Chapter 1234: The Informant
"Hello? Is there a leader here?"
Xiao Ran hadn't expected the man before her to appear so young. Unable to immediately determine his identity, she could only try to strike up a conversation with him.
But the man clearly didn't want to acknowledge her.
Qinglong sighed impatiently, his eyes slightly closed as he pressed his slender fingers hard against his temples. *These 'Zodiacs' on the 'Train' just don't know when to die anymore,* he thought to himself.
Knowing full well he was here, someone still dared to burst through the door and shout.
Whether they were 'Human-grade' or 'Earth-grade,' for making such an absurd mistake, every single 'Zodiac' associated with them would die today.
But when he lifted his gaze to look at the figure before him, his train of thought hit a minor snag.
Because the person who had pushed open the door and shouted wasn't a 'Zodiac' at all—it was a 'Participant' without even a mask.
The disparity in rank was simply too vast. For a moment, Qinglong didn't even know how to begin speaking. He just stared at Xiao Ran with a pair of bloodshot eyes.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Xiao Ran asked. "Are you Tianlong...?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Ran's eyes were drawn to a black object on the desktop. It looked like a football, but it was entirely black, making it impossible to tell what it was from behind.
"Or... Qinglong?" Xiao Ran asked again, staring at the dark silhouette on the table.
Qinglong reached up and rubbed his temples. He remained silent, merely glancing at the door behind Xiao Ran. It sounded chaotic out there.
Usually, only the 'Human-grade' areas were this noisy, because they carried the heaviest 'scent of humanity.'
Once they became 'Earth-grade,' the 'Zodiacs' grew much more reserved. After passing the layers of trials he had meticulously set, it was rare to see them display emotions like excitement or sorrow.
But he was already so far from the 'Human-grade' area now—why was it still so noisy?
"Why is this room so dark?" Xiao Ran frowned and took a step forward. "Are you the one in charge here?"
She remembered that the black sheep had said Qinglong was gentle, refined, and approachable. But the man before her hadn't spoken a word since she entered, which clearly didn't match that description. If he wasn't Tianlong, he must be some kind of secretary or assistant.
Qinglong stared at Xiao Ran, slowly leaning his body to one side and propping his chin on his hand.
He wondered if he had been too lenient with this place...?
Had he not killed enough people yet?
Now a 'Participant' was swaggering in here, pointing fingers at him. Qinglong's mind grew more and more chaotic, his urge to kill completely overwhelming.
There were so many 'Zodiacs' in the hallway outside, and a host of 'Heavenly-grade' on either side... yet none of them had stopped her. How absurd was this situation?
But this woman... why did it feel like he had seen her somewhere before?
"Hey, hey, hey..." Xiao Ran tapped on the desktop. "You look like a sharp guy, but why are you so dazed? Is anyone in charge here?"
As she spoke, Xiao Ran's gaze flickered and landed on another wooden door across the room.
That door looked far more upscale than the one to this room. If there was some kind of leader, they should be in the room behind that door.
"Forget it..." Xiao Ran dropped the faint smile she had. Ignoring Qinglong, she walked straight toward the door of the 'Locomotive' room. "Fine, don't talk if you don't want to. When I see the leader, I'll definitely mention your attitude."
Watching Xiao Ran approach the final room step by step, Qinglong's expression gradually darkened. "Who told you to come find me?"
This was Qinglong's first time speaking. The strange voice made Xiao Ran freeze in place, her hand about to knock on the door.
She seemed to hear two voices—one male, one female—emanating from the man's throat. Both tones and inflections were exactly the same, making Xiao Ran momentarily think she had misheard.
Hesitating slightly, she slowly turned her head. Before she could meet Qinglong's gaze, her eyes landed on the object in the center of the desk.
It wasn't a black football at all... It was clearly a fresh, recently severed head.
Dark red blood was splattered across the desk and smeared across the face of the head. In the dim light, it looked like nothing more than a spilled drink.
From behind, she hadn't been able to see the full picture, but now, she was struck speechless with terror.
And beside that brutally murdered head, the man with his chin propped on his hand was staring at her expressionlessly.
"You... you..." Even if Xiao Ran was slow to react, she now understood that the man before her was no ordinary figure. Her tone instantly softened. "Are you... Qinglong?"
"Who told you you could find me here?" Qinglong asked again.
Staring at the head on the table, Xiao Ran felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, her blood running cold.
"Qing... no..." Xiao Ran stammered. "I didn't mean to disturb you... but I really have something very important to report... That's why I went through all the trouble to get to the 'Locomotive'... I mean no harm..."
Qinglong slowly shifted his gaze away, looking down at the desk in front of him. "Wipe it clean," he said softly.
"Wipe... clean?" Xiao Ran froze, staring at the head, unsure what Qinglong meant.
"The place you just knocked," Qinglong said again.
"Huh...? Oh..." Though she didn't understand, Xiao Ran walked over to the spot on the desk she had just knocked and rubbed it with her palm. She couldn't see where she had dirtied it, but she kept wiping the surface with her hand.
After a moment, Xiao Ran looked up, forcing a smile as she asked Qinglong, "Is this okay?"
Qinglong's expression grew even darker than before. "Do you think... why did I consider it unclean in the first place?"
"I..." Xiao Ran blinked, her mind a complete blank.
"As a mere 'worm'... how dare you knock on my desk?" Qinglong's tone remained flat, as if he were conversing with someone already dead.
Hearing this, Xiao Ran was terrified. She hurried over to Qinglong's side and said, "But I really do have something very important to report to you... I'm doing this for your own good. And I, I used to be a 'Zodiac' too! I lost my mask because of some communication errors... We're on the same side!"
Qinglong didn't respond, just let out a heavy sigh. This woman had blurted out everything in her mind all at once, only irritating him further.
He reached out his hand, ready to pierce through Xiao Ran's chest, when she suddenly shouted again, "Qi Xia is leading a rebellion among the 'Participants'...!! I came specifically to report this to you. You have to believe me!"