Chapter 570: Breaking the Scapegoat
Chen Junnan followed Qiao Jiajin as they ran through the streets for a few more minutes, but the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
"Lao Qiao... you're afraid I won't be able to handle it alone, so you've been deliberately slowing your pace to wait for me?" Chen Junnan asked, a hint of anger in his voice.
"What are you talking about..." Qiao Jiajin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Junnan, don't overthink it. I'm just slow at running. Let's not stop."
Unfortunately, Qiao Jiajin's ability to lie was far from convincing, and Chen Junnan saw through him instantly.
"So that's how it is..." His steps grew slower and slower, and after seven paces, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's 'so that's how it is'..." Qiao Jiajin turned around and shouted, "Don't stop, Junnan!"
"Because if I'm running alone, I might give up at any moment... so you deliberately slowed down to keep pace with me..." Chen Junnan let out a bitter laugh. "I was wondering why your escape route was so weird, always right beside me..."
"Uh, well..." Before Qiao Jiajin could figure out how to explain, he saw that the black lines behind Chen Junnan were now dangerously close. "Junnan! Get moving! If you want to yell at me, do it after this is over... Time's almost up, it'll end soon..."
Although Qiao Jiajin insisted it was fine, Chen Junnan noticed his legs were trembling.
He could have been sprinting, but instead he was using the same energy to hold himself back.
"Damn it, are you trying to piss me off?" Chen Junnan slowly bent over, resting his hands on his knees, looking genuinely furious. "If you die here, what the hell are we supposed to do..."
"Not gonna happen, Junnan!" Qiao Jiajin forced a smile. "Neither of us is going to die..."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and grabbed Chen Junnan's arm again. "Trust me, we're almost there!"
Chen Junnan could feel Qiao Jiajin’s hands trembling as they gripped him. He let out a cold laugh.
"You really piss me off..."
"Piss you off?"
"Lao Qiao! Get lost on your own!" Chen Junnan shoved Qiao Jiajin's hand away. "I'm pissed. I'm tired. I'm not running anymore."
Seeing Chen Junnan give up, Qiao Jiajin froze, unsure what to do. After a few seconds of thought, he walked in front of Chen Junnan, turned his back to him, and bent his knees slightly.
"Junnan, I'll carry you!" Qiao Jiajin said seriously. "If we don't go now, it'll really be too late... We'll both..."
"You won't." Chen Junnan straightened up and looked back at the two black lines slowly approaching.
"What...?"
"Lao Qiao, you're not going to die." Chen Junnan smiled wearily. "I'll take your death for you."
Qiao Jiajin's eyes went wide. "No way... Junnan, what makes you think you can take it for me..."
Before he could finish, Qiao Jiajin watched in horror as the black line that was supposed to come for him suddenly swerved and drifted toward Chen Junnan.
Both lines extended from afar, converging toward the center of Chen Junnan's forehead.
The sky was already covered with black lines, but to Qiao Jiajin, these two felt like harbingers of death. They surrounded Chen Junnan like a pair of vultures circling their prey, slowly closing in.
"See you later, Lao Qiao." Chen Junnan smiled calmly, as if death were as ordinary as sleep to him. "After I'm gone, remember to tell Old Qi how awesome I was..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he shook his head helplessly. "Forget it, Lao Qiao. Let's just leave it at that."
A wave of despair radiated from him, making Qiao Jiajin's heart ache.
Was he going to have to watch another teammate die beside him?
All because of this ridiculous black-line game...
"No." Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brow and spoke up. "Junnan, I won't allow it."
"Won't allow...?" Chen Junnan was taken aback.
"I won't allow you to die for me."
*CLANG!!*
A loud bell sound rang out from afar, not as strong as Qi Xia's, but still deafening.
"Damn it!" Chen Junnan’s eyebrows twisted into a V. "Lao Qiao, are you crazy?! You're doing it again?!"
"Junnan, no cheating!" Qiao Jiajin said seriously. "My line is my line! I've been poor since I was a kid, so I don't share what's mine! You take care of your own line and don't steal mine."
"What the hell did you say—"
Just as Chen Junnan was about to curse, one of the black lines, which was about to touch his forehead, suddenly turned and swerved around his head, drifting toward Qiao Jiajin instead.
Seeing that he had attracted the "line" to himself, Qiao Jiajin immediately turned and ran.
"You son of a—" Chen Junnan was practically fuming. He hadn't wanted to run in the first place, but now if he didn't chase after that line, Qiao Jiajin would probably die.
He had to save him, but he had to chase him to do it.
How absurd could the world get?
"Junnan! Run!!" Qiao Jiajin shouted as he sprinted away with his line. "If you stop, you'll die!!"
"I was going to die anyway!" Chen Junnan yelled at the top of his lungs. "You used 'All-Breaking Fist' to break my 'Scapegoat' again! Do you even know how to use your damn ability?!"
"I don't care!!" Qiao Jiajin yelled back. "If you want to steal my black line, come chase me!"
"Chase your ass!" Despite the cursing, Chen Junnan's heavy feet started moving again. "Lao Qiao, wait... Listen to me..."
"Come chase me!"
"Are you some kind of pervert?!" Chen Junnan felt like his lungs were about to burst. "You're running around grinning like a girl at sunset! What the hell am I chasing you for?!"
"Junnan! You've got more energy now! Great!" Qiao Jiajin shouted from afar. "If you're mad, come hit me!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!" Chen Junnan clawed at his own hair in frustration. "AAAAHHHHH!! Lao Qiao!! I said I'd take your death! Stop making me run! I'm exhausted!!"
The moment he said that, the line behind Qiao Jiajin turned again, tracing a 180-degree arc through the air and flying back toward Chen Junnan.
"No cheating!!" Qiao Jiajin shouted back.
"I'm taking it!"
"No!"
"I'm taking it!"
"No!"
The black lines in the air twisted like they were caught in a storm, drawing wave after wave in the sky.
"Junnan, watch out!!" Qiao Jiajin was getting anxious too. "Don't just focus on my line! What about the one behind you?!"
"You—" Chen Junnan turned around and saw the black line almost touching his face. He flinched and used his last bit of strength to start running.