TDU Chapter 421
Chapter 421 Singular Logic
“Yeah.” Qiao Jiajin nodded while maintaining his gaze at Celestial Snake’s nose. “I really do want to try hitting you once, just to see.”
“I have to admit, you are an honest one…” Celestial Snake’s expression darkened further. “But why do you want to hit me?”
“Come on…” Qiao Jiajin shrugged. “You’re part of the {Earthly Branches}, and I’m a {participant}. We’re not on the same team, so shouldn’t I want to hit you?”
Celestial Snake blinked, feeling a bit muddled. “But… I’m a {Celestial}.”
“That’s why I didn’t make a move.”
“You—” Celestial Snake hesitated, unable to deny that Qiao Jiajin’s words made a kind of sense, yet it felt undeniably strange. “N-No…How could you…consider such an idea so unabashedly?”
“Unabashedly?” Qiao Jiajin shook his head innocently. “I don’t see why not. It’s not shameful. I really want to hit you, but I probably can’t, so I’m just thinking about it.”
Those few simple words left Celestial Snake dumbfounded.
Qi Xia realized his concern was perhaps unwarranted. It was just like those times he found himself at a loss when chatting with Qiao Jiajin—his singular logic was the perfect counter to Celestial Snake.
“You… you…” Celestial Snake pointed at Qiao Jiajin. “You’re not allowed to think that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can hear your {inner voice}.”
“Damn, then don’t listen.” Qiao Jiajin pointed at Celestial Snake. “Mind your own business—why are you worrying about me?”
“Don’t listen?” Celestial Snake scratched his head. “B–But I’m a {Celestial}!”
“That’s why I want to try hitting you!” Qiao Jiajin emphasized. “Didn’t I just explain this? Why are you asking again?”
“I…”
In an instant, the air turned still and hushed.
Celestial Snake’s face had turned exceedingly grim. He was clearly furious.
“Good… Very good…” He nodded forcefully. “You’re etched in my memory now… You’d better not appear before me tomorrow.”
“Then just don’t come tomorrow.” Qiao Jiajin smiled.
Celestial Snake opened his mouth as if to retort, but in the end, he merely waved his hand and turned to leave.
Once Celestial Snake was out of sight, Qian Five laughed heartily.
“Second Brother, I expect no less…” he glanced back. “You’re probably the only one who could render him utterly mute with a well-placed comment.”
Qi Xia exhaled and asked, “Qian Five, how could you remain so optimistic?”
“What do you mean?”
“What is {Celestial Horse's Hour}?” Qi Xia inquired. “We only have one day left; what are we supposed to do tomorrow?”
“Let’s talk inside.” Qian Five gestured to the two of them, then, after making sure no one was around, turned back and closed the prison gates.
They stepped once more into the meeting room, where Chen Junnan and Officer Li sat in patience.
Nineteen had been waiting there for quite some time; his features were pale, his expression vacant, as if lost to reverie.
“Nineteen, give me three more minutes,” Qian Five said.
Nineteen nodded slowly and closed his eyes.
Just as Chen Junnan was about to speak, Qian Five reached out to stop him. “Eldest Brother, we’re pressed for time. Allow me to speak first.”
“Ok.”
“{Celestial Horse's Hour} is {Celestial Horse’s Game}, and it covers the entire {End Point},” Qian Five explained, his expression serious. “Eldest Brother and I have gone through it once before. Tomorrow is only the fifth day; should {Celestial Horse's Hour} descend, at least half the people at {End Point} will lose all of their memories.”
“What kind of game is it?” Qi Xia asked.
“It’s a race against death,” Qian Five said, holding Qi Xia’s gaze. “Something will be chasing us. Get caught, and it’s over.”
Qi Xia had never imagined that {Celestial Horse’s Game} would be so brutally straightforward.
“You said the game encompasses the entire {End Point}…” Qi Xia’s disbelief was palpable. “Could there truly be so many forces pursuing us? Though it is only the fourth day, the number of {Reverberatees} must already be considerable. Is it not possible for us to unite and mount a counterattack?”
Chen Junnan shook his head. “Resistance is futile. Ole Qi, the thing chasing us is as thin as a thread of hair. We have no idea how to deal with them—they can’t be hit, can’t be torn, so the only option is to run.”
Qi Xia’s eyes met Chen Junnan’s. “Each person is stalked by just one thread?”
“Correct,” Chen Junnan nodded. “If that old hag is feeling ruthless, we may be forced to run for an entire day.”
‘Entire day…?’ Hearing this, Qi Xia sensed the difficulty of the situation. Even a single hour of uninterrupted running would leave an ordinary, untrained person completely spent.
Should every individual be chased by a solitary thread, it follows that the paths they take might diverge, preventing mutual support.
“It shouldn’t last that long…” Qian Five remarked. “Eldest Brother, the last {Celestial Horse's Hour} only lasted a bit over an hour.”
Chen Junnan nodded. “Yes, but we’ve only experienced one {Celestial Horse's Hour}. How do you know it’ll always be an hour? What if next time it suddenly lasts longer?”
“I’ve gone through it twice,” Qian Five sighed. “Both times lasted a bit over an hour.”
“Twice…?” Chen Junnan frowned, a sudden realization dawning—their memories no longer matched.
“We only have twenty-four hours left,” Qi Xia said coldly, looking at Qian Five. “You promised Celestial Horse to deliver tomorrow… is there a strategy behind this?”
“Yeah…” Qiao Jiajin also looked at Qian Five in confusion. “What can we really accomplish in just one day?”
“Qi Xia, your gaze implies suspicion that I might betray you,” Qian Five remarked with a smile. “If I truly meant to, I would have acted today.”
“I simply can’t think of a rational countermeasure…” Qi Xia admitted. “What exactly do those twenty-four hours you bargained for accomplish? Isn’t the best option now to hand me over to her? My death for the rest; we can begin again in the next cycle.”
“No.” Qian Five and Chen Junnan spoke at the same time.
“Qi Xia,” Qian Five called out, “if you go with them, there probably won’t be a next cycle.”
“Is that so?” Qi Xia’s eyes narrowed. “They have the power to cast someone out of the cycle?”
Qian Five gave a slow nod. “This is well within the abilities of the Vermilion Bird and Celestial Snake. They can strip away your humanity, leaving you neither human nor ghost, and at any time turn you into an indigenous inhabitant.”
Qi Xia nodded in acknowledgment. “I understand… Given that, a single day may be short, but it should suffice.”
“What do you mean ‘understand’?” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged puzzled glances.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Qi Xia fixed his gaze on Qian Five. “You intend to trigger the {Reverberation} of every {Cats} member today, then assassinate Celestial Horse at first light tomorrow.”
“That’s the idea,” Qian Five said. “We have the entire day today to trigger their {Reverberation}. Even if the assassination tomorrow fails, {Cats} won’t suffer heavy losses.”
“No, wait…” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “You can trigger your {Reverberations}, but what about Swindler lad?”
“Exactly…” Chen Junnan also noticed the problem. “Xiao Qian Dou, even if you secured {Cats}, there’s nothing to save Ole Qi.”
Qian Five lowered his head, face grave.
“There’s no fault in Qian Five’s actions,” Qi Xia stated. “Considering how difficult it is to trigger my {Reverberation}, this is the optimal course of action.”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
