Chapter 1149: Folks
Qi Xia stared expressionlessly at Old Lü and Aunt Tong, saying nothing.
The entire "Jidao" team was caught in a pincer attack, frozen in place for the moment. Escape was out of the question—survival itself was now the issue.
"Xiao Chan, you can't die here. I'll protect you and get you out first..." Old Lü came to his senses and said to Aunt Tong. "You know the rendezvous point. Take the people behind you and get there."
"Hey!!" Aunt Tong was clearly annoyed. "What the hell are you doing?! What does this have to do with you?"
"How the fuck is it none of my business?!" Old Lü roared, his chubby cheeks jiggling along with his balding scalp.
"Just find a chance to leave on your own!" Aunt Tong said. "I'm accumulating massive 'good karma.' What's waiting for me isn't 'death.'"
"Enough with the damn 'good karma'!" Old Lü interrupted. "The knife is already at your face. What else is waiting for you if not 'death'?"
Hearing this, Qi Xia rubbed his chin...
Had "karma" led them right to him?
But this "Jidao" squad of seven or eight people was surrounded by thirty or forty. Even if "karma" had brought them here, how could they possibly help?
Qi Xia took in the scene. Old Lü and Aunt Tong had clearly noticed them, but the two tacitly avoided acknowledging each other, pretending not to know Qi Xia and the others.
"Old Qi... what do you think?" Chen Junnan asked quietly. "The five of us plus their eight could barely form a 'Thirteen Guardians'... sounds like maybe..."
"Is this about numbers?" Qiao Jiajin scratched his head from the side. "People with titles like that usually aren't strong. They have to band together just to get famous."
Lawyer Zhang shook his head. "I suggest we don't get involved. They haven't asked for help. We each have our own goals and can't mix."
Qi Xia nodded thoughtfully. He agreed with Lawyer Zhang, but just as he looked up to speak, he saw Qiao Jiajin had already vanished from his sight.
"Hey..."
"Haha!" Chen Junnan laughed awkwardly. "Don't worry, Old Qi. Little Master's here. The plan won't go wrong."
"You..." Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. If anyone could "go wrong," Chen Junnan was far more capable than Qiao Jiajin. "Fine, you go too. Get it done quickly."
"Got it. Haha. Watch me."
Old Lü and Aunt Tong were still arguing when a "participant" walked up to them, knife in hand. The participant looked very young, probably a student under twenty.
"Hey!!" The young man yelled, startling Old Lü and Aunt Tong. "Why did you destroy the giant bell and the display screen?!"
"I..." Old Lü was stunned. He didn't know the meaning behind the act, so he looked at Aunt Tong for guidance.
Aunt Tong stared at the young man for a moment, then spoke. "Child... it's hard for you to understand, but we're accumulating 'good karma'... Everything we do is for everyone in the 'Land of the End'..."
"Nonsense!" The young man seemed blinded by rage.
They didn't care how unreasonable the escape rules of this bizarre place were. They didn't care how ruthlessly the "Zodiacs" killed people. They didn't think about what insane things "Tianlong" and "Qinglong" had done to numb everyone's minds.
All they knew was that the giant bell and the display screen were destroyed. They could no longer know their "Echoes," and they had no way to escape.
So, the ones to blame for their inability to escape were not "Tianlong" and "Qinglong," but these "rebels" in front of them.
"It's true..." Aunt Tong said. "Child, if you just feel it, you'll know the earth isn't mourning. Everything is moving in a good direction..."
"You're crazy, all of you are crazy..." The young man gritted his teeth, reversed his grip on the knife, and lunged at Aunt Tong.
Just then, a strong hand grabbed his wrist.
The young man froze, but then felt another hand on his shoulder.
"Bro, hold on. Let me talk first."
The young man turned his head and saw Qiao Jiajin's innocent smile. The smile seemed harmless, but Qiao Jiajin looked like he'd just been in a fight—blood was smeared on his face, mouth, neck, and even his clothes.
"You... what are you doing?" the young man asked.
"Nothing, nothing." Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "Just wanted to chat with everyone. Hey, you over there, put the knife down too. Fighting is fine, but don't use knives. What if someone dies?"
Everyone turned to look at the tattooed man. Besides his tattoos, his body and face were covered in blood, making him look quite terrifying.
Though they had all been shouting about killing, faced with such a menacing figure, they fell silent.
"You... which side are you on?" the young man asked.
"I'm from Portland Street," Qiao Jiajin replied. "Can't we all just talk things out?"
"Port... Portland Street...?"
"That's right." Qiao Jiajin skillfully and naturally disarmed the young man. "We're all 'participants,' right? What's the point of fighting and killing here? If you have the energy, go take on the 'Zodiacs' instead."
"You... hold on," a middle-aged man in the crowd spoke up. "These people destroyed the giant bell and the display screen. Now we can't know our 'Echoes.' Why are you defending them? Are you with them?"
"I..." Qiao Jiajin toyed with the knife in his hand, then looked up at the crowd. "I'm not with anyone. I just don't want you all to kill each other here. Isn't it better to stay alive?"
Seeing the crowd silent, Qiao Jiajin added, "If you really want to fight, I'm game. You can all come at once, or one by one."
Qi Xia glanced at Qiao Jiajin. Normally, he might take on so many people, but Qiao Jiajin was seriously injured now. Chen Junnan and he himself couldn't help much. If it came to a real fight, things would get tricky.
"Don't listen to him... they're in cahoots!" the middle-aged man said again. "He's obviously here to help! Don't be afraid! Let's beat them all to death!"
Now Qiao Jiajin was truly stumped. The crowd seemed genuinely furious, and ordinary persuasion wasn't working.
What should he do next?
Would he really have to knock them all down?
"Xiao Qiao." Chen Junnan's voice came from behind, making the crowd pause again.
"Xiao Qiao...?" Qiao Jiajin turned back and whispered, "Me...?"
"Why is it so hard for you to get things done? Haven't you explained it to the folks yet?" Chen Junnan strode forward with his hands behind his back. The crowd, unsure of his role, all stepped back.
"Folks... I... I really haven't explained it well." Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "They won't listen to me."
"Pfft, no big deal. Let me handle it." Chen Junnan said. "Hey, folks, we're actually from the 'End Affairs Office.' This demolition plan—we should've told you before we acted. That's our bad. But our ultimate goal, per orders from above, is to replace the giant bell and display screen with better ones."
After his words, the crowd furrowed their brows.