Chapter 684: Flood

A group of people fell silent as they looked at the four large characters "Dian Fu Zhi Shi" on Xiao Cheng's back.

What does "Dian Fu Zhi Shi" mean?

What exactly is being subverted?

"Shh... wait a minute..." Chen Jun Nan scratched his forehead. "Lao Qiao, don't you think this sentence sounds familiar?"

"Of course it does." Qiao Jia Jin nodded. "That kid who deceives people once said it. We were waiting outside the Di Zhu game's venue for the shape-shifter and his team to come out at the time. Have you forgotten?"

"Damn... Was that something Lao Qi said himself?" Chen Jun Nan seemed to recall something. "It really was... Lao Qi said that when he 'fully understands the place of finality, it will be the beginning of Dian Fu Zhi Shi,' right?"

"That seems to be what he said." Qiao Jia Jin nodded as well.

The two of them stared at the characters on Xiao Cheng's back, feeling that something was off.

Why had the words Qi Xia said back then appeared on Xiao Cheng's back?

Tian Tian thought for a moment and said softly, "Could it be that someone in the dream... carved these characters onto Xiao Cheng's back?"

Although Tian Tian's reasoning made sense, it still sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Are you saying someone went to the trouble of carving words into flesh just to send us a message...?" Chen Jun Nan was stunned. "Is there a character that powerful in Lao Qi's dream?"

"Not only that..." Qiao Jia Jin moved his hand on Xiao Cheng's neck and quickly frowned. "This guy's neck is broken. The attacker was ruthless."

Chen Jun Nan examined Xiao Cheng's body closely and saw that he had suffered extensive injuries: his left arm was slashed, his right hand was twisted off, his back was covered in carved characters, and even his neck was snapped.

Had he endured inhuman torture in Qi Xia's dream?

Thinking differently, if Qi Xia's dream contained a deranged killer... what would happen to Qi Xia?

At that thought, Chen Jun Nan hurried over to Qi Xia and patted his face.

"Hey... Lao Qi? Snap out of it. Your dream is way too dangerous."

Qi Xia's body swayed slightly, as if he were sleeping peacefully.

"Damn it..." Chen Jun Nan and Qiao Jia Jin exchanged glances, completely at a loss.

Di Hou stood up, grabbed Xiao Cheng by the ankle, and dragged him across the floor, leaving a trail of blood, until he reached the door. He opened it and tossed the body outside.

"You..."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"A dead body in the shop brings bad luck. May seeing blood lead to fortune for all," Di Hou said casually, then picked up a mop and started cleaning the floor. "The gambling session for today is over. Everyone, please leave."

"What do you mean by 'over'...?" Chen Jun Nan felt something was wrong. He pointed at Qi Xia. "Monkey bro, didn't you have a 'business arrangement' with Lao Qi? What's the situation now? Is the 'business' finished?"

Di Hou's attitude was markedly different from before. He seemed relieved, yet resigned. After seeing the four characters on Xiao Cheng's back, he was unusually calm.

"My 'business' with him is between us and shouldn't concern you all, right?" Di Hou scanned the group and asked gravely, "Are you all Qi Xia's current teammates?"

Tian Tian was about to respond but sensed something amiss.

What did he mean by "current teammates"?

Chen Jun Nan patted Tian Tian and pulled her behind him, then stepped forward. "Who we team up with is our own business and shouldn't concern you, Monkey bro, right?"

"Fair enough." Di Hou nodded. "I can only give you one piece of advice..."

Di Hou pointed a hairy finger at his own eyes. "Keep your eyes wide open, so you don't end up thanking someone who's sold you out."

"What do you mean...?" The group looked at Di Hou, puzzled.

Di Hou just shook his head slightly and said slowly, "As the saying goes, eating, drinking, and whoring all lead to loss, but gambling has its ups and downs. If you enjoyed the experience, feel free to bring more friends..."

"Don't give me that small talk crap." Chen Jun Nan stepped closer to Di Hou. "Monkey bro, if I'm not mistaken, we're basically in the same boat here, right?"

"That's called 'grasshoppers on the same rope.'" Di Hou sneered. "Looks like you know a lot. Are you one of Qi Xia's close confidants too?"

"Your use of 'too' is spot on." Chen Jun Nan replied. "Seems like you know quite a bit yourself."

"What difference does it make if I know a lot?" Di Hou glanced at Qi Xia out of the corner of his eye. "Someone's brought the flood our way. I can smell the danger. We could all get swept away. You'd better prepare to each fly off on your own when disaster strikes."

"The flood comes, and we each fly off?" Chen Jun Nan smirked and scratched his head. "My apologies, I didn't realize you were such a noble Western monkey."

"What?" Di Hou was confused.

"You haven't remembered a thing your ancestors taught you." Chen Jun Nan shot back. "In Western legends, when the great flood comes, they either pray to gods and wait to die or build boats to escape. But what did our ancestors do?"

Di Hou pursed his lips, eyeing the defiant man in front of him.

Chen Jun Nan took another step forward, staring coldly into Di Hou's eyes. "When the flood comes, don't bother running. Deal with it!"

After that remark, Di Hou's pupils contracted slightly.

"Deal with it...?"

"Are you planning to keep running forever? Following the flood wherever it goes." Chen Jun Nan said. "Instead of scrambling around like that, why not lend Lao Qi a hand at this critical moment?"

Hearing this, Di Hou lowered his head slightly, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Lend him a hand..." He shook his head repeatedly, as if he'd heard something utterly ridiculous. "It's exactly because I've always thought that way that I feel so foolish now..."

"Oh?"

Di Hou slowly lifted his head to look at Chen Jun Nan, then scanned the others behind him. "I suspect Qi Xia doesn't want to get out at all. He's manipulating all of us. We'll all end up dead because of him."

These words hit hard, leaving everyone in silence.

"I don't get it..." Chen Jun Nan said. "Ever since we got here, you've been insisting that Lao Qi doesn't want to leave. What's in it for you? Didn't he tell you he wants to get out?"

"But what's his reason for leaving?!" Di Hou glared. "Everyone who wants to leave has their own motivations. So, what's Qi Xia's reason?"

"You..." Chen Jun Nan wanted to say "to find his wife," but the words stuck in his throat.

"He's deceiving you all..." Di Hou gritted his teeth. "He's tricked us... You know what he..."

A muffled thunderclap suddenly boomed outside the door, making Di Hou jump in fright.