TDU Chapter 300
Chapter 300 The Lonesome Participants
As Song Seven emerged from the school building, a wave of shock rippled through the gathered {Cats}.
Several rushed forward to examine his injury, but he dismissed them with a firm wave of his remaining hand.
"Everyone," Song Seven said, raising his head, "leave behind your right hand."
He swept his gaze over the crowd. "Men—be the ones to sever. Women—handle the bleeding."
At his command, most of the {Cats} had already drawn their daggers, steel flashing coldly in the morning light as they pressed the blades to their wrists without hesitation.
Qi Xia sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the surreal spectacle unfolding on the distant playground. His brow gradually creased with unease.
‘Song Seven... Luo Eleven?’ He murmured, recognizing the two familiar figures amidst the commotion. They truly were part of the same organization—but why were they all severing their right hands in unison?
‘Could this be... a {transaction}?’ His eyes flicked toward the silhouette of Chu Tianqiu in the distance, and he began threading together the fragments of what must have transpired.
What kind of deal would compel a group of seasoned mercenaries to pay such an excruciating price?
‘Could this be about me...?’ The thought surfaced, unbidden. Yet a moment later, Qi Xia stroked his chin with visible skepticism, his frown deepening.
‘Am I really worth that much?’
As Qi Xia pondered the strange events before him, a faint sound of footsteps broke his concentration.
Turning, he saw Officer Li approaching, his expression marked with a deep concern. The officer’s gaze lingered on Qi Xia, as though he were weighing something important, something unsaid.
"...What is it?"
Officer Li sat beside him, pausing for a brief moment before meeting his gaze. He hesitated, as if unsure of how to proceed.
"Speak your mind," Qi Xia said, his tone measured yet sharp. "What is it that's troubling you?"
Officer Li hesitated, his gaze flickering momentarily before he slowly spoke, "Qi Xia, do you remember? You promised that if I stood by your side, you'd help me resolve the matter with Zhang Huanan."
"Of course," Qi Xia replied. "Has it been taken care of?"
The question seemed to strike a nerve, and Officer Li's expression shifted—his face darkening with unease. After a long moment, he let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "I never expected you to remain so calm after all this time... Qi Xia, why did you have to lie to me?"
"Lie to you?" Qi Xia’s brow furrowed in confusion.
"I chose to trust you, but you deceived me... Did you only promise to help me with Zhang Huanan as a temporary delay tactic?"
There was no anger in Officer Li's eyes, but a deep, lingering disappointment that seemed to weigh heavily in the air.
"Wha—" Qi Xia paused, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Where did I deceive you?"
Officer Li paused, his hand hovering near his pocket before he remembered it was empty.
"The last time you gave me a phone number... and asked me to contact the fourteen-year-old you." Officer Li reached for a cigarette but sighed when he found none, the frustration evident on his face. "But that phone number... it didn’t exist."
"Didn’t exist...?" Qi Xia’s brow furrowed slowly, his mind struggling to comprehend the situation.
"In order to free myself from my own predicament... I endlessly recited your number in my mind. I contemplated numerous scenarios, even considering how to persuade the younger you. But never once did I imagine the number would be fake."
Qi Xia remained silent, his gaze fixed downward, lost in thought.
"Why did you lie to me...?" Officer Li’s voice trembled with a mix of disappointment and resignation, his eyes hollow, as if the last shred of hope had slipped away.
Qi Xia shook his head slowly, the weight of the situation settling in. "Officer Li, whether you choose to believe me or not, I never meant to deceive you."
"But Qi Xia..." Officer Li’s bitter laugh cut through the silence, hollow and resigned, "No one has helped me... from the very beginning, no one came to my aid... What’s the point of returning to reality now?"
"Are you certain the phone number was correct?" Qi Xia inquired.
Officer Li’s eyes fluttered shut as he recited the number.
The number was a landline, the very one from the house Qi Xia had grown up in—every digit recited with perfect accuracy.
"You say it's a non-existent number?" Qi Xia pressed.
"Do you think I'm here to make a joke...?"
No matter how Qi Xia turned it over in his mind, the entire situation felt bizarre.
The number he had given Officer Li had definitely been real—so why had it failed to connect? Where had the fault occurred?
As he mulled it over, he caught sight of Chu Tianqiu in the distance, raising a hand and pointing directly at him. The moment the target was confirmed, Song Seven and the rest of the {Cats} began making their way toward him.
‘What a dilemma…’ Qi Xia frowned, then turned back to Officer Li. "Officer Li, I don’t know why the number didn’t work, but for now—leave me your phone number."
"My number...?" Officer Li hesitated, visibly puzzled. "But your timeline is ahead of mine. Even if I gave it to you, how could you possibly help me from here?"
Qi Xia slowly shook his head. "This isn’t about helping you anymore. I just want to confirm one thing—whether or not we can still make contact in the real world."
"What...?" Officer Li froze mid-breath. "Are you implying...?"
"I’m not implying anything," Qi Xia replied evenly. "Let’s call it a simple experiment. Besides, our lives are already suspended in limbo. Ten more days won't tip the scales."
Officer Li fell silent, mulling it over, then slowly recited a string of digits.
"Given the nature of my profession," he added quietly, "this number is unlikely to change. But if you find yourself unable to reach me... then perhaps I no longer exist in your world."
"No longer exist...?"
"My transgression has sealed me in the past," Officer Li murmured, a bitter edge in his voice. "That so-called bright future you speak of... is no longer something I have the right to touch."
"Bright future..." Qi Xia chuckled mirthlessly. "If only."
As silence stretched between them, the classroom door creaked open, and a clowder of {Cats} stepped inside.
No one in the room stirred; they merely turned their heads, watching in stillness.
Song Seven stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Qi Xia. "I should have known you weren’t someone ordinary," he said, his voice low and measured.
Qi Xia said nothing, his expression unreadable. A few paces away, Qiao Jiajin rose slowly from his seat.
"Not ordinary?" Qiao Jiajin smiled slightly. "Then what’s this? A ceremonial visit? Come to pay your respects?"
At the sight of the shirtless man standing before them, the entirety of {Cats} instinctively drew back half a step—wariness etched across their faces.
"Qiao Jiajin…" Song Seven studied him for a moment, then spoke evenly. "This time, we’ve come to take Qi Xia with us. I trust you’ll choose not to interfere."
"Oh?" Qiao Jiajin laughed. "Then how about this—we both take a step back. If you don’t take him, I won’t stop you. We got a deal?"
At this moment, Officer Li also stood up, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qiao Jiajin. He had never seen these people in black leather before, but his years of experience told him this was no ordinary gathering—it was a cabal.
"How troublesome..." Song Seven murmured, "Neither of them will be easy to deal with."
The moment the words left his mouth, Song Seven’s gaze swept the room—and landed on Han Yimo, seated quietly in the corner.
A flicker of recognition crossed his face.
This man…had been the one responsible for the violent explosion that had ripped through the air during his death, obliterating three {Cats} members in an instant.
Han Yimo had left an indelible mark—one of the rare few, aside from Song Seven himself, capable of triggering a detonation within End Point.
Upon recognizing the figures, Han Yimo’s heart quickened, a rising fear lacing through him, while a soft buzzing noise pulsed in his ears.
"Quite the lively room…" Song Seven remarked, his expression gradually darkened.
Qi Xia. Qiao Jiajin. A combat-adept officer. Lin Qin, an Adherent of Judgment’s Domain. An individual capable of unleashing explosions.
He then turned his eyes toward Su Shan. ‘And the return of a long-absent strategist…’
TL Note: Ayeee and that’s the end of Arc 3. We’re now almost a quarter way into the novel~ The plot is picking up hehehe
