Chapter 767: Escape Plan

"No... it's not like that..." Xu Liunian pursed her lips. "He's not what you think..."

"From the result, what's the difference?"

Chu Tianqiu smiled bitterly and helplessly, then took out a jin yuanbao from his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of Xu Liunian.

"Don't call it a 'crime'." Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes at Xu Liunian. "In my twenty-eight years of life that have passed, I haven't even done anything wrong, but I ended up like this. You tell me... who should I resent?"

"I really don't know..." Xu Liunian said. "The only thing I can be sure of is that there are no innocent people on the Lieche..."

"What makes you so certain?" Chu Tianqiu asked again. "You say we have 'sin', but you don't know what that sin is. As 'Shen' who manage ghosts, do you not need evidence?"

"I've told you... these matters aren't under my control... I only handle 'escorting'..." Xu Liunian said. "Even if you ask me... I really..."

"Forcing an innocent person to go mad—that's your ability." Chu Tianqiu said gravely. "You tell me... what's so worthy about obeying your 'supervisor's' orders?"

"Chu Tianqiu..." Xu Liunian had no idea how to explain and could only say with a pleading tone, "He's really not what you think... He's genuinely giving everyone a chance..."

"Where is this chance?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "When your 'supervisor' abandoned this place back then, had anyone already become a 'Shen'?"

"This..." After hearing that, Xu Liunian slowly lowered her head. "No..."

"He says he'll create a 'Shen' and so he does... He says he'll abandon it and so he does..." Chu Tianqiu laughed loudly. "Xu Liunian! What gives him the right?! Are the tens of thousands of people here really all sinners?! What about those like me who haven't done anything wrong? Do you realize the enormity of the karma you've created?"

"Chu Tianqiu!" Xu Liunian interrupted him. "All the souls were taken directly from the path to hell—you were all meant to be scattered into nothingness!"

"Then we should have been scattered back then!" Chu Tianqiu said. "What are we now?! Everyone talks about 'surviving', but we're already dead. Everyone talks about 'escaping', but where are we supposed to escape to? Everyone talks about becoming 'Shen', but how can we fight against those two 'Shuanglong' who are already 'Shen'? Thinking about it, it's utterly ridiculous... Even without those two 'Long', our fate wouldn't change at all."

"But the truth isn't like that..." Xu Liunian's voice grew softer, as if she was starting to doubt herself. "Back then, this space was just a chaotic void... To give you a sense of belonging, he specially built a city here and created the sky..."

"What a joke." Chu Tianqiu said. "Giving us a comfortable environment, only to make us witness it turn into a real hell—that kind of torture, how was it even conceived?"

Xu Liunian knew that her position was completely different from Chu Tianqiu's, and she probably couldn't convince him.

After all, from the perspective of Chu Tianqiu or any 'participant', this place was a living hell, bringing them seventy years of agony and endless despair.

"Chu Tianqiu... I understand how you feel." Xu Liunian said. "I can't convince you, but since we can't find the 'mastermind' here, I can apologize on his behalf."

"How will you apologize?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Like you said... if the next cycle never happens, is that your idea of 'apology'?"

"That's the only method I can think of." Xu Liunian said. "I'm just an ordinary person; I can't do anything else."

"I want you to survive." Chu Tianqiu said. "I want you to go out and ask him the purpose behind all this."

"What...?"

"Aren't you curious?" Chu Tianqiu said. "No matter how you look at it, this place must have taken a lot of effort to build. Why was it suddenly abandoned?"

"But Chu Tianqiu..." Xu Liunian took a step forward and said softly, "Time in this place is stagnant relative to the outside world; no one knows how long it's been..."

"Isn't that perfect?" Chu Tianqiu said. "That means if we can really get out of here, your 'supervisor' should be standing right outside the door, having just left a step or two away. We can ask him everything clearly."

After hearing that, Xu Liunian opened her mouth as if to refute, but she knew Chu Tianqiu was right.

"Chu Tianqiu..." Xu Liunian called softly, "The only way to get out of here is through the Lieche."

"What...?" Chu Tianqiu was stunned for a moment. "You...?"

"This space is sealed." Xu Liunian continued. "Only the Lieche can shuttle back and forth. Back then, I was able to drive it through the space to enter here, and now it can leave the same way."

"You're kidding..." Chu Tianqiu said, stunned. "You've always known how to escape from here... but you never said anything?"

"Yes." Xu Liunian nodded. "There are many reasons for that... First, I shouldn't let anyone here go, because my 'supervisor's' order was to kill everyone. Second, the Lieche is now completely controlled by the Shengxiao, with the two Long at the front. Third, the Lieche is severely damaged and can't be started. Fourth..."

"What's the fourth?" Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes.

"Fourth... I only know that the Lieche can leave this Zhongyan Zhidi, but I don't know where its next destination is." Xu Liunian said. "Even if we escape from here, we might end up in another space... a place with no city, just endless darkness."

Chu Tianqiu thought for a long time and finally nodded. "So, in other words... even if we fight the Shengxiao to the death, miraculously seize the Lieche from the Shen, somehow get it started, and escape with everyone, we might just stumble into another Zhongyan Zhidi."

"That's exactly it." Xu Liunian said. "That's why I've never told anyone about this."

"Heh..." Chu Tianqiu shook his head helplessly. "Do you think that if you don't say it, no one will figure it out?"

"What...?"

"Just wait and see." Chu Tianqiu said. "I suspect someone has already figured out this answer."