"Huh?"
The three of them looked at Qi Xia, shocked. The plan wasn't complicated, but it sounded dangerous at every turn.
"You're going to keep betting your life against them?!"
Lin Qin asked.
"That sounds far too..."
"This is the only way to break it for now," Qi Xia said.
"If you all agree... we'll act immediately."
Qiao Jiajin pondered for a moment and said, "Con man, are you really not afraid of death?"
"I am," Qi Xia said.
"But I must go."
Tian Tian sighed and suddenly said with a serious expression, "Qi Xia... you know I didn't join this team because I trust you or want to rely on you. I came to 'this place' because 'that place' had no room for me."
"I know," Qi Xia nodded.
"So it's hard for me to believe you'll split the 'Dao' with me evenly in the end, and I don't think I can defeat you at the final moment to become the sole survivor."
"So?"
"So my cooperation with you is temporary. If I feel the current situation is not in my favor, I will betray you at any time."
Tian Tian gave a bitter smile and said, "Although to me, there's not much difference between surviving and dying here, if there's hope, I will fight for it. In short, my being with the three of you is only to obtain my share." After hearing this, Qi Xia didn't show any strange expression.
Instead, he seemed somewhat relieved and nodded, "This is very good."
"Very good?"
Tian Tian blinked.
"Was I not clear enough? I'm only here for the 'Dao'. You don't have to trust me too much either."
"The most solid relationship in this world is an employment relationship," Qi Xia said.
"I have no objections."
At this, Qiao Jiajin and Lin Qin exchanged a glance. Tian Tian had already laid her cards on the table... could they really trust her?
"Since we've all come to an agreement, let's set out."
Tian Tian didn't seem to expect Qi Xia to agree so readily, which made her feel a little uneasy. But thinking about it carefully, was there any room left for her to be deceived? The four of them, each with different feelings, once again advanced deeper into the city.
The silent city constantly exuded a dangerous aura. Qi Xia noticed they seemed to be heading continuously deeper into the bustling areas. Here, they could faintly see some "aboriginals," who wandered the desolate streets like walking corpses.
"It seems like there are more people..."
Qi Xia muttered to himself. Not only were there various aboriginals here, but they could also occasionally see figures in animal masks standing in front of buildings. It was as if the deeper they went into the city, the more people they would see.
Just as Qi Xia was speaking, he saw an "aboriginal" holding a stack of papers and walking straight toward the four of them. The person's figure was as thin as the female clerk's, like a skeleton. Qiao Jiajin's brow furrowed, and he took a step forward.
He originally thought there would be some danger, but instead, he saw the person hand a sheet of paper to Qiao Jiajin and say, "Care to learn about swimming and fitness?" Before Qiao Jiajin could reach out and take it, the person let go of their hand like a zombie, and the flyer fell to the ground.
And then, as if they had seen nothing, they slowly walked away.
"Heroic Sword God?"
Qiao Jiajin blinked.
"What the hell is 'Heroic Sword God'..."
He picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. The writing on it was almost completely worn away, and it looked very old.
"They even have people handing out flyers here?"
Tian Tian found it a bit incredible.
"Since there are clerks in convenience stores, it's not strange for there to be people handing out flyers on the street," Qi Xia said.
"What's a 'flyer'?"
Lin Qin asked. The short sentence made all three of them freeze for a moment.
"What did you say?"
Qi Xia thought he had misheard.
"I asked, what is a 'flyer'?"
Lin Qin repeated clearly. What is a "flyer"? The three of them simultaneously cast strange looks at Lin Qin.
Is that a question a normal person would ask?
"You don't know what a 'flyer' is?"
Qi Xia asked.
"No, I don't," Lin Qin shook her head naturally.
"You all know?"
None of the three answered, but their hearts were still filled with doubt. This Lin Qin had been acting strangely from the very beginning. She liked to cover her mouth and nose, insisted on following Qi Xia, and now she didn't even understand the most basic common knowledge...
Could it be... she's not human? Or perhaps... she's one of the "organizers"? This terrifying thought began to circle in Qi Xia's mind.
If she really isn't human, then what is her purpose?
"I say, Lin Qin..."
Qi Xia finally spoke up. If he couldn't figure out Lin Qin's identity, there was no way he could be at ease.
"'Flyers' are a common, everyday item. How could you not know what they are?"
"Common knowledge?"
Lin Qin's expression was clearly one of confusion.
"Just because the three of you know, that makes it 'common knowledge'?"
Qiao Jiajin interjected, "This isn't a matter of whether the three of us know or not.
'Flyers' aren't rare.
Everyone should know what they are. Why don't you?"
"That's right..."
Tian Tian also nodded.
"Have you really never seen a flyer?"
"You guys are so weird," Lin Qin said, getting a little annoyed by the questioning.
"So what if I don't know what a 'flyer' is? Are you going to suspect me because of this piece of paper?"
Qi Xia looked at the girl before him. Her behavior was indeed hard to understand. If she were one of the "organizers" and had revealed such an obvious flaw, she should at least tell a lie to cover it up.
But she didn't look like she was hiding anything at all; rather, she seemed genuinely a little angry. She didn't think there was anything wrong with not knowing what a "flyer" was. Could she be innocent?
But is the probability of a normal person not knowing what a "flyer" is high? Qi Xia thought about it... If he had to say, there was indeed a minuscule chance that a person might never have seen a flyer.
For example, if Lin Qin was the daughter of a capitalist, grew up in aristocratic circles, and was chauffeured everywhere she went. Or perhaps she was studying abroad and had only recently returned to the country. But no matter what, the probability was very small.
What's more... she was just a psychologist.
"A so-called 'flyer' is just an advertisement printed on paper," Qiao Jiajin explained to Lin Qin.
"You've never seen one?"
"Never," Lin Qin nodded very seriously.
Qi Xia didn't know what else to ask and just kept frowning in thought.
"Hey! Buddy!"
A shout suddenly came from across the road, startling the group. They saw a man in tattered clothes and glasses waving at them from the other side.
"Over here! Buddies!"
This was the first time they had seen other normal people here, so they couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Was this person friend or foe?
"Are you calling me?"
Qi Xia tried to strike up a conversation.
"That's right! You guys are 'good people' too, right?"
The man with glasses smiled.
"'Good people'?"
"It means normal people," the man with glasses said.
"Don't you call it that?"
Qi Xia paused, then replied, "We don't look like madmen, do we?"
"Haha! I knew it!" the man with glasses said with a laugh.
"We found a pretty good game. Interested in earning some 'Dao' together?"
The man always maintained a distance from Qi Xia's group, seeming somewhat wary himself. Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin glanced at each other, not knowing whether to trust him. But on second thought, the rules of this place didn't allow for snatching "Dao".
If the other party had malicious intentions, they could only "deceive." But when it came to "deceiving," Qi Xia had never been afraid of anyone.