Chapter 297: An Ill-Matched Combination
Song Qi shook his head. "If you don't want to say, fine. We're just here to ask Chu Tianqiu a few questions."
Chen Junnan hooked his finger and scratched his ear, pondering briefly before saying, "You brought this many people... just to 'ask a few questions'?"
"That's right. We have to get answers this time." Song Qi nodded. "After all, 'Heaven's Gate' is also an organization full of 'Echoers,' so we have to be cautious."
"Speaking of which... Song... Little Song." Chen Junnan stepped forward a few paces until he was standing face-to-face with Song Qi. "What kind of organization are you guys now?"
"We're 'The Cat.' We've gathered a bunch of strong people who don't want to leave—who want to stay in 'The Final Land' forever. We take real gold and silver to do jobs for people." Song Qi paused, then added, "Whether it's here or outside, whether it's dirty work or hard labor."
"Damn..." Chen Junnan scratched his ear again. "Why does your situation sound kinda familiar to me?"
"Looks like you have an 'Echo' too. Want to join 'The Cat' now?" Song Qi said. "Our boss, Qian Wu, would probably really like you."
"Qian... Wu?" Chen Junnan seemed to recall something. "Little Qian Dou? Qian Duoduo?"
"You—!" Song Qi rushed over quickly. This guy had no filter and could easily shake Qian Wu's standing in everyone's eyes, so he lowered his voice and said, "What nonsense are you talking? What 'Little Qian Dou'? How do you know Fifth Brother's real name?"
"Ah, I..." Chen Junnan gave an awkward grin. "Forgot, forgot. Qian Wu, right? I just wanted to know if it was him. Turns out it really is him..."
Seeing this, Song Qi said in a low voice, "If you're an old acquaintance of Fifth Brother, you should go see him. He might even grant you the title 'Twenty-Two.'"
"Chen Twenty-Two...?" Chen Junnan shook his head. "That sounds awful. This young master would rather be a handsome man than go be some fool in your group."
Song Qi sighed. "Since you have no interest in working together, don't block us anymore. We're going to see Chu Tianqiu now."
Knowing that their target wasn't Qi Xia or Qiao Jiajin, Chen Junnan no longer worried. He stepped aside, revealing the door.
Song Qi didn't hesitate. He pushed the door open and walked in. The members of the 'Cat' team followed close behind.
At the same time, Zhang Shan and Yun Yao led a dozen or so people out of the teaching building, marching aggressively onto the playground.
The two groups stood on opposite sides of the center of the field. A moment later, Song Qi and Zhang Shan stepped into the middle.
Song Qi vaguely remembered the man before him. Last time, they'd had to put in considerable effort to kill him.
"Brother, state your name," Song Qi said.
"'Heaven's Gate,' Zhang Shan."
"Pleasure. I'm Song Qi of 'The Cat.'" Song Qi said to him. "I want to see Chu Tianqiu."
"That's not how it works." Zhang Shan looked over the row of men in black. "Song Qi, are you the leader of 'The Cat'?"
"No." Song Qi shook his head. "Our leader is Qian Wu."
"The leader is Wu... and you're Qi?" Zhang Shan smirked. "Damn, that means there's a 'Six' in between you two, so you're the third in command?"
"That's right." Song Qi nodded.
"You're third in command, and so am I." Zhang Shan smiled. "If that's the case, we can talk things over. It's not proper for a third-in-command to directly call out the other side's leader."
"You're third in command too...?" Song Qi narrowed his eyes and glanced at Yun Yao behind Zhang Shan. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "My apologies, but I don't think our positions are equal. If Fifth Brother wanted to kill Chu Tianqiu, it would only take a flick of his finger."
"But some generals excel at combat, while others excel at strategy..." Zhang Shan said meaningfully, looking at Song Qi. "When you say something like that, are you trying to provoke me?"
After a few brief exchanges, Song Qi could clearly feel that the man before him had an extraordinary aura. With such an aggressive attitude, he could easily pass for the leader himself.
A strange thought kept circling in Song Qi's mind—the strength of 'Heaven's Gate' was not weak. Yet last time when 'The Cat' launched a full-scale attack, very few 'Echoers' resisted. What was going on? Could it be that their primary goal in gathering together wasn't to obtain 'Echoes'?
Moreover, the one who had hired 'The Cat' to stage the bloody raid was no outsider—it was the leader himself, Chu Tianqiu.
"I'm not trying to provoke you." Song Qi said. "We're just looking for someone... and the instigator of this whole affair should know the full story best."
As the two were at a standoff, the crowd on the 'Heaven's Gate' side gradually parted to both sides, and a slender figure walked forward. It was Chu Tianqiu.
With an elegant smile on his face, he approached Song Qi and slowly came to a stop. The two faced each other for several seconds under the morning sun, breathing in the foul-smelling wind.
"The 'Cat' team..." Chu Tianqiu spoke first. "What's the matter?"
"Chu Tianqiu, we have something to ask you. Can we talk in private?" Song Qi asked.
Chu Tianqiu gave a faint smile. "Sure. Come with me. We'll find a place to sit and talk."
Song Qi nodded, gave a few instructions to the people behind him, and everyone sat down where they were.
"You all shouldn't stay here either." Chu Tianqiu waved his hand. "These are all friends. Everyone, disperse."
The people of 'Heaven's Gate' exchanged glances and eventually scattered.
Yun Yao looked around and noticed Chen Junnan doing his morning exercises at the school gate. She thought for a moment, then left the crowd and walked toward that man.
Chen Junnan was about to leave when he heard a female voice behind him.
"Wait a moment..."
He turned around and saw Yun Yao.
"What is it, big star?" Chen Junnan scratched the back of his head. "Did you remember Liu Yan's phone number?"
Yun Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Why are you looking for the Viper?"
"Because I want to go sharpen my brains a bit." Chen Junnan said. "Got any advice for me?"
"Are you collecting strategy guides for Qi Xia?" Yun Yao pressed.
"Not exactly, but close enough." Chen Junnan nodded. "I want to see what the Viper's up to these days."
"I'll go with you," Yun Yao said.
"Wha—" Chen Junnan was taken aback. "No way. With a face like yours, going into the Viper's territory is like a lamb walking into a tiger's den. You'd better stay put."
"So you do know what kind of person the Viper is." Yun Yao said. "If you go as a man, how is the Viper going to open up to you?"
Chen Junnan thought it over and nodded. "But I can't guarantee you'll survive."
"That's fine. For the ultimate goal, I'm going to die many times anyway." Yun Yao said, her expression firm.
"But aren't you going to deal with that mess over there?" Chen Junnan jerked his chin toward the crowd on the playground.
"None of my business." Yun Yao sighed. "No matter what Chu Tianqiu's goal is, 'Heaven's Gate' has already changed."