TDU Chapter 335
Chapter 335 Undeserved Sins
Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Shangwu had been following the clowder of {Cats} for nearly an entire morning, gradually feeling weary.
Could {Cats}’ base really be so far from {Passage to Heaven}?
“Swindler lad…” Qiao Jiajin murmured, “Something’s been bothering me.”
“What is it?”
“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin subtly gestured backward, “There’s a little Hero who’s been following us all along.”
Qi Xia turned his head, his gaze cutting through the pale-faced {Cats}, directly landing on Zheng Hero at the very end of the line.
The boy still wore his newspaper crown, his cautious eyes scanning the surroundings. His hand never left the newspaper sword at his waist, alert to any threat.
“Song Seven,” Qi Xia called out.
Song Seven, near the front of the group, heard his name and turned back with an ashen face, asking, “What is it?”
“Does… that child look familiar to you?” Qi Xia glanced toward the end of the line.
Song Seven looked from afar, pondering briefly before replying, “I believe I’ve seen him elsewhere before, but nothing memorable comes to mind.”
“I once heard an interesting theory,” Qi Xia remarked. “That all who enter {End Point} are sinners, here to {atone}. But… can a child truly have {sins} of their own?”
“Of course,” Song Seven sighed. “If your memories last long enough in {End Point}, you’ll even find people born bearing unforgivable {sins}.”
“Is that so?”
“A completely innocent child who helped their mother hang herself is labeled {matricide}; a street beggar stealing another beggar’s food in the freezing cold is branded {plunder}.” Song Seven wore a bitter, hopeless smile as he counted off the examples. “A fallen magician accidentally breaking an expensive watch belonging to an audience member and ends up with a million in debt, destroying his family. A well-intentioned da ge accidentally killing a notorious villain. Even a taxi driver who failed to notice a student’s exam admission ticket left behind in his car, causing the student to miss the NCEE and subsequently commit suicide…”
“How preposterous," Qi Xia cut in coldly. “Song Seven, do you really think these are {sins}? If such logic stands, then what {sins} are these people atoning for? And why must they {atone} at all?”
“It is indeed preposterous, but how can this not be {sin}?” Song Seven turned to Qi Xia, his eyes equally frosty. “Each of us carries a past we’d rather forget. Why should I care what sin a child has committed?”
Nearby, Officer Li watched the debate and spoke slowly, “In my view… if something is called a {sin}, then at the very least it should be a crime. If the law doesn’t even recognize it as guilt, then that {sin} is inherently unreasonable.”
“Heh…” Song Seven glanced at Officer Li. “That may be a clean way to frame it, but I’ve met countless people… even a few who can’t recall ever committing any transgressions. Are we to assume they broke the law without even realizing it?”
Officer Li sighed but remained silent.
“If we’ve all broken laws, why is it {End Point} punishing us?!” Song Seven’s smile turned icy. “You're a {public official}, aren’t you? Then riddle me this—do you really believe we deserve to be sentenced to eternity here?”
None of Song Seven’s questions found answers from Officer Li.
He, too, was one of those trapped here.
“What’s going on…?” Qiao Jiajin stepped between them and said to Song Seven, “Explosion lou, watch your mouth. Can’t you see the situation? If you keep shouting at us, don’t expect me to play nice."
Song Seven sighed, either out of fear or realization, then turned to Officer Li. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to target you. It’s just that this place always stirs up bad memories.”
Seeing Song Seven calm down, Qiao Jiajin turned back. “Swindler lad, what about that kid? Are we just letting him follow us to {Cats} territory?”
“I don’t think {Cats} would harm a child,” Qi Xia said. “But we should still be careful—after all, we’re no children.”
Song Seven shook his head. “If Five ge wanted to kill you all, he wouldn’t bother with all this trouble.”
Qi Xia said nothing, and they continued to follow {Cats} for another half hour before arriving at a massive prison gate.
At the doorway stood a strikingly tall woman, her lips adorned with piercings and shaded in a deep hue. She exuded a clear air of unapproachability.
“Six jie…” Song Seven, clutching his severed right hand, struggled forward and greeted her.
“Seven… what happened to you all?” The woman known as Six jie glanced angrily at the disheveled group. "Who would be so bold as to cross you?"
"Nothing more than a transaction," murmured Song Seven. “The one Five ge is looking for has been located…”
“Is it one of them?” The woman turned to look at Qi Xia and the other two, then said, "No matter how urgent, it can wait. Come with me to see Five ge first."
What Qi Xia and the others didn’t expect was that the woman made them wait outside the gate while she led the {Cats} members inside the prison. The three men, along with Zheng Hero, were left standing alone at the entrance, with no one seeming inclined to acknowledge them.
“What’s going on, Swindler lad…” Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “Is this—”
"That’s beyond me," Qi Xia replied bluntly. "I’m unfamiliar with their ways."
Officer Li cracked his neck and remarked, "I initially thought they were just a gang of criminals, but they appear to be highly organized."
Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment and then said, “I’ve got a good idea.”
“What idea?” Officer Li asked.
“How about I sneak in secretly?”
“Sneak in…?” Officer Li was taken aback. “Is that really necessary?”
“No need, Fists,” Qi Xia said. “Although they’re all injured, they still have numbers. Better to be cautious.”
“Okay.” Qiao Jiajin shrugged and sat down nearby, soon starting to dig into the dirt on the ground.
At this moment, Hero took a careful step forward, his youthful face full of caution. “Civilians, I advise you to be careful. The scents within are overwhelmingly dense.”
“Oh…?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “Hero, are there {monsters} inside?”
“No, it’s not the smell of {monsters},” Hero replied, “but a dense scent of {Reverberation}.”
Qi Xia lowered his head in thought. Dense scent of {Reverberation}?
At this point, only two scenarios seemed plausible: the entire {Cats} collective possessed their {Reverberations}, or a singularly powerful {Reverberatee} existed within their ranks.
But why would they so carelessly leave a lot of strangers outside the gate and instead rush to see that {Five ge} first?
Qi Xia pondered briefly and felt the situation wasn’t hard to deduce.
Song Seven and the others had even severed their entire team’s right hand to bring him back—an undeniable testament to his importance. Yet, their very first act upon return was to privately seek out {Five ge}, which could only signify one thing.
That man named Qian Five might possess the power to heal them.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
