Chapter 814: Unstoppable

“What’s going on?” Chen Junnan muttered under his breath. “Is this guy giving a lecture or something?”

Watching the “participants” thank Dishe one by one and leave with reluctant expressions, Chen Junnan felt his worldview nearly shatter.

Dishe saw off the sorrowful-looking “participants,” then tightened his grip on the rope in his hand and turned his gaze to the group before him.

His eyes swept past Qiao Jiajin, Chen Junnan, and Qin Dingdong before finally settling on Qi Xia’s face.

But to everyone’s surprise, his gaze lingered on Qi Xia for barely two seconds before shifting away, as if he had never known him.

“What brings you here?” Dishe asked. “Are you here for the game or the ‘Support Group’?”

“Support Group…?” Chen Junnan blinked in confusion.

“Forget I mentioned it,” Dishe said. “Here for the game, then? Give me a moment.”

He slowly stepped out of the shop, casually picked up a small stool by the door, and then walked toward a withered tree across the street, rope in hand.

The tree looked ancient, clearly long dead—its trunk covered in deep cracks, bark peeling in large patches, not a single leaf clinging to its branches.

The bare tree didn’t even rustle when the wind blew past.

Dishe stopped beneath the tree, gave the rope a firm tug, and—under everyone’s watchful eyes—flung one end over a thick branch.

After looping the rope around the branch, he let the other end fall back down, caught it, and tied it into a noose.

Then, he placed the small stool directly beneath the noose, stepped onto it, and gave the rope another testing pull.

“Eh?” Qiao Jiajin blinked, sensing something was off. “Swindler… what’s this guy planning to do?”

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, equally puzzled.

The actions themselves were clear, but for a “Land-Level Zodiac” to be doing this—that was something Qi Xia couldn’t comprehend.

But would Dishe even explain if they asked outright?

At that moment, both Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin instinctively turned their eyes toward Chen Junnan.

“Hmm…” Chen Junnan was staring blankly at Dishe, but soon noticed the weight of the other two’s gazes on him. “…Huh?”

He took a step back. “Wait… what? Me again? One of you’s socially awkward, the other’s brutally honest, and whenever there’s trouble, you just shove me forward?”

“Handsome Lad!” Qiao Jiajin threw an arm around Chen Junnan’s shoulders. “This is exactly the kind of situation where you shine! You’re way more approachable than us!”

Chen Junnan felt a pang of frustration. Sure, he didn’t mind chatting, but Dishe clearly wasn’t acting normal. He quickly turned to Qi Xia.

“Old Qi, you agree with this?”

Qi Xia nodded. “I have a few questions for him too. Seems like you’re the only one who can keep him engaged.”

“Guess I’m just doomed to deal with ‘snakes,’ huh?” Chen Junnan sighed. “The one time I try to stay quiet, you two rope me into this.”

“Come on, just go!” Qiao Jiajin gave him a light push. “If you don’t understand something, just ask me! Go, go!”

Seeing no way out, Chen Junnan rolled up his sleeves. “Fine, even if you hadn’t said anything, I’d have gone to ask. This old guy’s definitely not right in the head.”

Just as the mottled-white Dishe was about to slip his head into the noose, Chen Junnan stepped forward and called out, “Hey, hey, hey!”

Dishe paused, still gripping the rope, and glanced back. “Yes? Can I help you?”

“Uh… I’m kinda lost here,” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “What exactly are you doing? Practicing for the rings or something?”

“No. I’m hanging myself,” Dishe replied flatly. “Please step back.”

The sheer bluntness of the answer left all four of them even more bewildered.

“Uh…” Chen Junnan cautiously moved closer. “Look, man… this is just messed up. You hit a rough patch? Spill it, let us have a laugh—I mean, let us comfort you! Who the hell told you to just jump straight to hanging yourself?”

“No one told me to,” Dishe said, his expression bleak. “I’m just too sad. I want to hang myself.”

Qi Xia frowned deeply, sensing exactly what Chen Junnan had said—this was beyond absurd.

Was Dishe acting out like this because he had seen him?

But Qi Xia quickly dismissed that thought. Dishe had walked out of the room holding the rope—he hadn’t even seen Qi Xia yet. That meant he had planned this from the start.

Before meeting this snake, Qi Xia had assumed all “Zodiacs” valued their lives. Now, he couldn’t fathom why a “Zodiac” would attempt suicide in broad daylight.

And… what was this “Support Group”?

“Listen, buddy…” Chen Junnan said, exasperated. “Is this really non-negotiable? No chance to talk it out first?”

“We can talk, but I’m hanging myself first,” Dishe replied. “Would you mind stepping back?”

“If you hang yourself, there’s nothing left to talk about!” Chen Junnan grabbed Dishe’s arm, mustering his courage. “Can’t you hold off for a second? Let us ask a few questions first. After that, we’ll even help you hang if you want! Doing it alone’s gotta be exhausting!”

“Ask questions?” Dishe’s expression finally flickered. “Do you have a referrer?”

“A… referrer?” Chen Junnan shot a helpless look back at Qi Xia.

Qi Xia quickly ran through possibilities in his mind. He had found Dishe based on the map—was the so-called “referrer” Qinglong?

But to prove that, he’d have to show Dishe the map in its entirety, which didn’t seem wise.

Seeing no response, Dishe repeated, “Were you referred to the ‘Support Group’ by someone else?”

“Oh! Right!” Chen Junnan pretended to understand. “You mean the ‘Support Group’s’ referrer…? Ha, I thought you meant—”

“You look like you don’t have one. Goodbye.” Dishe immediately moved to slip his head into the noose.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Chen Junnan yanked him back. “Old Qi… I can’t talk to this guy. You gotta do something!”

Qi Xia stepped forward. “So no one gets into your ‘Support Group’ without a referral?”

Dishe turned back, studying Qi Xia’s eyes for a long moment before answering, “That’s right.”