“The Giant Bell Demolition…?”
The eerie phrase left the group of “participants” momentarily speechless.
The words sounded utterly unfamiliar, yet upon closer thought, they carried a strange, inexplicable logic in certain aspects.
“Wait…” The middle-aged man stared at Chen Junnan for a long moment before finally sensing something was off. “Just what exactly do you do…? You’re here to demolish the Giant Bell?”
“Didn’t I already say it?” Chen Junnan raised an eyebrow. “I’m from the ‘Final Affairs Office.'”
“You…” The middle-aged man cleared his throat subtly. “Are you with the ‘Zodiacs’?”
“Nope, the ‘Zodiacs’ are with me,” Chen Junnan replied. “I report directly to that kid Tianlong. This matter is top-secret, so hardly anyone knows about it.”
“Hold… hold on…”
The participants were genuinely spooked by Chen Junnan’s claims. Many here knew that the “Zodiacs” could eavesdrop on participants, and certain taboo words couldn’t be uttered outright. Even the “Zodiacs” themselves tread carefully around these terms.
For example, “Tianlong.”
Yet this man not only mentioned Tianlong by name but even referred to him as “that kid.”
The crowd instinctively stepped back, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire if the “Zodiacs” decided to punish him.
But after waiting for dozens of seconds, the man remained standing there unharmed, his face still wearing that same confident, cocky grin. Finally, the crowd realized something was seriously amiss.
Either this guy had nerves of steel, or he genuinely had some connection to Tianlong.
“Let me put it this way—Xiao Qiao and I came down here mainly to get things done for the folks,” Chen Junnan interjected. “After investigating many areas and discovering that the Giant Bell and the display screens were deteriorating, we immediately arranged for the demolition plan.”
Tiantian exchanged amused glances with Zhang Chenze, who shook her head helplessly. Both found Chen Junnan’s phrasing absurd, yet somehow, these people seemed to buy it.
“Qi Xia…” Zhang Chenze whispered. “Aren’t they going to mess this up?”
Qi Xia turned his head, scanning each person’s expression before replying, “No. This is going to work.”
“But Chen Junnan’s reasoning…”
“The ‘reason’ doesn’t matter,” Qi Xia said. “What matters is whether there’s a reason at all.”
“Huh…?”
The participants still looked bewildered by Chen Junnan’s words. Finally, the young man at the front couldn’t hold back. “Um… you noticed the Giant Bell and the screens were deteriorating…? Did you not notice the entire city is in ruins?”
“Huh?” Chen Junnan blinked.
“If you’re really sending people to rebuild, shouldn’t you prioritize constructing shelters for us…?”
“Uh…” Sensing this young man wasn’t easily fooled, Chen Junnan quickly countered, “A single house benefits just one person. But how many benefit from the Giant Bell? Take that abandoned Go club over there—” He pointed to the derelict building beside them. “If we renovated it, how many people could live there?”
“Well…”
“But rebuilding the display screens and the Giant Bell benefits countless people. That’s far more impactful than fixing up houses,” Chen Junnan argued. “Still, I’ve noted your concerns. Unfortunately, that’s not under our jurisdiction—it’s handled by ‘Urban Planning.’ I’ll pass your feedback along.”
Though still skeptical, the crowd hesitated. The middle-aged man stepped forward, pulling the young man aside for a hushed discussion.
Regardless of the newcomers’ true identities, the middle-aged man sensed they were subtly protecting the “rebels.” Doubting them carried a slim risk of backlash.
Whether they turned violent or truly had powerful backing, the participants could end up in a precarious position.
The safest move was to pretend to believe them and withdraw. After all, there were plenty of other “rebels” to target. Even if they spared these eight, they could still earn merit and vent their collective frustration.
The young man agreed. No matter how ridiculous the newcomers’ excuses were, it was wiser to play along and avoid unnecessary trouble.
With that, they abandoned further confrontation with Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin. After a brief, quiet discussion, the group silently dispersed.
Watching them leave, Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exhaled in relief.
“Good job, pretty boy,” Qiao Jiajin said. “You chased them off with just a few words.”
But Chen Junnan shook his head grimly. “I was completely talking nonsense this time. I don’t know what’s wrong with them—it’s like they lost their brains.”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin was baffled. “That actually worked?”
“This was more dangerous than any previous encounter,” Qi Xia’s voice cut in from behind them.
“What?”
“But as long as we gave them a reason, they had no choice but to make a decision,” Qi Xia continued. “Either call our bluff and escalate, or play along and save face. Right now, their best option was to walk away without looking back.”
“So that’s how it is…?” Qiao Jiajin paused. “But how did you know they’d leave?”
“Because they had no choice,” Qi Xia said. “They’re a ‘mob.’ Do you know the fundamental difference between a ‘mob’ and an ‘elite force’?”
“Is it… combat ability?” Qiao Jiajin ventured.
“No,” Qi Xia shook his head. “It’s their mindset.”
“Mindset…?”
“A ‘mob,’ when pursuing a goal, first thinks of achieving it ‘without bloodshed,'” Qi Xia explained. “They gather under vague, passionate ideals, cornering a smaller group. Despite all the shouting, no one dares to strike first. They want to accomplish their mission effortlessly, without a scratch—because none of them are willing to risk their lives for this. That’s the difference.”
“I get it now,” Chen Junnan nodded, stretching his aching limbs. “It’s like ‘the barefooted aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes.’ They were scared we’d fight tooth and nail, so I lucked out.”
Qi Xia nodded and walked over to Aunt Tong and Old Lü.
“Kid Qi… thanks,” Old Lü said.
“Now that this wave of pursuers has retreated, the ‘information gap’ will clear your identities,” Qi Xia said. “Pretend to be ordinary ‘participants’ and keep moving.”
Just as Old Lü was about to nod, Aunt Tong interrupted.
“Old Lü, let’s make this clear—we’re parting ways here.”
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