Chapter 412: The One Who Surrenders

Upon hearing the question, Lin Qin silently furrowed her brow.

Yes, only “Participants” could be reborn—”Natives” and “Zodiacs” couldn’t.

So why was Xu Liunian, who had reverted from a “Native” back to a “Participant,” able to be reborn?

Had she become completely immortal?

Tian Tian couldn’t understand what the two were discussing and quietly walked to the side, picking up a can before forcefully opening it.

It was a canned fish, seemingly well-preserved. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed—the smell hadn’t spoiled.

Holding the can, she slowly approached the female clerk and placed it on the counter in front of her.

Qiao Yun turned her head, swallowing before asking, “Is… is this all you’re buying?”

“Yes,” Tian Tian nodded. “Just this. Let me pay.”

Qiao Yun froze for a long moment before reaching for the barcode scanner—only to find it completely broken.

“This… this one can’t be scanned…” Qiao Yun said dejectedly. “Could you pick something else?”

“Then consider it stolen.”

“What…?”

“I said I stole it,” Tian Tian murmured. “If it can’t be scanned, it’s fine. You can call the police later.”

“Huh…?” The clerk blinked. “You… you stole it?”

“Yeah.” Tian Tian nodded. “I stole this, but I’m giving it to you now.”

“To… me?”

“Right. Don’t worry—if the police come, they’ll only arrest me. I won’t rat you out.” Tian Tian smiled. “I stole it just for fun. I don’t even like eating it myself. But wasting food isn’t good, so I’m giving it to you.”

Qiao Yun was visibly stunned by her words.

“You… you’ll really get arrested for this.”

“It’s fine.” Tian Tian shook her head. “I’m already a regular at the police station. Getting caught doesn’t matter—just a bit of scolding, and they’ll let me out. Take it and eat it.”

Qiao Yun hesitated before slowly reaching out, cradling the old can in her hands.

The fish inside was submerged in a full bowl of broth, oily droplets floating on the surface. The aroma was rich and savory.

“Can… can I really eat this?” Qiao Yun asked, disbelieving.

“Of course.” Tian Tian nodded. “I stole it, not you. What are you afraid of?”

Watching this, Yun Yao sighed deeply. It seemed the cans Chu Tianqiu had previously sent had all been stolen by other visitors—this clerk hadn’t eaten a single one.

Unfortunately, the enforcers here wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters. For this mentally broken woman, she could only endure the losses over and over.

Under everyone’s gaze, Qiao Yun lifted a boneless piece of fish with her grimy fingers, staring at it for a long while before tremblingly bringing it to her mouth.

Within three seconds, she burst into tears, weeping uncontrollably.

Her expression was one of utter defeat.

No matter how formidable she might have been years ago—no matter how many “Participants” she had led against the “Heavenly Dragon”—today, she had lost to a single expired can of fish.

The onlookers felt a pang of sorrow at the sight.

What “Natives”… what “Zodiacs”…

She was just an ordinary person. All she wanted was to eat something, yet she had starved for so many years.

The moment the small piece of fish touched her tongue, Qiao Yun immediately began retching violently.

Years of malnutrition had caused her organs to deteriorate—no single can could fix that.

Yet no one could stop her. The girl named Qiao Yun kept eating, vomiting, then eating again.

She desperately wanted to keep the food down, but her body refused.

Just how physically resilient did one have to be to survive here?

“Thank you… thank you…” Qiao Yun sobbed between heaves. “I’m so grateful…”

Lin Qin’s expression darkened with sorrow. She turned and began opening every can on the shelf.

“Consider these all robbed by me,” she said. “They’re stored here now. Remember—only one a day. Otherwise, we’ll testify against you to the police.”

Qiao Yun nodded fervently, tears streaking her withered face.

“Thank you… so much…”

Her words dissolved into sobs, soon followed by more retching.

Everyone felt as if they were tossing a bucket of water onto a building already consumed by flames. Just how miraculous would that water have to be to extinguish the fire?

After a long silence, Yun Yao finally spoke. “Let’s split up.”

“Huh?” Lin Qin asked.

“Originally, I didn’t want to get involved with ‘Paradise Port’ anymore. But now, it seems Xu Liunian and Chu Tianqiu still have their secrets…” She turned to Lin Qin and Lawyer Zhang. “The three of us can’t go back. Could you two investigate for us?”

Zhang Chenze glanced at Lin Qin’s injured leg, then said after a moment’s thought, “You two stick together. I’ll go back alone.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah.” Zhang Chenze nodded. “I’ve said before—I won’t act recklessly without fully understanding a situation. But after these past few days, I’ve learned enough about this place. Leave the rest to me.”

“But Chu Tianqiu is cunning…” Yun Yao said. “Even if he doesn’t want to kill you, you won’t get any information out of him. It’s better if Lin Qin goes with you—she at least has years of memories.”

“No need.” Zhang Chenze shook her head. “As long as they can reason, I won’t lose.”

“Wait…?” Lin Qin felt Zhang Chenze’s aura had changed since their first meeting. Had she really been gathering intel all this time?

“Lin Qin’s leg is badly hurt. You should take her to get it treated first.” Zhang Chenze smiled. “Stay safe—I like you all. I like every strong, kind-hearted girl in this world. Leave the rest to me.”

To everyone, Zhang Chenze now seemed like a gentle, reliable older sister.

“Then… be careful out there.” Yun Yao said. “There’s been word of ‘Heavenly’ Zodiacs moving around lately—something that’s never happened before. In all my years here, I’ve never even seen a ‘Heavenly.’ I once thought they didn’t exist…”

“I understand.” Zhang Chenze nodded. “Draw me a map. I’ll find you later.”

Yun Yao found a scrap of paper in the store and quickly sketched a route from their location to Earth Snake’s game venue. After a few more instructions, she led the group away.

Zhang Chenze glanced back at Qiao Yun, who was still desperately eating, her heart heavy.

This girl reminded her of her past self—but she had arrived too late to help.

That man, Chu Tianqiu, seemed refined and gentle. Had he imprisoned this girl here, just like the Butcher Ma once did to her?

Zhang Chenze’s expression darkened. Then she stepped out of the convenience store and headed toward “Paradise Port.”