TDU Chapter 172: Chance Encounter?
Chapter 172 Chance Encounter?
Qi Xia and Doctor Zhao emerged from the Terrestrial Chicken’s card parlor, the thirty {Dào} in their possession weighing heavily in their hands. Yet, after only a few steps, Qi Xia's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with irritation.
"Doctor Zhao," he said coldly, his tone sharp, "What kind of freak are you, exactly?"
"Huh?" Doctor Zhao blinked in confusion. "Me? A freak?"
Qi Xia’s gaze was full of disdain as he turned to face him. "Your {Reverberation} can only be triggered through women? Are you some kind of wuxia villain, draining yin to nourish yang?"
"What are you talking about?... {Reverberation}...?" Doctor Zhao blinked in confusion. "You mean... what I have is called {Reverberation}?"
Qi Xia halted in his tracks, momentarily stunned. "Wait, what?" He frowned, momentarily taken aback. "We've already reached this point—do you really need to keep hiding it?"
"I-I’m not hiding anything..." Doctor Zhao stammered, his face flushed with awkwardness. "I honestly have no idea what this thing is, but it seems like I can cause destruction to my surroundings at will..."
"Destruction?" Qi Xia's expression wavered, clearly unsettled by such an unexpected answer.
In other words, the {Mortal Rabbit}’s escape game didn’t actually account for the {fish tank collapse} as a potential solution—it was merely an aftereffect of Doctor Zhao’s {Reverberation}.
But why didn't Doctor Zhao know of the existence of his {Reverberation}?
"Whenever I touch a woman, I temporarily gain some strange ability..." Doctor Zhao mumbled, his voice tinged with discomfort. "Last time, when I tried to have a deeper social contact with Xiao Ran... you interrupted me."
Qi Xia grimaced, his hand pressing against his forehead in exasperation. The entire situation seemed utterly absurd. That day, just as Doctor Zhao was about to fully awaken his {Reverberation}, had he been the one to interrupt it?
‘No wonder...’ Qi Xia thought to himself, the pieces falling into place. He looked at Doctor Zhao with an almost resigned expression. "That day, when Lin Qin and I came to find you, you were hiding in the dark, swinging a wooden plank at me. You truly intended to kill me, didn’t you?"
"I..." Doctor Zhao lowered his head silently.
"Because I stopped you from becoming a superhuman," Qi Xia sighed, his tone a mix of resignation and understanding. His eyes then hardened, growing cold as he fixed Doctor Zhao with an unwavering gaze. "Doctor Zhao, have you truly preserved your memories all this time?"
"I..." Doctor Zhao hesitated, his eyes flickering with wariness as he met Qi Xia's gaze. "Qi Xia, though I cannot fathom the full meaning of {truly preserving my memories all this time}, I remember everything that transpired the last time."
"What?"
"But since I was explicitly instructed with {Do not tell anyone that you remember}... so I..."
Qi Xia's gaze faltered for a moment, his thoughts spiraling. It appeared that Doctor Zhao wasn’t the one in their room who had retained his memory all along.
He only held onto the memory of one cycle.
"It seems I was mistaken..."
{Dong}!
{Dong}!
{Dong}!
Before Qi Xia could make sense of it, the sudden wave of bell sounds startled him, causing his heart to tremble.
Both he and Doctor Zhao looked up in confusion, never having heard such an intense tolling, as if a group of people were simultaneously triggering their {Reverberation}.
Three figures gradually emerged from the shadows, their silhouettes imposing as they silently took their place behind Qi Xia.
"Qi Xia, listen, the bell has tolled." A familiar voice slowly rang out.
Qi Xia froze, his body rigid with shock before he slowly turned to face the source of the voice.
The sight that met his eyes sent a chill straight to his bones.
It was Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao—the one who had ruthlessly taken the lives of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.
Her face, an indelible mark of cruelty, symbolized the first true impression of {End Point} that had been etched into Qi Xia’s mind.
Insanity.
Qi Xia's gaze shifted to the figures flanking Xiao Xiao—on the left stood Jiang Ruoxue, someone Qi Xia had encountered before, while on the right was an unfamiliar man.
"Strange..." Xiao Xiao's voice broke the silence, her eyes locking onto Qi Xia's with unnerving intensity. "You look like you remember me... Did you truly trigger your {Reverberation}?"
Qi Xia remained silent, his expression hardening, his eyes filled with barely concealed hostility as he held her gaze.
"In that case, communication will be far easier," Xiao Xiao mused, her fingers idly tugging at the hem of her oversized T-shirt as she took a deliberate step forward. "Qi Xia, do you understand what I said last time now?"
Qi Xia remained still, his focus unwavering, but Doctor Zhao, his unease growing, took a cautious step back. "Qi Xia... who are they...?" he murmured, his voice betraying his growing sense of dread.
Qi Xia didn’t answer him. Instead, he swallowed hard, his throat tight. "What is it that you all want?"
"I originally intended to infiltrate {Terrestrial Chicken}’s game to eliminate a few people, but then I never expected to cross paths with you," Xiao Xiao said, her face of troubled innocence. "I don’t want to do anything, truly—this is nothing more than a {chance encounter}."
Jiang Ruoxue flashed a sweet smile and waved at Qi Xia. "Hi! Long time no see."
Qi Xia’s eyes narrowed, his suspicion evident. "If it was truly just a {chance encounter}, then why did the three of you activate your {Reverberation}?"
"Isn't it to win you over?" Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Last time I told you that deaths are inconsequential here. I think you should understand now, right? In a place like this, only {Reverberatees} are worthy of survival. No matter how many times others die, the end remains the same."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance until he stood face-to-face with Xiao Xiao.
Her expression remained unchanged, still holding that unnervingly serene smile. "We’re activating our {Reverberation} here to show you that we are far stronger than most. Even with that power, you still insist on refusing to join us?"
"Xiao Xiao, listen carefully," Qi Xia said, his voice cold and resolute. "The one thing I despise more than anything in this life is when events spiral beyond my control. If you dare to harm my teammates in front of me, be prepared to make an enemy of me for life."
"Oh...?" Xiao Xiao paused, her smile faltering as a flicker of tension passed over her face. "Do you think I’ve been too polite in my dealings with you, and now you're growing a bit too arrogant?"
"My attitude towards you has always been this way," Qi Xia said. "Whatever you choose to do, bring it. No matter how many times you kill me, I will never yield."
"Do you really think I don't dare?"
The atmosphere thickened with tension as everyone stood locked in a silent standoff, while Doctor Zhao quietly weighed his options, his mind racing to find an escape route.
"Wot's goin’ on?" The unfamiliar young man standing behind Xiao Xiao suddenly cut through the tension, "Xiao Jiang, wot exactly’s goin' on 'ere?"
"Aiya, don't fret." Jiang Ruoxue gently tugged at the young man’s sleeve, her voice soft but laced with a hint of reassurance. "Xiao Xiao must have a plan."
"Tha' cannae work, can it?" The man’s impatience was palpable as he shot a skeptical glance at the scene before him. "Don’t be 'ere bullin' folk."
"Ole Sun, when have I ever bullied anyone?" Xiao Xiao frowned, her patience thinning as she turned to face him. "Don't speak unless you know what's going on."
"Do I bloody need t' know what's goin' on?" The young man stepped forward without hesitation, positioning himself between Xiao Xiao and Qi Xia. His expression was one of clear discontent. "Ye’ve already offed their mates, so what’s there to talk about? D’ye not know how to go easy or what?"
"Ole Sun, you..."
"An’ here I am, fooled by Xiao Jiang into usin’ me {Reverberation}, and for what? Just this?" The young man, called Ole Sun, felt completely played. "Yer havin’ a laugh? What am I doin’ ‘ere, standin’ round like some muppet backin’ ye two up?"
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.
Xiao Xiao and Jiang Ruoxue exchanged a helpless glance. "Ole Sun, we want to recruit this person named Qi Xia."
"Then yer should tell him properly!" Ole Sun shot her a look of clear disappointment, his voice rising. "Why’d yer go and off their mates?"
"I did do it properly." Xiao Xiao shook her head nonchalantly, "I said {their deaths are inconsequential}, but he didn't believe it."
"Why does that sound so flippin’ grim?" Ole Sun turned around, looked at Qi Xia, and said, "Mate, don’t listen to her ramblin’. About yer teammate—I'll apologize on her behalf first, yeah? I’ve got yer back."
Qi Xia and Doctor Zhao exchanged bewildered looks.
What was this?
Some kind of act?
