TDU Chapter 147: Emergence of a New Self
Chapter 147 Emergence of a New Self
This reasoning, whether fabricated or genuine, carried a compelling logic. If Chu Tianqiu had truly intended to orchestrate an in-fighting scenario, prudence would dictate that he ensured his own people triggered their {Reverberation} first, to secure their survival before any losses.
Furthermore, pairing Qi Xia with Yun Yao in a team presented an inherent risk. Should danger arise, she would have no means of escaping unscathed. Sacrificing the second-in-command of his organization so easily would be an illogical gamble. Continuing with such a reckless strategy would inevitably sow discord, ensuring that figures like Zhang Shan and Yun Yao would never remain loyal to him.
Unfortunately, with Officer Li's entire team wiped out, no one remained to confirm whether this seemingly conspiratorial situation was, in fact, a deliberate scheme.
In such a way, the entire affair took on an even more intriguing and perplexing dimension.
"I understand how you feel, Qi Xia," Chu Tianqiu said, his expression steeped in sorrow. "Losing teammates in a game is an unbearable pain. Sometimes, we would even rather it be ourselves who perish."
"You don’t even participate in the games," Qi Xia replied with an unsettling calm. "So how could you possibly grasp that feeling?"
"Who says I don’t participate?" Chu Tianqiu shook his head slowly. "Once there’s a solid strategy for the game, I lead a team myself. But sometimes, unforeseen accidents occur. My teammates… to preserve my {memory}, they sacrifice themselves. That feeling—it's even more unbearable than if I had died in their place."
Qi Xia coldly stared at Chu Tianqiu but remained silent.
This man was truly something else. From start to finish, every word he uttered rang with sincerity, flawless in its delivery. But how? How could someone navigate such intricate conversations, weaving truths so seamlessly without leaving a single thread to unravel?
"There’s uncultivated land behind the school. You can bury your teammate there," Chu Tianqiu said, gesturing toward the area behind the teaching building. "Over the past few months, all the {Passage to Heaven} members who’ve passed away have been laid to rest there. Also... let me know where Specs and Kim Wonhun are, and I’ll arrange for someone to bring them back."
Qi Xia locked eyes with Chu Tianqiu, scrutinizing him for what felt like an eternity. Slowly, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
How fascinating. This was precisely the kind of scene he had envisioned upon stepping into {Passage to Heaven}. Only by engaging with opponents of true caliber could one continue to push their boundaries and uncover untapped potential.
So what if his teammates had perished?
So what of {Mortal Dragon}?
The instant Qi Xia discerned that Chu Tianqiu was no simpleton, a peculiar sense of satisfaction stirred within him.
‘Let me witness your ingenuity, Chu Tianqiu,’ Qi Xia thought to himself, his gaze sharpening with anticipation. ‘As of now, this is nowhere near enough.’
...
Under Yun Yao’s guidance, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin arrived at the desolate field.
What greeted them was a somber sight—an expanse of makeshift graves, crudely marked with dilapidated wooden planks. The burial mounds were innumerable, scattered haphazardly.
Even Yun Yao's own grave stood in a distant corner. The mound of earth appeared disturbingly full, as if it concealed something within.
Upon seeing this, Qi Xia felt a sudden chill creep through him. "Yun Yao..." He paused, his gaze fixed on the eerie mound. Pointing at her tomb, he asked, "If you're standing here, then who is buried in that grave?"
"So, you still unaware?" Yun Yao lowered her head in sorrow. "Qi Xia, death is death. When we return, we will become a new version of ourselves."
"Wha—...?" Qi Xia was momentarily stunned, feeling that this explanation was beyond his comprehension.
Beside him, Qiao Jiajin was completely frozen, unable to process the situation.
Yun Yao swept her hand across the graveyard, pointing at various mounds.
"Here, here, here, and over there—those are all me," she said with a bitter smile. "My bodies are scattered across these graves, yet here I am, standing before you. So tell me... am I still the same person?"
Qi Xia’s eyes slowly widened as the implications began to dawn on him.
Wait a moment... this situation was beyond bizarre. If what Yun Yao said was true, it meant that the corpses of Qiao Jiajin, Tian Tian, and Officer Li—those who perished in the first cycle—still lay somewhere at the {End Point}.
And yet, despite the existence of their corpse, they could progress to the second round as if nothing had happened. No real consequences whatsoever.
If one were to journey to the edge of the city now, they would undoubtedly find a lifeless body of Qi Xia lying there as well.
‘A brand new version of oneself...?’
Qi Xia’s thoughts spiraled as he suddenly grasped a new perspective. The so-called {cycles} weren't as straightforward as they appeared.
Because {time} hadn’t truly reset. Nor had {people}.
Time here continued to move forward, one day after another, undeterred. And two undeniable pieces of evidence confirmed this reality beyond all doubt.
First, the female shop assistant at the convenience store had given birth to a child—a small {piglet}—and consumed it. If time truly reset within a ten-day cycle, how could she have borne a child?
If every ten days marked a return to the beginning, why had she grown so emaciated, bearing visible signs of prolonged deprivation?
Secondly, the time of death of the {Mortal Mouse} exceeded ten days. Her corpse bore unmistakable evidence of decomposition beyond the alleged ten-day limit, irrefutably contradicting the theory of absolute resets.
And yet, those who entered the {End Point} continued to believe this place spun in unending {cycles}.
Why?
Every ten days, new individuals were thrown into this twisted mechanism—a new timeline, new players. So why did they persist in calling it a {cycle}?
Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, a portion of the new arrivals seemed to inherit the memories of the bodies they had replaced, convinced they were trapped in an unending cycle.
But was it truly a {cycle}?
To bring about such a peculiar occurrence, the force orchestrating it would have to possess god-like attributes. But why would a {God} subject everyone to repeated death, over and over again?
The humans in the {End Point}, no matter how powerful, could not wield magic. The abilities called {Reverberation}, though impressive at first glance, were ultimately just a series of futile skills. Were they expected to use these abilities to slay a god?
"No wonder there's such a horrendous stench of decay in this place..." Qi Xia muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "The number of bodies just keeps growing, never shrinking. This situation has once again exceeded my expectations..."
"Is there anything left that doesn’t make sense?" Yun Yao sighed, managing a faint smile. "One day, this world will be filled with our corpses."
Qiao Jiajin slowly lowered Tian Tian onto the ground, picking up a rusted shovel from the side. Wordlessly, he began to dig. The depth of the conversation between Qi Xia and Yun Yao was too abstract for him to process. All he knew was that Tian Tian was far too pitiful. And she was cold.
She shouldn’t remain this cold.
In a short while, a pit was dug. Just as Qiao Jiajin was about to place Tian Tian’s body into it, Yun Yao stopped him.
“Wait a moment.”
She pulled out a tube of lip gloss from her pocket, crouched down, and carefully applied it to Tian Tian’s lips. The pale-faced girl immediately appeared to regain some color.
After thinking for a moment, Yun Yao took out some blush and gently dabbed it on Tian Tian’s cheeks. "She said she wanted to depart beautifully," she murmured with a soft smile. "This way, no one will pity her, and no one will laugh at her.”
Qiao Jiajin nodded solemnly, cradling Tian Tian’s body gently as he placed her into the pit. He then took the shovel and began covering her with earth.
Yun Yao watched as Tian Tian’s body was gradually buried, her face serious as she spoke, “I like her. From now on, Tian Tian will be my {official girlfriend}, and I will do everything in my power to protect her. Anyone who goes against her will be my enemy.”
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged a glance, unsure how to respond. Yun Yao, clearly a girl herself, had chosen to take a girl as her girlfriend.
“You don’t have to do this,” Qi Xia said with calm composure. "Pretending to care for numerous people and things is simply your way of pursuing {unattainable desires}, isn't it?"
Yun Yao faltered, taken aback by how easily Qi Xia had pierced through her façade.
"True affection and the kind of affection you speak of are worlds apart," Qi Xia continued, his tone steady as he shook his head. "You seem to be in a peculiar state. When someone claims to care for everything around them, it usually means they long for nothing at all."
"Perhaps you're right, but this time, it's different," Yun Yao responded, shaking her head as she placed a hand over her chest. "This girl, Tian Tian, makes my heart ache. She was clearly struggling herself, yet still, she showed concern for others. In the real world, I may not have the power to protect her, but here, I will do everything in my capacity to shield her."
“But she won’t remember you,” Qi Xia said. “She’ll wake up, naive and unaware, and after struggling with her own inner turmoil, she’ll seek death once more. How will you protect her then?”
Yun Yao forced a bitter smile, her eyes distant. "I'll have many chances. In time, she’ll remember me." She sighed deeply, adding, "Don’t interfere with the love life of an idol. And don’t try to guess the thoughts of an idol either."
Qiao Jiajin silently plucked a dark red wildflower from the side, gently laying it atop Tian Tian's grave. His heart, too, was weighed down with sorrow.
To fail in protecting the one you wished to protect—how painfully agonizing that was.
A strange sound seemed to echo in his ears, like the distant toll of a bell, its mournful chime fading away before he could grasp its full resonance.
