Chapter 613: The Same Destination
The Man Monkey was having trouble understanding what motivated the three people before him.
They clearly had a way to win his game, yet they chose to give up now. Could it be that they weren't here to earn "Dao" either?
"Man Monkey..." Xiao Cheng turned back to look at him before leaving. "Can you tell me where the nearest 'Ground Monkey' is?"
"'Ground Monkey'..." The Man Monkey's eyes behind the mask narrowed slightly as he asked in a flat tone, "Aren't you overestimating yourself a bit? Thinking that just because you saw through my game, you can defeat the 'Ground Monkey'?"
"I know the difficulty between 'Human-level' and 'Ground-level' isn't on the same plane, but I'm willing to try." Xiao Cheng said.
"And you all..."
Before the Man Monkey could finish speaking, a faint bell sound came from afar.
Tiantian and Xiao Cheng were both startled, then immediately thought of something and looked down at Zheng Yingxiong.
Zheng Yingxiong let out a light sigh and shook his head: "It's not big brother's 'Echo' that sounded... it's big sister's 'Echo' that disappeared."
After hearing this, a trace of disappointment flickered across their faces, but the Man Monkey's gaze turned strange.
Xiao Cheng snapped back to attention and looked at the Man Monkey: "So... can you tell us where the 'Ground Monkey' is now?"
The Man Monkey didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked down at Zheng Yingxiong beside him, then asked, "This child... what is he?"
Xiao Cheng turned to look at Tiantian after hearing this, only to find her shaking her head as well.
"I don't know either." Tiantian said. "I happened to meet this child by chance on the road."
The Man Monkey thought for a long time, then spoke: "If I tell you where the 'Ground Monkey' is, will this child be going along too?"
This question stumped Tiantian and Xiao Cheng, as the two hadn't discussed it beforehand.
"Little brother." Tiantian crouched down and asked gently, "The game venue we're going to next is very dangerous. Do you still want to come with us?"
"Mm." Zheng Yingxiong nodded. "Big sister, I want to grow."
"Grow?"
"I want to become stronger, and I want to become a true 'hero'." Zheng Yingxiong reached up and adjusted the newspaper crown on his head. "So no matter how dangerous the place is, I have to go. This is my chance to train myself."
Tiantian had initially wanted to persuade him further, but thinking back to Zheng Yingxiong's performance just now, she suddenly felt that not a single word this child said was a lie.
Although his way of behaving was a bit strange, he truly didn't seem like an ordinary child.
"In that case..." Tiantian looked back at Xiao Cheng, then at the Man Monkey.
"As long as you promise me he'll go too, I'll tell you the 'Ground Monkey's' location right now." The Man Monkey smiled. "But there's one condition. Whenever you participate in the 'Ground Monkey's' game, you must come back and see me."
"What...?"
The Man Monkey stepped forward and pressed his mouth close to Xiao Cheng's ear. At that moment, Xiao Cheng could smell the rotting odor coming from his mask.
"This child is very useful." The Man Monkey chuckled softly, speaking in a barely audible voice to Xiao Cheng. "I want him to tell me... whether the 'Ground Monkey' has an 'Echo' or not."
Upon hearing these words, Xiao Cheng's eyes slowly grew wide.
Ground Monkey... 'Echo'?
"The 'Ground Monkey's' address is on this paper. Take your time, the three of you. No need to see me out."
The Man Monkey handed a slip of paper to Xiao Cheng, then reached out and patted his shoulder, an ambitious expression spreading across his face.
The three exchanged glances and could only leave with puzzled expressions.
"Oh, and..."
The Man Monkey called out to them just as they were about to go downstairs.
"What...?" Xiao Cheng asked.
"'Ground Monkey's' game venue will make you linger and forget to return. I suggest you go first thing tomorrow morning, or else you won't gain any advantage." The Man Monkey waved his hand. "Looking forward to your triumphant return."
"'Linger and forget to return'...?" Xiao Cheng and Tiantian both felt that this idiom seemed strange to use for a Ground-level game where people could die.
Seeing that the Man Monkey had stopped talking, the three walked down the stairs one after another and left his game venue.
They looked at the sky, thought it over several times, and finally decided to head back to their base to rest. After all, it was already nearing evening, and they had expended too much energy in the "Pegasus Moment" today. The wisest choice now was to go back, recharge, and head out to find the Ground Monkey the next day.
...
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin had been wandering around with the map for a long time. They felt they had definitely reached the "Ground Monkey's" game venue, but couldn't see any "Zodiac" on the street.
"Damn..." Qiao Jiajin scratched his head as he looked around. "This place is so quiet. Is there really a 'Ground-level' here?"
"I'm a bit puzzled too." Chen Junnan frowned in confusion. "But that big rat didn't really have any reason to lie to us."
The two fell silent, just standing there dumbfounded. Already somewhat directionless, they now had even less idea what to do.
"Hey..." Qiao Jiajin suddenly had an idea. "Jun Nan, you think... could the 'Ground Monkey's' shop be closed?"
"Closed for the day? Hmm..." Chen Junnan scratched his head too. "That... can't be right? Wouldn't that make us look like complete idiots? And there's no one to ask."
"Maybe we should come back early tomorrow?" Qiao Jiajin suggested.
"Damn." Chen Junnan felt that the situation was indescribably awkward. "Lao Qiao, don't you feel like we're customers rushing to snatch up goods, charging excitedly to someone's shop, and hey, the old bastard's already closed up for the day?"
"Even if it's not closed... can you and I even handle it?" Qiao Jiajin smiled a bit sheepishly. "Aren't 'Monkeys' all really smart?"
"Brother, I can't agree with that even a little bit." Chen Junnan held up a finger and wagged it. "When it comes to 'smarts' in this place, I only recognize Lao Qi as number one, and then me as number two. Any big monkeys can step aside."
Qiao Jiajin looked like he hadn't quite understood, blinking blankly.
"But Lao Qiao, don't lose heart either. When it comes to 'throwing hands', you're the top dog in this place." Chen Junnan reached out and patted Qiao Jiajin's shoulder. "And below you, well, that would be me..."
Before he could finish, Chen Junnan suddenly thought of something. He hesitated for a moment, then looked down and said, "Damn, there's still that punk Zhang Shan..."
"Jun Nan... aren't we supposed to be looking for the 'Ground Monkey'?"
"Oh, right, don't change the subject." Chen Junnan said. "How did we suddenly start talking about Lao Qi and Zhang Shan?"
"I..." Qiao Jiajin licked his lips, feeling a bit wronged.
Just as the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion not far away.