TDU Chapter 145: A Dream Beyond Reach
Chapter 145 A Dream Beyond Reach
"Are you fucking making a fool of us?!" Qiao Jiajin seized Mortal Dragon by his collar with such force that it looked like he might rip it off.
"How could I?" Mortal Dragon shook his head with mock innocence. "How could I possibly?" he retorted, his voice laced with a sardonic chuckle. "I did warn you all—this is but a {seesaw} game. Why, then, the need for such internal strife? Hahaha!"
The words barely left his lips before Qiao Jiajin had him on the ground, his fist connecting with Mortal Dragon's face in a brutal strike. "What kinda bullshit are you spewing?" Qiao Jiajin growled through clenched teeth, fury burning in his gaze. "If this really was a game of {seesaw}, how is balance even possible? One wrong move, and one room will drop! This is a game of death! You’re the one who caused bloodshed, and yet here you are, cracking jokes?"
Mortal Dragon took the punch and only laughed louder.
"It was he who spilled their blood with his own hands!" Mortal Dragon’s laughter echoed, unabashed. "I am no murderer—he is the one you should blame!"
His laughter turned into something wild, almost savage, as he pointed a trembling finger at Qi Xia. "He’s the swindler, the deceiver! He hoodwinked all of you! Who was it, I ask, who first spoke of {shedding weight}? Hahahaha!!"
"You’re still trying to sow discord..." Qiao Jiajin's eyes narrowed with menace as he slowly moved his hand to tighten around Mortal Dragon's neck. "Do you really want me to kill you huh?"
Mortal Dragon's strength was no more than that of an average man, and after a futile struggle, he finally succumbed, forcing out a strained laugh that sounded more like a rasp. "Hahaha... kill the umpire... kill the umpire..."
The words struck like a cold gust, and in an instant, Yun Yao moved swiftly, her hands grasping Qiao Jiajin’s arm and pulling him back. "Qiao Jiajin… stop! You’ll provoke the higher-ups!"
Qiao Jiajin paused for a moment, his grip faltering. "The higher-ups?"
Qi Xia's voice cut through the air, flat and commanding, his gaze steady as he nodded. "She’s right. Qiao Jiajin, release him."
"Swindler lad, you..." Qiao Jiajin stared at Qi Xia, momentarily at a loss for what to think. He couldn’t fathom what Qi Xia’s intentions were.
Mortal Dragon, still sprawled on the ground, let out a laugh tinged with mockery. "What’s this? Not going to finish the job?" His voice dripped with amusement. "Go ahead, apply more pressure... I’ll be dead before long..."
Qi Xia shot him a cold, dismissive glance, his expression as inscrutable as ever. Without a word, he turned away, his voice barely a whisper. "Let’s go."
"Swindler lad... what are you planning?" Qiao Jiajin asked, his voice filled with confusion.
"It's nothing. The game is over. It's time to leave."
Qiao Jiajin’s face contorted with sorrow, his expression raw with grief. His teeth ground together as he turned and strode back into the room they had just left. He gently lifted Tian Tian’s lifeless body from the floor. Her face was deathly pale, and her body turned unnaturally light.
"Don’t be afraid, leng-mui. I’ll take you out of here."
The trio paid no mind to Mortal Dragon, whose still form remained lifeless on the floor, an insignificant afterthought. But just as they neared the exit of the corridor, a faint sound reached their ears—a barely audible cough emanating from the other iron door.
"Someone’s still alive?" Yun Yao paused, staring at the door in disbelief.
Qi Xia’s gaze sharpened, his mind calculating. The other room had been consumed by flames only moments ago—twenty or thirty seconds, perhaps—but it was still possible that someone had survived. Yet, the question remained: what were they to do now?
"I’ll go check," Yun Yao said, her voice firm and resolute as she stepped forward. "We’re the ones who brought this suffering upon them. If they remain here, they won’t last." Without another word, she approached the door and knocked. "Is anyone there?"
The door was searing to the touch, the heat almost unbearable. Yet, despite the urgency of her knock, there was no response from within.
At that moment, the sound of deliberate, measured footsteps echoed from the distant end of the corridor. The group turned in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief.
It was another {Mortal Dragon}.
She moved with an elegant, fluid grace, unmistakably a woman.
The woman, the second Mortal Dragon, reached the fallen form of her counterpart, her hands gentle as she lifted his limp body. She then turned toward the group, her voice cool and unruffled. "Do you wish to open the door? I can assist you."
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged a wary glance, neither of them willing to break the silence, their caution palpable.
This was the first time two {Earthly Branches} had appeared in tandem—especially two {Dragons}. The uncanny sight filled them both with an unsettling sense of dread, a foreboding that hung thick in the air.
"Open the door." Yun Yao snapped out of her daze, her voice sharp with resolve. "I want to bring them out."
The female Mortal Dragon offered a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "As you wish." With a delicate wave of her hand, the iron door creaked open.
A scorching wave of heat rushed out, accompanied by the acrid scent of something burned beyond recognition.
“Cough... cough…”
The sound of coughing echoed relentlessly from within, sending an icy shiver down Qi Xia’s spine. There was something disturbingly familiar about that voice.
‘No… it couldn’t be…’ Qi Xia’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in disbelief as he staggered toward the door, unable to suppress the surge of anxiety that gripped him.
Yun Yao and Qiao Jiajin both sensed something was wrong, their instincts prickling with unease as they cautiously approached the room.
Inside, the sight that greeted them was gruesome beyond words. Officer Li’s body had been horribly scorched, the charred remnants of his form barely recognizable. His left hand had been severed, yet, with agonizing determination, his right hand trembled as it reached into his pocket, desperately attempting to retrieve something.
No wonder, after the flames had first engulfed them, the room had begun to rise slowly. Officer Li had severed his own hand, and he was also bleeding, but his bleeding rate was far slower than Tian Tian's.
“How—How could this be...?” Qi Xia’s pupils dilated, his gaze locked on the scene before him. His mind struggled to make sense of the horror. Beside Officer Li lay three other bodies, their forms burned beyond recognition. The remnants of their clothing were fused to their skin, the agony of their final moments evident in the grotesque fusion.
As for Officer Li’s survival—if it could even be called that—it was likely due to the fact that he had stripped off his shirt prior.
Qi Xia had accounted for every possibility—except for the grim reality that Officer Li was in the opposite room.
"Qi... Xia...?" Officer Li’s voice emerged, hoarse and fragile, as if each word tore at his throat. "Wond–er...ful... come here... quickly..."
A loud bell tolled, signaling the inevitable.
Qi Xia slowly walked over to Officer Li's side and crouched down. His head throbbed painfully as he noticed three {Dào} placed beside Officer Li.
Still, Officer Li continued to fumble through his pockets, his movements desperate.
Why? Why was it Officer Li in the room across from theirs?
Who were his teammates?
Was Lin Qin, Lawyer Zhang, and Han Yimo?
"Three {Dào}... look... I've taken out three {Dào}..." Officer Li's voice was strained, the words dragging painfully from his throat as he forced a weak smile. "There’s still hope...wait just a little longer..."
"I'm not in a hurry... Officer Li... I'm not in a hurry..." Qi Xia bit his lip, staring at the three {Dào} on the ground, his expression one of utter despair. Officer Li originally had three {Dào}. In other words, he hadn't {manifested} a single one.
"Qi Xia... I'll make sure everyone gets out... no one has to die..." He continued fumbling through his pockets, but tears were already streaming down his face.
His pocket was empty.
And he was aware of it—perhaps better than anyone.
Why was his pocket empty?
"I believe you, Officer Li," Qi Xia said softly. "You don’t have to carry the burden..."
Officer Li continued to fumble, his hands moving with the desperation of a man clinging to the last thread of hope. His cries mingled with the sounds of his futile search, each sob wracking his battered body. Blood-streaked tears slowly rolled down his charred cheeks, seeping from eyes that had clearly been burned, rendering him blind to the world.
After an agonizing silence, the sturdy man’s resolve faltered. His voice cracked as he finally choked out, "Qi Xia, I’m sorry... I don’t think I can make it happen..."
Officer Li was really going to die. His eyes were devoid of life, and for the last time, he reached into his pocket.
Qi Xia pressed his hand to his forehead, unsure how to face the next moment.
He could stand by and watch others perish without warning, yet he couldn’t bear to see a good person wear such a look of utter despair.
Officer Li stretched out his trembling hand, fumbling blindly, his expression shifting from confusion to stunned disbelief. With great effort, he managed to force a shaky smile, the corners of his mouth curling in what could have been hope—or the shadow of it. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and opened it toward Qi Xia.
In his palm lay a single {Dào}.
His voice rasped, "Look... Qi Xia... Look... I can... I can do it... This way, no one has to die..."
But before Qi Xia could reach out to take the {Dào}, a horrified gasp escaped Officer Li. He suddenly convulsed, a violent spasm raking through his body. A gush of blood surged from his mouth, spraying the floor, and his hand fell limply to the ground.
The bell tolled once more.
And with it, Officer Li was gone.
Qi Xia's expression was one of deep complexity.
He stared at the additional {Dào} in Officer Li’s outstretched hand, his mind struggling to make sense of the impossible. Was it truly possible for Officer Li to conjure a {Dào} out of thin air?
His hand moved on its own, instinctively reaching into his pocket, but as his fingers brushed the fabric, a hollow sensation gripped him. He froze, a hopeless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
The {Dào} Officer Li had given him earlier—it was gone.
