Mr. Thumb, Don't Look Back

Luo Qi watched Isaiah, who was leisurely drinking tea before him, his lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.

"Bishop Luo Qi," Isaiah said, setting down his teacup, his voice leisurely. "You seem quite nervous?"

"Nervous? What a joke, why would I be nervous?" Luo Qi snapped back like a startled cat. "Who do you think you are? I'm the Eastern Bishop of Rhine, why would I be afraid of you?"

"I said nervous, not afraid," Isaiah smiled, his gaze drifting downwards. "I know my question might be a bit offensive, but your reaction is just too obvious."

Luo Qi instinctively lowered his head, only to realize his legs under the table were shaking uncontrollably, causing the tea on the table to ripple.

He fell silent for a moment, then stubbornly tried to save face: "I'm not nervous, I just have a bit of... hyperactivity."

"Oh~ I understand, I understand," Isaiah nodded with a smile.

If anyone else had looked at Luo Qi with that expression, Luo Qi would have slapped them long ago. But it was Isaiah. The moment Luo Qi thought of the world-ending scene from last night, his anger vanished.

Luo Qi truly didn't want to deal with Isaiah, especially now that he suspected Isaiah knew his identity. He wished he could stay as far away as possible.

So, when Isaiah first sent Mina to invite Luo Qi for "tea," Luo Qi's immediate reaction was, "This old man is going to make a move on me." He refused without a second thought. But he hadn't expected Isaiah to show up in person just a few minutes later.

In broad daylight, with representatives from all the major churches watching, if Luo Qi continued to hide, it would be detrimental to Rhine's reputation and make him look guilty.

So, Luo Qi had no choice but to steel himself and agree, but he insisted on choosing a very open location where they could see the Obedience of Heavenly Voice, with observers from all the major churches and Contract Land nearby. It was meant to project an image of having a clear conscience... and safety.

"Mr. Isaiah, what exactly do you want to see me about?" Luo Qi decided to take the initiative, asking forcefully. "If there's nothing else, please excuse me... I have many things to do."

"Don't rush, Bishop Luo Qi," Isaiah said with a smile. "It's just a cup of tea."

"Then why didn't you ask someone else for tea, why specifically me?"

"Because we are the same kind of people," Isaiah looked at Luo Qi meaningfully. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Luo Qi's eyelids twitched.

With such a blatant threat, Luo Qi couldn't continue to insist on leaving, lest Isaiah expose him.

"What do you want?" Since the cards were on the table, Luo Qi stopped playing dumb. He lowered his voice and said coldly, "Do you want to make a move on me here as well?"

"I never intended to make a move on you. In fact, in all of Peach Blossom Paradise, the only Corpse Piece that interests me is the other eye."

"So you've obtained three Corpse Pieces but still want that eye?" Luo Qi said. "You're too greedy."

"That's where the problem lies," Isaiah said. "In truth, I haven't obtained those three Corpse Pieces at all."

As Luo Qi wore an expression of utter disbelief, Isaiah remained calm.

"I know you don't believe me, and I will tell you the truth. But before that, can you tell me something?"

"What?"

Isaiah looked Luo Qi in the eyes and asked, word by word, "After that, did Hand Eye open Peach Blossom Paradise?"

Luo Qi frowned. "Why should I tell you?"

But to Isaiah, this reaction was already an answer.

"So he is indeed alive," Isaiah murmured softly. Then, under Luo Qi's suspicious gaze, he slowly raised his left hand. "If I told you that on that night, I only obtained a finger like this, would you believe me?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qi's frown deepened. He clearly didn't understand what Isaiah meant. But when he came to his senses, his eyes widened gradually.

Luo Qi's change in expression was naturally noticed by Bai Wei from a distance.

Bai Wei was not surprised that Isaiah approached Luo Qi. After all, Luo Qi was the only Corpse Friend who had openly revealed himself from Isaiah's perspective.

If possible, Bai Wei believed Isaiah would have preferred to approach him or Diana directly, rather than Luo Qi.

But Isaiah had no choice. Currently, he was an enemy to everyone, and Luo Qi was his only potential ally.

Now, it was up to Isaiah to convince Luo Qi to trust him.

Bai Wei wasn't in a hurry and watched leisurely.

After listening to Isaiah's explanation, Luo Qi's expression was very complicated.

He found the story a bit too far-fetched. The idea that the tongue and Hand Eye were originally one, and that everything was Hand Eye's calculation, felt like an insult to his intelligence.

But precisely because the story was so outlandish, Luo Qi couldn't help but wonder if it could possibly be true.

And the only way to prove it was...

Luo Qi lowered his head and looked at the middle finger of Isaiah's left hand.

"Prove it to me," Luo Qi said. "Just prove that this finger is real, and I'll believe you."

"I will prove it, but not now," Isaiah said calmly. "You should know that this place is filled with devices that detect Visas's power. If I use the Rule, I'll be detected immediately."

Luo Qi then remembered where they were.

Contract Land was the most sensitive area in this world to Visas's power. After all, it was established to seal Visas's corpse. And just as Isaiah said, if they used the Rule here, they would be instantly detected.

Especially with countless eyes watching them at this moment, snapping his fingers now would be walking into a trap.

But...

"If you can't prove it, how am I supposed to believe you?" Luo Qi asked gravely. "I have reason to suspect that you deliberately found a method that cannot be proven. Otherwise, why wouldn't you prove it to me when we were far away from Contract Land?"

"Actually, I had intended to prove it to you this morning," Isaiah said plainly. "We were still in Nameless Town this morning, and we would have had a long time to travel together, during which we could have talked slowly. But what I didn't expect was for you to leave the night before, giving me no opportunity."

Hearing this, Luo Qi's old face flushed, but he quickly regained his composure.

"After all, this is just your word against mine. I have no reason to believe you."

"If you really want proof, it's not impossible," Isaiah looked into Luo Qi's eyes. "I have a way to evade the surveillance of Contract Land, and then I can show you whether this finger is real or fake."

"Evade the surveillance of Contract Land?" Luo Qi said. "You're not going to suggest I go to a blind spot and not tell anyone, are you?"

"It seems you still think I'll harm you."

"Only a fool would place their hopes and trust in someone who can take their life at any moment," Luo Qi said, enunciating each word. "Don't try to fool me, Isaiah. I saw you kill Tongue with my own eyes..."

"Did you really see it with your own eyes?"

"...Well, not exactly with my own eyes, but you definitely did it," Luo Qi said. "Otherwise, where did Tongue go?"

"Are you sure the person you met in De La Town was Tongue?"

"Of course."

"Did he use Tongue's Rule?"

"Of course..."

"Think carefully before you speak," Isaiah said calmly. "There's no point in hiding anything in a place like this; it will only harm yourself."

Luo Qi immediately choked.

"And then think about it, if I killed Tongue, where did that Forbidden Scholar go?" Isaiah said. "Did he just vanish into thin air? Don't tell me you killed him too. Nameless Town wasn't without survivors; enough people saw me fight that night, and it was just one person."

Luo Qi was speechless for a moment. He hadn't really thought about these questions. After all, after "witnessing" Isaiah kill Tongue with his own eyes, his entire focus had been on Isaiah, and he hadn't paid any further attention to the deceased Tongue.

"To be honest, I really don't want you to be the only person I can contact right now," Isaiah's gaze gradually turned cold. "You hold such crucial information, yet you show no doubt or initiative, letting Hand Eye scheme with such a huge loophole. You believe whatever he says. And you still consider him your mortal enemy? Wake up, Isaiah. With his methods, he could kill you, and you'd still doubt if you committed suicide."

Isaiah's direct mockery left Luo Qi stunned for a moment. When he finally reacted, he wanted to slam the table and exclaim, "You motherf—"

Halfway through his curse, Luo Qi met Isaiah's gaze.

In an instant, immense fear surged into Luo Qi's heart, engulfing all other emotions and involuntarily giving him the urge to bow down.

"You..." Bishop Rhine's pride made Luo Qi force himself not to bend. He stared intently at Isaiah. "Do you want to make a move here?"

Luo Qi's right hand, hidden beneath the table, slowly rose, his remaining thumb inching upwards.

Your Rule is powerful, but my Rule isn't to be trifled with!

If it comes to it, we'll both blow up!

Luo Qi thought fiercely.

But just as [Disturbance] was about to activate, the pressure that had surged like a tide instantly receded.

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Thumb," the coldness in Isaiah's eyes disappeared, returning to his usual calm. "We are not enemies. Our opposition is something only Hand Eye would be happy to see."

Luo Qi continued to glare at Isaiah. "Isn't it a bit late for you to say that now?"

"I have no ill intentions; I just wanted you to feel the pressure I'm under," Isaiah said calmly. "But your pressure shouldn't be less than mine. Because right now, in Peach Blossom Paradise, only you and I have exposed our identities, so we should be natural allies. Especially... now that we are both under Hand Eye's gaze."

Luo Qi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Hand Eye is also here. I can feel its presence. Or rather, it hasn't hidden its presence from me," Isaiah said. "It's like a cunning Hunter, who personally set this trap and, after the prey falls into it, quietly waits to reap the rewards... Yes, it is watching you and me right now."

Isaiah's words were somewhat frightening. Luo Qi looked up with suspicion, scanning his surroundings.

However, as mentioned before, countless eyes were monitoring the area. Luo Qi had no way of knowing who Hand Eye was, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he became.

Luo Qi withdrew his gaze and said stiffly, "I think you're fucking lying to me again."

"An intelligent prey will begin to save itself the moment it falls into a trap," Isaiah said. "A foolish prey, even when already wounded, will still think it merely stumbled by misfortune. Ah, don't look at me like that, Mr. Thumb, I'm talking about you. I have no intention of saving such prey; you can leave."

"You called me here just to insult me?" Luo Qi said. "Who do you think I am? Do you think I'll obey you just because you curse at me?"

"I'm not interested in your strange fetishes, nor do I demand your help," Isaiah said. "I'm just reminding you that you and I are both in this trap. If I die, you'll be next, and dealing with you will be even easier for it than dealing with me."

After speaking, Isaiah took his last sip of tea, then stood up and left, leaving Luo Qi standing there with a face that alternately flushed and paled.

At this moment, Mina, who had been waiting nearby, approached.

"Teacher," Mina glanced at Luo Qi. "Do you think this Bishop Rhine will believe you?"

"Whether he believes me is irrelevant," Isaiah said calmly. "I have never placed my hopes on him."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Why do you think I agreed to meet Luo Qi in such a public place?"

"This... I don't know, student."

"It's for someone else to see," Isaiah said, facing the countless monitoring eyes squarely, in a voice only Mina could hear. "I believe there are more than just the three of us here."

Luo Qi returned to his residence, full of indignation.

What a bizarre scolding!

That damned fellow, on the verge of death himself, was still putting on airs. He was clearly trying to drag him down with him.

But he wasn't a complete fool either. Even if his secret was exposed and his identity in Peach Blossom Paradise revealed, it wouldn't be a capital offense. The worst outcome would be dismissal, not the loss of his life.

So this damned Isaiah was probably lying to him!

But…

What if this guy was telling the truth?

Luo Qi hesitated again.

It was at this moment that a deep baritone voice sounded from behind him.

"Mr. Thumb, don't turn around. I am Ring Finger."

Luo Qi's skin immediately crawled.

Thanks to the Alliance Leader "You."! Thank you, thank you!

I've been driven to the brink of madness by family pressure to go on blind dates these past two days, and only just saw this now.