Chapter 1173: Wallflowers' Scheme

"Si Men..."

A strange idea began to swirl in Lao Sun's mind. He had anticipated many scenarios in advance, but he never imagined that there would be absolutely no one here.

What made him feel even more helpless was that, as the team leader, he had no way to contact any of the other leaders at that moment and had to handle the problem on his own.

"What the hell is this..."

Lao Sun stepped forward to check the nearby buildings. The area was all in ruins, making it impossible for there to be a game venue.

Strangely, though, the middle of the road was covered in many footprints, as if people had been active there not long before.

But if there was no game venue, why would so many people have been moving around here?

Lao Sun walked slowly ahead and noticed that all the footprints vanished in the middle of the road.

This bizarre situation left him completely baffled, as if these people had reached the center of the road, encountered a helicopter, and then flown away.

He had heard that the "Long" games were outrageous, but he never expected them to be this absurd.

"This is really screwed up."

...

"You damn brat, say something. Why are you spacing out?" Bai She frowned and said, "You're worrying me like this."

"I..." Yan Zhichun felt her mind in chaos.

The Bai She in front of her had no idea about the plan. The best news Yan Zhichun could think of right now was that she had chosen "Si Men."

She called it good news because the people from the other seven gates would all survive, and as the "Ji Dao Wang," she was supposed to face the most difficult challenge.

But if she thought about the worst-case scenario... what if none of the other "Sheng Xiao" knew about the plan? That would mean there was a flaw in Yang's strategy, and not a single one of the eight "Sheng Xiao" on the map was an ally.

Fortunately, she and Bai She had some history, so there was a decent chance she could pass through Bai She's gate to reach the "Lie Che." But it was harder to say for the other "Ji Dao" members.

"Hold on..." Yan Zhichun suddenly furrowed her brow, sensing a breakthrough.

Since Zhou Mo hadn't sent her any message, she couldn't contact the others through Zhou Mo.

But the breakthrough was right there. If Zhou Mo hadn't sent a message, it meant everything was fine on her end. She had successfully met the "Sheng Xiao" ally, so the other teams should be in the same boat, not needing help for now.

That probably meant she alone had picked "Si Men," and coincidentally, it was guarded by Bai She, someone she had dealings with. In that light, everything seemed perfect.

"Forget it, if you've got something bothering you, just spill it." Bai She sat down as well. "Consider this my total loss to you, you little brat. You always come freeload, and what can I do about it?"

"Bai She, I really do need your help with something important." Yan Zhichun nodded straightforwardly. "I want to use your gate to enter the Lie Che."

Bai She stared at Yan Zhichun expressionlessly for a long time after hearing this, neither agreeing nor refusing—just watching her.

"I thought you'd give me some kind of reaction," Yan Zhichun said, "not just stay silent like this."

"I always see the shadow of an old acquaintance in you, and it makes me zone out." Bai She said.

"Is that so?"

"This feeling of you saying something totally unexpected... it really brings back memories." Bai She said. "So, what's your goal? You're bringing this group of seven or eight people behind you, planning to stir up trouble on the Lie Che?"

"Something like that, but the actual number is way more." Yan Zhichun replied.

"You know that the moment you say that, you're as good as dead." Bai She said indifferently, lowering her head. "Tao Yuan's ears are still flying around up there."

"I'm betting that the whole 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' is in chaos right now, and he can't catch every sound." Yan Zhichun said. "Since you haven't refused, I'll take that as a sign you're leaning toward agreeing."

"I didn't say anything." Bai She picked up a book and pretended to be busy. "I didn't hear what you said just now, but we do have some history, so you can all rest here for a bit."

At that, the people behind Yan Zhichun all frowned at Bai She's attitude. A young man leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "He doesn't seem to be agreeing... What should we do..."

"No, he agreed." Yan Zhichun said.

She knew Bai She wouldn't make it too explicit and would only hint at it. Now, all she could do was hope that the "Ji Dao" members at the other locations would pull through smoothly.

...

Lao Sun stood there for a while, realizing he couldn't find any leads, so he decided to head elsewhere to consult with the other "Ji Dao Zhe."

As he turned to lead the group back, he discovered a strange female figure, like a human monkey, standing behind them.

Lao Sun's expression tensed up immediately, and the "Ji Dao" members quickly spread out into a combat formation.

But after looking her over, they saw it was just one "Sheng Xiao," and the least threatening kind—the "Ren Ji Sheng Xiao."

"What do you want?" Lao Sun asked with a frown.

"I..." The human monkey's voice was cold and clear. After a pause, she said, "I'm not entirely sure, but are you all the ones getting on the transport?"

The directness of her question left Lao Sun and the others unable to respond.

"I'm here on the orders of my teacher's friend to check things out, and I actually found people." The human monkey scratched her head. "So... do you want to get on?"

"What are you babbling about..." Lao Sun thought for a moment before saying, "Who's your teacher? And who's your teacher's friend?"

"My teacher is the 'Hu,' and his friend is the 'Shu.' The 'Shu' told me you might run into trouble here and that I need to hand you over to the 'Hu.' He also said, 'Qiang Tou Cao sometimes needs to patch up the gaps in the wall.'" The human monkey replied. "If you trust me, please come with me to my teacher to continue the plan. Is that okay?"

Lao Sun exchanged glances with a few people beside him. At a critical moment like this, how could they suddenly trust a strange "Sheng Xiao"?

"But I don't have any real proof to convince you." The human monkey said with an awkward smile. "So, if you don't believe me, that's fine. Just pretend I was never here."

Lao Sun pondered for a moment. He knew time was pressing, and with dusk approaching, if they didn't resolve the "Chen Long" issue quickly, the entire "Ji Dao" plan would be affected.

Though it seemed like a matter of trust, Lao Sun really didn't have many options left.

"I believe you." Lao Sun said. "Take us there."

"Alright, this way, please." The human monkey nodded and turned around, leading the group deeper into the city.

They passed through a residential area and finally arrived in front of a small building, where a large white-furred tiger sat at the door.