"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you out, unless both of us die!" Dazhuang paused, then added, "But even if we die, we'll do our best to escort you out!"
"Why?" Qin Xun asked.
"Because we promised Brother Shui!" Xu Chao said earnestly. "If it were our families, Brother Shui would do the same!"
"You don't seem like Brother Shui's subordinates. You're more like his brothers!"
"Something like that. Brother Shui never calls us his subordinates, but we're all happy to call ourselves that." Xu Chao looked at Qin Xun's left arm.
"So, what happened with that gunshot wound? Why weren't you sleeping at home in the middle of the night?"
Qin Xun told them the whole story.
After hearing what had happened to Qin Xun over the past few years, Xu Chao and Dazhuang exchanged a look, their eyes filled with shock!
Ninety-nine consecutive wins in the Killing Arena!
What did that even mean?
If they had entered the Killing Arena back then, never mind ninety-nine consecutive wins, they wouldn't even have been confident of winning ten in a row!
Xu Chao began to admire Qin Xun. "As expected of Brother Shui's little brother, you've got the bearing of a real man! Maybe one day you'll become a man just like Brother Shui!"
Dazhuang gritted his teeth as he listened. "Don't worry. If we get the chance, we'll kill He Laowu!"
"What exactly has Brother Shui been doing out there all these years?" Qin Xun asked.
He badly wanted to know what Brother Shui had been doing out there for the past six years, and why there had been no word from him in all that time.
"He's been doing something truly great!" At the mention of Qin Ashui, Xu Chao's voice grew a few degrees prouder.
It was as though Brother Shui were his idol!
"What is it?"
Xu Chao shook his head slightly. "Knowing too much won't do you any good right now."
"Then where is Brother Shui now?"
"All I can tell you is that he's somewhere very safe. He has something to take care of, so he couldn't come and get you himself!"
"Somewhere very safe? Could he be in a safe zone?"
The safe zones were the areas that had yet to fall.
It was said that in those places, the law held sway, and murderers had to pay with their lives.
Everyone there was equal.
They ate good food and enjoyed good lives, with no need to worry about being robbed or killed for no reason.
Even beautiful women with no background dared to walk openly in the streets.
You could say that every civilian living in the Fallen Zone had a dream: to be born in a safe zone in their next life.
"He's in the Fallen Zone. I can't tell you exactly where... because I can't trust you!"
Qin Xun was taken aback.
Noticing the change in Qin Xun's expression, Dazhuang said, "Why did you have to be so blunt?"
"I shouldn't have said it, but since I did, I might as well tell you why... You may be Brother Shui's little brother, and you may be a real man, but I can't be sure whether you'd give up Brother Shui's hiding place if you were caught!"
"I see. I understand."
Qin Xun felt no discomfort at all. Instead, he was glad that Brother Shui had friends like them.
Now, he was gradually beginning to trust the two of them.
Not because of what they said, but because the looks in their eyes and on their faces as they said it didn't seem fake.
"From what you've said, someone's after Brother Shui?"
Xu Chao said, "He's a wanted man, a very well-known one in the Fallen Zone! His identity had never been exposed before, but now it has. He was worried that you and your sister would be in danger, so he sent us to get you!"
"A wanted man..."
Qin Xun murmured.
He didn't think that Brother Shui must be guilty of heinous crimes just because he was wanted.
In the Fallen Zone, there could be many reasons for someone to be wanted.
Dazhuang rested a hand on Qin Xun's shoulder. "Don't blame Brother Shui for not coming back to help you these past six years. It's not that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't!"
Though Dazhuang looked big and burly, he was actually even more attentive than Xu Chao!
"So what exactly happened at my house?"
Xu Chao stroked Mengmeng's doggy head. "When we got to your house, we found two people trying to kill your sister. They both had Psionic Power, so we fought them and killed them!"
"People with Psionic Power? Trying to kill my sister?" Qin Xun was stunned. "Who sent them?"
"We'll tell you that later. Like I said, knowing too much won't do you any good right now." Xu Chao spoke earnestly. "Get some rest. The road ahead will be hard! Don't worry about being in danger while you're asleep. If there's danger, Mengmeng will alert me right away!"
Hearing her name, Mengmeng panted, her tongue hanging out as she looked at Xu Chao.
This dog really was intelligent!
"Wait, I have one more question... Is Brother Shui someone with Psionic Power?"
Xu Chao was surprised. "Huh? You didn't know? He already was one back when he was in Zone 108!"
"I didn't know. He never told me..."
Brother Shui had Psionic Power too!
Qin Xun badly wanted to know.
What exactly was the great thing Brother Shui was doing?
An important wanted man...
What had he been through out there all these years?
"Hopefully, Xiao Ling has already left the zone and is somewhere safe..."
Perhaps because he was simply too tired, Qin Xun soon drifted off against the wall.
In his sleep, he dreamed of that scene again.
Nine iron chains wreathed in flames darted through the darkness.
Unlike before, this time the nine chains gradually formed a circle.
They formed a huge ring of fire!
Half asleep, he heard a noise and opened his eyes. He saw Xu Chao leaving the underground hideout, saying he was going out to pee.
When he woke again, Xu Chao was carrying a plastic bag filled with steaming buns.
The buns were dark, and when he bit into one, the bitter taste outweighed the sweetness.
They were made from black buckwheat beans ground into flour.
Though they didn't taste very good, at least they were nutritious.
Most civilians in the Fallen Zone ate this kind of food.
Only nobles, or civilians during festivals, could eat refined grain like rice.
Every Spring Festival, perhaps because the nobles' consciences stirred,
the civilians of Zone 108 could each receive a small bag of rice and a piece of meat.
If there was a man in the family, they could also receive a small bottle of liquor.
"This stuff really tastes awful..." Xu Chao complained as he ate.
Dazhuang, on the other hand, was eating with relish. "Didn't you grow up eating this?"
"Bullshit. When I was a kid, I couldn't even get this!" Xu Chao said as he ate. "I just went out and had a look around. Security's tight out there. Guard Team members looking for us are everywhere."
Dazhuang considered it. "Ordinary Guard Team members are one thing, but if someone with Psionic Power finds this place, there's a good chance they'll discover us."
"This is the safest place for now. Hopefully we can stay hidden until tonight..." Xu Chao's gaze turned cold. "If we really are discovered, we'll fight them to the death!"
After a moment's silence,
he looked at Dazhuang again. "If it really comes to that, I'll stay behind. You take Qin Xun and go first!"
Qin Xun's hand paused as he ate his bun.
Dazhuang was quiet for a moment, then grunted in agreement.