TDU Chapter 527
Chapter 527 Reason for Existence
“Huh…?” Chen Junnan froze for a moment, then quickly came back to himself. “Ole Qi, what are ya on about? You weren’t like this back then.”
“Back then…?” Qi Xia turned his head, his gaze cold as it settled on Chen Junnan. “Then tell me. What was my reason for escaping back then?”
“You…” Chen Junnan thought carefully. “If I remember right… you said you wanted to lead the people who followed you out. You said that if someone gave you their sincerity, you couldn’t repay them with deception.”
“Hah…” Qi Xia bared a smile, his eyelids lowering slightly. “But now I feel utterly hollow… everyone has placed their hopes upon me, yet where, then, is my own hope?”
“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” Chen Junnan could not shake the feeling that Qi Xia had been influenced by Wei Yang. Ever since meeting that madman, something about him had felt off. “Ole Qi, listen to me first. That fraudster barely speaks a word of truth. If you take his words at face value, sooner or later you’ll fall into his trap.”
Chen Junnan did his best to comfort him, never realizing that Qi Xia’s thoughts ran far deeper than his own. Qi Xia had long since weighed countless possibilities, and Wei Yang’s tricks were nowhere near enough to disturb his resolve.
“At least one thing Wei Yang said wasn’t a lie,” Qi Xia said as he turned back to the two of them. “Even if I hold a master’s degree in psychology, there’s no way I would have the {Leidenfrost Effect} memorized, because it isn’t within my field of study. That means this knowledge wasn’t something I learned in the real world, but came from somewhere else…”
“Huh?” Chen Junnan stiffened slightly. “You mean…”
“Have you ever experienced this?” Qi Xia’s mind throbbed, and he clutched his hair, pain etching his features. “Strange memories, strange dreams… they drift into your mind unbidden. They feel as though they once happened, yet you have no idea where they took place.”
Chen Junnan’s brows furrowed gradually. He could scarcely relate; perhaps only those who had lost their memories countless times could truly comprehend.
“Beyond those memories and dreams…” Qi Xia closed his eyes, waiting for the pain in his head to subside. “There’s our mind and body…there are instances where we discover strength beyond what we thought possible. Have either of you ever experienced such a thing?”
“I have,” Qiao Jiajin spoke up. “Swindler lad, to be frank, I’ve never felt this strong in the real world.”
Qi Xia turned to him, sensing that his guess was largely correct.
“My body seems stronger than I remember…” Qiao Jiajin clenched a fist, then quickly laughed. “But this time is an exception… my body’s been changed, after all.”
Hearing their conversation, Chen Junnan furrowed his brow, a realization creeping over him.
“You mean… the {experience} we gain… is actual {experience}?” he asked tentatively. “Some things can carry over through each cycle?”
“Rather than calling it {experience}, it’s more accurate to call it {subconsciousness},” Qi Xia explained. “Everything I mentioned… it is all determined by our subconscious. As long as we imprint certain things deep within ourselves, they are likely to remain preserved in the days to come, becoming our true {flesh and blood}.”
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin widened their eyes. What Qi Xia was saying sounded like something out of a fantastical tale, yet on closer reflection, it bore no obvious flaws.
“I should have realized this long ago…” Qi Xia felt the throb in his head easing slightly, and his features relaxed slightly. “It seems I’ve been employing my professional knowledge… to constantly subject myself to brainwashing and hypnosis, constructing memories…such as…such as, my occupation as a {swindler}…”
When Chen Junnan heard Qi Xia ultimately utter the word {swindler}, he shook his head helplessly, holding back a sigh before finally speaking. “Ole Qi, just admit it already.”
“Admit what…?” Qi Xia asked coldly.
“Seven years ago… you never once mentioned having a {wife}.” Chen Junnan’s expression darkened with sorrow. “If your {swindler} occupation was a memory you fabricated… then what about her?”
“She…she—” Just as Qi Xia began to speak, the headache that had just subsided exploded anew, nearly forcing him to his knees. “She…she exists…”
As he spoke the words {she exists}, not only did his mind convulse with searing pain, but something deep within him tore violently as well.
She exists?
Where is the evidence?
It was all absurd beyond measure.
If no one outside was truly waiting for him, if the real world was as lonely as this place… then why was he laying down a {path} that spanned decades?
For the sake of all the strangers participating in {End Point}, had he risked everything countless times, wagering hundreds, even thousands of lives?
What, then, was the true source of his drive to move forward?
Yu Nian’An…
Qi Xia felt his mind and heart tear as one, and then darkness surged into his vision. He collapsed straight to the ground.
“Qi Xia!!”
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin had never imagined Qi Xia’s headaches could strike him unconscious. They rushed forward to check on him.
Turning him over, they saw Qi Xia still frowning deeply. Veins twitched along his forehead, and his face was slick with cold sweat.
“Damn, what’s going on!?” Qiao Jiajin’s hands trembled slightly as he touched Qi Xia’s head. “Swindler lad, are you sick?”
“What are we going to do?” Chen Junnan’s worry deepened. “Is this my fault? Should this young master not have said that woman doesn’t exist?”
“Junnan lad…” Qiao Jiajin asked hesitantly. “Does Qi Xia really have a wife or not?”
“How would I know?” Chen Junnan felt a pang of injustice. “He always said he was single before.”
Hearing this, Qiao Jiajin’s eyes lit up as a brilliant thought came to mind. “Junnan lad, since he was single before and then, after seven years, he suddenly has a wife… is it possible that he got married in {End Point}?”
“You can’t be serious!” Chen Junnan was startled by the suggestion. “Sure, this place is all red, but it’s not exactly festive! You think you can hold a wedding here? I’d like to see you try!”
Qiao Jiajin could only shrug helplessly.
“He looks completely exhausted,” Chen Junnan remarked, patting Qi Xia’s cheek. “Ole Qi, wakey wakey!”
Qi Xia remained sprawled on the ground, eyes tightly shut, as though he had just finished an incredibly taxing task. He was now deeply asleep.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
