【Evil Dragon Palace, waiting for the ten Knights to open.】
“Let’s go take a look.” Lu Nan supported Song Wenwei with her left hand and pulled Gu Yue up with her right.
The four left from beside the Pirate Ship, which was still some distance from the source of the sound.
Upon hearing the voice, You Hui and Ren Bahai crawled out from underneath, covered in dirt and grime.
On the way, the six of them met across a narrow path.
You Hui smiled and greeted them from the side of the road. “So you were here. Did anyone get caught by the eagles?”
Song Wenwei shook her head. “Not sure. We hid here and didn’t see anyone.”
“What a shame…”
“If someone got caught, then Sister Wenwei and I wouldn’t have to sleep in a tent,” Tang Qi said, tugging at her sleeve.
“It’s fine. Maybe we’ll cancel each other out,” Song Wenwei replied.
It wasn’t that she minded the tent; Tang Qi was very self-aware. Her brain and stamina weren’t great. That damn director had lied and said coming here would refresh her—it was total bullshit. If someone as good as Song Wenwei got dragged down by her and had to sleep in a tent, she’d feel terribly guilty.
Lu Nan’s gaze fixed tightly on the hand she was holding. She took a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled.
She’s just a kid. Tang Qi was just a kid. What did she know about boundaries? She couldn’t get mad at a kid… If others found out she was jealous of a kid, it’d be laughable.
Lu Nan stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of Song Wenwei’s other hand. The thick fabric brushed her fingertips as she said with that icy face, “I’ll sleep in the tent. Song Wenwei, you can switch with me later. You and Gu Yue sleep together, and I’ll bunk with her.”
Realizing she was the one who’d have to sleep with Lu Nan, Tang Qi nearly broke down.
“No, no, I don’t want to sleep with Lu Nan!” Tang Qi pouted, her face full of misery. “It’s already cold up on the mountain. Sleeping with Lu Nan would freeze me to death.”
“Oh.” Lu Nan replied flatly.
The plot direction was utterly baffling. You Hui and Ren Bahai exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes.
Oh, so he doesn’t get it either, they both thought.
Gu Yue chuckled softly and spoke up. “Hey, have you two considered that it’s us two…”
Tang Qi looked at Gu Yue, begging her to drag Lu Nan away. “Your good teammate is defecting.”
“Be good. Let’s hurry up and go.”
That damn third wheel sticking around for what? Gu Yue cursed inwardly, only to realize she was a damn third wheel too. Damn it, hilarious.
Tang Qi didn’t budge. “What are you doing? Sister Wenwei and I are a team. Lu Nan, your teammate is defecting!”
Lu Nan: “Yeah, handing you over.”
Tang Qi: “I don’t want to. You two are both nuts.”
Song Wenwei burst out laughing. She watched the two of them leisurely—Lu Nan like a stubborn kid throwing a tantrum.
Gu Yue: “Come on, let’s go. Stop dawdling, or the door will close, and we won’t even get into the Evil Dragon’s bedroom.”
When the six arrived at the shutter door, four people were already standing nearby. Compared to their disheveled state, those four looked impeccably neat.
“Whoa, you four had such good luck, picking the unbewitched Chicken Mama right away,” You Hui said, shaking his head. He’d always prided himself on being the child of luck.
Yi Xiao: “Average, average. Our luck might be good, but it’s not as good as your stamina, you two.”
Gu Yue teased You Hui. “How’d the child of luck crawl out from under the big pendulum ride?”
“Of course, my luck got used up. You two are great— the cleaning lady doesn’t even have to work today,” Tang Qi said with a laugh, eyeing the gray streaks on their once-white clothes, like a white rag wiping dusty equipment.
You Hui shook his head and patted his clothes. “Shameful, shameful.”
“Let’s go in.” Mo Zhiting glanced at the six’s clothes and silently stepped back a pace.
【Ten people gathered. The gate opens. The Evil Dragon Palace is ahead.】
【Countdown: 20:00, 19:59…】
The thick wall split open, revealing a shutter door that rolled up wide. Thick smoke billowed out, carrying the smell of rust and dust that made everyone sneeze.
The ten entered the door.
“I wonder what the Evil Dragon Palace looks like,” Yi Xiao said.
“Run! The Evil Dragon is coming!”
“Everyone, run!”
In an instant, the once-lively crowd descended into chaos. Food stalls that had customers chatting with vendors one second were abandoned the next.
As the crowd scattered, the entire street stood empty, leaving only the ten of them.
Seeing this, they hurriedly hid as well.
“Split up and run!” Mo Zhiting shouted amid the panic.
The ten split into four groups and ran off, with Lu Nan and Song Wenwei sticking together.
They hid under a tofu stall.
“Where’s the Evil Dragon? I don’t see it,” Tang Qi looked left and right. The street was deserted.
“Shh, don’t talk. Let’s wait and see,” Song Wenwei said.
The four made no sound, crouching silently in place.
“Weird…”
Lu Nan poked her head out. The evening sun cast light on the ground, and nightfall approached in an instant.
They had arrived at the Amusement Park around 3 p.m., so this place must be a large, fully enclosed outdoor film set with a projected sky.
Now, the once-prosperous street looked desolate.
Still no one appeared…
“Is it in the sky?”
In this story’s framework, the Evil Dragon had wings and could fly. They’d only looked at the ground, not up.
Lu Nan voiced this, and everyone looked overhead—blue sky, white clouds, nothing there.
“Nope, no Evil Dragon or anything…” Tang Qi frowned. “So weird.”
No sounds came from outside either. They tentatively stepped out. The ground was littered with countless spherical objects, curled up small.
Lu Nan poked one—it was rock-hard, like a big chunk of iron.
“Evil Dragon Eggs,” Song Wenwei said, smashing one with a stone. The gray clump burst open, revealing something like a snake inside. It didn’t move, but its tail emitted a faint glow.
“So many?” Lu Nan turned and roughly counted— at least a dozen or so here.
Wait…
“Hold on! Weren’t we supposed to see the Knights’ corpses? How come it’s these things?” Tang Qi puzzledly looked at Song Wenwei. “These aren’t what they meant by Knights’ corpses, are they?”
【”The eagles have left. Pass through the wall ahead, and you’ll reach the Evil Dragon’s palace, where the secrets you’ve long sought await.”】
This was the secret they’d long sought.
Song Wenwei gazed at the sealed door and the empty street, sighing silently. If this was really it, were they still looking for the Knights’ treasure?
“Because we are the evil dragons…” Lu Nan exchanged a glance with Song Wenwei and reached the conclusion.
