Chapter 797: Reunion
Yun Yao, Lawyer Zhang, Tian Tian, and Zheng Yingxiong stood silently on the street, faces etched with lingering terror.
"Did all those black dots... shatter?" Yun Yao asked.
Tian Tian wiped the sweat from her face, then nodded. "It seems so..."
Everyone looked at Lawyer Zhang in disbelief.
When the black dots had fallen moments ago, questions had exploded in everyone's minds. All those questions converged on Lawyer Zhang, who seemed the most composed. She had managed to calm everyone down, then gave them this answer: "I don't know what this thing is, but it might kill us."
A few seconds later, she added, "That bead reacts based on the questions each person asks. If we answer wrong, we probably die."
After all, Zhang Chenze had once witnessed a scene very similar to this method of death, and she clearly remembered the consequences of giving a wrong answer. Back then, the Heavenly Snake had stood before her and executed Qin Dingdong cleanly on the grounds of "ignorance." Only she had been able to parley with it. Combined with the characteristics of the earlier "Heavenly Horse Moment," this time it was obviously a "Heavenly Class Moment." And since it was around nine or ten o'clock now, it was likely the "Heavenly Snake Moment," where life and death were decided by question and answer.
Once she had sorted out her thoughts, she guided the group through a back-and-forth exchange of questions and answers. All the black beads shattered in front of Lawyer Zhang, while Yun Yao dealt with Lawyer Zhang's own bead.
"That was close..." Yun Yao breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Lawyer Zhang. "Sister Zhang... thank goodness you're here."
Hearing this form of address, Lawyer Zhang's expression flickered slightly. She shook her head helplessly. "It feels like I haven't heard that in ages. Like a lifetime ago."
"A lifetime?" Yun Yao smiled. "Did a lot of people call you that in the real world?"
"Not many," Lawyer Zhang said gloomily. "But they were important."
"Don't lose heart." Yun Yao's face lit up with a sunny smile as she linked her arm through Lawyer Zhang's. "We're going to pick up Wen Qiaoyun now, aren't we? With her, plus Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu, maybe strength in numbers will help us come up with a way to free everyone. Then you can go back to the people who matter to you."
"Go back to the real world...?"
Lawyer Zhang and Tian Tian both let out a bitter laugh, their expressions as calm as someone who had seen all the world's horrors and emerged unchanged.
"Everything will get better." Yun Yao held Lawyer Zhang's arm, then turned to look at Tian Tian. "As long as we're still alive, everything will get better."
"I hope so," Lawyer Zhang said.
Tian Tian said nothing. She turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong, who had been silent. He had been staring into the depths of an alley, his expression pensive.
"Hero, what's wrong?" Tian Tian asked softly.
She felt that, compared to the question of whether they could escape, the situation of the people around her deserved more attention.
It was strange. In the material-rich real world, they encountered nothing but cold, living corpses. Here in the stinking "End Place," they collided with so many burning hearts.
"Sister..." Zheng Yingxiong said, still gazing at the alley. "I want to go have a look over there."
"Have a look?" Tian Tian followed his gaze into the distance. "Is there something there?"
"I... I..." Zheng Yingxiong hesitated. "I think I smell a familiar scent."
Hearing this, Yun Yao also looked where Zheng Yingxiong was looking. The road seemed familiar, as if she had walked it before.
"Little brother," Yun Yao called. "You said you were looking for someone. Is that person over there?"
"I'm not sure," Zheng Yingxiong replied. "His scent has changed... it's not what it used to be."
"Qi Xia and I went there before," Yun Yao said, her face darkening. "There's a 'Human Ape' that's been there for a long time. It's probably not who you're looking for."
"No..." Zheng Yingxiong's voice choked up slightly. "If it's a 'Human Ape,' then... he is the one I'm looking for."
With that, Zheng Yingxiong walked straight toward the alley.
The women behind him exchanged glances and quickly followed. Yun Yao never expected that the person Zheng Yingxiong had traveled so far to find was a "Zodiac"—the very thing she hated most.
She had lost count of how many of her teammates had died at the hands of these "Zodiacs."
They passed through the alley and walked quietly for a few dozen meters before they saw it in the distance: a Zodiac in a tattered suit, standing stiffly with his hands behind his back.
It was called a "Human Ape," but the mask this person wore was that of a rotting giant baboon.
Though they didn't know what he looked like originally, with this mask on, he seemed ferocious and impossible to approach.
The four of them stood before the giant baboon, meeting its dead-eyed gaze. None of them spoke.
Zheng Yingxiong stepped forward, one step at a time, until he stood before the Human Ape.
The Human Ape lowered his head slightly, his eyes peering out from behind the mask. At that moment, a glimmer of light was rekindled in those dead eyes.
"Human Ape...?" Zheng Yingxiong called out, his voice choked with emotion.
"That's... right." The Human Ape's voice also sounded choked. "Do you... do you want to play my game?"
He struggled to control his voice, forcing the words out in one piece.
"What are your rules?" Zheng Yingxiong's tears began to gather in his eyes, like a river held back by a dam.
"We... take turns pulling 'Dao' stones from the box... the one who pulls the last one wins... and the winner can... take all the 'Dao' stones."
The voice of the giant baboon grew increasingly painful, as if he had accumulated countless agonies in his heart. Yet he had no one to tell, and he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"And how much is the entry fee?" Zheng Yingxiong asked again.
"The entry fee is the 'Dao' stones in the box..." the Human Ape answered mechanically. "It depends on how many you want to bid. I'll match whatever you put in, and then add one more..."
Tian Tian had no idea what was going on between these two. She crouched down and wrapped her arms around Zheng Yingxiong's shoulders, only to find the child trembling all over.
He was holding back his tears.
"Have you been well?" Zheng Yingxiong asked again.
"Has she been well?" the Human Ape countered.
Neither gave the other an answer. They just hung their heads. One was a child who usually seemed steadfast and unyielding; the other was a clever Human Ape who had matched wits with Qi Xia. Now they stood there like two people with shattered hearts, silent for a long time.
Who could possibly be well in a place like this?
For those who lived here, there was no worst situation—only worse.
No matter which path you chose, it was the same.
Most of the time, a reunion after long separation is a happy thing. But not here.
"Sisters... I want to join this game... Can you wait outside for me?" Zheng Yingxiong asked.