Chapter 295: The Hero
When Qi Xia and Chen Junnan returned to the classroom, they didn't expect Qin Dingdong to follow them in.
The number of people living in this room seemed to be growing.
Everyone stood up and greeted Qin Dingdong.
"Oh..." Qin Dingdong spotted Lin Qin at a glance. "You..."
"That's right, it's me." Lin Qin nodded. "Long time no see."
Qin Dingdong turned her head and swept her gaze around the room, noticing that most of the people here were Qi Xia's teammates from seven years ago, but there was also a short-haired girl who didn't seem like she should be here.
"You..." Qin Dingdong stared at the unfamiliar face in surprise and immediately rushed over. "Little Shan?"
"You are?" Su Shan looked at Qin Dingdong with some curiosity. The atmosphere between them was a bit strange.
"It really is you!" Qin Dingdong shouted happily. "Last time I lost you, I thought the vast sea of people meant I'd never see you again!"
"Did we know each other before?" Su Shan asked in confusion.
"Of course, of course." Qin Dingdong nodded. "We used to be good sisters!"
"Ah...? Really?" Su Shan blinked her bright eyes. "Good sisters?"
Qi Xia found this amusing from the sidelines. Su Shan was a police officer, and Qin Dingdong was a female con artist. Even if they knew each other, how likely was it that they had become "good sisters"?
"It's getting late." Qi Xia interrupted. "Everyone, rest early. Tomorrow will be the same as today—each of us goes out to seek the 'Dao.'"
"Really? Then I want to go with Little Shan tomorrow!" Qin Dingdong affectionately linked arms with Su Shan, which made Su Shan feel a bit uncomfortable.
The group dispersed, each finding a few desks and chairs to push together, choosing their own spots to rest.
Qi Xia also pulled a chair over to the door and sat down, slowly stretching his limbs. But as he lowered his head, he suddenly noticed a strange, short shadow beside him.
The shadow seemed to be cast from the hallway.
He turned his head and saw a peculiar young boy standing at the entrance of the classroom.
The boy looked about twelve or thirteen, even younger than Jin Yuanxun.
He wore an ordinary T-shirt and shorts, but oddly, he had draped an old bedsheet over his back like a cape, and on his head was a crown folded from old newspaper.
The boy took a step forward, curiously sizing up the group, then stretched out his hand.
Qi Xia noticed that he was holding a short sword made of folded newspaper.
Everyone noticed this strange child and fixed their gazes on him.
"You are...?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"I am... a hero." The boy spoke with a serious expression.
"A hero...?" The group looked at the boy in confusion.
Qi Xia remained silent, watching the boy coldly from the side. To him, this "Heaven's Gate" was merely a stable place to stay, and he couldn't fully trust anyone here.
"Do you have monsters here?" the boy asked again.
Lin Qin seemed to understand the boy's intent. "This outfit of yours... Are you playing a game of fighting monsters? Are you playing the 'hero'?"
"I'm not playing a game of fighting monsters. I'm looking for real monsters." The boy's expression was resolute. "And I'm not playing a 'hero'—I am a real 'hero.'"
Lin Qin couldn't help but smile. "But there are no monsters here. What will you do? Doesn't that mean you, little 'hero,' have no use for your skills?"
"You are civilians, right?" The boy tucked the newspaper short sword into his loose belt. "If there are no monsters, then I can protect the civilians."
"How will you protect us?" Lin Qin walked over and crouched in front of the boy, looking at him with a hint of a smile. "Little hero, are we in danger right now?"
"Yeah!" The boy nodded vigorously. "Right now, there's a very powerful monster. It might be lurking among the civilians. I need to find it!"
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. This game of make-believe seemed quite challenging.
"Chuunibyou acting up, huh?" Chen Junnan scratched his ear. "Kid, we're fine here. Why don't you check out the next room? I feel like there's some strong demonic aura over there. Go interrogate them one by one."
"Really?" The boy looked down the hallway, puzzled. "You sense the monster is next door?"
He thought for a moment, then reached out to help Lin Qin stand up. "Noble lady, please rise. Don't worry. As a 'hero,' I'll take care of your troubles for you."
Lin Qin found it somewhat amusing, but she stood up and looked at the boy. "Then thank you, 'hero.'"
The boy shook his cape, ready to leave, but Qi Xia called out to him.
"Hey."
"Huh?"
"What does the 'monster' look like?"
The boy reached up to adjust his newspaper crown and replied, "Like I said, right now it looks just like a civilian, so it's hard to find."
"Then how are you going to find it?" Qi Xia asked. "Are you going to go door to door asking, 'Is there a monster here'?"
"Well..." The boy thought for a moment. "I don't really have a good idea. Monsters are very cunning."
Hearing this, Qi Xia took another look at the boy.
Was he a member of "Heaven's Gate"?
Qi Xia had met almost all the named members of Heaven's Gate by now, but he had absolutely no impression of this boy.
If he really was from Heaven's Gate, his crazed demeanor suggested a deep "conviction," which meant he should possess a very strong "Echo."
So why hadn't he been seen in the last war?
Could he be a new recruit?
If so, what was this "monster" he spoke of?
A bad thought flashed through Qi Xia's mind. Was this boy searching for a "Heaven-level" Zodiac hiding among the crowd?
"Kid," Qi Xia said. "What is your 'Echo'?"
The boy sniffled. "I... I can smell its stench."
"Stench...?" Qi Xia nodded. "So you can smell 'Zodiacs'?"
"Not just 'Zodiacs,'" the boy replied. "I can also smell the stench of 'Echoes.'"
The word "smell" struck Qi Xia as strange.
"What do you mean by 'the stench of Echoes'?" Qi Xia thought for a moment, then asked, "You can 'smell' other people's 'Echoes'?"
"Yeah, that's it." The boy nodded. "I'm a very powerful 'hero.'"
Before Qi Xia could say anything more, the boy suddenly spun around and dashed toward the hallway.
"I—I think I smell it!!"
He shouted loudly, pulled the newspaper short sword from his waist, and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Everyone in the room was left unsure what to make of this scene. Only Qi Xia stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"I smell 'Echoes'...?"