Chapter 743: Fists and Brains

"Meh?"

Qiao Jia Jin laughed when he heard that. "I use my *lao qian* to break *Pian Ren Zi's* *lao qian*?"

"That's pretty much it," Xu Liu Nian nodded. "Are you willing to do that?"

"I..." Qiao Jia Jin scratched his head and smiled again. "That question has me stumped."

Xu Liu Nian pondered for a moment before saying, "Do you want to stay here in this cycle forever and never leave?"

"No, miss, you seem to have gotten something wrong," Qiao Jia Jin replied. "From the first time I met *Pian Ren Zi*, I told him I'd be his fist and he'd be my brain—we're partners. So, in my view, if I use my *lao qian* to crack his *lao qian*, that wouldn't be partnership; it'd be betrayal."

Xu Liu Nian quickly sorted through her thoughts and said, "But does Qi Xia even know about this plan...? What if our 'cycle' is happening in his subconscious, and he can't control it himself?"

"Then I'll still trust him," Qiao Jia Jin said. "I'm not the smart type, but I believe *Pian Ren Zi* has his own ideas about everything. If you all can think of this method, he can too. But since he's thought of it and hasn't acted, it just means his plans go even deeper."

"So your decision is..."

"I won't actively break his *lao qian*," Qiao Jia Jin answered firmly. "*Pian Ren Zi* is working on something right now, and I always trust his decisions and stand by his side. If there's a day when he realizes his plan is failing and asks me to say the word, that's when I'll resolutely use my *'hui xiang'*."

Xu Liu Nian was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "I see..."

"So, it's not the time yet," Qiao Jia Jin said. "Let's just wait together."

...

Chu Tian Qiu saw the person approaching and furrowed his brow.

"So, what kind of look is this?" Chu Tian Qiu pointed to his own eyes. "Goat pupils?"

"Speaking of 'style,' you're in no position to criticize me," Qi Xia laughed happily. "What about you now? Are you that *'dian ren'* hanging on the screen?"

Chu Tian Qiu chuckled instead of getting angry. "The fact that you can show up to find me now means you've already found a way to recover your memories, right? Do I even need to ask if that *'dian ren'* outside is me?"

"Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "I only regret not being smart enough. When you divided the people here into *'liang ren'* and *'dian ren'*... I should have questioned it then. Where did you even get the word *'dian ren'* from...? Wouldn't *'feng zi'* be better?"

"No, no..." Chu Tian Qiu shook his head with a smile. "A *'feng zi'* is a *'feng zi,'* and a *'dian ren'* is a *'dian ren.'* It's like you're you, and I'm me."

"Oh...?" Qi Xia slowly widened his mouth into a smile that matched Chu Tian Qiu's exactly. "You think I'm crazy...? How interesting..."

"So, what do you want from me?" Chu Tian Qiu asked.

"I have questions for you, but not here," Qi Xia replied.

Chu Tian Qiu nodded. "Follow me."

The two walked into the teaching building with completely different auras, leaving the crowd behind.

At that moment, Xiao Yan Jing turned to Zhang Shan and asked, "Are you really going to follow that person?"

"I..." Zhang Shan glanced in the direction Chu Tian Qiu had gone and sighed. "Xiao Yan Jing... do you want to get out?"

Xiao Yan Jing was slightly taken aback and said, "I... I can die if I have to, or live if I have to. I came here by suicide in the first place, and when I realized I was alive again... my feelings were complicated, just like they are now."

"Then I get it," Zhang Shan said. "You mentioned before that you committed a crime, so it was suicide out of guilt?"

"Yes," Xiao Yan Jing nodded. "It's not exactly 'guilt'—more like 'atonement.' But the outcome's the same. Even if I got out, I'd be arrested, and if I wasn't, I'd just keep trying to kill myself. So, whether this place gets destroyed or keeps going... I don't have a strong opinion."

"Huh... sounds a lot like me," Zhang Shan scratched his head. "Getting out would bring a ton of trouble... What about Lao Lu?"

"I..." Lao Lu shook his head meaningfully. "I'm pretty much the same, damn it."

"But I won't interfere with you two," Zhang Shan said. "Once I say something, it's like a nail driven in—it's stuck. He promised to keep us safe, so I'll lend him a hand. Whether he ends up becoming that 'god' is beyond my worry."

Han Yi Mo and Zhao Yi Sheng, standing nearby, started to feel uncomfortable.

"Hey... what are you guys up to?" Han Yi Mo asked. "I want to get out, you know!"

Zhao Yi Sheng nodded quickly. "Yeah! Chu Tian Qiu only ever said he wanted to become a 'god'—he never mentioned we'd all die with him!"

Zhang Shan shook his head helplessly. "Then go do whatever you were doing."

"But where can we go?!"

As they were talking, a group of people walked in from the school gate.

"Hey! Big guy!" Qiao Jia Jin waved.

"Oh...?"

Zhang Shan turned to look at the approaching group and soon broke into a hearty smile. "Tattoo kid."

"What are you all doing here?" Qiao Jia Jin asked. "Where did *Pian Ren Zi* go?"

"Just went up with Chu Tian Qiu," Zhang Shan gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. "Are you following him?"

"Yeah, yeah," Qiao Jia Jin nodded, but he quickly noticed the bodies scattered across the field. "You guys... what the hell? Killing people?"

"It's a long story," Zhang Shan said. "We were the ones being killed at first, but now it looks like we've joined the killers."

Chen Jun Nan seemed completely unfazed by the bodies on the ground and just stared at the teaching building with a puzzled expression. "What the heck is that kid Qi Xia up to...? Having a secret meeting with Xiao Chu?"

Qin Ding Dong had calmed down a bit and asked with concern, "But what could they be talking about...?"

Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment and replied seriously, "You're asking me? Qi Xia might be... coordinating with Xiao Chu on the next ten-day plan, offering constructive suggestions, then exchanging views on bilateral relations, and giving strategic guidance on the tensions between us and *Tian Tang Kou*. Qi Xia points out that currently..."

"Shut your mouth already," Qin Ding Dong kicked at Chen Jun Nan. "As long as you're around, I'll never have a moment of peace."

Though they joked around a bit, Chen Jun Nan's face remained serious. He looked up at the rooftop of *Tian Tang Kou*, where Qi Xia and Chu Tian Qiu were now standing.

(Family, remember to check the book circle for the pinned message and join the Ten-Day Finale 2023 year-end event. Let's welcome the last ten days of 2023 together~~)