Chapter 921: Return

I followed the clues given by Jiang Ruo Xue and quickly arrived at the building where Xiao Xiao usually stayed.

I didn't show myself, though; I just hid in the shadows and observed that unusually burly girl.

After all, my task wasn't to make friends with her—just to confirm that she was a "Ji Dao."

I have to say... she was truly insane.

She could attack anyone without reason and suddenly become obsessed with disrupting the normal flow of a game. I realized Jiang Ruo Xue was basically a genius; every time Xiao Xiao had an episode, her behavior was like the perfect embodiment of a "Ji Dao."

She might kill based on her own whims or casually inflict "despair" on her teammates. Her existence was like a ticking time bomb, fulfilling everything Bai Yang required for a "Ji Dao."

Moreover, her "Hui Xiang" was called "Jia Huo," which meant that even if someone wanted revenge, they couldn't touch her—she could easily transfer any disaster meant for her to someone else.

I figured out the origin of Xiao Xiao's "Jia Huo"; whenever she had an episode, it was always others who ended up unlucky. It was an innate ability of hers, turning her own disasters into someone else's problem through sheer force of will.

I tailed her to various places from a distance and found that her favorite spot was a "Di Niu" game.

That "Di Niu" involved killing with black bears, and Xiao Xiao frequented it, making the game a perfect fit for her.

Not only did she have an innocent-looking face, but when she wore a coat, she appeared completely non-threatening, like just a pudgy girl. No one would suspect the terrifying muscles hidden beneath her clothes.

So she could move around the game as she pleased, killing or sowing discord. The "Di Niu" saw her every day, and it was as if the game area was her personal domain.

After observing her for a while, I noticed that the person running the "Di Niu" wasn't a bad guy; he always tried to persuade Xiao Xiao to turn over a new leaf. From his perspective, her actions only made enemies and served no purpose, but he had no idea that Xiao Xiao couldn't even control her own destructive impulses.

Jiang Ruo Xue, that shameless one, had lied—Xiao Xiao wasn't just "having episodes most of the time"; she was "always in an episode." I saw her taking medicine, but it had no effect whatsoever. I'd never seen her act normally, and I had no clue how Jiang Ruo Xue, that crazy girl, dared to chat with someone like her.

All I could do now was secretly protect her a bit before her "Hui Xiang" activated, using "Duan Xin Po" to control anyone trying to ambush her. Once her "Hui Xiang" kicked in, I'd just stand back and let things play out—after all, if she died, at least the memories would remain.

A few more days passed, and after Xiao Xiao finished the "Di Niu" game, she walked out looking disappointed. Then I saw a group of people emerging from the area. I'd never seen a "Di Niu" game end with so many survivors before, and most of them were unfamiliar faces. Among them, two people were even carrying bear arms, as if they'd hit the jackpot.

After the crowd dispersed, Xiao Xiao went back to talk to the "Di Niu" operator for a bit. He was still trying to convince her to reform, but she ignored him completely.

Then, with a strange expression, she dashed out of the game area and headed straight toward the group carrying the bear arms. I wondered what their "Hui Xiang" could be to let them rip an arm off a bear like that.

If they ever found out that these "bears" were actually products of "Hui Xiang," or that they were people transformed by "Hua Xing"... could they still bring themselves to tear off those arms without a second thought?

I glanced in the direction Xiao Xiao was going; I'd seen that look on her before—she was out for blood.

This time, unusually, she wasn't killing inside the game; she wanted to hunt them down outside. Were those people that important to her?

I stayed hidden and watched as Xiao Xiao hurried into a restaurant. Not long after, the two men and two women carrying the bear arms arrived too.

This situation was a bit special; Xiao Xiao was actually using strategy to kill, like setting a trap and waiting for her prey.

Since she chose to wait, I'd wait with her. She hadn't gotten her "Hui Xiang" yet, so I wasn't entirely at ease.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before a bell rang in the distance—it must have been Xiao Xiao's "Jia Huo" activating. What surprised me was that a few minutes later, another bell rang. I wasn't sure if it was connected to Xiao Xiao's "Jia Huo."

"Tsk..." A voice suddenly sounded in my ear. "'Ji Fa'?"

"Zhou Mo?" I said, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly speaking to me? What's 'Ji Fa'?"

"Uh..." Zhou Mo hesitated. "Nothing much. Yan Zhi Chun, are you with 'Jia Huo'?"

"How did you know?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Tsk, Jiang Ruo Xue that jerk told me. She said you'd be with 'Jia Huo' these days, so if I needed anything, I should contact you."

I was about to reply, but I realized it wasn't convenient to tell Zhou Mo that I'd been secretly observing "Jia Huo" the whole time—it would make me sound like a total recluse.

"We're sort of together," I said. "What happened?"

"Tsk, not much." Zhou Mo's voice echoed in my ear. "I was just in front of the display screen and saw two 'Hui Xiang' activate one after another. I thought Xiao Xiao might be fighting someone."

"So, do you need help?" I asked.

"Tsk, no need. We've made a deal with that 'Ji Fa'." Zhou Mo said. "She's a decent person. If Xiao Xiao really ends up fighting that 'Ji Fa', and you're around, you might need to step in and mediate—after all, we're recruiting strong people right now."

"Recruiting strong people...?"

"Tsk, yeah. Whether it's 'Ji Dao' or 'Mao', we're in need of talent these days." Zhou Mo continued. "Oh, and in the last cycle, they mentioned some impressive figure showed up, named Qi... damn, what's his name? Forget it, I'll check again later. I'll have my people tell Jiang Ruo Xue directly—it's not good to involve the 'Ji Dao Wang'. But where the hell has Jiang Ruo Xue gone? I haven't seen her in days."

I shook my head helplessly after hearing that.

"Don't bring up 'Ji Dao Wang' anymore. Xiao Xiao has gotten her 'Hui Xiang' now, so my task is done. Let's find a time to meet up; I'll tell you about Jiang Ruo Xue."

"Alright." Zhou Mo said. "Tsk, but you'll have to wait a bit—I'll ask Wu Ge for some time off."

After ending the call with Zhou Mo, we arranged to meet at a house where Jiang Ruo Xue and I often met.

But before Zhou Mo arrived, I saw Jiang Ruo Xue walking in, looking utterly exhausted. She moved like a corpse, bathed in the evening sunlight.

She'd only been gone for about ten days, yet her eyes held the weariness of someone who'd lived through ten years.

"If... Ruo Xue? You're back?"

Jiang Ruo Xue's expression was off; she picked up a chair and sat down slowly, her face full of sorrow.

"What happened...?" I asked. "What about 'Hua' and 'Zhong'...?"

"Zhi Chun... let's destroy this damn place..."