When Zhang Chenze stepped out of “Paradise,” she felt her mind was even more chaotic than when she had arrived.
Wen Qiaoyun, Chu Tianqiu, Xu Liunian.
Three people who had never existed in her memory now completely occupied her thoughts.
Before parting, Xu Liunian had described Wen Qiaoyun’s appearance to Zhang Chenze in detail. By now, even Zhang Chenze herself—let alone Qi Xia—was convinced that Wen Qiaoyun was still active in the “Land of the End.”
“I must be insane…” Zhang Chenze stood outside the empty gates of “Paradise,” staring blankly at the sky. “Is this really not a dream?”
Nearby, Old Lü and Aunt Tong exchanged glances, sensing that the girl who had just walked out was a completely different person from the one who had entered earlier. Yet, they had no idea what had happened.
Just then, a strange black suit flew past in midair.
The women’s suit fluttered its sleeves and hem, twitching in front of the three before flying off into the distance again.
Zhang Chenze slowly cracked a bitter smile and turned to the two middle-aged individuals. “Big bro, big sis… do you think we’ve gone mad?”
“Mad? What do you mean?” Old Lü scratched his head, pointing in the direction the suit had flown. “Silly girl, this place is full of stuff we can’t make sense of. Don’t let it get to you.”
“That’s right, child,” Aunt Tong nodded. “This place exists to drive us insane. But you must hold onto yourself. Allah, the Lord, Guanyin, and Buddha will all protect you. We’ll be fine. Amen.”
Zhang Chenze slowly raised a hand to her forehead. Their words of comfort didn’t make her feel any better—if anything, she felt even more exhausted. Being human… losing one’s sanity could happen in an instant.
“I understand. Thank you.”
She shook her head and walked off down the street. Right now, the most urgent matter was to relay Xu Liunian’s plan to Yun Yao and the others. After all, her own understanding of the “Land of the End” was limited, and having a few extra minds to brainstorm was invaluable.
“Nuwa…” Zhang Chenze narrowed her eyes, recalling Xu Liunian’s words. It still felt too difficult to grasp.
……
Chen Junnan and Song Qi stood in a room surrounded by doors on all four sides, awkwardly staring at an unusually muscular rabbit.
The Earth Rabbit, meanwhile, scratched its head, looking just as uncomfortable as they were.
“I’m seriously done with this…” Chen Junnan sighed. “Care to explain? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I…” The Earth Rabbit hesitated. “I’m looking for the ‘starting point’ of this game.”
“Then look for it!” Chen Junnan raised his voice. “Where is it? Tell me where the ‘starting point’ is! We’ve been wandering around these rooms for ages!”
“Uh…” The Earth Rabbit sheepishly tried to calm them down. “Everyone, just relax. I took a few turns earlier and… well, now I’m kinda lost.”
Behind Chen Junnan and Song Qi, a bizarrely dressed child—about twelve or thirteen—squatted on the ground, hugging his knees as he watched the commotion with disinterest.
The kid had a neat bowl cut, with a thin, short braid at the back of his head. He wore an old-fashioned dark blue robe, oddly paired with a leather vest over it.
His eyes were dull, radiating complete apathy.
“Ah…” The bowl-cut kid yawned. “I’m getting sleepy.”
“Hold on, Lao Shi,” Song Qi turned and waved. “Seems like this rabbit’s a newbie too—getting lost in his own game area.”
The kid called Lao Shi pointed at the door in front of them. “Seventh Brother, didn’t you say earlier that there are four rooms in a row and four columns in total? Meaning if we open three doors in one direction, we should reach the edge. Did I misunderstand something?”
The Earth Rabbit looked at the kid awkwardly. “Well… that was the idea. But I locked most of the doors to make the place seem more complicated. Now we can’t just go straight.”
Lao Shi stood up, walked forward, and knocked on the door. He then gave the Earth Rabbit a look of utter disappointment. “Are you stupid?”
Hearing the word “stupid,” Chen Junnan immediately took a liking to the kid. “I’ve been wanting to curse at him too! Not bad, kid!”
“You’re stupid too,” the bowl-cut kid shook his head. “You didn’t even ask about the rules before bringing us in. What if something goes wrong?”
“Eh,” Chen Junnan smirked, walking over and slinging an arm around the kid’s shoulders. “With the five of you backing me up, how bad can it get? Besides, my car always finds a way—even if there isn’t one, I’ll ram through and make one.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the kid replied half-heartedly. “You’re so amazing.”
“Cheer up, man!!” Chen Junnan felt like the kid was way too lethargic—just looking at him made him exhausted. “Get hyped! Why do you look like you’re about to die?”
“Ah… leave me alone…” The kid shook his head. “I’m just really tired…”
Seeing the kid’s perpetual lack of energy, Chen Junnan stood up and nudged Song Qi. “What’s the deal, Xiao Song? Who’s this kid?”
“Jiang Shi, the ‘Undying,’” Song Qi said. “Lao Shi is one of our ‘Cat’ combat team’s core members. Back when we took down ‘A-Jin from Bolan Street’ multiple times, he played a crucial role.”
“Huh?” That stunned Chen Junnan. “Who? This kid killed Old Qiao?”
“It’s a long story,” Song Qi sighed. “You’ll get to see everyone’s abilities in this game. I think you’ll have a whole new perspective on ‘Cat.’”
“Not exactly a ‘new perspective,’” Chen Junnan said. “I trust any organization founded by Xiao Qian wouldn’t be weak. I know him too well.”
“Aah…” Jiang Shi yawned, his eyes watery as he glanced at Song Qi. “Seventh Brother… can you guys keep searching? I’ll just… nap for a bit?”
“Don’t!” A burly man with a thick beard stepped forward, speaking respectfully. “Tenth Brother, if you fall asleep now, we’ll never wake you up…”
“Yeah, Tenth Brother!” Another man in his forties or fifties rushed to hold Jiang Shi’s arms. “You gotta stay strong! What if something happens and you’re asleep?”
“Aah…” Jiang Shi wiped his tears and nodded half-heartedly.
Chen Junnan found the scene slightly surreal—a bearded brute and a middle-aged man calling a kid “brother” with such reverence.
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