Chapter 784: Key Training

After hearing this, Dì shǔ slowly furrowed his brow and said:

"Leader, what do you think this place is? A restaurant?"

"Isn't it?" Chén Jùn nán laughed. "Last time, you treated us to some fruit, and this time, I want to eat some more."

"Leader, last time was because of the Tiān mǎ shíkè." Dì shǔ said. "Right after the Tiān mǎ shíkè ended, the number of people participating in the game dropped sharply. If I didn't use up the fruit, it would have caused problems."

"Isn't it the same this time?" Chén Jùn nán scratched his head and said. "The effects of the Tiān mǎ shíkè haven't worn off yet, so probably not many people will join your game."

"Leader, you're joking." Dì shǔ shook his head. "It's early morning now. If I use up the fruit, the rest of the day won't be easy. If you're all hungry, go eat some corpses instead."

After hearing this, Chén Jùn nán stepped forward to face Dì shǔ directly and said:

"Big rat, are you really clueless or just pretending...? We don't just want to 'eat fruit'—we also want to 'listen to music'."

Dì shǔ's expression changed slightly. He looked at the three people in front of him, then finally nodded and said:

"'Listen to music' is fine, but 'eat fruit' is out of the question."

He turned and went into the house, then approached the Shǔ wū and pushed open the door.

Qiáo Jiā jìn and Chén Jùn nán followed him in, with Qín Dīng dōng right behind. She didn't know what the two men were up to, but she felt they had a deep connection with this rat.

The four of them entered the cramped Shǔ wū. Dì shǔ casually gestured for them to help themselves, then turned back to tinker with something.

"What's your relationship with this rat?" Qín Dīng dōng whispered.

"I don't know." Qiáo Jiā jìn said. "Some kind of partnership, I guess?"

"Shh!" Chén Jùn nán said. "Old Qiáo, watch your words."

"Oh..." Qiáo Jiā jìn nodded.

Once Dì shǔ turned on the radio, the irritating heavy metal music filled the entire room. Chén Jùn nán instantly stood up and grabbed Dì shǔ.

"Whoa, leader, take it easy—that's not very polite."

"My questions are piling up, you bastard—did you make up that story about the cheating fat monkey being from Tiān lóng?!"

"Oh?" Dì shǔ asked softly in confusion. "How could it be made up? He really is from Tiān lóng."

"He's from Lǎo Qí's group!" Chén Jùn nán said. "What's your angle? Is Lǎo Qí part of Tiān lóng?"

Dì shǔ narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying:

"Lǎo Qí?"

"Lǎo Qí is Qí Xià." Chén Jùn nán said. "Are you playing dumb now? Lǎo Qí said the ground monkey was his former teammate, which doesn't match what you're saying at all!"

Chén Jùn nán's words clearly left Dì shǔ puzzled. He stared at Chén Jùn nán for a long time without speaking.

"You told me there are seven more like him...?" Chén Jùn nán grew more confused as he spoke. "Are all eight people on your list Lǎo Qí's former teammates? What's your stance here?"

"They were Qí Xià's original teammates...?" Dì shǔ pondered for a while but couldn't find an answer. "How is that possible?"

"I advise you not to play dumb with me." Chén Jùn nán said. "What do you actually know? Where did that list of eight people come from? Do you want us to take out Qí Xià's former teammates... what's your real goal?"

Chén Jùn nán fired off all his questions at once, but Dì shǔ didn't answer them one by one.

His brownish-gray rat face didn't show human expressions, but it was clear he was confused, as if even he didn't know the answers.

"Chén Jùn nán..." Dì shǔ said, "Whether you believe it or not, these people are being specially trained by Tiān lóng."

"Specially trained?" Chén Jùn nán was stunned. "What kind of training?"

"From what I know, they not only advance faster than other Shēng xiāo, but Tiān lóng also gives them tips and advice."

"Does that make them Tiān lóng's inner circle?" Chén Jùn nán felt Dì shǔ was jumping to conclusions. "Are you seriously asking us to go after them based on your guesses?"

"Chén Jùn nán..." Dì shǔ narrowed his eyes and said, "Among all the Dì jí I know, only these eight have this honor... Isn't that enough? Getting guidance from Tiān lóng in dreams proves they're stronger than everyone else. Besides, that piece of paper..."

"What paper?" Chén Jùn nán asked.

Upon hearing this, Dì shǔ lowered his head and thought for a moment amid the loud music, as if deciding whether to reveal it.

After a long pause, he looked up and said: "In short, I've seen a list that clearly records these eight people—they're all key targets for Tiān lóng's support."

"Who else knows about this?" Chén Jùn nán asked. "Do all the Dì jí know?"

"No..." Dì shǔ shook his head. "Probably only I do... But that's enough. I've said it before—I want to get on Yáng gē's ship, so I'll do my best to clear the obstacles for him."

"Damn..." Chén Jùn nán wasn't easily fooled and quickly spotted the inconsistency. "You wouldn't have been played, would you...?"

"What?"

"Could you be getting used as a pawn...?" Chén Jùn nán thought for a moment and said. "If Tiān lóng really wanted to train these eight, why make a separate list? Only eight people—surely he could remember them. That list was clearly meant for someone else to see... Probably to mislead Lǎo Qí and make him turn on them."

Dì shǔ stroked his whiskers after hearing this, realizing the core contradiction hadn't been resolved.

"What do you mean by 'turn on them'?" Dì shǔ said. "Those eight are Shēng xiāo anyway, and they're not on the same side as Yáng gē. Honestly, even if I didn't say anything, they could still end up fighting each other."

"That might all be Lǎo Qí's setup." Chén Jùn nán replied. "But... Lǎo Qí's plan seems to have been seen through by Tiān lóng."

"What do you mean...?" Dì shǔ asked.

Chén Jùn nán organized his thoughts and said: "Don't hide anything—just tell me who those eight people are. I suspect not only Lǎo Qí, but even you've been tricked by Tiān lóng."

Dì shǔ thought for a moment, and under the watchful eyes of Qín Dīng dōng and Qiáo Jiā jìn, he revealed the list he had seen.

The eight Shēng xiāo were: Dì niú, Dì tù, Dì lóng, Dì shé, Dì gǒu, Dì hóu, Dì jī, and Dì zhū.

It matched exactly with the Shēng xiāo marked on Qí Xià's map.

What made Dì shǔ even more uneasy was that four of these eight had already joined Dì hǔ's rebel group.

"Everyone, to be honest, I'd rather kill the wrong ones than let any slip away." Dì shǔ said. "I can't afford any mistakes—I have to get on that ship."