Chapter 916: Leaping Life

Bai Yang pulled me out of the room without a word and then pushed me toward the outdoors, which was like a living hell.

I stared at the devastated streets, reached for my arm, and pinched it hard…

This couldn’t be a dream, could it?

It was a sensation I'd never experienced before... As I walked along the streets, I felt as if everyone in "Zhongyan Zhidi" had died, and I was the only one left alive.

I’d never imagined that dried blood could feel like glue, stretching into strings when stepped on.

The oppressive atmosphere, the sense of despair, and the stench were even more intense than before.

I wandered aimlessly down the street, and it was just as I’d thought—there were no living people, only "Shengxiao" and "Yuan Zhumin."

The "Yuan Zhumin" were acting as if they’d been freed, returning to their normal lives. I could see young people out for walks, older sisters carrying baskets to shop in the empty supermarkets, and office workers standing by the roadside hailing taxis.

The arm of the one trying to hail a taxi had been raised for so long that it looked wind-dried.

These people were eerily quiet yet deranged.

As for the "Shengxiao," each one wore a blank and bewildered expression. They were slowly dragging the bodies of "Canyu Zhe" out of their rooms and tossing them onto the streets like garbage.

When they saw me, they showed a flicker of surprise, but quickly lowered their heads in resignation and went back to clearing their areas.

I thought carefully about the situation... It seemed some uncontrollable event had happened, killing everyone…

But if it were a "Tianji Shike," there should have been survivors according to the rules…

Why was there no one alive? Why was I the only one?

From the next day, all the "Shengxiao" stayed indoors, as if they knew no one would come to play the game anymore.

For the "Shengxiao," this was like a long-awaited vacation…

Wait a minute, this feeling… Could it be a "Da Xipai"?

Yang Ge had once said that if someone collected three thousand six hundred "Dao," a major reshuffle from the upper levels would occur, wiping out everyone's memories and killing them to start everything from zero.

Now, it really looked like we'd gone through some kind of "Da Xipai."

That means someone had collected them all… But who could it be?

The leader of some organization?

After calming down, I figured the most likely person was the man who had won two thousand nine hundred "Dao" from Yang Ge last time.

It turns out I still didn’t understand Yang Ge's intentions. I thought he was transferring those "Dao" to the "Canyu Zhe" to prevent a reshuffle, but it was actually to make it happen…

Maybe just as he said, he was preparing to greatly reduce the popularity of "Jile Qianzhuang." Now, not only could he lower its heat, but he could also claim all the "Dao" in the pawnshop as his own chips.

After all, no one would remember depositing "Dao" here anymore.

Was Bai Yang in a rush for money lately?

Wait… I suddenly furrowed my brow…

In a "Da Xipai," would Jiang Ruoxue be affected too?

Would she still remember me?

At the thought, I frantically searched the city for Jiang Ruoxue, checking the bodies on the ground in the areas she often frequented…

That’s when I noticed something odd about all the bodies—they were all face-down.

It looked like something had pierced through the back of their heads and straight to their foreheads. That’s why they all fell forward, appearing completely unguarded.

But that made my task even harder, as I had to flip almost every body to identify the face.

I spent the entire day searching through hundreds of fresh corpses, but I didn’t find Jiang Ruoxue. My hands were stained with blood from countless people—it dried, then got stained again, and again, now unbearably itchy… But where was Jiang Ruoxue?

Would she completely forget me?

I finished checking the last street before sunset and collapsed against the wall, utterly exhausted…

This is strange… Let me sort out my thoughts…

Yes, I didn’t find Jiang Ruoxue, but I also didn't find any of the "Jidao Zhe" from my memories.

Maybe I didn’t check enough bodies—only a few hundred. I need to keep searching; I finally understand what it means to “see the person alive or the body dead.”

The next day, I headed toward the hotel where Jiang Ruoxue had mentioned "Tian Tang Kou" was located, based on her description. But there wasn’t a single body there. I was surprised—had such a large organization all gone out?

Not long after, I found a note in what seemed like an office. The handwriting was neat and elegant, with just three lines:

"Comrades returning to the group, please note: 'Tian Tang Kou' has relocated to the school in the west. Proceed to rendezvous."

“School…”

I put the note back and hurried toward the school in the west. If "Tian Tang Kou" had really moved there, it meant Jiang Ruoxue had gone with them.

When I arrived at the school, I did find a lot of bodies… but I didn’t recognize any of them.

I hadn't seen their leader or the key members, but I did spot an exceptionally beautiful girl.

Given her height of over 1.75 meters, she could very well be the "Qiang Yun" that Jiang Ruoxue had mentioned—and even she hadn’t escaped.

I searched the entire school but couldn’t find Jiang Ruoxue… not even Aunt Tong’s body.

I was starting to piece it together…

Bai Yang had once told me: “I’ve always ensured the safety of you and those around you.”

Now I finally understood what that meant…

It seemed "Jidao" had some kind of immunity…

As I walked out of the school, I muttered to myself with my head down.

No wonder… No wonder "Jidao" could be so stable, no wonder we could keep recruiting members…

The people in "Jidao" could evade the "Da Xipai"… They had memories that lasted longer than anyone else's…

But that doesn’t make sense!

My mind suddenly froze… If all "Jidao" members don’t die and can escape the reshuffle… then why was there a body of me in Bai Yang’s office?!

Why did I die?!

While I was lost in thought, a faint, puzzled voice came from near the school entrance.

“Hey…?” The person called out tentatively, then raised their voice. “Little sister!”

I looked up and saw Lao Sun standing there.

“Lao Sun…?”

“It’s me!” Lao Sun walked over excitedly. “You’re one of us after all! Are there any of our people inside the school?”

“This…” I shook my head. “There are no living people left in there.”

“Then that means Xiao Jiang isn't here.” Lao Sun said, “Where has that kid wandered off to now?”

“Hold on… Lao Sun.” I was a bit unsure about the current situation. “Have you all experienced this before?”

“How could you be so clueless, little sister…?” Lao Sun said with some confusion. “You’ve been in 'Jidao' longer than I have, right? This 'Da Xipai' happens every few years—I’m used to it, but you aren’t?”

Every few years…?

I think I figured out the issue… It seems every time I black out, the "Da Xipai" skips right past me.