Chapter 1300: A House of Enemies
Chu Tianqiu paused, then looked back at the lipstick standing upright on the table.
The thunderous pounding on the door outside made it hard for him to focus. Since he had no idea what was going on, could he really rely on his "Strong Luck" after all?
"If we don't open the door soon, the racket will only get worse," Zhang Chenze said. "If the others notice something strange about Qinglong's room, the situation will become even more troublesome than it is now."
Chu Tianqiu nodded, walked over to the door, and stood beside it. If it were just Xiao Ran alone, there was nothing to fear—provided the "Ants" didn't follow her inside.
Xiao Ran's pounding grew more frantic, as if she were about to be devoured by the "Ants" closing in behind her.
Chu Tianqiu seized the moment. He yanked the door open and pulled her inside.
Caught off guard, Xiao Ran stumbled in. Chu Tianqiu quickly shut the door again, which triggered another flurry of banging from outside.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew tense. Xiao Ran had expected to find Qinglong sitting inside, but instead, she was met with the sanctimonious little leader Chu Tianqiu, the lawyer Zhang Chenze dressed to the nines, Tiantian with her contemptible sneer, and Yun Yao—her mortal enemy she would never forget even if she were turned to ash.
All these people were familiar faces. Worse, two of them had come directly from her own room.
"You guys…" Xiao Ran stood in the middle of the room, looking around with a deeply complicated expression. "No… why are you here?! Isn't this Qinglong's room?"
Yun Yao exchanged a glance with Chu Tianqiu. The situation was indeed strange.
Yun Yao recalled that Xiao Ran had been turned into an "Original Inhabitant" by Zhuque with her own hands back then. But what was she now?
Could a person really skip so many levels and jump from "Original Inhabitant" to "Celestial" in such a short time?
Seeing that no one was paying her any attention, Xiao Ran felt uncertain about the situation. She even began to suspect that everyone else here, like her, had somehow joined Qinglong's camp at some unknown point in time.
"Let me make this clear first…" Xiao Ran said warily to the group. "Whatever you guys are… I'm now Qiongqi, second only to Qinglong himself… You'd better watch your step…"
She had intended to establish her status in the room with that one line, but Chu Tianqiu let out a light chuckle.
"Qiongqi?" He grinned, finding the situation more interesting than he'd imagined. "The beast that rewards evil and punishes good, that is faithless and disloyal… Is that the title Qinglong gave you?"
"Who are you calling names?!" Xiao Ran snapped. "Are you 'Divine Beasts' too? How dare you speak to me like that?"
Chu Tianqiu didn't answer. Instead, he glanced at Tiantian. Fortunately, Tiantian remained completely undisturbed by the woman's presence, still staring intently at the patterns on the door.
Zhang Chenze, meanwhile, studied Xiao Ran from the side, as if quickly assessing her character.
"Xiao Ran…" Yun Yao stepped forward. "You're a 'Divine Beast' now…? Doesn't seem like it?"
Xiao Ran was clearly wary of Yun Yao. When she saw Yun Yao approach, she instinctively backed away. This woman didn't buy her act at all. On top of that, Yun Yao was tall, long-limbed, and strong—Xiao Ran couldn't even beat her in a fight.
"Yun Yao…!" Xiao Ran shouted. "I advise you to behave yourself. Do you know whose side I'm on now?"
Yun Yao nodded. "I don't care about your story with Qinglong. But we do need to stay in this room for a while. If you just sit tight for a few minutes, we'll leave. No one bothers anyone. How about that?"
Xiao Ran wanted to comply, but the memory of the dozen slaps Yun Yao had given her on the face made her blood boil. This woman had always acted so superior… what right did she have?
"What are you dreaming about, Yun Yao…?" Xiao Ran gritted her teeth. "Trying to pacify me like that… that means you're not 'Divine Beasts' at all… you're still lowly 'Participants,' aren't you?"
Hearing this, Yun Yao thought for a moment. Then she pulled a powder compact from her backpack and tossed it at the lipstick standing on the table.
The compact struck the lipstick, sending it flying high into the air. The lipstick flipped several times before landing back on the table—still standing upright.
Her "Luck" was still strong.
Chu Tianqiu found the situation truly baffling. If Xiao Ran had really managed to become a "Divine Beast" during her time away, then given her deep hatred for Yun Yao, the current situation was extremely dangerous.
This tiny room made it hard to fight or escape. Moreover, besides himself, none of the others present had "Echoes" suited for combat. Even an ordinary "Ground" level would threaten their lives, let alone a "Divine Beast."
But Yun Yao's "Strong Luck" seemed to think otherwise. It was guiding her to face the challenge head-on.
Seeing the lipstick still upright on the table, Yun Yao thought for a moment and decided to trust her "Luck." She looked up at Xiao Ran. "That's right, we're 'Participants.' Today, we've come to rebel against Qinglong and wipe out all you 'Divine Beasts' and 'Celestials' in one fell swoop. Got a problem with that?"
Chu Tianqiu could only go into combat mode. He gripped a "Hardening" pill tightly in his hand. He had no idea what level of "Divine Beast" Xiao Ran was—closer to Baihu, Zhuque, or Xuanwu? If she matched Zhuque in combat power, he might be able to hold her off for a few minutes. But if she was another Xuanwu, trying to stop her here would be absurd.
Xiao Ran kept facing Yun Yao, gradually turning her back to Chu Tianqiu.
Seeing the timing was right, Yun Yao quickly gave Chu Tianqiu a signal. He understood. They had to strike first. Without making a sound, he put the "Hardening" pill into his mouth, then extended two fingers and aimed them at the bloody spot on Xiao Ran's back. In an instant, he plucked an eyeball from her back.
The ease with which he retrieved the eyeball completely exceeded Chu Tianqiu's expectations. He even felt that swallowing the "Hardening" pill had been a waste.
His fingers, reinforced by "Hardening," pierced through Xiao Ran's back like cutting through tofu. Had her body received no enhancement at all?
"Ah!!" Xiao Ran felt a sharp pain and whirled around. When she saw the eyeball on Chu Tianqiu's fingertip, she was furious. "Ah?! Are you insane?! How dare you hit a woman?!"
Chu Tianqiu was momentarily stunned by her question. This was a matter of life and death—did she even know what she was saying?
Before he could respond, Xiao Ran covered her own mouth. She remembered that the last time she said something like that, Yun Yao had stormed up and beaten her senseless. After all, Chu Tianqiu wasn't the only one in this room who could hit her. Strictly speaking, she was enemies with everyone here.
She paused, then pointed at Chu Tianqiu's fingertip and changed her question. "Do you even know what that is?!"
Chu Tianqiu frowned slightly, then nodded. "Of course I do. It's your weak point."