Chapter 295: Hero

When Qi Xia and Chen Junnan returned to the classroom, they didn’t expect Qin Dingdong to follow them in.

It seemed like more and more people were staying in this classroom.

Everyone stood up to greet Qin Dingdong.

“Ah…” Qin Dingdong immediately spotted Lin Qin. “You…”

“That’s right, it’s me,” Lin Qin nodded. “Long time no see.”

Qin Dingdong then glanced around and noticed that most of the people here were Qi Xia’s teammates from seven years ago. However, there was also a short-haired girl who didn’t seem like she belonged here.

“You…” Qin Dingdong froze when she saw the unfamiliar face and immediately rushed forward. “Xiao Shan?”

“Who are you?” Su Shan looked at Qin Dingdong curiously, the atmosphere between them turning slightly strange.

“It really is you!!” Qin Dingdong exclaimed excitedly. “Last time I lost you, I thought I’d never see you again in this vast world!”

“Did we know each other before?” Su Shan asked, puzzled.

“Of course, of course,” Qin Dingdong nodded. “We were best friends back then!”

“Huh…? Really?” Su Shan blinked her bright eyes. “Best friends?”

Qi Xia couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. Su Shan was a police officer, while Qin Dingdong was a con artist. Even if they had met before, what were the chances they were actually “best friends”?

“It’s getting late,” Qi Xia interjected. “Let’s all rest early. Tomorrow, same as today, we’ll go out separately to search for the ‘Path.'”

“Really? Then I want to team up with Xiao Shan tomorrow!” Qin Dingdong affectionately linked arms with Su Shan, making the latter visibly uncomfortable.

The group dispersed, arranging desks and chairs into makeshift beds before settling down to rest.

Qi Xia dragged a chair over to the door, stretching his limbs slightly. But as he lowered his head, he suddenly noticed a strange, short shadow beside him.

The shadow seemed to be cast from the hallway.

He turned his head and saw a peculiar boy standing at the classroom door.

The boy looked about twelve or thirteen, even younger than Jin Yuanxun.

He wore a plain T-shirt and shorts, but oddly enough, he had draped a tattered bedsheet over his shoulders like a cape, and on his head sat a makeshift crown folded from old newspaper.

The boy took a step forward, curiously scanning the room before raising his hand.

Qi Xia noticed he was holding a short sword made of folded newspaper.

Everyone had now noticed the strange child and turned their attention to him.

“Who are you…?” Qiao Jiajin asked.

“I am… a hero,” the boy declared solemnly.

“A hero…?” The group exchanged confused glances.

Qi Xia remained silent, coldly observing the boy. To him, “Paradise” was merely a safe place to stay, and he didn’t fully trust anyone there.

“Are there any monsters here?” the boy asked.

Lin Qin seemed to understand his intent. “That outfit… Are you playing a monster-hunting game? And you’re the ‘hero’?”

“I’m not *playing* a monster-hunting game. I’m *actually* hunting monsters,” the boy replied firmly. “And I’m not *pretending* to be a hero—I *am* a hero.”

Lin Qin couldn’t help but chuckle. “But there are no monsters here. What will you do, little ‘hero’? Won’t your skills go to waste?”

“You’re civilians, right?” The boy tucked his newspaper sword into his loose belt. “If there are no monsters, I can protect the civilians.”

“How will you protect us?” Lin Qin crouched in front of him, smiling. “Little hero, are we in danger right now?”

“Yes!” The boy nodded vigorously. “There’s a very powerful monster, and it might be hiding among the civilians. I need to find it!”

The group exchanged glances, unsure how to react to this elaborate make-believe game.

“Middle school syndrome, huh?” Chen Junnan scratched his ear. “Kid, we’re fine here. Try the next room—I feel like there’s a strong *yokai* presence there. Go interrogate them one by one.”

“Really?” The boy looked toward the hallway. “You think the monster’s next door?”

After a moment of thought, he helped Lin Qin up with exaggerated gallantry. “Noble lady, please rise. Worry not—as a ‘hero,’ I shall resolve your troubles.”

Lin Qin found it amusing but stood up anyway. “Then thank you, ‘hero.'”

The boy flicked his makeshift cape and was about to leave when Qi Xia called out to him.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“What does the ‘monster’ look like?”

The boy adjusted his newspaper crown. “Like I said, it looks just like a civilian now, so it’s hard to find.”

“Then how do you plan to find it?” Qi Xia asked. “By going room to room asking, ‘Any monsters here?'”

“Well…” The boy hesitated. “I don’t really have a better plan. The ‘monster’ is very cunning.”

Hearing this, Qi Xia studied the boy more carefully.

Was he from “Paradise”?

By now, Qi Xia had met almost every named member of “Paradise,” yet this boy was completely unfamiliar.

If he *was* from “Paradise,” his eccentric behavior suggested an unshakable “conviction”—meaning he likely possessed a powerful “Echo.”

So why hadn’t he appeared in the last battle?

Was he a new recruit?

And if so, what was this “monster” he spoke of?

A dark thought crossed Qi Xia’s mind: *Was he searching for a hidden Celestial-level Zodiac among them?*

“Kid,” Qi Xia said, “what’s your ‘Echo’?”

The boy sniffed. “I… can smell its stench.”

“Stench…?” Qi Xia nodded. “So you can smell ‘Zodiacs’?”

“Not just ‘Zodiacs,'” the boy replied. “I can also smell the stench of ‘Echoes.'”

The word “smell” struck Qi Xia as odd.

“What do you mean by the ‘stench of Echoes’?” Qi Xia frowned. “Can you literally *smell* someone’s ‘Echo’?”

“Yes, exactly,” the boy affirmed. “I’m a very powerful ‘hero.'”

Before Qi Xia could respond, the boy suddenly spun toward the hallway.

“I—I think I smell it!!”

With a shout, he drew his newspaper sword and dashed down the corridor, vanishing into the darkness.

The room fell into stunned silence, leaving everyone baffled—except Qi Xia, who stroked his chin in thought.

“I smell ‘Echoes’…?”