The two of them destroyed most of the “doors” they encountered along the way. Jin Yuanxun turned his head to look at the seemingly endless corridor and felt that just destroying the doors of these “work areas” would take them the entire night.
What about the upcoming “interview zone”? Would they even have enough time to complete this seemingly absurd plan?
“Bro, are we really not getting any help?” Jin Yuanxun asked again, staring into the depths of the hallway.
“What kind of dumb question is that?” Chen Junnan snapped. “I literally just came up with this plan—how the hell would we have backup?”
“But…”
Jin Yuanxun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off in the distance. Far down the corridor, there seemed to be faint figures moving—figures he could barely make out.
Were they fleeing “participants”?
“Little Jin, what are you looking at?”
“Bro, my eyesight’s really good,” Jin Yuanxun said, pointing into the distance. “There seems to be someone over there…”
Chen Junnan followed Jin Yuanxun’s finger and spotted two swaying figures in the far distance. They didn’t seem to be running away—more like lingering in place.
“Little Jin, this is exactly why I dragged you into this as soon as I saw you from afar,” Chen Junnan said with a smirk. “This ‘train’ runs straight north and south, and your ability makes you omnipresent. If you think something’s off over there, just go check it out.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t understand my suffering,” Chen Junnan sighed. “Even though this place looks like a straight path, I have to walk every damn step myself. It’s exhausting. So your sudden appearance is a godsend—you can scout ahead *and* relay messages for me. No wonder they say idiots get lucky.”
“Alright, bro, enough with the insults. I’ll go, okay?” Jin Yuanxun shook his head helplessly.
The next second, he vanished from the spot and reappeared in the distance. Chen Junnan squinted—something was off.
Jin Yuanxun suddenly materialized beside the two figures. Not only did they seem startled, but Jin Yuanxun himself also jolted back in surprise, nearly falling before the two steadied him. The three exchanged a few words.
A minute or two later, Jin Yuanxun nodded at them, took a step back, and vanished, reappearing beside Chen Junnan.
“What’s the deal?” Chen Junnan asked. “Are they willing to join us? We’re on a tight schedule here—once we finish smashing these ‘doors,’ we gotta find Old Qi.”
“Bro…” Jin Yuanxun’s expression twisted into a conflicted smile. “I need to tell you something. Don’t freak out…”
Chen Junnan’s face darkened instantly. “The hell kind of opener is that? I’m already freaking out just hearing that…”
“Well, uh…” Jin Yuanxun shook his head. “I just ran into two women. One of them, after hearing your name, told you to stay right where you are, you bastard—she’s coming over to ‘talk’ to you personally. She looked *pissed*…”
“Ah. That tracks.” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “I *knew* there were only a handful of people who could inexplicably make me feel fear like this.”
“So, bro,” Jin Yuanxun tugged his arm, “did you, like, kill her or something? If you need to run, I can cover for you.”
“Cover my ass…” Chen Junnan exhaled deeply. “You’re making it sound like some demon lord’s coming for me… No, I didn’t kill her. I just saved her at the wrong time. Didn’t expect a rescue to turn into a grudge.”
Footsteps echoed from the distance as the two figures began approaching rapidly.
“Little Jin, you said there were two women—who’s the other one?” Chen Junnan asked, staring ahead.
“A ‘Zodiac,'” Jin Yuanxun said. “A cow woman. Scared the hell out of me when I got close—thought I was done for.”
“Cow…?” Chen Junnan frowned, thinking. “No way… That’s a bizarre combo. What are they even doing here?”
“They’re planning to destroy the ‘doors.'”
“*What?!*”
Within minutes, the two figures stood before Chen Junnan—none other than Qin Dingdong and an Earth Ox.
“You bastard…” Qin Dingdong said coldly. “What are *you* doing here?”
“Hold up, Winter Sis,” Chen Junnan raised a hand. “That ‘also’ of yours is throwing me off…”
“Is destroying the ‘doors’ your mission too?” Qin Dingdong pressed. “Why didn’t you ever mention it…?”
“Mission…?” Chen Junnan went silent for a moment. “*That’s* your mission?”
Qin Dingdong froze. “You *motherfu—*”
She grabbed Chen Junnan’s arm and yanked him aside, lowering her voice. “You mean to tell me you barged in here *without even knowing* about the mission?!”
“I really don’t have one…” Chen Junnan admitted. “I was just wandering around looking for something to do. Can’t fight the ‘Zodiacs,’ can’t save the ‘participants’… So destroying ‘doors’ seemed like the only play left.”
“You—” Qin Dingdong stared at him, then hissed, “You bastard… Are you lying to me? Are you trying to die for me *again*?”
“Huh?” Chen Junnan was momentarily speechless. “No—Winter Sis, you gotta believe me this time. I *swear* I’m not trying to die for you. We just happened to cross paths. Don’t overthink it.”
“So you *admit* you deliberately died for me last time?” Qin Dingdong gritted her teeth. “Chen Junnan, you *absolute* bastard…”
“Wait—hold on. How did this turn into a trap no matter what I say?”
“You stood there all heroic back then, telling me ‘You won’t die,’ then took the hit for me and *vanished*!” Qin Dingdong’s anger flared. “I thought you’d become a ‘resident’ or just *disappeared*—I carried that guilt for *seven years*! And then you show up in front of me all smiles like nothing happened?! Did you even *consider* how anyone else would feel when you pulled that stunt?!”
“Ahhh…” Chen Junnan endured the verbal lashing without protest. “Winter Sis… Maybe now’s not the time for this…”
“I *know*! But here you are, *still* trying to get yourself killed!” Qin Dingdong snapped. “When are you ever going to fix this damn habit of yours?”
“Get myself killed?” Chen Junnan let out a bitter laugh. “Come on… Destroying public property isn’t a capital offense, is it?”
“Your brain really flip-flops between genius and idiocy…” Qin Dingdong seethed. “To Qinglong and Tianlong, killing a ‘Zodiac’ is barely a crime—they can always make more. But if someone dares destroy these ‘doors,’ it’s like cutting off the very foundation of their rule. They *will not* let that slide—no matter what.”
“So what?” Chen Junnan shot back. “If this rebellion succeeds, it won’t matter, right?”
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