Chapter 393: I am Me

Song Qi and Chen Jun Nan hurried through the night and finally returned to the Mao headquarters before dark.

"Damn it..."Chen Jun Nan grumbled discontentedly. "We've been searching for so long and still haven't found Dong Jie..."

"You're truly optimistic."Song Qi looked at Chen Jun Nan and said, "This place is so vast, and you're relying on 'fate' to find someone?"

"So what?"Chen Jun Nan shrugged. "Is my relaxed attitude bothering you?"

"It's not exactly 'bothering' me..."Song Qi was about to speak when a white figure suddenly lunged at them from the side. It was a person who looked like some sort of insect.

Song Qi didn't even turn his head. He just waved his hand, and the figure was sent flying by a small explosion. A fleeting flash of fire illuminated their faces in the darkness.

"Chen Jun Nan... why did you come back with me?" Song Qi shook his hand and turned back to ask. "Do you know many people in the Mao?"

"Honestly... probably not that many..." Chen Jun Nan smirked. "Maybe just two or three."

The two fell silent after that, and after a few steps, they saw the guards at the prison gate in the pitch-black night.

"Liu Jie, we're back."Song Qi said respectfully to the woman.

"Hmm."Zhou Liu nodded slightly, then looked at Chen Jun Nan behind Song Qi. "Tsk, and who's this?"

Hearing those three short words, Chen Jun Nan's brow furrowed slightly.

How ridiculous. In this forsaken place, even reliable comrades who've been through life-and-death situations with you could completely forget you.

"I'm quite a handsome guy, so how about you, beautiful lady—what's your name?"Chen Jun Nan asked.

At those words, Zhou Liu felt a surge of unexplained anger. She reached back, grabbed an iron rod, swung it onto her shoulder, and said, "Tsk, one minute 'handsome guy,' the next 'beautiful lady'... You certainly have a way with words, don't you?"

Chen Jun Nan found it somewhat amusing. He stepped forward slowly and said, "Hey, are you going to hit a guest with that iron rod?"

"Tsk, what kind of guest are you?"

"Liu Jie."Song Qi waved his hand. "This is Chen Jun Nan, the one Qi Xia asked to 'verify as genuine.' He's basically a guest, so calm down a bit."

"Tsk..."Zhou Liu glanced at Chen Jun Nan with disdain, then lowered her head and quietly said, "Open the door."

In a few seconds, the prison gate behind Zhou Liu made a rattling noise, and the rolling door slowly rose.

"Thanks!"Chen Jun Nan smiled, then turned and followed Song Qi into the prison.

After turning around, a hint of disappointment crossed his face.

If Zhou Liu had forgotten him, what about Qian Duo Duo?

Was the true purpose of the Mao different from what he had imagined?

The two walked across the prison yard and suddenly spotted two figures arguing. They stopped and saw that it was Qiao Jia Jin and Qi Xia.

"You little trickster, watch this—punch like this for real power!"Qiao Jia Jin said while swinging his fists. "Your way won't work. If you lose your balance, you'll easily hurt your wrist."

"Like this?"Qi Xia asked expressionlessly.

"No, no, no—like this."

Not far from the arguing pair sat a child, who was holding a short sword made from folded newspaper and warily watching his surroundings.

It was Zheng Ying Xiong, whom Chen Jun Nan had seen the day before.

Chen Jun Nan scratched his head, then looked at Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jin. This was truly a rare sight—Qi Xia was actually learning to punch from Qiao Jia Jin?

"Jin Nan Zi?"Qiao Jia Jin noticed Chen Jun Nan standing nearby and called out softly.

Qi Xia raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.

He had originally planned to send Song Qi to check if Chen Jun Nan was safe, but Chen Jun Nan had come back on his own.

In that case, was there still a need to go back to Tian Tang Kou?

"How did it go today?"Qi Xia asked directly.

"Today..."Chen Jun Nan slowly furrowed his brow in response. "Lao Qi, this is a long story..."

He glanced back at Song Qi and said quietly, "Let's find a place where we can talk. I'll tell you what happened today."

Qi Xia nodded, gave Qiao Jia Jin a signal with his eyes, and the three of them left Song Qi behind, heading straight for the cell.

Zheng Ying Xiong watched their backs, sniffed the air, tucked the short sword into his waist, and quickly followed.

Once they reached the cell, Chen Jun Nan looked outside, made sure no one was nearby, and reached out to close the iron-barred door.

"Why are you being so cautious?" Qi Xia said. "This door is just iron bars—it's not soundproof at all."

"Lao Qi, I'm a bit confused right now..." Chen Jun Nan ignored him and sat down on the bed. "There are some things I can't figure out, and I need your help to think them through."

"Confused?" Qiao Jia Jin perked up with interest. "Come on, Jin Nan Zi, tell me what's on your mind—I'll clear it up for you."

Chen Jun Nan was about to speak when a small figure appeared at the door.

"Shao Nian Xiao Ying Xiong?" Chen Jun Nan was startled, then turned to Qi Xia. "What's this kid's background?"

"I'm not sure..." Qi Xia stroked his chin. "But he's all alone now and could potentially be an ally for us."

"Oh..." Chen Jun Nan smiled. "Since Lao Qi says so, I won't charge you admission this time. Come on in and listen."

Zheng Ying Xiong nodded seriously and walked in.

The three watched Chen Jun Nan, waiting to hear what he had to say. After a long pause, he rubbed his temples and slowly began.

"Lao Qi, there's just one thing I can't understand..."

"Go ahead," Qi Xia said.

"Who am I right now?"

"What?"

The question left everyone baffled.

Chen Jun Nan had no choice but to recount everything that had happened that day.

In his memory, he had planned to participate in the provincial-level game after dawn, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a dim basement, facing Jin Yuan Xun with a bundle on his back.

Jin Yuan Xun thought he was being followed and turned to attack, but Chen Jun Nan quickly grabbed his arm.

As they stalemated, Chen Jun Nan spoke first: "Hey... where the hell is this place?"

Jin Yuan Xun was puzzled: "I blocked the entrance—how did you even get in?!"

"How should I know?!"

After a standoff, Chen Jun Nan said, "Look, if you take me out, I'll pretend I was never here, okay?"

Jin Yuan Xun eyed him warily and finally relaxed his grip.

The two kept watching each other, and once Jin Yuan Xun confirmed Chen Jun Nan wasn't a threat, he opened the basement door.

That's when Chen Jun Nan realized he had crawled out from a grave near Tian Tang Kou.