Chapter 402: People
"You..." Su Shan looked down at Qin Dingdong's fist.
She stared for a long time before blinking and saying, "Two."
Qin Dingdong rolled her eyes dramatically upon hearing this, then said to Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin, "Little Shan can't see anymore."
"This..."
Su Shan frowned slightly after hearing this, feeling that Qin Dingdong understood her better than she understood herself.
Although the two of them had anticipated this, they still felt the situation was somewhat strange.
Zhang Chenze clearly remembered that Su Shan had looked directly at her the moment she woke up, and just now when Qin Dingdong held out her fist, Su Shan had been staring at her fist too.
"I... I can still see a bit..." Su Shan said with a wry smile. "I just didn't want to worry you..."
"Stop lying," Qin Dingdong said. "You can only see glowing outlines now, but you've completely lost normal vision, haven't you?"
"How do you even know that?"
"Little Shan, I told you, I've teamed up with you before." Qin Dingdong coughed a few times and said, "That dead dog wasn't just stirring up trouble last night. I really did get you killed before."
"Is that so..." Su Shan didn't seem particularly surprised. "In a place like this... it's unavoidable to get people around you killed..."
"It's good that you can understand that." Qin Dingdong nodded. "I don't hate you. I even thought about becoming friends with you. But our respective professions mean we're not on the same path."
"Mm..." Su Shan nodded. "Speaking of which, I should apologize to you all. In this game... I originally planned to get you all killed."
"Isn't that normal?" Qin Dingdong said. "No one told you that 'dog-type' games require cooperation. You have to figure everything out yourself. You managed to break my hail at the last moment—that's already an extraordinary move."
Su Shan smiled bitterly and stood up, swaying slightly.
"Su Shan..." Zhang Chenze steadied her wrist. "Are you really okay? You're still running a high fever..."
"Fever?" Su Shan was taken aback, then slowly revealed a strange smile. "No, I don't feel feverish at all. I feel fine now."
Zhang Chenze could clearly feel that her wrist was burning hot, but Su Shan's mind did seem clear.
"We're all injured..." Su Shan's eyes, like shattered gems, had completely lost their luster as she glanced around the three people in the room. "Let's go back and see that doctor."
Everyone exchanged glances, then nodded. Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong both knew that their bodies couldn't be healed in a short time, and Su Shan's eyes were a murky mess—there was no way conventional medical treatment could restore her vision.
Supporting each other, they opened the door and stepped out of the room, only to coincidentally see Earth Dog walking slowly toward them.
"Oh?" Earth Dog yawned. "Morning. Clocked in yet?"
"Damn dog..." Qin Dingdong cursed. "Clocked in or not? Do you think we're working here?"
"Oh, my mistake." Earth Dog rubbed his eyes lazily. "You're not working. I am."
"Then go do your damn job." Qin Dingdong, as if still unsatisfied, spat on the ground near Earth Dog's feet. "Drop dead."
Earth Dog didn't mind. He just looked at Su Shan. "Su Shan, how are you?"
"I..." Su Shan looked toward Earth Dog. In her pitch-black vision, she could make out the silhouette of a lean man. She slowly smiled. "I'm fine."
"This is an old problem for you. Use it sparingly from now on. Hope to see you again." Earth Dog waved his hand and walked past the group of women.
Just as he was about to enter the glass shop, he suddenly thought of something and slowly turned around.
"By the way..." Earth Dog looked at the four people before him and spoke. "Is there a veteran among you? How long have you been storing memories?"
"Sister here has been storing them for three hundred thousand years!" Qin Dingdong bellowed. "What do you want?"
Earth Dog rolled his eyes hard at that.
Qin Dingdong didn't back down and immediately gave him a roll right back.
"I can't be bothered with you." Earth Dog said. "I'm looking for someone. I don't know if any of you know them."
Lin Qin asked tentatively, "Who are you looking for?"
"A man named Qi Xia," Earth Dog said. "I want to meet him. I was wondering if there's a chance."
All the women were worldly and shrewd. When they heard the name "Qi Xia," not a single one showed any unusual expression.
"I can try to find him for you," Lin Qin said. "But this counts as a 'transaction,' doesn't it? What are you offering in exchange for information on this person?"
"Hiss..." Earth Dog rubbed his chin after hearing this. "Do you want 'Dao'?"
"No," Lin Qin shook her head. "Is there anything else you can give?"
"Not even 'Dao'... This is why I say veterans are really hard to deal with..." Earth Dog thought for a few seconds, then looked up and said, "How about 'food'? I can get you a few small cakes, some drinks, and some fresh fruit."
Lin Qin swallowed slightly upon hearing this, then looked at the others beside her.
"Small cakes... and fruit?" Qin Dingdong's interest was also piqued.
These things Earth Dog mentioned—Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong hadn't eaten them in many years. All they could remember was the taste of rotten food.
But coincidentally, their bodies refreshed every ten days, so even eating dirt wouldn't cause malnutrition.
The situation now seemed a bit strange. Not knowing Earth Dog's motive, the two seemed to be preparing to trade Qi Xia's life for small cakes, which felt overwhelmingly guilt-ridden.
Su Shan stared at Earth Dog's silhouette for a while, then smiled and interjected, "Why do you 'Zodiacs' want to meet a participant alone? Is that person important?"
"He..." Earth Dog pondered for a moment. "He might be an 'old acquaintance' of mine. So I want to meet him."
He paused for a few seconds, looked at everyone's expressions, and added, "I won't harm him. After all, 'Zodiacs' have their own rules. We can't kill outside the game. If you know him... could you pass along a message for me?"
The girls neither agreed nor refused, knowing that this matter could only be discussed with Qi Xia himself.
"I'll keep an eye out," Lin Qin said. "Let's go. See you."
Earth Dog nodded, turned around, and entered the glass shop, while the four girls walked away along the road.
Along the way, Zhang Chenze supported Lin Qin as they walked, while Qin Dingdong held Su Shan's hand.
Although Su Shan could see the outlines of living things, she couldn't see the road at all. Even small stones on the ground could trip her.
After walking for about half an hour, Lin Qin felt her right leg could no longer hold up and suggested finding a place to rest.
Su Shan nodded and was about to say something when she suddenly noticed two human-shaped glowing outlines clearly visible not far away.
"There seems to be someone over there." Su Shan pointed in the direction of the glow. "Is it someone we know? Or a 'Zodiac'?"
Everyone followed her finger to see that in the center of a small square stood a giant clock with a display screen.
On the screen, four lines of "Echoes" were currently shown:
"Scapegoat," "Disaster Attraction," "Spirit Sight," "Soul Shift."