Chapter 801: The Supporter

“What…?” Yun Yao was slightly taken aback.

“I want to go see for myself,” Zheng Yingxiong said again. “We’ll be meeting their people soon, right?”

“Little Yingxiong… What if… I mean, what if… his intentions aren’t what you imagine? What then?”

Zheng Yingxiong slowly raised the note in his hand, his expression serious. “He didn’t have to tell me this, but he did. If these words could be spoken so easily, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to convey them. I believe he took a great risk to pass this message to me.”

This was the first time the group had heard Zheng Yingxiong speak so much, and they simply stared at him in silence.

“Moreover, this note never once mentions himself,” Zheng Yingxiong continued. “It’s hard for me to believe he’d wait in this dark alley just to harm me, ultimately delivering this message to kill me.”

Zheng Yingxiong remembered Gu Yu once saying he had two paths before him: one was to return to “Jade City” to help himself and Li Siwei escape, and the other was to go to “Dao City” and become a Zodiac.

But now it seemed his words hadn’t been entirely truthful. At the time, Gu Yu had actually faced three choices.

Besides becoming a Zodiac in “Dao City,” he could also have become a “Jidao” here.

After struggling with the decision for a long time, he ultimately chose to become a Zodiac. After all, Gu Yu, hailing from “Jade City,” had a deeper impression of the Zodiacs. He had witnessed countless times how Earth-level Zodiacs slaughtered participants—participants who didn’t even have a chance to fight back.

Gu Yu’s reasoning wouldn’t have been too different from Zheng Yingxiong’s, given their similar experiences. They believed that wherever there were people, there would be conflict. Thus, their distrust wasn’t just aimed at “Jidao,” but at all organizations.

All these preconditions made it perfectly reasonable that Gu Yu hadn’t chosen to become a “Jidao.”

This was the first time Zheng Yingxiong didn’t have to consider anyone else’s feelings and could rely solely on his own thoughts to reason things out. He felt his deduction was very close to the truth.

And now, having become a Zodiac, Gu Yu realized this path was a dead end and pointed Zheng Yingxiong toward the road he himself hadn’t taken back then.

From this perspective, Zheng Yingxiong found it hard to detect any malice in the note.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Yun Yao said. “Little one, some ‘Jidao’ might kill to disrupt other organizations from collecting ‘Dao.’ No matter how you look at it, this group doesn’t seem like a decent organization. I’d advise you to join ‘Paradise Port’ instead. Many strong players are gathering there now. Even though I’m no longer part of it, ‘Paradise Port’ clearly has the upper hand.”

“Yun Yao…” Lawyer Zhang interrupted her. “Let him make his own choice.”

“What…?”

“It’s not fair to use the information you have to predict what others might do in the future,” Lawyer Zhang said. “He should have the right to choose for himself. Even though he looks under ten, he’s likely retained memories for a long time. He should be responsible for his own actions.”

A flicker of sadness crossed Yun Yao’s face. She turned to look at Tiantian.

“Tiantian, do you think so too?”

“Yes,” Tiantian nodded. “None of us can choose where we come from, but we can choose where we go. I respect Little Yingxiong’s decision.”

“Even if you might become enemies in the future?” Yun Yao asked, her gaze sorrowful.

“That won’t happen,” Tiantian said. “I firmly believe everyone here is striving for the same goal. Though our paths may differ, our destination is the same.”

Yun Yao sighed and nodded. “I just hope all the ‘participants’ here can stay safe and free from suffering. Each of us has endured enough hardship, yet the Zodiacs and ‘Jidao’ keep meddling… I truly grieve for all the teammates we’ve lost.”

Tiantian didn’t know how to console Yun Yao, so she simply squeezed her hand.

“Things are getting better,” Lawyer Zhang said. “We’ll be meeting Wen Qiaoyun soon, and then we’ll have our answers, right?”

“Yes, I hope so.” Yun Yao turned back to Zheng Yingxiong and said softly, “Little Yingxiong, I was wrong. You should make your own choice.”

“Thank you, Sister,” Zheng Yingxiong replied. “Don’t worry—even if I become a ‘Jidao,’ I won’t become someone else.”

“Mm.”

The four of them steeled themselves and set off again. After trudging through the sticky mud for over half an hour, their footprints now stained red, they spotted several figures emerging from a distant street corner.

First came Lin Qin and a woman they’d never seen before, followed by Yan Zhichun and Jiang Ruoxue.

“Great,” Yun Yao said. “They’re all together. We’ve achieved all our goals in one go.”

“Ah! Xiao Yao!” Jiang Ruoxue waved enthusiastically from afar, as if greeting a long-lost friend.

But Yun Yao’s expression remained cold, clearly harboring resentment toward her.

The two groups slowly moved closer until they stood face to face.

“Lin Qin!” Lawyer Zhang and Tiantian spoke first.

“It’s so good to see you,” Lin Qin said with a smile. “You’re all okay?”

“You’re asking *us*?” Lawyer Zhang pulled Lin Qin aside, examining her with concern. “This is really unbelievable. You were right in front of me… Ah, never mind. I’m just glad you’re back.”

After exchanging a few words with Lawyer Zhang and Tiantian, Lin Qin turned to Zheng Yingxiong, whom she’d only met once, and patted his head.

“Why did you bring this child with you?”

“It’s a long story. This child wants to join ‘Jidao,'” Yun Yao said. “As for us… we’re here to welcome Wen Qiaoyun back.”

Those two brief statements made the four opposite them frown, as if each sentence was entirely unexpected.

After speaking, Yun Yao turned to the unfamiliar woman and asked, “You must be Wen Qiaoyun, right?”

“And you are…?” Wen Qiaoyun countered.

“We’re your ‘supporters,'” Yun Yao replied. “Right now, we need your strength to help us find a way to escape this place.”

“Supporters…?” Wen Qiaoyun scrutinized the group warily, an odd feeling nagging at her.

None of them seemed like bad people, yet they were clearly fixated on her.

“Yes, we came here to take you back with us,” Yun Yao said. “I know it’ll be hard for you to trust us immediately, but I hope you’ll give us a chance to work together.”

Wen Qiaoyun studied the girl in front of her again. She was strikingly beautiful, with a face as delicate as a star’s, which eased her wariness somewhat.

“Alright,” she said after a moment’s thought. “Even if you hadn’t asked, I was planning to go see for myself. I’m far too curious about all of you.”

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