Chapter 52: The Extremes

Xiao Xiao casually smashed a table, then picked up a piece of wood with nails from the ground and slowly walked toward Qiao Jiajin.

"Hey!" Qi Xia sensed trouble. "What are you doing?! Wait a minute..."

"These people are dead, and that's fine," Xiao Xiao said. "They deserve to die. I'll prove it to you."

"Don't!" Qi Xia shouted anxiously. "I understand! I'll do everything you say, just put that thing down first!"

As if she hadn't heard a word, Xiao Xiao slowly raised the board in her hand.

"Hey! I agree to your conditions! You don't need to prove anything to me!"

Seeing Xiao Xiao acting as if she were possessed, Qi Xia quickly called out to Qiao Jiajin: "Hey! Qiao Jiajin! Stop pretending to be dead! Get up!"

No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Xiao's board came down, driving the nailed side straight into Qiao Jiajin's skull.

"Jidao Wansui," she said with a smile.

Qiao Jiajin's body shuddered violently, his hands and feet twitching a few times before falling still.

"Hey... Qiao Jiajin..."

Qi Xia stared wide-eyed, his lips trembling.

"Say something, Qiao Jiajin... What the hell are you pretending... Even a bear couldn't kill you... How could a nail...?"

Instead of a response from Qiao Jiajin, Qi Xia saw the spreading bloodstain.

He knew that with a nail driven into the brain, no one could survive.

Qiao Jiajin was dead.

"Qiao..." Qi Xia stared in disbelief at the scene, his mind echoing a single phrase...

"You have the brains, I have the brawn—let's team up?"

"See, Qi Xia," Xiao Xiao said with a laugh, "they deserve to die."

"Ah————"

Suddenly, Qi Xia let out a scream of agony as a searing pain erupted deep in his mind. His hands and feet regained sensation in an instant, but all he could do was writhe on the ground, clutching his head.

Xiao Xiao paused noticeably as she saw Qi Xia suddenly able to move freely.

The headache lasted an excruciatingly long time. Qi Xia felt as if the nail hadn't pierced Qiao Jiajin but had instead been driven into his own brain, churning his thoughts and making him wish for death.

After two minutes, the pain vanished abruptly, and Qi Xia stood up, his face expressionless.

"Impressive, Qi Xia," Xiao Xiao said with a laugh. "Can you ignore my 'huixiang'?"

"I advise you to stop..." Qi Xia said coldly. "If you have a problem, come at me..."

"No," Xiao Xiao replied. "I need to make you understand that these people can be killed without a second thought—and you can kill them too."

"Why would I kill them..." Qi Xia's eyes turned ice-cold, his entire demeanor devoid of emotion. "I'm nothing like you lunatics. Don't lump me in with you."

"Looks like you still don't get it." Xiao Xiao shook her head helplessly, then flicked her wrist to pull the nailed board from Qiao Jiajin's head. She shook off the blood and said to Qi Xia, "Once I kill them all, you'll understand naturally."

With that, she strode straight toward Tian Tian.

"Psycho, that's enough..." Qi Xia's lips moved slightly. "We've barely scraped by to stay alive—who are you to decide our fates..."

"So I said that's pointless." Xiao Xiao raised the board again.

This time, Qi Xia didn't give her a chance. He charged forward, intending to knock her down, but despite the tremendous impact, she didn't budge.

Qi Xia quickly changed tactics, wrapping his arms around her waist like it was a load-bearing wall and shoving her backward.

Xiao Xiao stepped back two paces, her face turning stern.

"Qi Xia, I'm clearly helping you, yet you're so stubborn. It's disappointing," Xiao Xiao said, shaking her head. She grabbed his neck and tossed him aside like a dog.

Qi Xia slammed into the wall and cried out in pain. He realized this woman's strength was extraordinary, likely from rigorous training.

"Jidao Wansui." Xiao Xiao smiled slightly as the board came down again, piercing Tian Tian's skull.

In Qi Xia's mind, Tian Tian's voice echoed—

"I came here because there's no place for me there."

The intense, tearing pain surged back, and Qi Xia writhed on the ground, howling in agony.

Tian Tian was dead.

Qi Xia felt like his head was about to split open.

His vision went black, and his consciousness began to fade.

Just before blacking out, he heard a massive bell tolling in the distance.

...

"Xia, look at this." Yu Nian'an held up a worn shirt, as if showing it off to Qi Xia. "See here."

She pointed with her fair finger to the shirt's pocket, where a cartoon lamb was sewn on.

"I fixed the tear for you! Not bad handiwork, right?"

"It's really good." Qi Xia nodded while eating instant noodles in big bites. "But why not just buy a new one?"

"Save money!" Yu Nian'an smiled. "Once we're rich, you can buy as many as you want. For now, let's make do."

Qi Xia paused slightly, set down his noodles, and said, "Xiao An, we'll have money soon. If that deal of mine goes through, we'll have two million..."

"I believe it." Yu Nian'an nodded with a smile. "Xia, there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own. I know you'll succeed."

"Yeah." Qi Xia nodded, feeling an unusual sense of peace. He wanted to say more to Yu Nian'an but suddenly noticed the sky outside the window.

The dark red sky hung with a dull yellow sun.

Qi Xia blinked, sensing something odd.

"What's going on..." He turned back to Yu Nian'an, only to see her face had changed to Xiao Xiao's.

Xiao Xiao smiled and moved her lips. "Jidao Wansui."

In the next second, two figures appeared behind Xiao Xiao—unmistakably Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.

Blood and brain matter oozed from their foreheads as they stared at Qi Xia with grotesque expressions, their eyes filled with resentment and reluctance.

"You... you... I..."

A wave of fear hit Qi Xia, and he flipped off his chair, bolting out the door.

He had to escape this nightmare of a place.

It was all a dream.

When he opened his room door, a deeper despair hit him.

Beyond was an endless corridor lined with thousands of doors, from which people wearing animal masks were emerging one after another.

...

"Qi Xia! Qi Xia!" An urgent voice called out, pulling Qi Xia back.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Lin Qing's clean face in front of him.

"Lin..." Qi Xia frowned, his head throbbing intensely. "What happened?"

Lin Qing's eyes were filled with tears as she sobbed, "You scared me to death... I thought you were dead like Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian..."

Qi Xia's memory flooded back, and he staggered to his feet in a daze, staring at the bodies of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian nearby, lost in thought.

Though this wasn't a dream, it was a reality more horrifying than any nightmare.

"Qi Xia... What on earth happened..." Lin Qing choked out. "Who killed them?"

Qi Xia didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Lin Qing with a blank expression and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you still alive?"