Chapter 393: I Am Me
Song Qi and Chen Junnan hurried forward through the night, finally returning to the headquarters of "Cat" just before it was completely dark.
"Damn it..." Chen Junnan cursed bitterly. "We searched for ages and still couldn't find Sister Dong..."
"You're way too optimistic." Song Qi said, looking at Chen Junnan. "This place is huge, and you're relying on 'fate' to find someone?"
"So what?" Chen Junnan shrugged. "Is my 'go-with-the-flow technique' bothering you?"
"I wouldn't say 'bothering me'..." Song Qi was about to speak when a white figure suddenly pounced from the side—it was a person who moved like an insect.
Without even turning his head, Song Qi merely waved his hand, and the "person" was sent flying by a small explosion. The fleeting flash of fire briefly illuminated their faces in the darkness.
"Chen Junnan... why did you actually come back with me?" Song Qi shook his hand and asked, turning around. "Do you know many people in 'Cat'?"
"To be honest... probably not many..." Chen Junnan smirked. "Maybe just two or three."
The two fell silent, and after a few steps, they saw the guards at the prison gate in the pitch-black night.
"Sister Six, we're back." Song Qi said respectfully to the woman.
"Hm." Saturday gave a slight nod, then turned her gaze to Chen Junnan behind Song Qi. "Tch, and who's this?"
Hearing those three curt words, Chen Junnan furrowed his brow slightly.
How ridiculous. In this godforsaken place, no matter how reliable a comrade or how many life-or-death moments you've shared, they could still completely forget you.
"I'm a handsome guy here. What do I call this gorgeous lady?" Chen Junnan asked.
Upon hearing this, Saturday felt an inexplicable anger rise from her heart. She reached behind her, pulled out an iron rod, swung it, and rested it on her shoulder. "Tch, first 'handsome guy,' now 'gorgeous lady'... The way you talk is really asking for it."
Chen Junnan found it somewhat amusing. He slowly stepped forward and said, "Hey, come on, are you really greeting a guest with an iron rod?"
"Tch, what kind of guest are you?"
"Sister Six." Song Qi waved his hand. "This is the Chen Junnan that Qi Xia asked to 'verify the authenticity of.' He counts as a guest. Cool your temper."
"Tch..." Saturday looked at Chen Junnan with contempt, then lowered her head and softly said, "Open the door."
A few seconds later, the prison gate behind Saturday emitted a series of clanking sounds, and the rolling door slowly rose.
"Thanks!" Chen Junnan smiled, turned around, and followed Song Qi into the prison.
After he turned, a trace of disappointment flickered across his face.
Weekend no longer remembered him. What about Qian Duoduo?
Was the meaning of "Cat's" existence what he had imagined or not?
The two walked across the prison yard when they suddenly saw two noisy figures. Stopping to look, they saw it was Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia.
"Liar boy, look, this is how you throw a punch with power!" Qiao Jiajin swung his fists as he spoke. "The way you throw punches just isn't right. If you're unstable, you can easily hurt your wrist."
"Like this?" Qi Xia asked expressionlessly.
"No, no, no, like this."
Not far from the bickering pair sat a child, hugging a short sword made of folded newspaper and carefully scanning his surroundings.
It was Zheng Yingxiong, whom Chen Junnan had met yesterday.
Chen Junnan scratched his head, then looked at Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin again. This was truly a rare sight—Qi Xia actually learning boxing from Qiao Jiajin?
"Jun Nan Zai?" Qiao Jiajin spotted Chen Junnan standing nearby and called out softly.
Qi Xia raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.
He had originally asked Song Qi to confirm whether Chen Junnan was safe, but he hadn't expected Chen Junnan to come directly back with him.
In that case, was there still a need to return to "Heaven's Mouth"?
"How was it today?" Qi Xia asked bluntly.
"Today..." Chen Junnan frowned slowly after hearing this, then replied, "Lao Qi, it's a long story..."
He glanced back at Song Qi and lowered his voice: "Find a place where we can talk. I'll tell you what happened today."
Qi Xia nodded, turned, and gave Qiao Jiajin a signal. The three of them shook off Song Qi and headed straight for the cell.
Zheng Yingxiong watched their retreating figures, twitched his nose, tucked the short sword back into his waist, and quickly followed.
...
Once inside the cell, Chen Junnan glanced outside to make sure no one was nearby, then reached out and closed the iron-bar door.
"Why are you being so cautious?" Qi Xia asked. "This door is just iron bars; soundproofing must be terrible."
"Lao Qi, I'm a bit confused right now..." Chen Junnan ignored Qi Xia and sat down on the bed by himself. "There are some things I can't figure out, and I need you to help me think them through."
"Can't figure out?" Qiao Jiajin got interested when he heard this. "Alright, Jun Nan Zai, tell us. I'll clear up your doubts."
Just as Chen Junnan was about to speak, a small, thin figure had already appeared at the door.
"Young Little Hero?" Chen Junnan was startled, then turned to look at Qi Xia. "What's this kid's deal?"
"Hard to say..." Qi Xia said, stroking his chin. "But he's isolated and helpless right now. He might become our ally."
"Oh..." Chen Junnan smiled upon hearing this. "Since Lao Qi has spoken, I'll waive the entrance fee this time. Come in and listen."
Zheng Yingxiong nodded seriously and stepped inside.
The three of them watched Chen Junnan, wondering what he was about to say. After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly, rubbing his temples.
"Lao Qi, there's just one thing I can't figure out..."
"Go ahead," Qi Xia said.
"Who... am I now?"
"What?"
The question left the others baffled.
Chen Junnan had no choice but to recount everything that had happened that day.
According to his memory, he had planned to participate in an Earth-level game after dawn. But unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes, he was standing in a dark basement, facing Jin Yuanxun, who was carrying a bundle.
Thinking he was being followed, Jin Yuanxun turned to attack, but Chen Junnan grabbed his arm in a few moves.
As they were at a stalemate, Chen Junnan was the first to speak: "Hey... where the hell is this?"
Jin Yuanxun also felt something was off: "I blocked the entrance. How the hell did you get in?!"
"How the hell would I know?!"
After another moment of struggle, Chen Junnan spoke again: "How about this... you take me out of here, and I'll pretend I was never here, okay?"
Jin Yuanxun stared at him warily, then slowly released his grip.
They kept their eyes on each other, and only after confirming that Chen Junnan was not a threat did Jin Yuanxun open the basement door.
Chen Junnan then realized he had crawled out of a grave next to "Heaven's Mouth."