“Chen Junnan, in your impression… what age am I?” Qi Xia asked.

“Age…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “You’re exactly the same now as you were then.”

This incisive question almost overturned half of Qi Xia’s wild speculations.

In other words, he didn’t enter the “Land of Finality” at nineteen years old, but at twenty-six.

He wasn’t someone from seven years ago, but could he be someone from seven years in the future?

“There are too many suspicious points…” Qi Xia furrowed his brows in thought for a long time, then grabbed Chen Junnan. “Don’t you think there are too many suspicious points?”

Chen Junnan was stunned. “Where?”

“From your perspective… if the twenty-six-year-old me escaped for seven years and then came back here… shouldn’t I be in my thirties?” Qi Xia asked with a frown. “Why am I still twenty-six?!”

This statement also made Chen Junnan fall into thought.

“So is it possible that I never escaped at all… but instead became a ‘Native’?”

Qi Xia felt that only by turning himself into a madman could he explain all this. “During those days I went mad… and met another Native, Yu Nian’an! Since every Native thinks the ‘Land of Finality’ is the real world… I thought I met Yu Nian’an in reality… but she and I were clearly just two madmen…”

Qi Xia felt this speculation was closer to the truth than any before.

This could also explain why Yu Nian’an appeared in the “Land of Finality.”

Chen Junnan felt Qi Xia was very crazy right now.

“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan said with a frown. “We acted together in the ‘Land of Finality’ for so long… we should both know one ‘principle.'”

“What principle?”

“‘Natives’ can absolutely never return to the ‘interview rooms.'” Chen Junnan said coldly. “If you really became a Native… then you’d be a Native forever.”

“No… that’s not right…” Qi Xia said. “Natives can return to the ‘interview rooms’… The Xu Liunian I saw before… she…”

Before he finished speaking, Qi Xia froze.

Had Xu Liunian returned to the interview room?

It was said she came from the same interview room as Chu Tianqiu, Yun Yao, and Jin Yuanxun.

If she really went back, how would Yun Yao not know?

Looking at Yun Yao’s reaction last time, she had no idea about Xu Liunian’s situation.

“Could I have been deceived again…?”

Could Yun Yao and Xu Liunian have teamed up to deceive him?

Did Yun Yao actually know everything?!

Seeing Qi Xia’s reaction, Chen Junnan was stunned for a long time, then reached out and cleanly slapped him.

The slap didn’t hurt much, but it was exceptionally loud.

“What are you doing?” Qi Xia was startled.

“Are you here to impersonate Qi Xia?” Chen Junnan asked. “Are you that ‘Shapeshifter’?”

“What?” Qi Xia slowly frowned. “How could I possibly be a ‘Shapeshifter’?”

“Then what are you babbling about?” Chen Junnan asked, confused. “The Old Qi I know has never said ‘I was deceived,’ but I’ve heard it from you several times already. Are you really not impersonating him?”

“I’ve never said ‘I was deceived’?”

“Right, you’d only tell me ‘Don’t worry, they can’t deceive me.'” Chen Junnan shook his head helplessly. “Looking at you now, I estimate we’ll never escape again.”

Chen Junnan’s words awakened Qi Xia.

When he first stepped into the “Land of Finality,” he had also said similar words with certainty.

In terms of deception, he wasn’t afraid of anyone.

But now he was like a frightened bird, timid everywhere.

“I’m starting to believe you were my teammate now.” Qi Xia patted Chen Junnan’s shoulder.

Although this was their first conversation, Qi Xia felt very familiar with Chen Junnan.

“Don’t touch me.” Chen Junnan impatiently shook off Qi Xia’s hand. “I still suspect you’re an imposter.”

“Yes, I almost stopped being Qi Xia.” The corners of Qi Xia’s mouth lifted slightly. “I should trust my own intuition.”

While the two were talking, Yun Yao walked out from the teaching building entrance.

“Qi Xia,” she called out.

“What is it?”

“Who is this…?” Yun Yao looked at Chen Junnan.

“An old friend who just joined.” Qi Xia answered.

“Oh…” Yun Yao nodded. “Tonight as usual, there’s a welcome party. Will you attend?”

“I know. You go ahead, we’ll be there shortly.” Qi Xia said.

After Yun Yao walked away, Chen Junnan said in a low voice, “You don’t remember who Chu Tianqiu is?”

“Hmm?” Qi Xia’s expression darkened. “Did we know him before?”

…

Everyone was at the welcome party venue, listening to Chu Tianqiu’s monotonous opening remarks.

This time, the positions seemed reversed.

Most of the teammates around Qi Xia were “Echoers,” but those retaining memories at “Heaven’s Mouth” were even fewer than last time.

But this was understandable—after all, the more people with memories, the harder it would be for Chu to control them.

What Qi Xia didn’t expect was that this time, Xu Liunian sat brazenly among the crowd, as if everything that happened last time had nothing to do with her.

In this strange place, even if you committed terrible wrongs, as long as you could silence witnesses before they “Echoed,” you could act as if nothing had happened.

Qi Xia turned his head and saw the timid Tiantian beside Yun Yao.

Yun Yao was introducing her to everyone at this moment, asking everyone to look after her.

Speaking of which, this wasn’t a good idea for Tiantian—it would actually increase her anxiety, since in her world, everyone who was kind to her had ulterior motives.

Su Shan drank from a bottle of beer while looking at the noisy crowd around her. She had to admit that “Heaven’s Mouth” gave her a very good first impression—there didn’t seem to be any bad people here.

She turned to look at Qi Xia and asked, “Why did you come so late?”

“I just went to deliver something to my wife,” Qi Xia said.

“Deliver something?”

“Where is your wife?” Lin Qin asked Qi Xia.

“She didn’t want to come.” Qi Xia shook his head. “I didn’t want her to come either. This kind of fake gathering is nothing more than tricking Fists into getting some beer. There’s no need for her to participate.”

“You still haven’t told us what kind of person she is.”

Doctor Zhao and the others also gathered around at this time. Although they didn’t understand why Yu Nian’an appeared in the interview room, she currently showed no signs of danger and was a very quiet girl.

“She’s a perfect person,” Qi Xia said.

“Perfect?” Everyone was puzzled.

Doctor Zhao pursed his lips and said, “Qi Xia, there can’t be perfect people in this world.”

“No, there are.” Qi Xia said righteously. “Yu Nian’an is a perfect person. She has no flaws whatsoever.”

After hearing this, everyone shook their heads helplessly.

Qi Xia had always been strange; they naturally knew this.

Lawyer Zhang murmured beside them, “I really envy the love between you and your wife.”

After hearing this, Officer Li raised his eyebrows. “I’ve never asked you before, Lawyer Zhang, are you married?”

“No…” After Lawyer Zhang spoke, he froze. “No… yes.”

Qi Xia looked over Lawyer Zhang, naturally knowing that everyone had their own story.

But what kind of story would make a lawyer unable to distinguish whether he was married or unmarried?

“Bad news, bad news!” Jin Yuanxun rushed into the party cafeteria, shouting loudly. “Someone died!!”