TDU Chapter 297
Chapter 297 A Discordant Assembly
Song Seven shook his head. "If you’re not willing to share, then forget it. We’re simply here to ask Chu Tianqiu a few questions."
Chen Junnan scratched his ear with a finger, contemplating for a moment. "You’ve brought all these people... just to {ask a few questions}?"
"Exactly. This time, we must get answers," Song Seven affirmed with a firm nod. "After all, {Passage to Heaven} is teeming with many {Reverberatees}—we must proceed with caution."
"Speaking of which... Song—Xiao Song," Chen Junnan took a few steps forward, closing the distance until he stood face-to-face with Song Seven. "What sort of organization are you part of now?"
"We are {Cats}. We’ve brought together a group of formidable individuals who have no desire to flee but instead wish to remain in {End Point} for eternity. We take on jobs for actual money," Song Seven explained, pausing for a moment before continuing, "It doesn’t matter whether it’s here or back home, dirty work or hard labor."
"Dammit…" Chen Junnan scratched at his ear again. "Why does your approach sound so familiar?"
"You seem to be a {Reverberatee} as well. Want to join {Cats}?" Song Seven offered. "Our boss, Qian Five, would probably take quite a liking to you."
"Qian... Five?" Chen Junnan’s face brightened with a sudden thought. "You mean Xiao Qian Dou(钱豆; Qian Beans)? Qian Duoduo*?"
(TL: The nickname ‘Qian Duoduo’ is a homophone to ‘lots of money’ / PR: I mean, it literally sounds like Money More and More)
"You—!" Song Seven rushed forward in alarm. The man before him had no filter, and could easily undermine Qian Five’s stature in the eyes of others. He quickly lowered his voice, whispering, "What nonsense are you spouting? {Xiao Qian Dou}? How do you even know Five ge’s full name?"
"Ah, I…" Chen Junnan scratched his head with an awkward smile. "Oops, my bad. Qian Five, right? I just wanted to confirm if it was really him—and it is, huh…"
Seeing this, Song Seven leaned in and said in a hushed tone, "If you’re an old acquaintance of Five ge’s, all the more reason you should meet him. Who knows? He might even grant you the title of {Twenty-two}."
"Chen Twenty-two…?" Chen Junnan gave a disdainful shake of his head. "Sounds awful. Why would this young master give up being Mr. Handsome* to go play second fiddle in your lot?"
(TL: 俊男; homophone to Chen Junnan’s given name[俊南; Junnan])
Song Seven sighed. "Since you’re not interested in joining us, xiōngdì, then at least don’t stand in the way. We need to speak with Chu Tianqiu."
Once Chen Junnan confirmed that their target was neither Qi Xia nor Qiao Jiajin, his worries abated. He stepped aside, revealing the gate behind him.
Without hesitation, Song Seven pushed the gate open and entered, the members of {Cats} trailing closely behind.
At the same time, Zhang Shan and Yun Yao emerged from the school building with over a dozen others, striding toward the sports field with an imposing air.
The two groups took their places on opposite sides of the field’s center. After a brief pause, Song Seven and Zhang Shan stepped forward to meet in the middle.
Song Seven vaguely recognized the man before him—last time, it had taken considerable effort to bring him down.
"Xiōngdì, name yourself," Song Seven said.
"Zhang Shan, of {Passage to Heaven}."
"A pleasure. I’m Song Seven, of {Cats}." Song Seven nodded. "I’m here to see Chu Tianqiu."
"That’s not quite how this should go," Zhang Shan replied, glancing at the sea of black-clad figures behind Song Seven. "Tell me, Song Seven—are you the leader of {Cats}?"
"No," Song Seven shook his head. "Our leader is Qian Five."
"So ‘Five’ is your leader… and you’re ‘Seven’?" Zhang Shan chuckled. "F*ck, there’s still a {Six} between you two—so you’re third in command?"
"That’s correct," Song Seven nodded.
"Well, I’m third in command too," Zhang Shan said with a grin. "Which means we can talk this out on equal footing. It’s not quite proper for a third-in-command to demand a direct audience with someone else’s leader."
"You’re third in command as well…?" Song Seven narrowed his eyes and glanced past Zhang Shan at Yun Yao standing behind him. After a brief moment of consideration, he gave a slight nod. "My apologies—but I do not believe we are equals. For Five ge, killing Chu Tianqiu would be no more difficult than lifting a finger."
"There are generals who excel at combat, and generals who excel at strategy…" Zhang Shan looked meaningfully at Song Seven. "Were your words meant to be a provocation?"
After only a short exchange, Song Seven could clearly sense that the man before him possessed an uncommon aura—his commanding presence was such that calling him the leader would not seem far-fetched.
At that moment, an odd question lingered in Song Seven’s thoughts—the strength of {Passage to Heaven} was by no means feeble, and yet during the last large-scale assault by {Cats}, so few {Reverberatee} rose to resist. What exactly had gone wrong? Wasn’t the primary purpose of their gathering the pursuit of {Reverberation}?
Even more bewildering was the fact that the one who had hired {Cats} to carry out the massacre was no outsider, but their very own leader—Chu Tianqiu.
"I mean no provocation," Song Seven said. “We’re here just to locate someone… and the instigator behind all this chaos should be the one most familiar with the truth.”
As the two remained locked in a tense standoff, the crowd behind {Passage to Heaven} slowly parted. A lean figure stepped forward—it was Chu Tianqiu himself.
With a cultured, gentlemanly smile, he approached Song Seven and came to a halt. The two men stood beneath the pale light of morning, the foul wind sweeping between them, holding each other’s gaze in silence for several seconds.
"{Cats}, is it…" Chu Tianqiu was the first to speak. "What brings you all here?"
"Chu Tianqiu, we have some questions for you. Could we speak in private?" asked Song Seven.
Chu Tianqiu gave a faint smile and replied, "Of course. Come with me—we’ll find somewhere to sit and talk."
Song Seven nodded and gave a few instructions to the people behind him. His group sat down where they were.
"No need for all this formality," Chu Tianqiu said with a casual wave of his hand. "We’re all friends here. Everyone can disperse."
The members of {Passage to Heaven} looked at one another, and after a moment’s hesitation, began to disperse.
Yun Yao swept her gaze around the field and spotted Chen Junnan doing morning stretches by the campus gate. After a moment’s thought, she stepped away from the crowd and walked towards him.
Chen Junnan was just about to leave when a woman’s voice called out from behind him.
"Hold on..."
Chen Junnan turned around and saw Yun Yao standing there.
"What’s up, superstar?" Chen Junnan scratched the back of his head. "Did you finally remember Andy Lau’s phone number?"
Yun Yao thought for a moment before asking, "Why do you want to find Terrestrial Snake?"
"Because I thought it was time to give my brain a bit of exercise," Chen Junnan replied. "Any guidance you’d care to share?"
"Is it to assist Qi Xia with his preparations?" Yun Yao continued to inquire.
"Not exactly, but pretty close," Chen Junnan nodded. "Figured I’d take a look at what exactly Terrestrial Snake amounts to now."
"I’m coming with you," Yun Yao suddenly declared.
"Wha—" Chen Junnan was stunned. "Not a chance. With the way you look, walking into Terrestrial Snake’s domain is like walking straight into the lion’s den. You’d better stay put."
"Seems you’re aware of Terrestrial Snake’s true nature," Yun Yao remarked. "Being a grown man, do you truly expect the Terrestrial Snake to let his guard down?"
Chen Junnan took a moment to think, then nodded, acknowledging her point. "But I can’t guarantee you’ll make it out alive."
"It’s alright. For the ultimate goal, I am prepared to die many times over," Yun Yao said, her expression resolute.
"But aren’t you concerned about the mess over there?" Chen Junnan asked, gesturing toward the crowd on the sports field.
"It doesn’t concern me," Yun Yao sighed. "Regardless of what Chu Tianqiu seeks, {Passage to Heaven} has lost its former meaning."
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
