Chapter 214: The Cat Squad
Lin Qin and Han Yimo hid behind a pile of overturned tables and chairs in the corridor.
They had their path blocked by someone.
"Hey, hey, hey! Come out!" shouted the man in the black trench coat from a distance. "Come out and let me see if you're the ones we're looking for."
Lin Qin's face turned extremely gloomy upon hearing this. She slowly poked her head out to see who it was, but the next second she caught a glimpse of a small black object flying towards her, startling her into quickly ducking back.
BOOM!!
An explosion of moderate size erupted on the tables and chairs, instantly shaking the two of them off balance.
"What is that?" Han Yimo covered his head in shock. "How did this happen?"
A stone burning with flames slowly rolled to Lin Qin's feet.
She picked up the small stone and touched it; it was scorching hot.
"So it was this stone that brought the explosion...?" Lin Qin suddenly thought of something and quickly called out loudly, "Excuse me, are you from the 'Cat'?"
The people in the distance indeed stopped their attack. The leading man thought for a moment and also shouted, "Who is that over there? State your name."
Lin Qin, hiding behind the cover, slowly raised her hands so that the other party could see her palms.
"Long live Jidao," Lin Qin said.
This statement stunned Han Yimo beside her.
"Pleasure to meet you," the leading man said indifferently. "Jidao is also one of our big clients. If you could state an 'Echo,' if it's someone we know, we won't bother you today."
After hearing this, Lin Qin slowly nodded, evoking a loud bell sound from the distance.
"I am 'Ignition'," Lin Qin said. "Is there anyone here who recognizes me?"
As soon as she uttered 'Ignition', the expressions of the people in the distance changed.
"Lin Qin of Jidao?" the leading man asked tentatively.
"Yes."
"My apologies for the offense just now," the leading man waved his hand, signaling his companions to put away their weapons. "I am Song Qi of the 'Cat'. We've met once before."
Lin Qin nodded and slowly stood up. "Pleasure to meet you..."
After confirming Lin Qin's appearance, Song Qi also put the stone in his hand into his pocket. "Lin Qin, our mission tonight is to 'Massacre Heaven's Gate'. You have done me a favor. To not violate the rules, I'll give you thirty seconds to escape. After thirty seconds, we'll treat you the same as everyone else."
Lin Qin frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "How much did the other party pay? I'm willing to outbid them."
"Lin Qin, the price this time is too high; only he in the entire 'Land of the End' can afford it," Song Qi shook his head and said. "Twenty-five seconds left."
"There is a very crucial person here; he cannot die," Lin Qin refused to give up and continued to persuade. "At least not now! There's hope he will destroy this place!"
Song Qi blinked, finding it somewhat ridiculous. "Lin Qin, I remember you are definitely from 'Jidao,' aren't you? Why are you now helping outsiders destroy this place?"
"I..." Lin Qin kept thinking of countermeasures, feeling that there was probably no hope this time. "Song Qi, I want to leave."
Song Qi shook his head helplessly. "Five seconds left."
Lin Qin's eyes slowly grew disappointed. "Song Qi, we cannot lose hope. No one here can..."
"Three."
"Please, I'm begging you... That person really..."
"One. Sorry."
As soon as the words fell, Song Qi took out a small stone from his pocket and flicked it over. When the stone touched Lin Qin's cheek, it suddenly erupted in a violent explosion.
Before even a scream could be heard, Lin Qin's head burst open. Her body slowly slumped down, lying right in front of Han Yimo.
Staring at this mutilated corpse, Han Yimo's eyes slowly widened.
What the hell is going on here?!
"Every single one of you is either a savior or has a hidden identity... but I'm supposed to be the protagonist..." He trembled all over, unable to understand the current situation no matter how much he thought.
How could the protagonist face such great danger while being completely ignorant of everything?
Shouldn't the plot unfold gradually?!
Where are the seniors who should be coming to save me?!
Where are the fortuitous encounters?!
"Hey... Lin Qin... Get up, don't you have a hidden identity...?" Han Yimo called out in panic. "How can someone with a hidden identity just die suddenly? Shouldn't you be saving me...?"
But Lin Qin had clearly lost all signs of life; there was no way she could stand up again.
"The one behind, come out on your own. No one is leaving tonight," Song Qi continued to shout.
How could Han Yimo possibly go out?
Even if he knew he wouldn't survive, he didn't want to walk to his death.
But that man's ability was too bizarre, as if no matter what he threw, it could cause an explosion...
"Explosion...?" Han Yimo actually spaced out in such a tense situation.
He suddenly thought of a character in his own book who also erupted in a violent explosion upon death, taking the enemy down with him.
He began to worry that his own death might also cause an explosion.
"Not coming out?" Song Qi was somewhat wary of Han Yimo, after all, he didn't know the other's ability, so he could only throw another small stone from a distance.
He intended to blow up the table and chair cover where Han Yimo was hiding, but unexpectedly, this time the small stone somehow passed through the gaps in the tables and chairs, landing right beside Han Yimo.
"Huh?" Han Yimo turned his head and saw a small steaming stone beside him, immediately panicking.
But before he could run far, his thigh was blown to a bloody pulp.
"AHHHHH!!!!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream rang out. Han Yimo's thigh was charred black, and even his blood was smoking.
"This isn't right!!" Han Yimo screamed in agony. "This isn't right!! Who can come save me?! My savior... Qi Xia... Qi Xia!!"
But there was no response from anyone at all.
"So noisy..." Song Qi shook his head. "This state... You don't have an 'Echo'?"
He turned back and gestured to the people behind him. "Kill him."
Several men in black walked up and cleanly stabbed Han Yimo to death with their weapons.
...
Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Xiangling hid in a teacher's office on the second floor, feeling very uneasy.
The commotion before them didn't seem fake; it was real.
Just a few seconds ago, the three of them had heard someone screaming "Qi Xia" in agony.
"What exactly is going on..." Qi Xia frowned, constantly peering out through the crack in the door. "Was that just now Han Yimo...?"
"Liar boy..." Qiao Jiajin thought for a long time before finally standing up. "What do you think are the chances of us surviving if we hide here?"
"Less than one percent," Qi Xia replied.
He knew that those people would find this room sooner or later.
"So I'm going to join the battlefield," Qiao Jiajin took off his shirt and casually tossed it on the ground.
Li Xiangling was stunned. "Brother Qiao... you..."
"By the time everyone at 'Heaven's Gate' is dead, we won't have a chance to fight back," Qiao Jiajin said. "If we join the battlefield now, we still have a chance to survive."
Qi Xia knew he couldn't stop Qiao Jiajin, so he could only nod.
But Li Xiangling reached out and grabbed Qiao Jiajin's arm. "Brother Qiao... don't go..."
"Hmm?" Qiao Jiajin turned to look at her. "Kung Fu girl, don't worry, I've got this."
"I have a bad feeling..." Li Xiangling said with tears in her eyes. "Can you stay here?"
"No..." Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "There are still many people waiting for me to protect."
He pushed open the door, looked around, and before closing the door, he whispered, "Liar boy, Kung Fu girl, unless I come to knock on the door, neither of you can come out. Got it?"