every stroke they write be worthy of their past lives, and then, carrying no regrets and full of expectations, rush toward a better future.)