Chapter 1262: The One Who Waits

The group wandered in the vast, boundless cosmos in twos and threes, forming a disorderly march like ants that had crawled onto a painting accidentally.

Gregor and Dr. Jia were in the very back. While smoking, Gregor initiated a chat, “How long are we going to keep walking here?”

Dr. Jia glanced down at the vitals monitor on his wrist. “Doesn’t matter. This takes no energy. I have a feeling that we will never die, no matter how long we stay here.”

“We won’t die, but it will be worse than dying.” Gregor smiled bitterly. He glanced at Gao Yang at the head of the group. “So, you think Gao Yang’s alive?”

“How should I know?” Dr. Jia said regretfully. “Should’ve told Raven Shark to bring my laboratory. Then I can study him properly.”

“Is this really the time for your damn reserach?”

“

Damn research

?” Dr. Jia reacted like Gregor had just told the worst joke in the world. He plucked the cigarette out of Gregor’s mouth and took a deep inhale, which sent him into a coughing fit. “

Ack, ack!

Make no mistake...

ack ack!

I’m pursuing the truth of the universe here!”

“Truth! Truth!” Parry hovered above Dr. Jia’s head. It disliked the smell of cigarettes.

“Is truth really so important?” Gregor snorted.

“If not truth, what else?” Dr. Jia cast the cigarette away. Adept Horse’s construct was real, no different from the cigarettes found on the other side of the Gates. He noted it down in his head.

Gregor paused, finding no answer. He lit another cigarette.

Liao Liao and Hong Xiaoxiao conversed quietly, walking side by side a little closer to the center of the group.

“Strange, we’ve been walking for quite a while, but I’m not tired at all,” Hong Xiaoxiao said.

“Yeah.” Liao Liao was suddenly sentimental. “Is this why people say a moment is an eternity?”

“That’s way too philosophical for me.” Hong Xiaoxiao commented, looking visibly relaxed.

“You’re in a good mood, Hong Xiaoxiao,” Liao Liao observed with some confusion. “Weren’t you nervous? Why, are you not scared now?”

Hong Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and smiled. “When I just entered the Gates, I felt insignificant and pitiful. Our little group fell into such a vast place, not knowing what would happen or what we would face.” She brushed her bangs and fixed them with a hairpin. “But now I know that we’re not alone. The Divine Scion and the awakeners of each round were working hard at the same time. None of us has given up hope.”

“Even so, we may fail,” Liao Liao pointed out.

“I know.” Hong Xiaoxiao didn’t seem discouraged. “But that fact alone gives me a sense of security and eases my fear.”

Liao Liao blinked before taking her hand with a smile. “Strange. Hearing you say that makes me feel calmer, too.”

Heavenly Dog carried Lovely Lamb in his arms while walking in the center of the group. When they first entered the Gates, Lovely Lamb had been nervous and amazed, as well as scared and lost due to facing the unknown. Still, she was a child. The emotional rollercoaster left her tired and sleepy, and she fell asleep in Heavenly Dog’s embrace.

Heavenly Dog was listening to music with his headphones on.

He could live without a wallet, a weapon, or first-aid medicines, but not headphones. He needed them. It would be torture if he couldn’t listen to music when he wanted to.

No matter what he faced or experienced, he could quickly get a hold of himself once he put on his headphones and found the right song, like he had found his spot in a dark, chaotic movie screening room.

Chen Ying and Adept Horse were in the center of the group, too. Chen Ying was fully focused on Sensory, while Adept Horse remained in deep thought.

Vermilion Bird, White Dew, and Raven Shark walked in the front half of the group.

The two women had had a serious discussion about their current situation and possible solutions, but they soon realized that there was no point in doing that. In the end, their conversation shifted to men—not those in this group, of course.

Raven Shark wasn’t interested in the conversation, and he didn’t understand what they were talking about anyway. He simply trailed after Vermilion Bird like a shadow.

Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei were near the very front of the group.

Seeing Gao Yang completely intact eased Wang Zikai somewhat. He stopped raging, but awkwardness followed.

“Zhang Wei, Gao Yang would be fine with the system dying for him, right?” Wang Zikai asked.

“Probably,” Zhang Wei said. He couldn’t be certain. “Let’s ask Brother Yang?”

“Then ask him!” Wang Zikai shoved him.

“Huh?” Zhang Wei pointed at his nose. “Me?”

“Who else?!” Wang Zikai found himself a terrible excuse. “I’m God! It’s inappropriate for me to ask the question.”

Zhang Wei wasn’t obstinate enough to buy that. He knew Wang Zikai was scared—scared that the answer wouldn’t be the one he wanted.

At the end of the day, the first Divine Scion’s fate didn’t belong to the last round of the Mist World. She had “transmigrated” here by cheating. Even though she had taken a hit for Gao Yang’s fate, that might not be enough to sustain Gao Yang’s life.

Zhang Wei was scared and hesitant, too. He sighed silently as he looked at Gao Yang and Qing Ling at the very front of the group.

At times like this, Sister-in-Law is the bravest.

Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked together without saying a word. Before, Qing Ling would’ve never found the silence unbearable. Quite the contrary, she would’ve enjoyed the silence. But not this time.

“Gao Yang,” she said in a demanding tone. “I’ve talked to Vermilion Bird. As soon as we get out of here, she’ll use my life to extend yours with Equivalent Exchange...”

“That won’t work,” Gao Yang cut her off calmly. “Pride killed my fate.”

“Your system took the hit for you.”

“It’s not that simple—”

“Then change your fate,” Qing Ling said with determination. “Aren’t we here for that?”

Gao Yang didn’t respond.

“Gao Yang, you promised.”

He kept his eyes on the road ahead. “I promised you that I would try my best to win.”

“That’s not enough,” Qing Ling said.

Gao Yang didn’t say anything. He could not promise more.

Qing Ling suddenly grabbed him by the collar and glared at him. “I said that’s not enough! You hear me?!”

Gao Yang looked at her quietly.

The argument broke out so suddenly, and between Gao Yang and Qing Ling at that. The others didn’t know if and how they should intervene.

They all knew why she was furious, but none had the courage to step in. They couldn’t reconcile themselves with the worst-case scenario.

Suddenly, a figure fell to the ground between Qing Ling and Gao Yang, tumbling.

Qing Ling caught herself and let go of Gao Yang. She looked down to find Nainai on her all fours at her feet. It had been a crash landing.

Nainai scrambled to her feet, explaining in a flushed face, “This-this Empress is feeling some exhaustion. It’s not a bad idea to walk with you mortals...”

Qing Ling shot her a pointed look.

Nainai lowered her head meekly and said in human language, “I can’t fly all of a sudden.”

“Something’s wrong, Captain.” Chen Ying hurried to them with a serious look on her face. “My Sensory isn’t working right. It feels like the space around us has vanished...”

Chen Ying trailed off.

Gone was the universe. They found themselves standing at the mouth of a winding, rundown alleyway, dimly lit by street lamps. It was no more than three meters wide, lined by the discolored walls of old abandoned houses. On one side, the walls were painted white, while on the other side, the walls were black—all covered in colorful advertisements and graffiti to create a lived-in look.

Under their feet was an uneven asphalt path, covered in many parts by bricks, stones, and wooden planks laid down for passage due to the difficulty of maintenance. A grey shoot of grass grew out of a puddle in the center of the road. The wild growth embodied a strange, stubborn, and tragic vitality.

A tall, slim man stood before the grass. He wore a casual suit and a necktie with a grey dog mask on his face. White cloud patterns covered the mask.

“Here you are,” the young man said. He had an androgynous, frivolous voice, but the carefree and genuine nature coloring it prevented an unfavorable impression.

“Cerulean Dog!”

Adept Horse recognized him first.

Gao Yang had asked Adept Horse to look into the previous members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, especially Cerulean Dog. Thus, he had checked the man’s dossier in detail. In the profile picture, Cerulean was wearing the same mask, and his frame looked just like this man’s.

“Ah.” Cerulean Dog took off his mask with his other hand still in his pocket. “I don’t have to introduce myself, it seems.”