Chapter 412: The One Who Admits Defeat
Lin Qin furrowed her brow silently at this question.
Indeed, only "participants" could reincarnate. "Natives" and "Zodiacs" could not.
So how could Xu Liunian, who had turned from a "native" back into a "participant," reincarnate?
Was she truly immortal now?
Tian Tian couldn't understand what the two were talking about. She simply walked quietly to the side, picked up a can, and pried it open with effort.
It was a can of fish. It seemed to be relatively well-preserved. Tian Tian lifted her nose to sniff it; the smell hadn't gone bad.
Carrying the can, she slowly walked over to the saleswoman and placed it on the counter in front of her.
Qiao Yun turned her head, swallowed, and said, "You're only buying this...?"
"Yes." Tian Tian nodded. "Just this. Ring it up."
Qiao Yun stared blankly for a long moment, then reached for the barcode scanner. But the scanner was completely broken.
"This... this thing can't scan..." Qiao Yun said, a little dejected. "Please pick something else."
"Then consider it stolen."
"What...?"
"I said I'm stealing it." Tian Tian spoke softly. "If it can't scan, that's fine. You can find a way to call the police later."
"Huh...?" The saleswoman was startled. "You, you're stealing?"
"Mm." Tian Tian nodded. "I stole this. But I'm giving it to you now."
"Giving... it to me?"
"Yes. Don't worry. If the police come, they'll only arrest me. I won't rat you out." Tian Tian smiled. "I stole it just for fun. I don't even like eating it myself. But wasting food is no good either, so I'm giving it to you."
Qiao Yun was clearly frightened by what Tian Tian said.
"You'll... you'll really get caught like this."
"It's fine." Tian Tian shook her head. "I'm a regular at the police station. Getting caught doesn't matter. They'll just give me a lecture and let me go. Go ahead and eat it."
Hearing this, Qiao Yun slowly extended her hand and picked up the old can.
The fish can was full of fish and broth. Grease glistened on the surface of the soup, and the smell was exceptionally rich.
"I... can I eat this?" Qiao Yun asked, incredulous.
"Of course." Tian Tian nodded. "I stole it, not you. What are you afraid of?"
Yun Yao watched this scene and sighed deeply. It seemed that the saleswoman hadn't eaten a single one of the cans Chu Tianqiu had sent before; they had all been stolen by customers visiting the store.
Unfortunately, the enforcers in this place wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. For this distraught saleswoman, she could only resign herself to the loss time and time again.
Under everyone's gaze, Qiao Yun reached out her grimy hand, picked up a piece of boneless fish, stared at it for a long time, then, trembling, put it into her mouth.
Just three seconds later, she broke down in tears, sobbing with immense grief.
Her expression was one of complete surrender.
No matter how dominant this woman might have been many years ago, leading countless "participants" against the "Celestial Dragon," today she had lost to a can of expired fish.
Those present felt a pang of sorrow at the sight.
"Native"... "Zodiac"...
She was just an ordinary person. She just wanted to eat something, but had been starving for all these years.
As soon as that small piece of fish entered her mouth, Qiao Yun started retching violently.
Years of malnutrition had caused her organs to fail. One can of fish was clearly not enough to fix this.
But no one could dissuade her. This girl named Qiao Yun just kept eating and vomiting, vomiting and eating.
She desperately wanted to swallow the food, but her body wouldn't let her.
Just how strong did one's body have to be to survive?
"Thank you... thank you..." Qiao Yun sobbed, spitting out bile. "Thank you so much..."
A flicker of sadness crossed Lin Qin's face. She turned around and opened all the remaining cans on the shelf.
"Consider these as my robbery too." Lin Qin continued. "I'm storing them here with you now. Remember, you can only eat one can a day. Otherwise, we will rat you out to the police."
Qiao Yun nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her gaunt face.
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
She whimpered as she spoke, then soon retched again.
Everyone felt as if their actions were like pouring a bucket of water onto a building that was about to burn down. How much power could that single bucket of water possibly have to extinguish such a blaze?
Yun Yao watched for a long moment before finally speaking. "Let's split up..."
"What?" Lin Qin asked.
"Originally, I didn't want to get involved with the 'Heaven's Gate' anymore." She turned to Lin Qin and Lawyer Zhang. "But it seems Xu Liunian and Chu Tianqiu still have their secrets... The three of us can't go back. Can you two go back and investigate?"
Zhang Chenze looked at Lin Qin's injured right leg, thought for a moment, and said, "You all go together. I'll go back alone."
"You alone?"
"Mm." Zhang Chenze nodded. "As I said before, I won't make any rash choices before I fully understand a situation. But now, after three or four days, I've gained some understanding of this place. So, you can leave the rest to me."
"But Chu Tianqiu is very deep..." Yun Yao said. "Even if he doesn't want to kill you, you won't be able to get any information out of him. It's better if Lin Qin goes with you... She at least retains memories from many years."
"There's no need." Zhang Chenze shook her head. "As long as the other party is reasonable, I won't lose."
"What?" Lin Qin felt that Zhang Chenze's aura was different from when she first met her. Thinking back on the questions she had asked and the things she had done these past few days, had she truly been gathering intelligence as much as possible?
"Lin Qin's leg injury is serious. You take her to get it splinted first." Zhang Chenze smiled slightly. "You must be careful. I really like you all. I like all the strong, kind-hearted girls in this world. Just leave the rest to me."
Everyone felt that Zhang Chenze in front of them resembled a gentle and reliable older sister.
"Then... you must be careful," Yun Yao said. "Lately, there seem to be 'Heaven-grade' Zodiacs moving around. This has never happened before. In all my years here, I've never seen a 'Heaven,' and I even thought there were none..."
"I understand." Zhang Chenze nodded. "Draw me a map. I'll come find you later."
Yun Yao found a scrap of paper in the convenience store, quickly sketched a map showing how to get from here to the Earth Snake's game venue, gave a few more instructions, and then led the others away.
Zhang Chenze also watched Qiao Yun, who was earnestly eating, and her expression turned sorrowful.
She felt this girl was very much like her past self. But she had come too late to be of any real help.
That man named Chu Tianqiu seemed gentlemanly. Had he also imprisoned this girl here, like the Butcher Ma of old?
Zhang Chenze's expression gradually turned cold. Then she walked out of the convenience store and set off towards the "Heaven's Gate".