Chapter 404: New Organization

"She..." Zhang Chenze turned back in surprise, looking at the two of them.

"Her condition was already quite poor..." Lin Jian said with a look of disappointment, "For her, it's a kind of release... When she comes back next time and regains her sanity, we can ask her what she really saw."

Zhang Chenze nodded silently.

This place was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

"Excuse me..." Zhang Chenze looked up at the two and said, "Does using 'Hui Xiang' always come with such severe side effects? Isn't it some kind of superpower?"

"'Hui Xiang' has never been a 'superpower'; it's a double-edged sword," Qin Dingdong said. "In this place, everyone's 'Hui Xiang' comes with obvious drawbacks, including your own."

Zhang Chenze thought about the suit that had "escaped" the night before.

For her, 'Hui Xiang' was more than just a double-edged sword.

It was clearly a useless piece of scrap metal.

"Generally speaking... if 'Hui Xiang' affects oneself, it's very likely to cause self-harm," Lin Jian explained. "Su Shan is a good example, but it seems she also mixed in another factor."

"What factor?"

"If 'Hui Xiang' affects other aspects, it can harm one's brain and ultimately lead to insanity. If I'm not mistaken, all three of our 'Hui Xiang' have at least this drawback." Lin Jian paused and glanced at Su Shan's body. "Logically, since Su Shan's 'Hui Xiang' affects herself, the side effect should only be losing her eyesight, but she also lost her sanity. Maybe her 'Hui Xiang' has some functions we don't know about."

"I see..." Zhang Chenze extended her left hand and looked at it. "If I use this ability a lot... will I go insane?"

"Yes," Lin Jian nodded. "Once you enter a state of 'madness,' your perception becomes distorted, which means 'Hui Xiang' users could become even stronger or completely destroy themselves."

After saying that, Lin Jian looked at the display screen ahead; "Hun Qian" was still listed.

She knew that Zhang Chenze's 'Hui Xiang' style was completely different from her own—more like a skill that invites disaster, with a high probability of causing negative effects. If this 'Hui Xiang' couldn't be controlled, the situation would become increasingly difficult.

"Zhang Chenze," Lin Jian called out, "I've never met you before, so I don't know how you turn off your 'Hui Xiang.' When you hear the 'bell' again, make sure to remember that feeling."

"Oh..." Zhang Chenze nodded seriously.

As the three stood staring at Su Shan's body, pondering whether to take it back to "Tian Tang Kou," they noticed three figures approaching in the distance.

"Hmm...?"

Both groups showed surprised expressions upon seeing each other.

It was Yun Yao, Tian Tian, and Li Xiangling.

Now, the six young women were meeting in front of the giant bell.

"You all..." Lin Jian said, "Are you here to participate in the game?"

"No..." Yun Yao shook her head. "The three of us have already left 'Tian Tang Kou.'"

"Hmm...?" Lin Jian paused. "Yun Yao, aren't you the deputy leader of 'Tian Tang Kou'?"

"A lot has happened..." Yun Yao's expression was somewhat downcast. "That place has changed, and the Chu Tianqiu I knew is gone."

"Is that so?" Lin Jian and the others didn't know much about Chu Tianqiu, so they couldn't comment.

Yun Yao's gaze shifted to Su Shan's body on the ground: "Her...?"

"We participated in a 'Di Ji' game..." Zhang Chenze said. "Su Shan used her 'Hui Xiang,' but the side effects killed her."

Everyone nodded slightly with regret.

"By the way..." Yun Yao spoke up, "I want to form a new organization and am looking to recruit a few teammates. Are you interested?"

"A new organization...?"

"Yes." Yun Yao said to them, "It seems we've been here too long and forgotten our real goal—we want to escape, to return to the world we once knew. I want to work toward that, but I know my abilities are limited, so I asked Tian Tian and Li Xiangling to join me. What about you?"

Qin Dingdong stroked his chin and glanced stealthily at Lin Jian.

"I..." Qin Dingdong said, "I'm just a small-time con artist who's used to going solo. Joining an organization... maybe I should see what Lao Lin thinks first."

Lin Jian stared into Yun Yao's eyes for a long time before saying, "I'm a 'Ji Dao' person."

"Huh?" Yun Yao was startled. "What did you say?"

"I'm Lin Jian, a 'Ji Dao' member." Lin Jian smiled. "Are you sure you want to bring me in?"

Yun Yao's face turned very grim. She felt that leaving "Tian Tang Kou" was absolutely the right choice, because 'Ji Dao' had fully infiltrated this place.

Whether it was Yan Zhichun or Lin Jian, they could potentially completely dismantle "Tian Tang Kou."

"'Ji Dao' won't work." Yun Yao said. "I hate 'Ji Dao' the most, so you can't join. What about the rest of you?"

"What did 'Ji Dao' ever do to you?" Qin Dingdong asked irritably. "Did they take your stuff or eat your food? Some people are really something—jumping to conclusions and excluding others without even understanding the situation."

"Don't I understand enough?" Yun Yao said calmly. "Back when 'Tian Tang Kou' was purely about breaking games, 'Ji Dao' would often sneak in and sabotage us. Sometimes they'd ruin our carefully prepared strategies; other times, they'd get all of us killed. Isn't that enough?"

"But do you know the reason?" Qin Dingdong said. "Is it wrong for them to stop you from gambling on all the 'Sheng Xiao' just because you think you're right?"

"That's not the point." Yun Yao frowned. "They could choose not to interfere with us, just like you said. Since we can't be sure who's right or wrong, we could each go our own way. But these lunatics keep tricking us into trusting them, only to betray us over and over. Is that reasonable?! For them, does completing their mission have to involve betrayal? I hate betrayal more than anything in my life."

After hearing that, Qin Dingdong lost his temper. In some ways, Yun Yao was absolutely correct.

For 'Ji Dao' to protect this place, they had to keep shattering others' plans, which was extremely cruel for someone like Yun Yao.

At that moment, Lin Jian stepped forward and said, "Although I don't want to join you, I have to clarify: every 'Ji Dao' member's approach is different. You can't question all of us because of one person's betrayal."

"Yes, but I'm sticking to my view." Yun Yao said. "I have no idea how many of you there are or what tricks each might pull, so I have to cut it off completely."

"But that's not fair." Zhang Chenze suddenly interjected. "In this world... no one should be punished for something they haven't done."