TDU Chapter 476
Chapter 476 Project Genesis
Zhang Chenze gave a slight nod before inquiring, “Then what am I supposed to do?”
“The plan is simple,” Xu Liunian replied. “The difficult part is ensuring Qi Xia absolutely gains his {Reverberation}.”
“Then what is the {plan}?”
“The plan is merely to have people from all sorts of positions transmit one message to Qi Xia: {Here lives a formidable individual, and her name is Wen Qiaoyun}.”
Zhang Chenze swallowed lightly. She was not a superstitious person, yet after witnessing so many {Reverberations}, even the strangest notions no longer fazed her.
“You mean…” She sorted out her thoughts and asked, “we need to… create this person inside Qi Xia’s subconscious first?”
“You caught on quickly.” Xu Liunian nodded. “Exactly. When he attains his {Reverberation} again, this land will, through Qi Xia’s own {thought}, bring Wen Qiaoyun into being from nothing.”
Zhang Chenze noticed a glaring issue. She blinked and remarked, “That doesn’t make sense… By this logic, Qi Xia has no clue what Wen Qiaoyun looks like, nor what abilities she possesses. How could he possibly {create} her?”
“Is that a problem?” Xu Liunian asked.
“Of course it’s a problem!” Zhang Chenze furrowed her brow. “Even if someone gives you a lump of clay and asks you to shape it into a small animal, you’d at least need to have seen that animal before, wouldn’t you?”
“I assumed your comprehension was strong, but it seems you still can’t escape the limitations of human thinking.” Xu Liunian leaned back against the wall, that meaningful smile returning to her face. “Why is it necessary for Qi Xia to have laid eyes on Wen Qiaoyun?”
“If he has never met her… even if his {Reverberation} can create someone, wouldn’t that be far too difficult? Can he really bring a person into existence from nothing? And if the {Wen Qiaoyun} he creates deviates even slightly from the one we know, wouldn’t the plan fail?”
“That isn’t the point,” Xu Liunian shook her head. “Do you think we are trying to create a real {Wen Qiaoyun}? Do you really believe that {Wen Qiaoyun} is that important to us?”
“Is she not…?”
“As long as Qi Xia can create someone stronger than himself, someone he can rely on, then no matter how this person looks, no matter their personality, that person is {Wen Qiaoyun}.”
“What…?”
Xu Liunian studied Zhang Chenze’s expression and sensed that she was beginning to grasp the idea. She then stepped forward a few paces. “I’ve already handled things with the {Earthly Branches}. The words {Wen Qiaoyun} have already been accurately conveyed into Qi Xia’s ears. Now, what comes next…?”
Though the young lady standing before her was frail and thin, Zhang Chenze felt an overwhelming fear.
It was difficult to put into words. She trembled constantly, as if she had been swept into a profoundly terrifying event.
She had only just obtained {Reverberation}, yet madness seemed so close already.
“Y–You can even gain the cooperation of the {Earthly Branches}?” Zhang Chenze asked in disbelief.
“More or less,” Xu Liunian nodded. “We each have our own goals, so sometimes we even collaborate with the enemy. But that is not something you need to worry about… you only need to remember that {Wen Qiaoyun} is incredibly powerful. This is something you must convey to Qi Xia.”
Zhang Chenze lowered her head and stared at the floor, taking slow, steady breaths.
This plan indeed sounded deceptively simple; they intended to use Qi Xia, to deceive him, and have him create a person who never existed before in his subconscious… but could it really work?
“Do you remember the new woman who appeared in your probation room?” Xu Liunian asked. “She is the wife conjured into being by Qi Xia.”
“The wife… conjured into being?” Zhang Chenze frowned. “Qi Xia didn’t originally have a wife?”
“That I cannot be certain of,” Xu Liunian shook her head. “The only thing I know for sure is that…even if he truly has a wife, that woman is without a doubt a {replica}. That’s what makes Qi Xia so terrifying.”
“No wonder…” Zhang Chenze’s expression dimmed slightly. “No wonder that elder called {White Tiger} said Qi Xia is the one closest to {God}… his abilities surpass any of ours.”
“No,” Xu Liunian shook her head. “That’s not entirely correct. With strong enough conviction, each of our {Reverberation} can birth limitless possibilities. Though right now, my greatest priority is for you to cooperate with us, so that Qi Xia can create a {Wen Qiaoyun}.”
“But…” Zhang Chenze looked up at Xu Liunian and asked pointedly, “This matter doesn’t seem to concern you. Why then, are you proposing this plan?”
“Doesn’t concern me?” Xu Liunian smiled lightly. “How could it not? My goals, in certain respects, greatly overlap with yours. I want to liberate this place, to free everyone from the suffering of {reincarnation}, but there is one point where I differ from you… I do not care whether anyone escapes from here.”
“So you need more {formidable individuals}?” Zhang Chenze countered. “You don’t care if that person is Chu Tianqiu’s lover, nor whether she is someone Qi Xia can rely on—you simply want to gather more formidable individuals?”
“Exactly so, Lawyer Zhang.” Xu Liunian nodded. “Now that you understand all my motives, can you help me? You must realize, should an extraordinarily powerful {Wen Qiaoyun} emerge, it benefits you, me… Qi Xia, and Chu Tianqiu alike.”
Zhang Chenze furrowed her brows and pondered for a few seconds, ultimately finding no valid reason to refuse.
Only, she felt a pang of pity for the real Wen Qiaoyun, the shop assistant whose body has grown frail and is suffering from severe malnutrition.
When everyone cheered and rejoiced over a new {Wen Qiaoyun}, was the real {Wen Qiaoyun} simply going to fade away in silence?
Her death would not stir even the faintest ripple, like some insignificant {indigenous inhabitant} by the roadside.
At that thought, Zhang Chenze’s eyes slowly widened.
A terrifying notion surged into her mind.
This ‘real {Wen Qiaoyun}’… had she ever truly existed?
If Qi Xia’s {Reverberation} had always been {to create a person}… then was it possible that someone previously had beguiled him the same way they had beguiled her, telling him that in this world there was an exceedingly brilliant woman named {Wen Qiaoyun}, and thus {Wen Qiaoyun} had come into being?
“How horrifying…” Zhang Chenze whispered, her lips trembling. “What is this cursed place? And what sort of monstrous ability is {Reverberation}?”
“Don’t overthink it.” Xu Liunian seemed to sense her spiraling thoughts and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lawyer Zhang, I don’t know whether you’ll believe me, but you must understand…we are drawing closer and closer to our true goal.”
TL Note: Lawyer Zhang’s thoughts are truly terrifying. Is {Wen Qiaoyun} even a real person? Or is she just another Yu Nian’An?
