Chapter 687: Target Appears

After hearing those words, Di Hou closed his eyes again, and a voice heavy with weariness emerged from his mouth.

"Yu Cheng..." Di Hou sighed. "Haven't I told you before? I've worked in Yu Cheng, and I even have my own gambling stall there."

Di Hou finished speaking and let out a deep sigh. "I should have designed a more complex game setup. Otherwise, every time there's a job change, us Sheng Xiao who don't need a specific venue are the first ones to get reassigned. Damn it..."

"Uncle, you know that's not what I'm asking..."

Zheng Yingxiong reached out and grasped Di Hou's wrist, and at that moment, Di Hou felt Zheng Yingxiong's hand was ice-cold.

The boy's eyes were full of complexity, mixed with fear and a hint of anticipation.

"Uncle... if you've hosted games there, you should know that Yu Cheng is sick... it's..."

"Yes, I spent a few years there, and only two people ever entered my venue. It's quite an interesting city." Di Hou nodded and pulled another cigarette from his pocket.

"Two people is already a lot..." Zheng Yingxiong replied. "Uncle, you're neither Shen Long nor Xing Guan, and even two people is a lot..."

"Yes." Di Hou nodded. "That's why I say Yu Cheng is really fascinating. They think the rules from Zhong Yan Zhi Di aren't enough, so they create their own. Everyone has to worship Shen Long eventually, and if you break the rules, you have to face Xing Guan..."

Zheng Yingxiong pulled his hand back and started fiddling with the hem of his clothes, while Di Hou kept glancing at the boy out of the corner of his eye.

"Have all the Sheng Xiao been reassigned from there now?" Zheng Yingxiong asked quietly. "Is there no way left to save the people of Yu Cheng? Do they still have a chance to escape by participating in the games...?"

Zheng Yingxiong fired off a string of questions, and the people around him were surprised—it was the first time they'd heard him say so much at once.

"It's impossible." Di Hou lit his cigarette and replied, "That city isn't just sick—it's got a terminal illness. The whole place is doomed and has to fade away on its own."

"But I came out here to treat Yu Cheng—it's all because of me that..."

"It's not anyone's fault." Di Hou cut Zheng Yingxiong off. "If a city is sick, it means everyone living in it is sick. That kind of situation can't be changed by one person alone."

"I..."

Zheng Yingxiong's young face was filled with a sadness far beyond his years.

Thinking about it, he was different from other kids his age. At eight or nine years old, he lacked any of the innocence or liveliness typical of that age.

"When they put all their hopes and responsibilities on a child, they've already set themselves on the path to destruction." Di Hou said softly. "It has nothing to do with you. You've seen the outside world now—what do you think of how the people of Yu Cheng acted?"

"I... I don't know... But they put their hopes on me... I shouldn't let them down..."

Zheng Yingxiong kept his head down, as if he'd done something wrong, but no one in the room wanted to blame him.

"Don't you find it ridiculous?" Di Hou said. "Every other city is doing everything they can to get stronger, researching Shen force, fighting the Sheng Xiao, and trying to escape this place. But Yu Cheng has been all about creating a 'city hero' from the start. They rely on the hero they've made to get them through tough times, and it's a miracle Yu Cheng has lasted this long."

"So, Uncle... you know me..."

Zheng Yingxiong lifted his head, looking utterly confused.

"The famous 'city hero'—anyone who's been to Yu Cheng would recognize you." Di Hou reached out to touch the newspaper crown on Zheng Yingxiong's head, but Zheng Yingxiong instinctively stepped back.

"What?" Di Hou smirked. "Have you accepted that title yourself?"

"No..." Zheng Yingxiong shook his head. "Deep down, I know I'm not any kind of hero, but this crown means a lot to me."

Di Hou looked at Zheng Yingxiong with a complicated expression, then fell silent and closed his eyes again to rest.

Seeing that Di Hou wasn't responding, Zheng Yingxiong reached out and patted him. "Uncle, I have one more question..."

"Are you ever going to stop?"

Di Hou's words were harsh, but his tone was gentle.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, but I really want to know... Will Shen Long and Xing Guan be reassigned too?"

"You've asked me so many questions—aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?" Di Hou replied. "You know, you're a Can Yu Zhe, and I'm a Sheng Xiao. Do the people in your city encourage you to talk to Sheng Xiao like this?"

"I never get the chance to talk to Sheng Xiao... I actually have a lot of questions for you..." Zheng Yingxiong thought for a moment before adding, "Uncle, you don't have that dirty smell on you, so I think you won't lie to me. Tell me, will they be reassigned?"

Looking at Zheng Yingxiong's serious face, Di Hou couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Was all of this something this child should have to bear?

"Shen Long and Xing Guan..." Di Hou shook his head. "Don't you really know? They're just Di Long and Di Niu—they're Sheng Xiao like me, so they'll leave that city one day too. When they do... Yu Cheng will truly be dead."

Zheng Yingxiong sighed, his small body seeming to use up all its strength just to stand there.

Yu Cheng... was going to die?

And his sister... would disappear too?

As Zheng Yingxiong hesitated, he suddenly caught a whiff of an extremely strange smell.

It wasn't a pleasant scent or a foul one—it was an indescribably odd odor.

In all his years, Zheng Yingxiong had only smelled it once before.

"He's here..." Zheng Yingxiong said.

"He?" The others turned to him. "Who's here?"

As they wondered, they noticed some movement from Qi Xia's direction.

Qi Xia's head, which had been hanging down, slowly lifted up. With a series of "creak creak" sounds, he moved his neck while keeping his eyes closed, exuding a strange and dangerous aura, as if he had evolved once more.

Before he even opened his eyes, a terrifying smile spread across his lips.

They had spent a long time with Qi Xia, but they'd never seen such a frightening smile on his face before.

Then he opened his eyes and scanned the people in front of him.

His eyeballs had turned dark gray, and his pupils were horizontal rectangles.

Zheng Yingxiong took a slow step toward Qi Xia. "My target for coming here... has appeared."