The feeling teetered between sobriety and madness, hanging by a single delicate thread, threatening to snap at any moment.

"Xia, why haven't you come home yet?" Yu Nian'An's voice softly echoed.

"Home...?" Qi Xia blinked, his lips curling into a guilty smile. "I came home... but you weren’t there."

Li Xiangling was taken aback by Qi Xia’s behavior and instinctively took several steps back. "Qi... Qi ge... what's wrong with you? Please don't scare me..."

She kept glancing over her shoulder, but there was nothing behind her. Yet Qi Xia continued to speak to the empty air, even smiling at it.

It was the first time she had ever seen Qi Xia smile like that.

"How could I not be at home?" Yu Nian'An’s voice was soft and gentle. "Xia, tell me... if I'm not at home... then where would I be?"

Qi Xia slowly widened his eyes, as though a sudden realization had struck him. "Are you saying... since you're here... then this is home?"

"Yes, Xia..."

"So I—I am home..."

As Qi Xia's eyes gradually lost their light, Li Xiangling could no longer hold back. She fought through the agony coursing through her body, leaping to her feet and delivering a swift kick that sent Qi Xia sprawling to the ground. "Qi ge! Don't let this place affect you!" she shouted, but the pain from her broken ribs flared painfully. "Ow ow ow, that hurts!..."

To her surprise, Qi Xia didn’t react with anger. Instead, he quickly rose to his feet, his gaze scanning the area in search of Yu Nian'An.

He needed her so badly.

Yu Nian'An was his belief.

Yet, only moments later, Qi Xia's instincts alerted him to a shift—the well-timed kick had broken his haze.

How could Yu Nian'An suddenly appear in this room? Her presence seemed almost unnatural, like a shadow drifting through the air—more ghost than flesh and blood.

Qi Xia slapped himself sharply, as if trying to snap out of a trance. His mind felt fragmented, as though he were losing control.

"Qi ge... Are you alright?" Li Xiangling asked.

"I'm better now," Qi Xia replied, shaking his head to clear the lingering fog. His gaze turned sharp and focused as he asked with a sudden gravity, "Li Xiangling, what is your {Reverberation}?"

"Uh..." Li Xiangling hesitated, offering an awkward chuckle. "I don't know, but everyone says my {Reverberation} isn't very useful..."

"Is that so...?"

Qi Xia understood that if Li Xiangling's {Reverberation} was merely conjuring up an illusion of a longed-for person, it might be inconsequential to others, but for him, it was dangerous, even fatal.

The moment he grasped that it was nothing more than a fleeting mirage, his mind felt like it was about to shatter. A wave of sorrow surged through him, blurring his thoughts and leaving him dizzy. But he forced the yearning for Yu Nian'An aside, steeling himself for the present crisis.

"Li Xiangling, I need to step outside and assess the situation," Qi Xia said, his voice steady. "Lock the door behind me and stay hidden."

"Huh? You're leaving too?" Li Xiangling looked worried. "Qi ge, it's really dangerous outside..."

"Everything will be fine..." Qi Xia gathered his thoughts, slowly opening the door.

If Chu Tianqiu's goal was to kill him, staying with Li Xiangling would only put her in danger.

Before Qi Xia could step outside, however, a figure suddenly lunged at him, pushing him back into the room.

It was Qiao Jiajin, covered in blood.

"Qi Xia! Damn..." he gasped, "It's too dangerous outside... you have to be careful!"

Qi Xia’s eyes widened in surprise when Qiao Jiajin turned to face him.

The injuries on Qiao Jiajin were even more severe now. It seemed as though he had truly been through an explosion. His left arm was burned, and there was a bullet wound on his right shoulder—he had clearly endured intense battles.

"What exactly is going on?" Qi Xia asked. "Who are the ambushers?"

"It doesn’t seem to be {Judgment’s Domain}..." Qiao Jiajin cautiously glanced toward the door, lowering his voice. "Those people are all wearing black, and it looks like they're searching for something..."

Qi Xia had a sinking feeling that he was their target.

"Moreover, Lin Qin and Han Yimo are dead," Qiao Jiajin said, frustration evident in his tone. "I couldn’t find Yun Yao and Zhang Shan... I don't know how they’re faring."

"Is that so...? If that's the case… this may be more complicated than expected..." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening.

"There's nothing complicated about it..." Qiao Jiajin said seriously, his gaze shifting toward the outside. "Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, everything will be fine."

"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "What’s your plan of action?"

"I'm going to get you all out of here," Qiao Jiajin said, carefully pushing open the door. "I've cleared the passage from the second floor to the first-floor exit. As long as we slip out before reinforcements arrive, we'll make it."

Qi Xia rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then responded, "But we have someone who's injured."

"I'll handle Li Xiangling," Qiao Jiajin whispered. "If we don't leave now, there won't be another chance."

"Alright," Qi Xia nodded, helping Li Xiangling to her feet. He looked at Qiao Jiajin and added, "Lead the way."

"Okay." Qiao Jiajin cautiously peered outside, then whispered, "Follow my hand signals once we're out. There are too many enemies, so we need to exercise caution."

"Understood, I'll leave everything to you." Though Qi Xia spoke calmly, his movements were deliberate as he silently walked over to a chair.

"There's no one around, let's go!"

Qiao Jiajin turned back to speak, but before he could, Qi Xia swung the chair with force, striking him hard and sending him crashing to the ground.

With Li Xiangling looking on in shock, Qi Xia swiftly locked the door and then straddled Qiao Jiajin, his hands tightening around the figure's throat.

The blow had been substantial, and the person beneath him was dazed, barely able to focus.

"Are you courting death?" Qi Xia gritted his teeth, his voice low with fury. "Daring to impersonate Qiao Jiajin? What did you do to him?!"

"Cough, cough..." The figure beneath him gasped, and in an instant, the illusion shattered, revealing Xu Liunian. "Y—You... how did you know..."

Li Xiangling's eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn't noticed at all that the person pretending to be Qiao Jiajin was someone entirely different.

"You think just saying the word {damn} can make you him?" Qi Xia spat, his voice laced with anger. "{Lin Qin, Han Yimo, Li Xiangling, Zhang Shan, Yun Yao}—Qiao Jiajin would never call them by their names, and he has never referred to me as {Qi Xia} either."

"Hah... heh heh..." Xu Liunian sneered, a wicked grin stretching across her face. "It doesn’t matter if you saw through it... Qi Xia, I’ve found a way to prove my abilities."

"Is that so?" Qi Xia kept his grip tight on Xu Liunian's neck, his voice sharp with malice. "So how do you plan to prove yourself to me?"

"I’ve decided to kill you tonight and send you into the next cycle."