Chapter 477: The Undying
As Zhang Chenze stepped out of "Heaven's Gate," she felt even more confused than when she had entered.
Wen Qiaoyun, Chu Tianqiu, Xu Liunian.
Three people who had never appeared in her memories before now completely occupied her mind.
Before they parted ways, Xu Liunian had described Wen Qiaoyun's appearance in detail to Zhang Chenze. At this point, let alone Qi Xia, even Zhang Chenze herself believed that Wen Qiaoyun was still active in the "Land of the End."
"I must be crazy..." Zhang Chenze stood outside the empty "Heaven's Gate," gazing at the sky with a lost expression. "Is this really not a dream?"
Old Lü and Aunt Tong exchanged a glance, feeling that the girl who had gone in and come out seemed like a completely different person. But they had no idea what had happened.
Just then, a strange black suit jacket flew across the sky.
This women's jacket flapped its sleeves and hem continuously, trembling in front of the three of them before flying off into the distance once more.
A bitter smile gradually appeared on Zhang Chenze's face. She turned to look at the two middle-aged people and said, "Brother, Sister... do you think we're crazy?"
"Crazy about what?" Old Lü scratched his head, pointing in the direction the suit had flown. "Silly girl, this place is full of incomprehensible things like that. Don't let it affect you."
"Yes, child." Aunt Tong nodded as well. "This place exists to drive us insane, but you must hold on to yourself. Allah, the Lord, Bodhisattva, and the Buddha will all protect you together. We'll be fine. Amen."
Zhang Chenze slowly raised her hand to her forehead. Hearing their reassurances, she didn't feel any better—in fact, she felt even more exhausted. For a human being... going mad could happen in an instant.
"I understand. Thank you both."
She shook her head and walked off into the distance down the street. The most pressing matter now was to inform Yun Yao and the others of Xu Liunian's plan. After all, her own understanding of the "Land of the End" was too limited. Having a few people to brainstorm with would be extremely helpful.
"'Nüwa'..." Zhang Chenze narrowed her eyes, recalling what Xu Liunian had said. She still found it hard to comprehend.
...
Chen Junnan, Song Qi, and several others stood in a room with doors on every side, looking awkwardly at the abnormally strong rabbit before them.
The Ground Rabbit, meanwhile, scratched his head, his expression no less awkward than theirs.
"I've had enough, I swear..." Chen Junnan sighed. "You want to explain yourself? What are you doing here?"
"I..." The Ground Rabbit hesitated. "I'm looking for the 'starting point' of this game."
"Get on with it!" Chen Junnan suddenly raised his voice. "Where's the 'starting point'? Tell me where it is! We've been wandering through these rooms for ages!"
"Uh..." The Ground Rabbit awkwardly raised a hand to calm everyone. "Please don't be anxious. I turned a few corners just now... and I'm a bit lost."
Behind Chen Junnan and Song Qi, a child of about twelve or thirteen, dressed strangely, was squatting on the ground with his knees hugged, looking up at the noisy group.
He had a neat bowl-cut hairstyle and a thin, short ponytail tied at the back of his head. He wore an old-fashioned dark-blue long gown, and oddly, a leather vest over it.
His eyes were completely lifeless, with an expression that said he had given up on everything.
"Ah..." The bowl-cut child opened his mouth. "I'm about to fall asleep."
"Don't rush, Old Ten." Song Qi turned and waved his hand. "It seems this rabbit is a rookie too—getting lost in his own game venue."
The child called Old Ten pointed at the door in front of him and said, "Brother Seven, didn't we say earlier that there are four rows of rooms, each row with four rooms? That means if we open three doors in a row in one direction, we'll find the edge. Is there something wrong with my understanding?"
The Ground Rabbit looked awkwardly at the child and replied, "Well... I wanted to make the venue look more complicated, so I locked most of the doors in advance. Now we can't go straight."
Old Ten stood up, walked forward, knocked on a door, and then looked at the Ground Rabbit with a helpless expression. "Are you stupid?"
Chen Junnan immediately warmed to the child upon hearing the word "stupid." "I was about to curse him out too! You're pretty good, kid!"
"You're stupid too." The bowl-cut child shook his head. "You came in without even asking about the rules. What if something goes wrong?"
"Hey." Chen Junnan smiled, walked over, and put his arm around the boy's shoulder. "I've got you five assistants here. How bad can it get? Besides, for me, when the car reaches the mountain, there's always a road... and if there isn't, I'll just ram one through."
"Alright, alright." The bowl-cut boy nodded indifferently. "You're really something."
"Get excited!" Chen Junnan felt the kid had no energy at all. Just looking at him made him sleepy. "Let's get hyped, man! Why do you look like you're about to die?"
"Ah... leave me alone..." The kid shook his head. "I'm so sleepy now..."
Seeing that the child remained utterly listless, Chen Junnan had to stand up and poke Song Qi. "What's the deal, Xiao Song? Who's this kid?"
"'The Undying' Jiang Shi." Song Qi said. "Old Ten is the main fighter of our 'Cat' team. He was instrumental in killing the old man of Bolan Street multiple times back in the day."
"Huh?" Chen Junnan was stunned for a moment. "What did you say? This kid killed Qiao?"
"Long story." Song Qi shook his head helplessly. "In this game, you should get to see all of our abilities. I believe you'll change your opinion of 'Cat' quite a bit."
"I wouldn't say 'change my opinion,'" Chen Junnan replied. "I believe the organization founded by Little Qian Dou can't be too bad. After all, I know him well."
"Ahhh..." Jiang Shi yawned from the side, his eyes full of tears as he looked at Song Qi. "Brother Seven... how about you guys find the way first... let me take a nap?"
"Don't!" A burly, bearded man stepped forward from behind and said respectfully, "Tenth Brother, if you fall asleep, we won't be able to wake you up..."
"Yeah, Tenth Brother!" Another man who looked to be in his forties or fifties also came forward and supported Jiang Shi's arms. "You've got to pull yourself together! If something really happens later, what will we do if you're asleep?"
"Ahhh..." Jiang Shi wiped his tears and nodded perfunctorily.
Chen Junnan found this scene a little strange: a burly, bearded man and a middle-aged uncle chasing after a kid and calling him "Brother."