“Not exactly.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Have you heard of ‘Paradise Gate’?”
Song Qi stared at Qi Xia, suddenly puzzled.
He had once slaughtered his way through “Paradise Gate,” yet he had never seen Qi Xia there.
After a moment of silence, Song Qi said, “Brother, don’t you think about moving somewhere else?”
“Moving?”
“Does ‘Paradise Gate’ really have a place for you?”
“So that’s what you mean.” Qi Xia shook his head again. “No, brother. Forget ‘Paradise Gate’—I feel like the entire ‘Land of the End’ can’t contain me.”
“Haha!” Song Qi laughed. “I thought so too.”
With that, he waved his hand behind him, and another man in a leather jacket approached.
The man had a long braid, making his hair appear lengthy.
“Seventh Brother,” the man called.
“Stay here and protect this brother of mine. If anyone tries to harm him, kill them on the spot.”
“Understood.” The long-haired man nodded.
Song Qi turned back to Qi Xia. “I’ll make a quick trip to ‘Paradise Gate’ and be right back. My brother will keep you safe in the meantime.”
Qi Xia hadn’t expected Song Qi to arrange things so thoroughly.
Song Qi took the IOU from Di Yang and left, while the other participants gradually dispersed after receiving their own IOUs.
Then, a figure slowly approached Qi Xia—it was Qin Dingdong.
Seeing someone approach, the long-haired man’s expression darkened as he immediately stepped in front of Qi Xia.
The sudden movement startled both Qin Dingdong and Qi Xia.
After a long pause, Qin Dingdong asked, “Classmate Qi… are you being robbed?”
“I…” Qi Xia hesitated, then patted the long-haired man’s shoulder. “Brother, I know her.”
The long-haired man’s expression shifted slightly before he stepped aside.
“Classmate Qi, what’s going on here?” Qin Dingdong asked, confused. “Sis here is getting an IOU for the first time…”
“You should be grateful you even got an IOU.” Qi Xia sighed. “It’s a miracle your scams have kept you alive this long.”
“You—” Qin Dingdong was visibly annoyed. “What’s wrong with my scams? Didn’t they work?”
“Yeah.” Qi Xia nodded. “Just try to be smarter next time.”
“Then… would you teach me how to scam?” Qin Dingdong stepped forward, reaching for Qi Xia’s hand, but he dodged her.
“No.” Qi Xia said flatly. “Qin Dingdong, take the ‘Dao’ you earned and try to survive. We’re not the same kind of people.”
“How do you know we’re not?” Qin Dingdong suddenly gave a meaningful smirk. “Qi Xia, you just made 1,476 ‘Dao’ this time, and now you’re pretending not to know me?”
“What…?”
Fortunately, her voice was low, but the long-haired man still looked startled.
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slowly. “Qin Dingdong… I really underestimated you.”
She leaned in closer and whispered, “Qi Xia, there are two kinds of scammers. One is like you—someone who doesn’t seem like a scammer but keeps using deception. The other is like me—someone everyone thinks is just a small-time trickster, so they let their guard down.”
She placed a hand on Qi Xia’s chest. “So tell me… which of us is more likely to succeed?”
Qi Xia pushed her away again, a sense of unease creeping in.
Was this woman bluffing?
But on second thought, every move she made in the game was too *convenient*.
At the start of the game, she rallied everyone to isolate the man who seized the fans.
When it was time to replenish the fans, she gave him three ‘Dao.’
When Qi Xia monopolized the game, she handed him a ‘Sorrow’ fan.
When things stabilized, her appearance led to deaths.
It was as if she had been subtly guiding the game the whole time. But what was her goal?
Was she an ‘Extremist’? Or part of some other faction?
Or just a plain lunatic?
Dangerous possibilities swirled in Qi Xia’s mind. He was glad she didn’t seem malicious—otherwise, he might have already fallen into her trap.
“Qin Dingdong, what do you want?” he asked.
“I just want to help you.”
Qi Xia still felt something was off. “Then what’s your endgame…?”
“I know you don’t remember me.” Qin Dingdong shook her head, her expression turning wistful. “But it’s fine. You’re not the one I’m looking for. Qi Xia… tell me where that bastard Chen Junnan is.”
“Huh…?!”
—
Before long, Song Qi arrived outside “Paradise Gate,” where Chu Tianqiu stood, scanning the surroundings.
“You are…?” Chu Tianqiu asked, puzzled.
“Cut the act.” Song Qi sighed. “There’s no one else here.”
Chu Tianqiu stiffened slightly before quickly correcting himself. “Y-You… why are you here?”
“A job.” Song Qi cracked his neck. “In all these years, this is the first time someone paid me in ‘Dao.’ Pretty interesting.”
“Oh…?” Chu Tianqiu didn’t know how to respond, feigning confusion.
“But he’s a decent guy, so I’ll help.” Song Qi peered into the school grounds. “Is there someone here named ‘Qiao Jiajin’? I need to see him.”
“Qiao Jiajin…” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “Wait a moment.”
He whispered to someone inside the school, who then rushed into the building.
Soon, a lazy-looking man with tattooed arms strolled out.
Song Qi nearly stumbled back at the sight of him.
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin studied Song Qi curiously. “Aren’t you that ‘Explosion Guy’?”
“You…” Song Qi’s voice trembled slightly. “You… ‘A-Jin from Portland Street’?! You’re Qiao Jiajin?!”
“Yeah!” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “What? Here to kill people again?”
Song Qi could only sigh helplessly.
Back then, twenty men had surrounded Qiao Jiajin alone. By the end, over thirty bodies littered the ground.
The “Cats” fought to the last man but still couldn’t finish him off.
This man was terrifying.
A thought struck Song Qi—since when did “Paradise Gate” attract such formidable figures?
One was a man without “Echoes” who annihilated an entire “Cat” squad, another single-handedly crushed Di Yang.
And now… he’d even spotted the “Extremist Lin Qin” here…
Since when had Chu Tianqiu’s faction grown so strong?!
“Thankfully, there are only two or three of these monsters…” Just as Song Qi breathed a sigh of relief, a pale-faced man sauntered out of the building.
He stretched exaggeratedly, then slowly turned his gaze until it landed on Song Qi.
Frowning, he took deliberate steps forward.
Song Qi was certain he’d never met this man before, yet his presence felt unnervingly familiar.
“Who was it again…” The pale-faced man rubbed his chin, studying Song Qi intently.
Song Qi, Chu Tianqiu, and Qiao Jiajin exchanged confused glances, unsure what was happening.
“Ah…” Chen Junnan smacked his forehead. “I remember now! Song Minghui! Right?!”
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