Song Qi and Chen Junnan hurried through the night, finally making it back to the headquarters of “Cat” just before total darkness fell.
“Dang it!” Chen Junnan cursed irritably. “We searched forever and still couldn’t find Dong-jie…”
“You really are optimistic,” Song Qi said, eyeing him. “This place is huge, and you’re just relying on ‘fate’ to find someone?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Chen Junnan shrugged. “My ‘serendipity method’ bothering you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s ‘bothering me’…” Song Qi began, but before he could finish, a white figure suddenly lunged at them—a person who moved like an insect.
Without even turning his head, Song Qi merely flicked his wrist, and the figure was blasted away by a small explosion. The brief flash of fire illuminated their faces in the darkness.
“Chen Junnan… why exactly did you follow me back?” Song Qi asked, shaking his hand as he turned to him. “Do you know many people in ‘Cat’?”
“Honestly… probably not that many,” Chen Junnan smirked. “Maybe just two or three.”
The two fell silent as they walked, soon spotting the guards at the prison gate in the pitch-black night.
“Sixth Sister, we’re back,” Song Qi said respectfully to the woman.
“Hmm.” Saturday gave a slight nod before turning her gaze to Chen Junnan behind him. “Tsk. And who’s this?”
Hearing those three words, Chen Junnan’s brow furrowed slightly.
How absurd—in this godforsaken place, even the most reliable allies, those who’ve survived life-and-death situations together, could forget you completely.
“I’m a handsome devil. What’s your name, gorgeous?” Chen Junnan asked.
The moment those words left his mouth, Saturday felt an inexplicable rage flare up inside her. She reached behind her, pulled out an iron rod, and casually slung it over her shoulder. “Tsk. First ‘handsome devil,’ now ‘gorgeous’… You’ve got a real talent for pissing people off.”
Chen Junnan couldn’t help but chuckle. He took a step forward. “Seriously? You greet guests with an iron rod?”
“Tsk. What kind of guest are you?”
“Sixth Sister,” Song Qi interjected, waving a hand. “This is Chen Junnan, the one Qi Xia wanted us to ‘verify.’ He’s technically a guest, so cool off.”
“Tsk…” Saturday shot Chen Junnan a disdainful look before muttering under her breath, “Open the gate.”
A few seconds later, the prison gate behind her let out a heavy clanking noise, and the rolling shutter slowly rose.
“Thanks!” Chen Junnan flashed a grin and followed Song Qi inside.
The moment he turned away, a hint of disappointment flickered across his face.
If Saturday didn’t remember him, what about Qian Duoduo?
Was “Cat” even what he thought it was?
As they crossed the prison yard, they suddenly heard two loud voices. They stopped and saw none other than Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia.
“Liar, look—this is how you throw a punch with power!” Qiao Jiajin said, swinging his fists. “The way you’re doing it won’t work. If your stance is unstable, you’ll just hurt your wrist.”
“Like this?” Qi Xia asked flatly.
“No, no—like *this*.”
Not far from the noisy pair sat a child, clutching a short sword made of folded newspaper, warily scanning his surroundings.
It was Zheng Yingxiong, the kid Chen Junnan had met the day before.
Chen Junnan scratched his head, then turned his attention back to Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin. This was a rare sight—was Qi Xia actually learning how to fight from Qiao Jiajin?
“Handsome Jun?” Qiao Jiajin spotted Chen Junnan standing nearby and called out.
Qi Xia also raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.
He’d sent Song Qi to check on Chen Junnan, but he hadn’t expected him to come back in person.
Did “Paradise Port” even need him to return now?
“How’d it go today?” Qi Xia cut straight to the point.
“Today…” Chen Junnan frowned slightly before replying, “Old Qi, it’s a long story…”
He glanced back at Song Qi and lowered his voice. “Let’s find somewhere private. I’ll fill you in.”
Qi Xia nodded, then shot Qiao Jiajin a look. The three of them left Song Qi behind and headed straight for the cells.
Zheng Yingxiong watched their retreating figures, sniffed the air, tucked his paper sword into his waistband, and quickly followed.
…
Once inside the cell, Chen Junnan peered outside to make sure no one was nearby before closing the iron-barred door behind them.
“Why so cautious?” Qi Xia said. “These bars don’t exactly block sound.”
“Old Qi, I’m… a little lost right now,” Chen Junnan said, ignoring the comment as he sat down on the bed. “There’s something I can’t figure out. I need your help.”
“Can’t figure it out?” Qiao Jiajin perked up. “Alright, Handsome Jun, lay it on me. I’ll solve your mystery.”
Before Chen Junnan could speak, a small figure appeared at the door.
“Young Hero?” Chen Junnan blinked, then turned to Qi Xia. “What’s the deal with this kid?”
“Hard to say…” Qi Xia mused, rubbing his chin. “But he’s alone right now. He might be useful.”
“Oho…” Chen Junnan grinned. “Since Old Qi vouches for you, consider this a free pass. Come on in.”
Zheng Yingxiong nodded solemnly and stepped inside.
The three of them stared at Chen Junnan, waiting for him to speak. After a long pause, he finally rubbed his temples and began.
“Old Qi, there’s just one thing I can’t wrap my head around…”
“Go on,” Qi Xia said.
“Right now… who the hell am I?”
“What?”
The question left them all baffled.
Chen Junnan sighed and recounted everything that had happened that day.
In his memory, he’d planned to participate in the Earth-level game at dawn. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a dimly lit basement, face-to-face with Jin Yuanxun, who was carrying a bundle.
Thinking he’d been followed, Jin Yuanxun turned to attack, but Chen Junnan effortlessly pinned his arm.
At an impasse, Chen Junnan spoke first: “Hey… where the hell is this?”
Jin Yuanxun was equally confused. “I blocked all the entrances—how did you even get in?!”
“How the hell should I know?!”
After another tense standoff, Chen Junnan finally said, “Alright, look—just get me out of here, and I’ll pretend I was never here. Deal?”
Jin Yuanxun studied him warily before slowly releasing his grip.
They kept their eyes locked on each other until Jin Yuanxun, satisfied that Chen Junnan wasn’t a threat, opened the basement door.
Only then did Chen Junnan realize he’d just crawled out of a grave next to “Paradise Port.”
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