“I am the origin, and I am the destination.” Qi Xia said, “What does this represent?”

“Doesn’t this indicate… that you are like ‘God’?” The old man’s words took a turn as he spoke, “God created mankind, thus being our origin. God guided mankind, and is thus our path. God received mankind, and is also our destination.”

The old man spoke on his own accord, yet never stirred any ripples in Qi Xia. After a few seconds, Qi Xia revealed a smile that the old man couldn’t fathom.

“But ‘God’ can also deceive.” Qi Xia said in a low voice with a strange smile, “Perhaps there exists such a possibility… This ‘God’ created mankind precisely to lead them to death.”

The old man’s entire body trembled upon hearing this: “‘God’ makes people die…?”

“This ‘God’ is not the ‘origin’, not the ‘path’, nor is it the ‘destination’.” Qi Xia said, “It could also be ‘deception’, be the ‘dead end’, be ‘exile’.”

“What…” The old man was stunned, seemingly not quite understanding Qi Xia’s meaning, “Wait a moment…”

“Since you’ve come looking for me, I’ll take you to see the end of the world and tell you the true answer.”

Qi Xia stood up and walked to the side of the room against the wall, then grabbed a chair and fiercely struck it against the wall.

The old man followed forward in confusion. Although the young man before him spoke shocking words, he truly wanted to know the answer he had been pursuing all along.

Why did everyone survive in this bizarre world?

Where did they come from, and where were they fleeing to?

Why were faceless people buried underground?

Once, twice—after striking a full five times, Qi Xia had smashed a huge hole in the wall, revealing the dark and vast starry sky behind it.

He threw the chair to the ground, then reached out to clear away the broken wooden boards on the hole.

“How can there be such a thing outside the wall…?” The old man murmured, “Where exactly are we… what exactly is outside…”

“It’s the end of the world.” Qi Xia said, “You will possess ‘eternity’, and you will also see ‘everything’.”

The old man paused, then asked: “Then what is the ‘true answer’ you spoke of… what exactly will happen today?”

Hearing this answer, Qi Xia remained silent for a long time.

The ground began to tremble continuously and slightly, with some strange things rustling in the distance.

“Within ten minutes, everyone here will die.” Qi Xia said while clearing away the debris, “The ‘Moment of the End’ will arrive as scheduled. At that time, I will betray everyone’s trust, and the lies I spoke will begin to come true. This is the answer you seek.”

While listening to Qi Xia’s words, the old man stared with aged eyes toward the opening beyond. In disbelief, he plucked one of his own hairs, then slowly twisted it between his fingers.

The hair no longer pointed toward Qi Xia, but instead truly pointed toward the distant starry sky.

That was where all the answers lay, and it equally represented the end of the world.

The strand of hair floated at the old man’s fingertips, constantly pointing through the crack toward the distant starry sky, like the most minuscule compass in the universe.

“Why…?” The old man said in disbelief, “Why would ‘God’ deceive humanity?”

“For a single thought.” Qi Xia said, “I need to make every single person believe that my mission will succeed—only then will the mission succeed. Then make my own subconscious believe the mission will fail—only then will the mission fail.”

“I don’t understand…” The old man said, “For a single thought… why go to such lengths?”

“You can go seek that answer yourself.” Qi Xia pointed toward the distant starry sky and said, “Let the turbulent thoughts in your heart settle down.”

The old man held the strand of hair and looked into the distance. If he could traverse through that vast space… combined with the ‘Trail Seeker’ on his person, perhaps he truly could find all the answers.

“So God… told lies… God deceived humanity…” The old man murmured, “The ‘End’ will still come… all the people currently working hard… no one will be able to survive this event…”

He seemed to have become mentally confused by this sudden truth.

“Yes, I call this rebellion activity ‘Residual Thoughts Settled’.” Qi Xia said, “Let all the miscellaneous residual thoughts in your heart settle down. This is the answer that the ‘God’ in your heart can tell you.”

The old man seemed to have seen the answer to the world, yet also seemed to have grasped at nothingness.

“God deceived mortals… the ‘End’ will come… no one can survive…”

The old man trembled slightly after hearing this, feeling that before this treacherous and magnificent world, he was as insignificant as dust.

He kept repeating Qi Xia’s final few sentences in his mouth.

“God’s deception…” The old man’s entire body began to tremble slightly, “The End approaches… none shall survive… ‘Residual Thoughts Settled’.”

“If you continue to stay here you’ll also die.” Qi Xia said, “Go pursue the ultimate of the world, go witness eternity, go search for your own origin and destination.”

After listening, the old man seemed possessed. He walked forward step by step.

Just as the old man was about to reach the doorway, Qi Xia spoke softly again: “If the final outcome is not as desired, then carry this story into eternity, keep our existence in your heart. Otherwise, no one in this vast universe will remember us.”

The old man turned his head and looked at Qi Xia with a complex expression.

After a few seconds, he revealed a somewhat relieved smile, then stepped into the void.

Then his entire body plummeted rapidly as if falling off a cliff, yet he did not cry out in alarm, only continuously repeating several words.

Faintly, Qi Xia heard that the old man kept chanting “God’s deception,” “The End approaches,” “none shall survive.”

He felt as though he had heard these few words somewhere before.

But exactly where was it?

There were simply too many ‘memories’. There was no way to find this one pine needle in an entire forest of memory pines.

Fortunately, the ‘Variable’ had already disappeared. He hadn’t been born here, nor had he died here, but rather had disappeared from here.

He would spend ‘eternal’ time in a space where time and space were completely static, then completely lose his mind.

No one would ever see him again.

Qi Xia sighed and turned around, discovering that movement had come from the doorway again.

Chu Tianqiu pulled Tiantian along as they flashed into view at the doorway with nervous expressions. After the two rushed into the room, they immediately turned back and closed the door.

“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu swallowed and said, “I don’t know what happened… but outside has completely descended into chaos…”