Chapter 606: Eight People

Chen Junnan had no intention of baring his heart to the Mole, and naturally, the Mole reciprocated the sentiment.

He only told Chen Junnan that there were eight “Tianlong’s confidants” and pointed out the location of one of them—a “Monkey.”

The Mole informed Chen Junnan that whether he would reveal the remaining seven depended entirely on how Chen Junnan treated this “Monkey.”

With that, he turned off the radio, deliberately ending the conversation.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin were well aware that the place had its own “ears,” so they fell silent as well. After ten minutes of silence, Chen Junnan stood up.

He reached for a bright red peach on the table and handed it to Qiao Jiajin, then grabbed a handful of kumquats for himself.

“Thanks for the tunes, ya big rat,” he said nonchalantly, popping a kumquat into his mouth—skin and all—chewing a few times before adding, “If there’s nothing else, we’ll be off.”

“Leaving so soon, gentlemen?” The Mole flashed a fake smile. “I’ve got plenty of fruit here.”

“Nah, we’re good. See ya.”

Their faces grim, the two pushed open the door and left.

As they walked, they felt utterly directionless.

Outside, the black lines were retreating en masse, leaving behind only scattered, bloody remains.

They had no idea where to go now—let alone in the future.

“Jun-nan, you planning to find that ‘Monkey’?”

“Gonna check it out first,” Chen Junnan replied. “Something about this feels off.”

“What?”

“The number.” Chen Junnan paused, carefully avoiding certain keywords before continuing, “Why exactly *eight* ‘Zodiacs’?”

“What’s wrong with eight?”

Chen Junnan hesitated. “Just a wild thought—probably unrealistic, but it’s been bugging me…”

“Go on.”

“If we’re the *rebuilt* group…” Chen Junnan stopped and glanced back at the Mole’s room, “then where are the original eight who stood by Lao Qi?”

“Wha—?” Qiao Jiajin’s brow furrowed. “Damn… Jun-nan, that’s one sharp thought. You’re saying these eight…?”

“Which is why I wanna check.” Chen Junnan sighed. “Honestly, I’d rather find Lao Qi, but I’ve got no clue where he is. For now, I’ll just head to Di Hou’s place. Not planning to ‘gamble my life,’ just seeing if we can be friends.”

“Got it.” Qiao Jiajin nodded.

With their course set, the two munched on their sweet fruits as they made their way toward Di Hou’s game site.

—

Tian Tian sat curled in a corner, hugging her knees, her face resting gently against them as she watched the boy bandaging her wounds.

This boy, Xiao Cheng, was a bit odd. Despite being more severely injured himself, by the time Tian Tian arrived, he had already patched up Zheng Yingxiong and was only now tending to the ghastly wound on his own palm.

Fortunately, the small hideout had scraps of cloth and bandages, enough to stop the bleeding for both of them.

Zheng Yingxiong pulled a strangely shaped flatbread from his backpack, broke it in half, and handed a piece to Tian Tian.

“Here, sis. Eat.”

“Thanks, little bro.” She smiled, taking the bread and nibbling at it.

The texture was bizarre—coarse and grainy, as if made from large, hard peanuts.

After forcing down a few painful bites, Tian Tian suddenly turned to Zheng Yingxiong. “Hey, earlier you said my ability is called ‘Craft.’ Do you know how it works?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I only know the name, not what it does.”

Tian Tian noticed something strange: Zheng Yingxiong was holding the other half of the broken bread, neither eating it nor putting it away.

“Little bro, is your ability just identifying others’ ‘Echoes’?” she asked. “Like those display screens outside?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Everyone’s ‘Echo’ name is fixed. Whether it’s a sound or a scent, the name stays the same.”

Tian Tian nodded, though she only half-understood.

By now, Xiao Cheng had finished bandaging his hand. The process had taken a while, and he looked pale from blood loss.

Zheng Yingxiong glanced up at him and held out the remaining half of his bread.

“Here, bro. Eat.”

Both Tian Tian and Xiao Cheng froze at his words.

Xiao Cheng didn’t take it. Instead, he crouched beside Zheng Yingxiong. “Little bro… you’re not eating? You’ve been holding this bread, waiting for me?”

“Yeah.” Zheng Yingxiong nodded solemnly. “You two eat. I’m a ‘Hero.’ Heroes don’t need food.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?” Tian Tian couldn’t help but laugh. “Who told you ‘Heroes’ don’t eat?”

“My subjects.” He turned to her with utmost seriousness. “Since I’m a ‘Hero’ who saves people, I have to share my food. If it helps others, it’s fine if I starve—I’ll just come back with my memories next time.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Tian Tian frowned. “If you’re a ‘Hero,’ *they* should be feeding *you*, not the other way around!”

“Really?” He looked uncertain.

“Really, *really*.”

Smiling, Tian Tian broke her own piece into two smaller halves and handed one to Xiao Cheng. “See? Now we’ve both got some. You eat yours.”

“But—!” Zheng Yingxiong panicked. “Mine’s so big, yours are so small… That’s not—”

“Don’t pull a Kong Rong on us now.” Tian Tian ruffled his hair like a teacher. “Your stomach’s growling louder than anyone’s. No need to be polite—we’ll let it slide this time. Go on, eat.”

Zheng Yingxiong blinked, then looked down at the bread in his hands as if it were treasure. He nodded eagerly.

Xiao Cheng, still uneasy, whispered to Tian Tian, “Sis, are you sure you’ll be okay with just that?”

She stuck out her tongue and whispered back, “Xiao Cheng, this bread’s terrible. Help me finish it.”