Chapter 402: The Person

You... Su Shan lowered his head to look at Qin Dingdong's fist.

After staring for a long time, Su Shan blinked and said:

"Two."

Qin Dingdong rolled her eyes dramatically upon hearing this and said to Zhang Chenze and Lin Geng:

"Xiao Shan can't see anymore."

"This..."

Su Shan frowned slightly at her words, feeling that Qin Dingdong understood him better than he understood himself.

Although the two of them had anticipated this, the situation still felt a bit strange.

Zhang Chenze clearly remembered that Su Shan had looked straight at him the moment he woke up, and just now, when Qin Dingdong had held out her fist, Su Shan had been staring at it.

"I... I can still make out a few things..." Su Shan said with a bitter smile, "I just didn't want to worry you all..."

"Stop lying." Qin Dingdong said, "You can only see glowing outlines now, but you've completely lost your normal vision, right?"

"You even know that?"

"Xiao Shan, I told you before, I was on your team once." Qin Dingdong coughed a few times and continued, "That dead dog wasn't just stirring up trouble last night—I really did cause your death."

"Is that so..." Su Shan didn't seem very surprised, "In a place like this... it's inevitable that you'd end up harming those around you..."

"As long as you can understand that." Qin Dingdong nodded, "I don't dislike you, and I've even thought about being friends, but our professions mean we're not on the same path."

"Um..." Su Shan nodded, "Speaking of which, I should apologize to you all. In this game... I originally planned to take you out."

"Isn't that normal?" Qin Dingdong said, "No one told you that the 'Dog Class' game requires cooperation—you had to figure it out yourself. The fact that you broke through my hailstorm at the last moment was already a clever move."

Su Shan smiled bitterly as he stood up, then swayed unsteadily.

"Su Shan..." Zhang Chenze steadied his wrist, "Are you really okay? You're still running a high fever..."

"A fever?" Su Shan paused, then slowly revealed a strange smile, "No, I don't feel feverish. I'm fine right now."

Zhang Chenze could clearly feel that his wrist was burning hot, but his mind seemed perfectly clear.

"We're all injured..." Su Shan widened his eyes and scanned the three people in the room; his pupils, like shattered gems, had completely lost their luster. "Let's go back and see that doctor."

The group exchanged glances and nodded. Lin Geng and Qin Dingdong both knew their injuries couldn't heal quickly, and Su Shan's eyes were utterly clouded, making recovery impossible with the current medical options.

Supporting one another, the four opened the door and stepped out, only to spot Di Gou approaching slowly.

"Oh?" Di Gou yawned, "Morning, have you clocked in?"

"Damn dead dog..." Qin Dingdong cursed in pain, "What do you mean, clock in? Do you think we're at work here?"

"Oh, my bad." Di Gou lazily rubbed his eyes, "You aren't working, but I am."

"Then go do your dead job." Qin Dingdong, still fuming, spat at the ground near Di Gou's feet, "Work yourself to death."

Di Gou didn't pay it any mind and just looked at Su Shan: "Su Shan, how are you?"

"I..." Su Shan turned toward Di Gou, seeing only the outline of a slender man in his pitch-black vision. He slowly smiled, "I'm okay."

"This is an old issue for you—try to take it easy from now on. Hope we meet again." Di Gou waved his hand and walked past the group of women.

As he was about to enter the glass shop, he suddenly remembered something and turned back slowly.

"By the way..." Di Gou glanced at the four of them and said, "Among you, there are some veterans, right? How long have you stored your memories?"

"I've stored mine for three hundred thousand years, sister." Qin Dingdong roared, "What are you getting at?"

Di Gou rolled his eyes hugely at that.

Qin Dingdong shot back an equally dramatic eye roll.

"Too lazy to argue with you." Di Gou said, "I want to find someone. Do any of you know him?"

Lin Geng asked tentatively: "Who are you looking for?"

"A guy named Qi Xia." Di Gou said, "I'd like to see him, if possible."

The women all kept their composure, showing no reaction at the mention of "Qi Xia."

"I can help you look for him." Lin Geng said, "But that counts as a 'transaction,' right? What are you offering in exchange for this information?"

"Hiss..." Di Gou stroked his chin, "How about 'Dao'?"

"No thanks." Lin Geng shook her head, "Do you have anything else to offer?"

"Even 'Dao' isn't good enough... Veterans are really tricky..." Di Gou thought for a few seconds, then looked up and said: "'Food'—how about that? I'll get you some small cakes, a few bottles of drinks, and some fresh fruit."

Lin Geng swallowed slightly at the thought and glanced at the others.

"Small cakes... and fruit?" Qin Dingdong sounded tempted too.

Lin Geng and Qin Dingdong hadn't tasted these things in years; their memories were filled only with the flavor of rotten food.

Yet, their bodies refreshed every ten days, so even eating dirt wouldn't lead to malnutrition.

The situation felt odd now. Not knowing Di Gou's motives, the two seemed ready to trade Qi Xia's life for cakes, filled with a sense of guilt.

Su Shan stared at Di Gou's outline for a moment and smiled as he interjected: "Why do you 'Shengxiao' want to meet participants alone? Is that person important?"

"He..." Di Gou pondered, "He might be an old acquaintance of mine, so I want to see him."

He paused for a few seconds, noticed their expressions, and added: "I won't harm him. After all, 'Shengxiao' have our own rules—we can't kill outside the game. If you know him... could you pass along the message?"

The women neither agreed nor refused, knowing they'd have to ask Qi Xia first.

"I'll keep an eye out for you." Lin Geng said, "See you around."

Di Gou nodded and turned to enter the glass shop, while the four women headed off down the road.

Along the way, Zhang Chenze supported Lin Geng, and Qin Dingdong held Su Shan's hand.

Although Su Shan could see biological outlines, he couldn't make out the path at all, and even small stones on the ground could trip him.

After walking for about half an hour, Lin Geng felt her right leg giving out and suggested they rest somewhere.

Su Shan nodded, about to say something, when he suddenly spotted two distinct glowing human outlines not far away.

"Over there, it looks like someone's there." Su Shan pointed in the direction of the glow, "Is it someone we know? Or a 'Shengxiao'?"

Following his finger, the group saw a large clock with a display screen standing in the center of a small square.

The screen currently showed four lines of "echoes":

"Substitute Sin," "Disaster Summon," "Spirit Sight," "Soul Transfer."