Chapter 297: The Unlikely Pair

Song Qi shook his head. “If you don’t want to talk, forget it. We’re just here to ask Chu Tianqiu a few things.”

Chen Junnan picked at his ear thoughtfully. “You brought so many people… just to ‘ask a few things’?”

“Exactly. This time, we *have* to get answers.” Song Qi nodded. “After all, ‘Paradise’ is also an organization of full-fledged ‘Echoers.’ We can’t afford to be careless.”

“Hey… Song—Little Song,” Chen Junnan said, stepping forward until he was face-to-face with Song Qi. “What kind of organization are you guys now?”

“We’re ‘The Cats.’ We’ve gathered a group of strong individuals who don’t want to leave—who actually want to stay in the ‘Endgame’ forever. We take real money to get things done.” Song Qi paused, then added, “No matter if it’s here or out there, dirty work or hard labor.”

“Damn…” Chen Junnan scratched his ear. “Your situation sounds kinda familiar to me.”

“You seem to have an ‘Echo’ too. Want to join ‘The Cats’ now?” Song Qi said. “Our leader, Qian Wu, would probably like you a lot.”

“Qian… Wu?” Chen Junnan seemed to recall something. “Little Bean? Moneybags?”

“You—!” Song Qi immediately rushed over. This guy had no filter—his words could easily shake Qian Wu’s standing in the group. He lowered his voice. “What nonsense are you spouting? ‘Little Bean’? How do you know Five’s real name?”

“Ah, I…” Chen Junnan chuckled sheepishly. “Forgot, forgot. Qian Wu, right? I just wanted to know if it was him. So it really *is* him…”

Seeing this, Song Qi whispered, “If you’re an old acquaintance of Five’s, you should go see him. He might even grant you the title ‘Twenty-Two.'”

“Chen Twenty-Two…?” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Sounds awful. Why would I give up being a handsome man to be some fool in your group?”

Song Qi sighed. “If you don’t have any intention of cooperating, then don’t block our way. We’re going to see Chu Tianqiu now.”

Realizing their target wasn’t Qi Xia or Qiao Jiajin, Chen Junnan no longer worried. He stepped aside, revealing the door.

Without hesitation, Song Qi pushed it open and walked in, followed closely by the rest of “The Cats.”

At the same time, Zhang Shan and Yun Yao, leading over a dozen people, emerged from the school building and strode fiercely onto the field.

The two groups faced each other at the center of the field. After a moment, Song Qi and Zhang Shan stepped forward.

Song Qi vaguely remembered this man—last time, it had taken considerable effort just to kill him.

“Brother, state your name,” Song Qi said.

“Zhang Shan of ‘Paradise.'”

“Pleasure. I’m Song Qi of ‘The Cats.'” Song Qi replied. “I want to see Chu Tianqiu.”

“That’s not how this works.” Zhang Shan eyed the sea of black-clad figures. “Song Qi, are you the leader of ‘The Cats’?”

“No.” Song Qi shook his head. “Our leader is Qian Wu.”

“Leader’s ‘Five’… and you’re ‘Seven’?” Zhang Shan smirked. “Damn, there’s a ‘Six’ between you two. So you’re the third-in-command?”

“Yes.” Song Qi nodded.

“You’re third-in-command, so am I.” Zhang Shan grinned. “If there’s something to discuss, we can talk—equal standing. A third-in-command demanding to see the other side’s leader outright isn’t proper etiquette.”

“You’re also third-in-command…?” Song Qi narrowed his eyes at Yun Yao behind Zhang Shan, thought for a moment, then nodded. “My apologies. But I don’t think our positions are equal. If Five wanted to kill Chu Tianqiu, he could do it with a flick of his finger.”

“Some generals excel in combat, others in strategy…” Zhang Shan gave Song Qi a meaningful look. “Saying something like that—are you trying to provoke us?”

After just a few exchanges, Song Qi could already sense the extraordinary presence of this man. His aggressive demeanor made it seem like he *was* the leader.

A strange thought had been circling in Song Qi’s mind: *”Paradise” isn’t weak. So why, when “The Cats” launched a full-scale attack last time, were there so few “Echoers” fighting back? What went wrong? Was their primary goal not to obtain “Echoes”?*

What’s more, the one who hired “The Cats” to slaughter them wasn’t an outsider—it was their own leader, Chu Tianqiu.

“I’m not trying to provoke anyone,” Song Qi said. “We’re just looking for someone… and the one behind all this should know the truth best.”

As the two stood at an impasse, the crowd on “Paradise’s” side gradually parted, making way for a slender figure—Chu Tianqiu himself.

With a refined smile, he walked up to Song Qi and stopped. Under the morning sun, amid the stench-laden breeze, the two locked eyes for several seconds.

“‘The Cats’…” Chu Tianqiu spoke first. “What’s the matter?”

“Chu Tianqiu, we have questions for you. Can we talk somewhere private?” Song Qi asked.

Chu Tianqiu chuckled softly. “Of course. Follow me—let’s find a place to sit and talk.”

Song Qi nodded, gave a few instructions to his team, and they all sat down where they stood.

“The rest of you, disperse as well,” Chu Tianqiu waved. “We’re among friends here. No need for tension.”

The members of “Paradise” exchanged glances before slowly scattering.

Yun Yao scanned the area and noticed Chen Junnan doing morning exercises by the school gate. After a moment’s thought, she broke away from the crowd and approached him.

Just as Chen Junnan was about to leave, a woman’s voice called out from behind.

“Wait a second…”

He turned—it was Yun Yao.

“What’s up, superstar?” Chen Junnan scratched the back of his head. “Remember Andy Lau’s phone number now?”

Yun Yao hesitated, then asked, “Why are you looking for Earth Snake?”

“Because I wanna give my brain a workout,” Chen Junnan said. “Got any pointers?”

“Are you collecting strategies to help Qi Xia?” she pressed.

“Not exactly, but close enough.” He nodded. “I also wanna see what kind of freak Earth Snake is these days.”

“I’ll go with you,” Yun Yao declared.

“Wha—? No way.” Chen Junnan blinked. “With a face like yours, walking into Earth Snake’s territory is like throwing a lamb to wolves. Stay put.”

“So you *do* know what Earth Snake’s like.” Yun Yao countered. “If a guy like you goes, how’s he supposed to ‘open up’ to you?”

Chen Junnan mulled it over, then nodded. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee you’ll survive.”

“It’s fine. For the end goal, I’ll die many times anyway.” Her expression was resolute.

“What about the mess over there?” Chen Junnan jerked his chin toward the field.

“Not my problem.” Yun Yao sighed. “No matter what Chu Tianqiu’s goal is, ‘Paradise’ has already changed for the worse.”