Chapter 156: A Stroll on the Path of Life
"Alcohol" really is a good thing.
The "welcome party," which had started with a somewhat somber atmosphere, gradually became livelier after everyone downed a few bottles of beer.
Many people began raising their bottles to clink with others, introducing themselves in the process.
In the days to come, they would all become comrades marching toward death together.
"Qiao Jiajin," Qi Xia said while eating peanuts, "What's your reason for having to get out?"
"I don't know either." Qiao Jiajin gazed at the lively crowd in the distance and spoke slowly. "To repay a favor? Or to take revenge? I'm not sure."
He took a big gulp of beer, his expression completely flat.
The usually grinning and joking Qiao Jiajin seemed like a different person at that moment.
"What about you, Han Yimo?" Qi Xia turned to look at Han Yimo.
"I want to finish my novel," Han Yimo replied. "I'm only one chapter away from ending this story. Even if I have to die, I want to finish the novel first before I go."
"That's a bit extreme." Qi Xia shook his head. "Is a novel more important than your life?"
"That's not it." Han Yimo gave a bitter smile. "Who actually wants to die? But the 'earthquake' came, and I was definitely going to die... But why didn't I just publish that last chapter? Why did I have to proofread it one more time..."
Qi Xia listened and let out a helpless sigh.
What Han Yimo had described wasn't really a "reason to get out"—it sounded more like a "dying wish."
Just then, a thin, dark-skinned girl and a middle-aged man in a suit walked over together, beer bottles in hand.
Qi Xia remembered these two.
They had attended Aunt Tong's lecture.
"Hey everyone, let's get to know each other," the dark-skinned girl said with a smile. "Are you all from the same room?"
"Yeah." Lin Qin nodded from the side. "Are you too?"
"Yeah, my name is Li Xiangling." The girl extended her hand toward Lin Qin.
Lin Qin reached out as well, and they shook hands briefly.
The moment they touched, Lin Qin noticed that the girl's palm had quite a few calluses.
"I'm Zhong Zhen," the man in the suit said, nodding to the group.
Qi Xia looked at the two with slight curiosity and asked, "Did your other teammates die?"
"No," the girl named Li Xiangling shook her head. "Five of us survived, but the other three didn't want to come to 'Heaven's Gate,' so only the uncle and I came."
"I'm Qiao Jiajin." Qiao Jiajin raised his bottle and clinked it against Zhong Zhen's. "Just call me A'jin."
"Nice to meet you, brother."
The two of them struck up a conversation with Lin Qin, Qiao Jiajin, and Han Yimo.
It turned out that their teammates were three criminals.
From the moment they arrived in the city, those three had been looking for knives to defend themselves. Zhong Zhen and Li Xiangling knew they weren't on the same wavelength and had planned to go solo, but then they ran into Zhang Shan, who had been recruiting.
After a brief chat, the two decided to come and check out "Heaven's Gate."
"All three are criminals?" Qi Xia furrowed his brow.
"Yeah... Two of them had just been released from prison, and one came straight from a correctional facility..." Li Xiangling couldn't help but show a hint of lingering fear. "Honestly, it was pretty terrifying."
Qi Xia naturally knew who she was referring to—A'Mu, the bald guy, and the blonde. But at that moment, another question crossed his mind.
If everyone who came here was meant to "atone," were A'Mu, the bald man, and the blonde really regretting their past actions?
As Aunt Tong had said, everyone here was guilty. But Qi Xia had already seen with his own eyes that many people showed no remorse at all.
For the three of them, this place didn't feel like a place for "atonement." Instead, it seemed like a place where they could fully cut loose.
Yun Yao walked over just then. Seeing Qi Xia constantly snacking on peanuts, she couldn't help but ask, "Qi Xia, why aren't you drinking?"
"Because I need to stay sober," Qi Xia said. "You all go ahead."
"Why be so tense?" Yun Yao sat down beside him and opened a bottle for him. "We're already in a place where death is certain. What's there to be so careful about?"
Qi Xia felt that what Yun Yao said made some sense, but after so many years, this had become a habit.
"Forget it. I'll just stick with peanuts."
With that, he continued peeling peanuts.
Yun Yao thought Qi Xia was acting strange. The pile of peanut shells in front of him was practically a small mountain. How much did this guy love peanuts?
"Hmph, suit yourself." Yun Yao pouted, then turned her head and saw Lin Qin. "Hey, sis, what do you do?"
"I'm a psychological counselor," Lin Qin replied with a smile.
"Wow..." Yun Yao happily clinked her bottle against Lin Qin's. "Our team used to have a professional psychological consultant too."
"Team?" Lin Qin paused. "So what did you do?"
"We were a girl idol group called 'Qi Si Miao.'" She smiled and asked, "We debuted in 2027. Have you heard of our group, sis? What year are you from?"
Hearing this, Lin Qin showed a trace of embarrassment. "No... never heard of it... My time is a bit later..."
Qi Xia shook his head helplessly, feeling a bit embarrassed for Yun Yao.
Lin Qin was from 2068. By the time she got into chasing idols, Yun Yao would probably be retired.
But Yun Yao didn't seem to mind at all. She pulled Lin Qin into a lively conversation, covering everything from daily life to philosophy. Fortunately, Lin Qin had a lot of knowledge stored up and could keep up with any topic.
After a while, someone from "Heaven's Gate" brought over a few batteries and handed them to Yun Yao.
She happily took them, walked over to an old radio, installed the batteries, pressed the play button, then turned around and said to everyone present, "Everyone, everyone!! For today's 'welcome party,' we've recruited a few new teammates I've never seen before. I really like them, so I'm in a great mood. I'm going to sing a song for everyone."
Upon hearing this, everyone enthusiastically applauded.
Qiao Jiajin, Han Yimo, Zhong Zhen, Li Xiangling, and Dr. Zhao all crowded forward and found the best seats to sit down.
As the old, nostalgic melody came out of the radio, Yun Yao boldly began to sing along.
She had a sweet appearance and great stage presence. She seemed less like an idol group member and more like a professional singer.
The song playing from the radio was a familiar one that many people present could sing along to.
What started as a solo performance by Yun Yao gradually turned into a group chorus.
Among them, Qiao Jiajin sang the loudest.
"Though the road beside you is far, I never tire."
"Walking with you, stretch by stretch."
"Crossing one peak, another appears."
"The goal pushes farther, may ideals always be ahead."
This was Teresa Teng's "A Stroll on the Path of Life," released in 1984. Somehow, it felt incredibly fitting here.
Watching the crowd singing in the distance, Qi Xia found himself infected by their energy. For a moment, he almost forgot where he was.
It seemed the only ones who didn't know the song were him and Lin Qin. The two of them sat in the corner, as if isolated from the rest of the world.
"Qi Xia," Lin Qin called out.
Qi Xia paused his hand while peeling peanuts, then asked nonchalantly, "What is it?"
"I am a 'Pathfinder' wandering through the land of the End. My goal is to purge the entirety of 'Heaven's Gate.'"
Lin Qin smiled cheerfully and took a sip of beer as she gazed at the crowd in the distance.
"May our laughter cover that side of pain."
"Whether sorrow or joy,"
"Every day brings new discoveries."
In the distance, everyone continued singing loudly, the atmosphere brimming with happiness.