Chapter 1202: Personal Grudge
That group of strangers seemed to be queuing up, pouring into the "Train" quietly and quickly, leaving Dìzhū and "Cat," who were closest, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Soon, the corridor spanning several meters was completely filled with people. If the crowd remained standing where they were, those behind wouldn't be able to board the train.
"Something doesn't feel right..." Báijiǔ fixed his gaze on those faces, taking in their dirty features and tattered clothes, and whispered, "These people look like 'Natives.'"
"Damn..." Luó Shíyī was stunned after hearing that. "Do 'Natives' clock out and come back to the 'Train' too?"
"Tch, are you out of your mind?" Zhōumò rolled her eyes at Luó Shíyī. "What 'clocking out' would 'Natives' ever do?"
Qián Wǔ turned his head to look at Dìzhū. "Do you know what's going on?"
"No." Dìzhū stared at the many people entering in the distance and silently shook his head. "'Natives' never board the train. But I have a bad feeling about this... We're too conspicuous. We need to leave first."
"Alright..." Taking advantage of the crowd's gradual swelling, the group quickly slipped away from there.
But whether it was Wèi Yáng or the "Natives" boarding the train, they all seemed to overlook one problem.
Once on the "Train," there were still two paths—left or right—to choose from.
In this long corridor, without an insider to guide them, this group had a fifty percent chance of heading in the wrong direction.
Even if they got lucky and chose correctly, they might still die at the hands of other "Zodiacs."
Moreover, the moment this crowd appeared, the train's once unobstructed line of sight was now blocked right down the middle.
No matter which direction on the train you looked from, all you'd see was a dense mass of heads gathered together.
Yān Zhīchūn, the moment she heard Zhōumò say "All missions are complete," immediately boarded the train with the people behind her and Dìshé.
It seemed that all the "Extremists" had tacitly waited for a while, so by the time they got on, only scattered figures were visible, with hardly any "Zodiacs" in sight.
Dìshé's room was very close to the get-off point. In less than a minute, the entire squad had hidden themselves inside Dìshé's quarters.
This was also Yān Zhīchūn's first time stepping into a "Zodiac's" living space, and she found it rather bizarre—
Were all "Zodiac" rooms this girly?
Unlike the old wooden walls outside, this place was plastered with pink Rococo-style wallpaper. Besides books, the bedside table and desk were covered with small trinkets collected from all over.
Yān Zhīchūn felt that compared to Dìshé, she was practically a tomboy.
Her hairstyle hadn't changed in ten years, and she had bought three identical white dresses to avoid having to agonize over what to wear each day or care about others' opinions of her taste—greatly reducing her mental energy drain.
"Ya little brat, have a seat." Dìshé waved at Yān Zhīchūn and the few "Extremists." "Why are you all just standing around?"
"I can't seem to sit still..." Yān Zhīchūn said. "Isn't this going too smoothly for us?"
"Smoothly...?" Dìshé let out a soft laugh and walked over to a chest of drawers to start brewing tea for everyone. "You've got less than ten people standing here at best. You call that smooth?"
"At least it seems smooth so far." Yān Zhīchūn turned her head and spotted a box of bloodstained bandages in the corner. "Báishé, are you injured?"
"I..." Báishé hesitated briefly at the question. "I have some old wounds that haven't healed yet. Nothing serious—I just need to clean off the blood regularly."
"Alright..." Yān Zhīchūn nodded absently. "I still feel like something is off..."
She turned to the few "Extremists" behind her and asked, "Did anyone hear the 'Telepathic Transmission' Zhōumò sent?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"'Telepathic Transmission'..." Hearing that, Báishé paused slightly as he was pouring tea, then said, "Ya little brat... You're planning to use 'Echoes' to raise hell in this place... but don't you know the strangeness of this location?"
"This place...?" Yān Zhīchūn asked. "You mean we can't activate 'Echoes' here?"
"How should I put it..." Báishé raised the teacup in his hand and turned to hand it to Yān Zhīchūn. "It's like someone who's driven a forklift for years suddenly learning to pilot a speedboat—someone sharp gets it right away, but someone a bit slower... well, it's next to impossible."
Yān Zhīchūn took the teacup, feeling that this "cannot use Echoes" situation seemed familiar, as if she had already been trained for it beforehand.
"Isn't this pretty much the same as 'Cāngjié Chess'?"
"'Cāngjié Chess'...?" Báishé was taken aback. "What do you mean? Isn't that just a legend? Does 'Táoyuán' really have a 'Cāngjié Chess' venue...?"
Yān Zhīchūn didn't answer, her expression anxious.
Even though she herself had been trained, what about the other "Extremists"?
If Zhōumò's "Telepathic Transmission" couldn't be used, everyone would have to move through the fog like blind soldiers.
"We need to hurry." Yān Zhīchūn turned to Dìshé. "We're looking for a Black Sheep. Do you know where he is?"
Dìshé paused after hearing this. "His room isn't far... but how are you going to get out there now?"
"Time is tight." Yān Zhīchūn continued. "Our mission is to reach the 'Cargo Hold' with the Black Sheep and free all the 'Ants.' If we don't liberate them within the allotted time, the 'Ants' will be sent to the 'Land of Finality,' and our entire plan will fail!"
"Damn it..." Dìshé frowned. "You people sure have grand ambitions..."
"So even if there's a chance we might die, we have to leave now." Yān Zhīchūn went on. "I have 'Heart-Seizer,' and you have 'Brute Force.' Theoretically, we have nothing to fear from a lone 'Zodiac,' not even a 'Ground-grade' one."
"Yeah, I also have 'Mourning.'"
"Don't even mention 'Mourning.' It's a miracle it doesn't just make things worse." Yān Zhīchūn said. "If you're worried about the danger, just point me in the right direction, and I'll take my people myself."
After a few seconds of thought, Dìshé shook his head and said, "Sister, you might think I'm too laid-back, but I have my own mission to handle."
"You...?"
Dìshé turned and pointed at the bandages in the corner.
"I'm going to return these wounds." He said. "Give them back to that greatest inventor."
"Inventor...?"
"It's not for any 'Grand Plan,' not for the 'Land of Finality,' and not to do anyone a favor." Dìshé said. "It's just a personal grudge between him and me. I simply want him dead..."
Yān Zhīchūn nodded after hearing this. "But this 'personal grudge' sounds dangerous. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Me? No... Sister." Dìshé smiled and shook his head. "People like us have actually learned to fight back. You should be happy for me."
Yān Zhīchūn pursed her lips with a complicated expression. She wanted to reach out and pat Dìshé on the shoulder to comfort him, but just as she was about to touch him, she thought better of it and pulled her hand back.
"Then let's set off together."