Chapter 786: The City of Chaos
"You're really too kind, boss." Groundhog chuckled at the three of them. "Everyone knows I'm a fence-sitter. No need to single me out."
"You actually proud of that?" Chen Junnan frowned. "Was you a fence-sitter back when we were teammates too?"
"Of course, of course." Groundhog nodded. "Do you folks have any more questions?"
Seeing Groundhog being so blunt, Chen Junnan shook his head helplessly.
"I've got one last question." Chen Junnan said.
"All ears."
"You know Old Qi is planning something big... What if he doesn't stop here?" Chen Junnan asked. "When that time comes, can you still sit pretty as the 'Heavenly Rat'?"
"Good question." Groundhog grinned. "The beauty of this plan is that I always look like I'm on this ship. In other words, I've been lumped in with these reactionaries all along. If one day they actually succeed and reach the top here, I'll jump in as a 'teammate.' If they fail, I'll see it coming in advance and immediately rat them out to 'Heavenly Dragon' and 'Azure Dragon' to make up for my mistakes."
"You sure are straightforward." Chen Junnan said. "You're not afraid I'll go tell Old Qi right now?"
"Nope." Groundhog replied. "If he really is Brother Yang, he'll understand my thinking perfectly. He'll get it."
"Fair point."
Chen Junnan seemed to sense what Qi Xia was thinking too—he definitely wouldn't reject someone like Groundhog.
He paused, then added, "We're here to help Old Qi confirm if a teammate is reliable. In the end, we share the same goal. For now, we're in the same boat."
"Thank you all for the trust."
"Turn off that annoying music." Chen Junnan said. "Can't you listen to something with better taste? Is foreign heavy metal rock really that good?"
"Boss, it's not that I don't want to." Groundhog walked over to the radio and silently pressed the stop button, then ejected the tape. "This is the only tape I found in this place."
"Tape...?" Chen Junnan was slightly taken aback. "There are tapes here?"
He took the tape from Groundhog's hand. The cover was completely faded and white, the singer's name no longer legible.
"Yeah, I'm curious too." Groundhog nodded. "Haven't you ever noticed... Besides MP3s, radios, and tapes, there are even vinyl records and players I've never seen before."
"What are you getting at...?" Qin Dingdong asked. "This is a city after all, right? It wouldn't be strange to find gold bars here either."
"Exactly, finding gold bars isn't strange. But what I'm saying is..." Groundhog squinted and gave a bitter smile. "What era's city can have so many different kinds of music players from different times all at once?"
Groundhog's words made Chen Junnan furrow his brows slightly.
This was a question they'd never paid attention to before.
Even though everyone came from different times, what era did this city actually belong to?
Since most of the shop signs and storefronts on the streets were already dilapidated, it was impossible to tell the era. They could only roughly infer the city's age from these seemingly intact little objects. But if you thought about it carefully, this place had convenience stores and Go clubs, run-down country inns and towering office buildings in the distance. On top of that, there were even prisons, schools, and farms.
Logically speaking, would all these things be packed so densely into the same city?
"So what are you trying to say?" Chen Junnan asked.
"Nothing much. I'm just saying this place is messed up." Groundhog replied.
"But this place has been messed up for a long time, hasn't it? It's not like it just started."
Even so, Chen Junnan still found it strange. Everyone here came from different time periods—that alone was already bizarre. If the city itself was also a hodgepodge of different eras... then what was the builder's purpose?
Did a city like this really exist in the world?
"Fair enough." Groundhog nodded. "This place isn't just messed up in terms of the city. It's rotten from the inside out—from people's hearts to the sky, from their thoughts to their actions. Maybe everything started from this chaotic city."
Chen Junnan nodded in agreement. "It's hard to investigate this question now. It might have been easier to see the clues before the city fell into ruin."
"Yes. Everyone just wants to escape from here, so no one really cares how this place was built." Groundhog smiled. "Honored guests, we've had a great chat today. My 'concert' ends here. Please put in a good word for me in front of Qi Xia."
Groundhog walked to the door, opened it, stepped aside, and said to the three, "I won't see you out."
Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, and Qin Dingdong exchanged glances. They knew there was no need to stay any longer. They slowly walked out of the room, and Groundhog escorted them all the way to the main entrance.
By now, they could confirm Groundhog's stance. Anyone who became an Earth-level "Zodiac" was never a saint. Trying to organize such a group to carry out his plan... everyone felt a bit nervous for Qi Xia.
They had just said their goodbyes and taken two steps when they suddenly felt something unusual in the sky.
Chen Junnan looked up. A huge mass of black, droplet-shaped objects began to spread through the air like a swarm of locusts.
These black particles hovered in the air for a few seconds, then seemed to lock onto their targets and flew off in countless directions.
"Damn!" Qiao Jiajin shouted. "Danger! Get back inside!"
Chen Junnan and Qin Dingdong immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to run back into the building behind them.
But Groundhog stood coldly at the door, blocking their way.
Seeing Groundhog's expression, Chen Junnan was momentarily stunned and yelled, "You damn rat, don't just stand there and watch us die! That big black rain is about to fall!"
"Sorry, folks." Groundhog said. "You need to wait outside for this 'downpour.'"
"Why?!" Chen Junnan cried.
Groundhog squinted and replied, "This is the last time I'll answer your question. When this downpour really comes, I'll hide in my room, listen to music, and hear nothing at all."
Qin Dingdong and Qiao Jiajin didn't understand what Groundhog meant, but Chen Junnan seemed to catch on.
Even an "Earth-level" was taking cover—could this be a "Heaven-level Moment"?
"The reason I don't want you to hide in the house..." Groundhog shook his head helplessly, "is because no matter where you hide, those black raindrops will find you, and my game arena will get wrecked too. Lucky for me, you didn't participate in my game, or I'd be repairing the walls starting tomorrow."