Chapter 556: A Game Within a Game Within a Game

After leaving that dark basement, I returned to my original appearance under the night sky.

Tonight, the air carried an unusual scent, heavy with the stifling heat that precedes a storm.

But what might come soon wasn't a storm—it could be a rain of blood.

My palms were constantly sweating. Though I didn't know exactly what Qing Long, Qi Xia, and Chu Tian Qiu were plotting, I knew this might be my only chance.

Even if "Mao" really showed up here and slaughtered all the "Tian Tang Kou" members, I absolutely couldn't flee from this place.

After all, no matter how strong "Mao" was, they might not be able to kill Qi Xia with 100 percent certainty.

I had to stay here and ensure that Qi Xia was definitely killed. At the moment he was on the brink of death, I would transform into the true Yu Nian An.

This time, I wanted Qi Xia to see what I was capable of.

Only with me can you "hui xiang"—it's as simple as that.

I tucked my personal dagger into my waistband, found an empty classroom in the teaching building, and immersed myself in the darkness, quietly waiting for everything to unfold.

Not long after, noisy sounds came from the first floor. I hid by the window and looked down.

Across the courtyard, on the first floor opposite, someone had turned on a flashlight.

Qi Xia was still Qi Xia—he had seen through Chu Tian Qiu's actions in advance. At that moment, he had gathered a large group of people, surrounding Chu Tian Qiu in the classroom.

Among them were Yun Yao and Zhang Shan.

Right here and now, Qi Xia had won this round and scored a point.

What would Chu Tian Qiu do next?

From that distance, I couldn't hear what they were saying in the classroom. But after a short while, Chu Tian Qiu handed over the syringe in his hand to Zhao Yi Sheng.

Then, after a bit more time, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Qi Xia, Qiao Jia Jin, and Li Xiang Ling in the classroom.

What was going on?

How had Chu Tian Qiu resolved the crisis?

Had Qi Xia's move been dodged by Chu Tian Qiu?

At this point, Chu Tian Qiu had won a round, tying the score at one to one.

A large number of people poured out of the classroom, scattering as if searching for something.

If I guessed right... they were looking for me.

Although I wasn't as clever as Chu Tian Qiu, things had become obvious enough that I could figure it out.

Whatever was in his hand—whether poison or antibiotics—he could pin the blame on me now.

He just had to tell everyone that I had imprisoned him and orchestrated everything, and then the crowd's raging anger would shift to me.

Chu Tian Qiu had made me lock the door every time precisely to wait for this moment. If someone had discovered he was locked in the basement earlier, I might have been in danger sooner.

"What a terrible night..." I murmured to myself as I watched the chaotic crowd opposite.

If I guessed correctly, on this evening, there were simultaneously three small schemes, three medium schemes, and three large schemes, all intertwined and echoing one another.

The three small schemes were: Qi Xia wanting to eliminate Chu Tian Qiu, Chu Tian Qiu wanting to eliminate me, and me wanting to kill Qi Xia.

The three of us formed a strange circle of mutual assassination, and before striking, we had all pretended to cooperate with each other, only to unilaterally break the agreement on the same night and bare our fangs.

The three medium schemes were: Qi Xia seeking to take the dominant position in "Tian Tang Kou," me trying to stir up conflict between Qi Xia and Chu Tian Qiu, and Chu Tian Qiu attempting to bloodbath "Tian Tang Kou."

In pursuing these three medium schemes, each of us had deeper purposes. Killing the opponent was just a trigger; as long as we accomplished the medium scheme, things would advance significantly toward our large scheme.

As for the three large schemes...

Qi Xia wanted to escape from this place, I wanted to destroy it, and Chu Tian Qiu wanted to become a "shen."

After all, Qing Long had once said that the paths chosen by Chu Tian Qiu and Qi Xia would both threaten "Tian Long's" status. Thinking about it that way, the only path left for Chu Tian Qiu was to "become a god"; otherwise, he could never shake "Tian Long."

This was the full truth I'd pieced together with all my brainpower.

If those two turned out to be even more terrifying than I imagined, with a "final scheme" beyond the large schemes, that wasn't something I could comprehend.

Even though my status differed from theirs, I was ultimately just an ordinary person.

Ordinary people can't imagine things beyond their own understanding—you and I are the same.

After the crowd scattered, I noticed some people starting to move toward the playground. A few seconds later, violent explosions erupted on the playground.

A series of loud booms, big and small, sounded like explosions mixed with gunshots—this was clearly Song Ming Hui's doing.

"Mao" had arrived.

Although everything was unfolding as Chu Tian Qiu had described, I felt it wasn't the right time yet.

In Qi Xia's room, there was still Qiao Jia Jin. Though I hadn't seen him in a while, I remembered he was extremely strong.

He carried authentic fighting techniques, different from someone like me, who came from a martial arts background in acting.

Qi Xia never fully trusted me, so the chances of me sneaking in and stabbing him with a knife were slim. If Qiao Jia Jin was there too, this mission would be no different from suicide.

Several plans formed in my mind at that moment...

If I directly disguised myself as Yu Nian An and walked into the room, what would the success rate be?

Qi Xia naturally wouldn't attack me, but what about Qiao Jia Jin?

As I hesitated, I saw Qiao Jia Jin step out of the door and run seriously toward the direction of the explosions.

He was joining the fight.

Of course—I had forgotten; that's just who he is.

Now, my opportunity had truly arrived.

Amid the explosions and sounds of slaughter filling the sky, I pushed open the door and entered the corridor, walking forward a few steps. I lowered my head and saw that I was now wearing a black leather jacket, my entire body covered in excruciating burn scars.

Now, I was Song Ming Hui.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from around the corner ahead—it was only one person.

I gripped my dagger and hid on the other side of the corner. When that person came into view, I suddenly lunged forward, tackling them to the ground, and pressed the knife against their neck.

It was Tong Yi, whom I respected the most.

Though it was regrettable that we met this way, I wasn't Xu Liu Nian—I was Song Ming Hui. Our positions were different, and your death served a purpose.

She stared at me with wide eyes until she breathed her last.

I stood up, shook the blood off my dagger, skirted around the chaotic battlefield, and passed through several "Mao" members without anyone suspecting me.

After about ten minutes, I arrived at Qi Xia's door and slowly closed my eyes.

The earlier explosions had left me badly injured; there was no way I could win this fight. I needed to hurry back and save Qi Xia.

Now, I was Qiao Jia Jin.