Chapter 979: The Predictor

Qi Xia stared quietly out the window into the pitch-black night. He would occasionally glance up at the sky, then look down at the ground, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the window as his thoughts raced.

It was a long, silent night, unlike any he had seen in decades.

The Sheng Xiao were quiet, the Lou Yi were quiet, and the Can Yu Zhe were quiet too.

Now, in the entire Zhong Yan Zhi Di, all the sounds combined were nothing compared to the noise in Qi Xia’s thoughts.

Countless ideas swirled in his mind as he mentally replayed events that were happening or about to happen.

Fortunately, his battle with Tian Long in the dream had restored some memories, but many of those recovered memories felt like wandering through a void, like a jumbled computer program.

"Mao should come up with a strategy tonight," Qi Xia thought to himself.

"Too bad your options are limited... No matter how you analyze it, there's only one way left. After all, there are plenty of smart people among the Mao, and their strategists will lead all outcomes to the same answer—the path I've set for you, letting everything unfold naturally."

"If everything goes as planned, the Sheng Xiao will descend into chaos tonight, breeding distrust. After all, the most trusted Sheng Xiao has started to move, disrupting the original setup made by the many who rebelled against the Sheng Xiao. Now, everyone is on edge, desperate to protect themselves."

He stood up and gazed out the window, thinking, "Only when people feel threatened from within and without can their potential be fully unleashed. At that point, if one Sheng Xiao makes a move... everyone will panic, the Lie Che will be reorganized, and the Tian Ji..."

Qi Xia turned and looked at the corpse that had been lying on the floor in the center of the classroom.

"The Tian Ji has already started to die," Qi Xia quickly simulated the next scenarios in his mind. "Now that things have come to this, how could Tian Long not want to see me...? And how could the always sleeping Tian Zhu not receive orders to activate the Kui Lei...? If the Kui Lei is activated right in front of Qing Long... how will you survive? And when these internal and external threats among the Di Ji realize that the Tian Ji can truly be killed, the massive gears will start to turn forcefully."

All the preliminary work had been done for Tian Long, and not even a self-proclaimed god like Tian Long, let alone a real one, could anticipate someone plotting such a simple murder over such a long time.

"And the Ji Dao..." Qi Xia stroked his chin, "The Ji Dao is also progressing along its predetermined tracks, more steadily than any other team... After all, this needle was forged from the very beginning of Da Tie, and I personally shaped it into what it is now."

"All the Zhen are like Lie Che speeding along their tracks—turbulent, yet steadily advancing. They will ultimately collide with the true Lie Che of Zhong Yan Zhi Di..." Qi Xia pondered for a few seconds, "But we're still missing the fastest one..."

Qi Xia turned toward the door and thought, "Chu Tian Qiu..."

"Don't disappoint me. Wen Qiao Yun coming back from the dead didn't drive you even more insane; instead, it restored a bit of your sanity... Why are you still so naive? Do I need to tear her apart in front of you to make it clear?"

A few seconds later, Qi Xia shook his head: "But that won't work. If I tear Wen Qiao Yun apart... you'd only hate me. If Tian Long does it, you'd only hate Tian Long. That's not enough."

"You need to hate yourself, the world, everyone... You need to feel powerless against everything, to bear the weight of utter despair. Your eyes should be filled with endless corpses of Wen Qiao Yun... That's our only path."

In this strange place, killing was a way to save, and saving was a way to harm.

Qi Xia knew this team didn't need overly kind people, and Chu Tian Qiu was the best choice besides himself for this plan.

Both of them would kill countless and stop at nothing to do good deeds, a rare phenomenon anywhere else.

"Countless evil acts achieve good karma, so the actions are neither good nor evil, and the karma neither increases nor decreases," Qi Xia thought. "I don't need good results or evil results, just a predetermined result from long-term planning."

After a few seconds of silence, Qi Xia nodded: "That's right... Chu Tian Qiu... I shouldn't underestimate you. Maybe you've already figured it out?"

Outside the door, it was deathly quiet, as if the entire Tian Tang Kou had fallen silent.

"I'll give you one last chance... If tomorrow Wen Qiao Yun suggests a life-or-death gamble with Di Long, I'll help you along. But if you're set on protecting her... then your Lie Che will have to stop right here."

Qiao Jia Jin had been watching Qi Xia for a while, and only when Qi Xia's brow relaxed did he quietly ask, "Deceiver... what's your new side gig now?"

"I..." Qi Xia paused, "Nothing, I'm just thinking."

"Oh..." Qiao Jia Jin nodded, still curiously staring at Qi Xia.

As the two fell silent, footsteps echoed from outside the door, and Chen Jun Nan returned, looking exhausted from his travels.

"Hey...?" Qiao Jia Jin couldn't help but be curious at Chen Jun Nan's return, "Jun Nan... why are you coming back in the dark? Isn't it dangerous?"

"Ah..." Chen Jun Nan shook his head, "This is a long story. It seems like they sprayed some insecticide on the streets today—didn't see a single Lou Yi."

"Insecticide...?" Qiao Jia Jin was stunned.

"Anyway, I've honorably completed my mission," Chen Jun Nan found a chair and sat down. "Both the obvious tasks and the ones Old Qi didn't mention should be done. If you have time, I can tell you about my awesome exploits just now."

Qi Xia stroked his chin and thought for a few seconds: "After you left, did the Mao start their meeting?"

"Uh... damn, how did you know?" Chen Jun Nan cursed. "Of course they had a meeting. Your strongest pawn has made an appearance, so they're pointing me wherever they need to strike."

"Good... it's about time," Qi Xia said.

"About time...?" Chen Jun Nan asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Qi Xia didn't respond, and sure enough, a few seconds later, a voice rang in his ear.

"Tsk... big brain."

"Mm," Qi Xia replied softly, "I'm here. Go ahead."

Qiao Jia Jin and Chen Jun Nan knew exactly what was happening, so they stopped talking and quietly waited nearby.

Zhou Liu cleared his throat and said, "Tsk, I've got Jian Mo, so I'll talk and you'll listen."

"Got it," Qi Xia said.