Yun Yao could only feel her legs trembling uncontrollably from sheer exhaustion. Although she had undergone more training than the average person, carrying a man over such a long distance was still pushing her limits.
Xu Qian and Yan Zhichun had accompanied her to the entrance of “Paradise Gate.”
Today, the guards were Old Lü and Little Glasses. The moment they spotted Yun Yao, they were instantly startled. Covered in blood, she was carrying a crimson-drenched man on her back—judging by the amount of blood, he was unlikely to survive.
“Yun Yao, what happened?” Old Lü asked with concern.
“I’m fine. It’s not me who’s hurt—it’s Chen Junnan!” Yun Yao shouted urgently. “Go get a doctor! Hurry and prepare something to stop the bleeding!”
Old Lü immediately turned and dashed into the school building, while the frail Little Glasses stepped forward to examine the man on Yun Yao’s back.
After a brief moment, he shook his head. The man’s condition was dire.
“Yun Yao, there’s no point in trying to save him,” Little Glasses said regretfully. “Even if you stop the bleeding, he won’t recover in whatever time he has left. You’d only be prolonging his suffering. It’s better to let him go peacefully.”
Yun Yao’s gaze turned icy as she replied slowly, “How much pain he’s in doesn’t concern me. But I absolutely cannot let this man die. He gambled his life against Earth Snake—I need him to prove to everyone that it’s possible to survive after defeating a Zodiac of the Earth rank.”
Little Glasses was taken aback. He could sense a disturbing fixation in Yun Yao’s demeanor.
“You’re saying he gambled against an Earth-level Zodiac… and won?”
“That’s right. What Chu Tianqiu couldn’t accomplish for us all these years, he did.” Yun Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead and then shook the severed head of Earth Snake in her hand. “You can tell whose head this is, can’t you?”
Little Glasses narrowed his eyes and examined it. Of course, he recognized it as the head of an Earth-level Zodiac. But just who was this man, Chen Junnan?
How had he managed such a feat?
Xu Qian looked up at the school, realizing that this organization was far larger than they had imagined.
Yan Zhichun, standing nearby, murmured under her breath, “‘Paradise Gate’…”
“I’m back!” Old Lü returned with two young men, carrying a long bench between them. “Quick! Lay him down! I just asked—there’s a Dr. Zhao here right now. He might be able to help!”
With Xu Qian’s assistance, Yun Yao helped lower Chen Junnan onto the bench, and the group hurriedly carried him toward Dr. Zhao’s room.
The jostling seemed to rouse Chen Junnan slightly—his eyelids fluttered weakly, his pupils unfocused. It took him a long moment before he blinked slowly and stared up at the dark red sky.
“Hold on…” he gasped weakly. “Wait a second…”
“What?” Old Lü asked anxiously. “Kid, you’re hanging by a thread! Don’t talk.”
“I said wait…” Chen Junnan mustered the strength to grab Old Lü’s sleeve. “Bro, make ’em stop…”
“What for?” Old Lü frowned. “You tryin’ to die or somethin’?”
“I gotta piss…” Chen Junnan gave a pained smirk. “There’s ladies around. Not exactly proper…”
“You’re in this state and still worried about pissing?!” Old Lü cursed. “Just wet yourself, you idiot!”
“Nah…” Chen Junnan strained to sit up, putting more effort into his grip. “Look, man, I know you’re a good guy, but just let me take a leak first…”
“Tch… you stubborn brat…” Old Lü sighed in resignation and signaled for the two young men to stop. He turned to the women. “Uh… you three might wanna step back. Kid insists on relieving himself…”
The three women halted, watching as Chen Junnan—drenched in blood—staggered to his feet and stumbled away unsteadily.
“Kid, let me help you…” Old Lü reached out to steady him, but Chen Junnan shook him off.
“Nah, bro. This ain’t somethin’ I need help with.”
With a weak wave, Chen Junnan slowly shuffled toward a pile of rotting corpses on the playground.
Yun Yao shook her head and bent down to massage her sore legs. The toll of her “Lucky Streak” had already ended with the earlier tolling of the bell. But now that they were within “Paradise Gate’s” territory, she doubted Yan Zhichun would try anything reckless.
“Hey…” Yan Zhichun smirked at Yun Yao. “He’s going off to piss—aren’t you gonna follow him?”
Yun Yao looked up, brow furrowed. “Is that necessary?”
“Isn’t he important to you?” Yan Zhichun pressed. “After that speech of yours, I thought you were smart. Didn’t expect you to be this careless.”
“What…?”
Yun Yao blinked, processing Yan Zhichun’s words, then whipped her head toward Chen Junnan. He had reached the pile of corpses and was leaning against Qiao Jiajin’s body for support. Slowly, he picked up a rock from the ground.
“Oh no—”
Just as Chen Junnan raised the rock to smash his own skull, Yun Yao lunged forward and seized his wrist.
“Hey! Chen Junnan!” she yelled. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Huh…?” Chen Junnan turned to her, dazed. “What’s it look like, superstar? Move aside… I wanna die…”
“You can’t!” Yun Yao wrenched the rock from his grip and hurled it away. “You barely survived Earth Snake’s game! How can you throw that away so easily?!”
“You…” Chen Junnan exhaled shakily, bending over with his hands on his knees as he struggled to breathe. “Superstar… you’re really makin’ this hard for me… I just wanted to die quietly… somewhere alone…”
His voice faded to a whisper, barely audible.
“I’m not bothering anyone, am I?” His words trembled. “I’m in agony… I don’t wanna live another minute. Just let me die next to my brother…”
“You—you can’t,” Yun Yao insisted stubbornly.
“Please…” Chen Junnan’s lips barely moved. “Let me go… please…”
Yun Yao’s eyes softened with sorrow, but her grip on his arm didn’t loosen. “Chen Junnan… I know you’re suffering. But I’m sorry—I really can’t let you die.”
“Not listenin’, huh…?” Chen Junnan’s gaze dulled. “Ran into another tyrant, didn’t I…”
“Old Lü!” Yun Yao shouted coldly, still staring at Chen Junnan. “He’s done. Take him to stop the bleeding.”
“Ah—got it!”
Old Lü and the two young men rushed over, lifting Chen Junnan back onto the bench before carrying him toward the school building.
As Yun Yao stood frozen in place, Yan Zhichun stepped closer.
“Well? You’ve brought us all the way here. Aren’t you going to invite us in?”
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