“Are you relying on ‘luck’ to find someone?” Yun Yao smiled at that moment.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong looked at her, unsure what she meant.
“Little brother, if your ‘luck’ isn’t good enough, you can borrow mine,” Yun Yao said with a laugh. “Let’s set out together tomorrow morning to find the person you’re looking for.”
“Really…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned.
“Really,” Yun Yao nodded. “Though my ‘luck’ hasn’t arrived yet—I’ll try harder tonight.”
“Is that your… your ‘Echo’?” Zheng Yingxiong asked again.
“Yes, big sister’s ‘Echo’ carries strong ‘luck,'” Yun Yao replied. “Tomorrow morning before we leave, we can toss branches to decide the direction. There’s a good chance we’ll find the person you’re looking for.”
“Toss branches…” Zheng Yingxiong scratched his head. “But sister, don’t you need to find someone too? Wouldn’t the direction the branches point lead to the person *you* want to find?”
“Not necessarily,” Yun Yao said. “It depends on whether my ‘luck’ favors you or me.”
Zheng Yingxiong nodded, though he didn’t fully understand.
Since arriving in “Dao City,” he had encountered many strange “fragrances.”
Some people’s abilities might seem useless at first glance, yet in their hands, they could produce endlessly varied effects.
He was beginning to realize that humans were creatures who needed tempering.
The only way “Dao City” surpassed “Jade City” was in its people’s freedom.
Here, they were unshackled by any authority, free to explore whatever they wished. Though their understanding of the “Land of the End” was less unified than in “Jade City,” and though they faced the constant threat of death, they grew stronger under the weight of that looming danger.
Zheng Yingxiong could smell a unique scent on everyone standing in the schoolyard today.
Though not exactly “battle-hardened,” they were seasoned enough.
More importantly, each of them had the right to choose, and the air around them was filled with the scent of “freedom.”
“Hero, little brother.”
Tian Tian’s soft voice snapped Zheng Yingxiong out of his thoughts.
“What is it, Sister Tian Tian?”
“Why don’t you just tell us who you’re looking for?” she suggested. “It’s dangerous outside, and with corpses everywhere, it’s better if you stay here and rest.”
“It’s okay, sister,” Zheng Yingxiong replied. “I want to go with you. I want to protect you.”
“Hah,” Tian Tian chuckled helplessly, pinching his cheek. “Do you remember me telling you I have a little brother about your age?”
Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “I remember. And I told you I know a sister about your age too.”
“Then you might not understand how older sisters think. How could we let our little brothers take risks to protect us?”
“I—”
Zheng Yingxiong often caught himself mistaking her for someone else.
But people this kind rarely fared well here. If he wanted to convince her, he had no choice but to be “selfish” one more time.
“Sister, please let me come,” he pleaded softly. “Just this once… I’ll never do it again.”
“Huh?” Tian Tian was amused. “Why are you making it sound so serious? If you’re not afraid, you can come. What’s this about ‘never again’?”
Yun Yao and Li Xiangling smiled nearby, while Zhang Chenze shook her head helplessly.
To them, even the way this child acted spoiled was odd.
Tian Tian pulled Zheng Yingxiong to sit beside her and asked, “Tell us, who is this person you’re looking for?”
“A brother who was very kind to me,” he answered. “He saved my life many times and helped me when I was in danger. But we got separated, and I want to know if he’s doing okay.”
“Hmm?” Tian Tian blinked. “I’m a little confused, Hero. Didn’t you come from another city?”
At this, Yun Yao, Zhang Chenze, and Li Xiangling all looked puzzled.
“Yes.”
“So we’re going to another city to find him?”
“No. He came here… and might have even…” Zheng Yingxiong hesitated, then continued, “He might have succeeded in staying here.”
“What?” Yun Yao was taken aback. “Someone from another city staying here…? How?”
“This…”
Zheng Yingxiong thought for a long moment but ultimately shook his head. “I can’t say. If he really did it and succeeded, telling you might put him in danger.”
“Is that so?”
Though the girls didn’t fully understand, seeing how insistent he was, they dropped the subject.
Tian Tian then suggested Zheng Yingxiong stay the night, and he agreed.
As night deepened, the voices in the rooms gradually softened with the darkness.
Those by the window noticed that even after nightfall, small groups of exhausted people still trickled into “Paradise’s Gate.”
Though the schoolyard was littered with corpses and the entrance unguarded, to many, this crumbling school remained the haven that had once given them hope.
In desperate times, they turned to “Paradise’s Gate,” never imagining the day when even “Paradise’s Gate” would find itself at a dead end.
Qi Xia listened as Chen Jun’nan and Qiao Jiajin’s snores gradually filled the room, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Once the streets were clearly devoid of “participants,” faint rustling sounds would rise like a tide from all directions. It seemed this place had truly become a complete “industry chain.”
Some were responsible for producing “chips,” others for earning them, and still others for transporting them.
A delicate balance had formed between the managers and the participants.
The only regret was that no new members could join—and no one could ever resign.
As Qi Xia pondered this, he heard a tapping at the window beside him.
He opened his eyes and scanned the pitch-black outside. Knowing that the only things active in the dead of night were the “ants,” he reached over, closed the window, and locked it.
Though those creatures weren’t aggressive, they were neither human nor insect. If they got inside, the group would be stuck—unable to kill or drive them away. They lacked reason and might possess the physical abilities of “Earth-level” beings, making them troublesome to deal with.
After locking the window, Qi Xia leaned back in his chair. With everything that had happened, he felt today had been more exhausting than the past several days combined.
**Tap-tap!**
The moment Qi Xia closed his eyes, the tapping came again.
**Tap-tap!**
He slowly opened his eyes and saw a pale hand rhythmically knocking on the glass.
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