After Qian Wu and Qiao Jiajin bid farewell to the others, they slowly left in the opposite direction from “Extreme Path.”

Chen Junnan felt that this kind of parting was somewhat too hasty, but he didn’t know what he should say to Qiao Jiajin at this final moment.

“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan called out somewhat hesitantly. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“There’s nothing that must be done,” Qi Xia answered.

“Like using ‘Scapegoat’ to protect you or something…”

“There’s no need to treat yourself as a ‘shield’ anymore,” Qi Xia said. “At first, I gathered you and Fist by my side because I did want you to ensure my survival, but this way of thinking gradually changed as I spent time with you both.”

“Doesn’t that make it even sadder?” Chen Junnan smiled bitterly. “After you no longer need us to block bullets for you, you’re preparing to go die yourself, and we’ve lost our original purpose.”

“Objectively speaking, that is indeed the case,” Qi Xia said. “You don’t need to die for me, so you’re useless.”

“Whether it’s you dying yourself or us being useless…” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Both of these statements sound fucking depressing.”

“Then let me rephrase it,” Qi Xia changed his wording. “You’re no longer useful as ‘shields,’ but now you can act as ‘friends’ and do whatever you want to do.”

After hearing this rephrasing, the bitter smile on Chen Junnan’s face gradually faded and slowly transformed into a mischievous grin.

“Old Qi, you little punk, are you finally admitting that I’m a dashing and heroic extraordinary soldier?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then this young master is going to just wander around freely.” Chen Junnan walked over and placed his hand on Qi Xia’s shoulder. “You already gave Old Qiao tactical instructions. Can’t you give me some instructions too? Don’t you have some ‘two-character maxim’ or something like that?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want to tell me?”

“Don’t die,” Qi Xia said.

“Uh…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Old Qi, saying it like that is too scary. Good brothers don’t usually talk to each other like this. How about this young master teaches you how?”

Qi Xia looked at Chen Junnan with a helpless expression.

“Come on, repeat after me.” Chen Junnan said word by word without any concern, “Who-ever-dies-between-us-is-a-dumb-ass.”

Qi Xia’s expression was filled with unwillingness to deal with Chen Junnan, yet among those present, only Chen Junnan seemed unable to read this meaning.

“Say it, Old Qi!” Chen Junnan patted Qi Xia’s shoulder. “What if this young master dies? If I die, wouldn’t this become this young master’s dying wish?”

“Die? Do you want to review what you just said?” Qi Xia countered. “What would you become if you died?”

Chen Junnan suddenly realized he had dug himself into a hole. This way, if he died, he would really become a dumbass.

“This… Damn it, is this young master here for you to find logical loopholes?” Chen Junnan said. “Is there really nothing you want to tell me?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t die.”

This time it was Chen Junnan’s turn to look helpless.

“Alright… Old Qi, I give up on you.” He shook his head and turned around. “Anyway, I don’t care. If I die, I need you all to remember my dashing heroic figure. If you die, I’m going to curse you as a dumbass for the rest of my life, you hear me?”

“Fine,” Qi Xia nodded.

Watching Chen Junnan also leave from where he stood, Yun Yao, Tiantian, and Zhang Chenze behind him also looked at each other, uncertain about where to go in such a chaotic situation.

This “train” had probably never had so many people and “Zodiacs” moving through the corridors simultaneously. Looking into the distance, various small-scale conflicts had already begun. Most were struggles between ordinary “Participants” and “Human-level” Zodiacs. Neither side seemed to have “Echo,” and they were basically all engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

“Earth-level” and “Echo” users seemed to have more things to consider. They were continuously observing.

The door in the center of the “train” continued to have “Participants” flooding in, but those entering consciously divided into two lines, leaving the middle passage clear.

Qi Xia turned his head and looked at Tiantian: “Tiantian, I need you to help me with something.”

“Help… alright.” Tiantian nodded. “What can I do?”

“Do the same thing as in the ‘Cangjie Chess’ game,” Qi Xia said.

“You mean… replicate a ‘door’?” Tiantian asked.

“Right,” Qi Xia said. “Everything that could be used in ‘Cangjie Chess’ will be used again here. First, you all need to obtain ‘Echo,’ and second, I need a ‘door.'”

After hearing this, Yun Yao paused slightly, since she had never participated in “Cangjie Chess.”

“Okay… no problem.” Tiantian nodded.

She felt she generally understood this strange “door,” and creating another one wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Which ‘door’ do you want me to replicate?”

“I want the ‘door’ that leads to Heavenly-Dragon’s room,” Qi Xia answered.

“Ah?”

Zhang Chenze also felt the situation was a bit tricky after hearing this: “Where is that ‘door’?”

“At the end of the corridor,” Qi Xia said. “When you get there, you’ll first see the ‘Heavenly-level Room.’ Inside the ‘Heavenly-level Room’ is a ‘door’ that can barely be opened. It leads to Heavenly-Dragon. I need you to touch it, observe it, and replicate it.”

“You’re saying that ‘door’… is right in front of the ‘Heavenly-level Zodiacs’…?” Tiantian asked somewhat incredulously.

Yun Yao frowned as she looked at Qi Xia: “Aren’t you sending Tiantian to her death…?”

“Not entirely,” Qi Xia said. “I hope the three of you can form a team and be responsible for ensuring the mission proceeds safely. Before long, there won’t be anyone left in the ‘Heavenly-level’ room. All the ‘Earth-level’ will do everything possible to lure them away and kill them.”

“But no matter how you look at it… this mission is still a bit too…” Yun Yao still felt it was somewhat dangerous. After all, “Heavenly-level Zodiacs” were not kind people.

“It’s not mandatory,” Qi Xia said. “It’s fine if you refuse. I just want to ensure the success rate of this plan a bit more.”

“Then do you think…” Zhang Chenze asked with a completely calm expression, “the three of us can handle it?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia said. “I believe that for anything to succeed, there are only three factors. They are…”

As he spoke, he looked at Tiantian.

“Exquisite skill…”

Qi Xia then looked at Zhang Chenze.

“A calm mind…”

Finally, he looked at Yun Yao.

“And extremely strong luck.”

Qi Xia swept his gaze across the three people’s eyes and continued: “If possessing these three factors still can’t complete the mission, it can only mean that this mission is destined to fail, and not even destiny can influence it.”