Chapter 411: The Good Man King

"Chu Tianqiu is really that crazy...?" Yun Yao retorted, "Indeed, a good reputation, no matter how many years it lasts, will completely collapse with just one moment of madness. This is also his own fault."

"Isn't that the case?" Zhang Chenze glanced at Lin Geng.

"What you know is only the current Chu Tianqiu..." Yun Yao said wistfully, "Whether you believe it or not, during the years when Qi Xia wasn't around, Chu Tianqiu was always the 'Liang Ren' king. The things he did for all the 'participants' were even more than you can imagine."

Lin Geng had heard of Chu Tianqiu's title before, but after meeting him, she realized he was completely different from what she had pictured.

Thinking about it, if Chu Tianqiu had been this deranged from the start, how could he have become the 'Liang Ren' king?

Why would so many people in 'Tian Tang Kou' support him?

Zhang Chenze paused after hearing this: "Are you saying Chu Tianqiu had a child in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di'... but that child was eaten by her own mother... and that drove him to this madness?"

"It's just my guess..." Yun Yao sighed, "Though I don't want to speculate like this, if that's the reason, then all of Chu Tianqiu's motivations make sense."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

When one's only obsession crumbles in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di', who wouldn't go mad?

But was that child really Chu Tianqiu's obsession?

"Before, when I saw Qi Xia having headaches... I really wanted to bring this up," Yun Yao said to the group, "Chu Tianqiu also suffers from headaches, which is why he has no reason to leave."

"What?" Lin Geng raised her eyebrows, "He gets headaches too?"

"Yes, and Chen Junan probably knows about it," Yun Yao nodded, speaking word by word, "Chu Tianqiu has brain cancer."

"What...?"

Only then did several of them recall that when Chen Junan had held a knife to Chu Tianqiu's neck, he had tapped his own temple and asked, "Does it still hurt here?"

"Chu Tianqiu had no reason to leave in the first place," Yun Yao said, "In the real world, he only has two months left to live. 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' is his only refuge. The fact that he's done so much for the 'Liang Ren' is already selfless. Logically speaking, no one has the right to blame him. For a long time, he collected food on his own to share with everyone and generously shared game strategies, all just to increase the chances of survival for people here."

"But according to what you're saying..." Lin Geng said, "Then you have no reason to leave there, right? Is there anyone in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' more reliable than he seems?"

Yun Yao hesitated, then continued: "I'm dissatisfied with him because he's toying with the lives of everyone in 'Tian Tang Kou'. We trusted him so much, yet he manipulated us like pawns. That's a betrayal. He could have told us the truth, and we would have chosen our own endings, instead of going to our deaths with blind trust."

Everyone could understand the bitterness in Yun Yao's heart now. Being betrayed isn't scary, but being betrayed by someone you trust most is.

Yun Yao was becoming more convinced that after Chu Tianqiu learned the woman named Qiaoyun had eaten their child, he started to go mad.

When he activated that strange replication ability, he had pulled out a piece of flesh and stuffed it into his mouth. Was he imitating Qiaoyun by eating people?

"Who exactly is this Chu Tianqiu you're talking about?" the shop assistant's voice trembled even more; she seemed to think of something, but no matter what, she couldn't regain her sanity.

"Do you remember Chu Tianqiu?" Yun Yao asked, "He's the one who 'delivered' to you. His smile is very charming, and his voice is pleasant."

The shop assistant blinked, feeling as if some vague memories were awakening in her mind, but how long ago were those memories?

Decades, perhaps.

"Xiao Wen, we're going to lead everyone out; we're going to destroy this place."

"Xiao Wen, you are our only hope, but if you don't find me after leaving... that might mean I don't want to see you."

"Xiao Wen, the path you're on now is very dangerous..."

"Xiao Wen, where have you been all these years? Don't you remember me anymore?"

"I'm Xiao Wen...?" The shop assistant's eyes flickered continuously, as if tears were about to fall, and she muttered blankly, "I'm Wen Qiaoyun...?"

Seeing her like this, the group couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed she was regaining her sanity?

But a few seconds later, Wen Qiaoyun's face darkened, and her eyes returned to their vacant state, as if the memories that had just surfaced were like ripples on a lake that eventually faded away.

"Please feel free to select..." She slowly lowered her head, "Please choose the items yourself... Please..."

Just like all the 'Yuan Zhu Min' they had encountered before, they might have some fragments of old memories at first, but once you probe deeper, those ancient memories would slowly be forgotten.

"So..." Zhang Chenze looked at Yun Yao and Lin Geng, asking, "Once someone becomes a 'Yuan Zhu Min', are they forever unable to return to normal?"

Lin Geng nodded: "Yes, I've never seen a 'Yuan Zhu Min' regain consciousness."

Yun Yao was about to nod in agreement, but the words stuck in her throat.

"No..." Yun Yao said with a heavy expression, "I'm now reserving judgment on this... Maybe 'Yuan Zhu Min' can really regain consciousness..."

"What?" Lin Geng frowned at her; she'd never heard of such a thing.

"Xiao Nian..." Yun Yao said to Lin Geng, "Do you remember that person...? Her name is Xu Liunian. Qi Xia said she once became a 'Yuan Zhu Min', but now she's back in 'Tian Tang Kou'. Not only has she fully regained her sanity, she can even activate 'Hui Xiang'."

"Regained her sanity...?"

"But it's still strange..." Yun Yao said, "Xu Liunian didn't return to the 'interview room'... It seems she escaped 'Yan Mie', but she's just wandering here day after day."

After hearing this, Lin Geng was completely stunned.

"That can't be right... Does such a person really exist?" She frowned and said, "If she escaped 'Yan Mie', that means she can never return to the real world. Even we can go back every ten days, but she can't... So what is she now? A 'participant' or a 'Yuan Zhu Min'?"

"I don't know..." Yun Yao said, "I once asked her privately, and she just said she woke up one day and regained her consciousness, then returned to 'Tian Tang Kou'. Chu Tianqiu temporarily assigned her to act in his place... And you know the rest."

"Since there's a precedent... that means it's possible..." Lin Geng slowly widened her eyes, "If it doesn't involve 'Yan Mie', then her memories will never be lost... If we can find the right method, we could let everyone in 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' escape this curse. Then we'd reach a new peak..."

"But there's one thing I still don't understand..." Yun Yao changed the subject, "If she doesn't return to the 'interview room', that means even if she dies, she won't respawn... But this time, she clearly did respawn. Where did she respawn, and why?"