After the agreement was reached, the group hesitated no longer. They gathered their belongings and checked out of their rooms, then proceeded toward the plaza.

It was dusk, and the plaza was already packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. The six found an empty bench and sat down. Immediately, Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong slipped away silently to survey the terrain, while the remaining four kept a wary eye on their surroundings.

As the sky gradually darkened, the dense crowd in the plaza began to thin out. By the time the people around them were sparse, Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong finally emerged from the shadows.

Zheng Zha smiled and said, "Hard work. Have you scouted the area? Did you run into any trouble?" Zero Point nodded silently. Zhao Yingkong stated flatly, "The protective talismans are fine. We've mapped out the environment. West of here are several multi-story shopping centers—perfect for sniping. The other three directions are open roads. If we eliminate the main source of the Curse and the police are alerted by our gunfire, the escape route is East, where there's a sewer entrance... Nothing else is clear for now. Fully mapping the surroundings would probably take another day or two."

Zheng Zha laughed. "No, that's sufficient. We only fear the Curse. Once we eliminate the source, we can just surrender to the police. The seven days will end, and we’ll return directly to the 'Main God' space. So, as long as the Curse source is dealt with, we have nothing to fear from the police."

By now, very few pedestrians remained in the entire plaza. The six of them sitting back-to-back looked conspicuous. Several patrols of police officers drifted past them. Of course, there was no law against sitting in a plaza at night, so the patrols didn't interfere, merely shooting them sharp glances.

"I've placed two protective talismans between us. Two people will stand guard at a time. If anyone sees a talisman ignite, wake the others immediately. If no one objects, I'll assign the watch pairings."

Around midnight, everyone was showing signs of sleepiness. After all, they had been living in constant anxiety these past few days. Except for the night they obtained the Buddhist scriptures, who had managed a peaceful sleep? Even if Zheng Zha hadn't suggested it, the group would surely have decided on this arrangement soon enough.

"Alright, Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong as one team, Zhang Jie and Qi Tengyi as another, and I'll take the last pairing with Zhan Lan. Zhang Jie and Qi Tengyi, you take the first shift. Zhan Lan and I will take the second. Zero Point, the third shift is up to you two. Each shift is three hours. Everyone okay with this?" Zheng Zha had been careful with this grouping; each newcomer was paired with a veteran. Zhang Jie’s skills were more than a match for Qi Tengyi. While Zero Point was slightly less powerful than Zhao Yingkong, he possessed extreme alertness; if Zhao Yingkong showed any anomaly, Zero Point would surely wake everyone instantly. This way, the incident of the lost scriptures shouldn't happen again.

Three hours flashed by. Especially when drowsiness hits hardest, it feels as if one has just lain down before being shaken awake. Fortunately, Zheng Zha’s willpower was astonishing; he slapped his face hard and slowly cleared his head. Unfortunately, the young woman Zhan Lan didn't possess such strong resolve. With blurred eyes, she struggled to stay awake, but the weight on her eyelids felt immense with fatigue. She looked truly pitiable at this moment.

"Zhan Lan, you should go back to sleep. I can watch the surroundings alone. Honestly, just keeping an eye on whether the talisman burns is manageable by one person," Zheng Zha said gently, smiling.

Zhan Lan gently shook her head with hazy eyes. "No, talk to me instead. If we talk, I'll slowly start to wake up."

"Then let's talk..." Zheng Zha paused, then said with a wry smile, "But what should I talk about? How about I tell you a bad joke? There was a polar bear, very bored, so it started pulling out its own fur. Then, when all its fur was gone..." "No, no, don't tell me a bad joke. You only ever tell me those awful jokes. They aren't funny at all..." Zhan Lan shook her head vigorously. She shuffled over to Zheng Zha’s side and slowly leaned into his embrace.

Zheng Zha froze stiffly, not daring to move an inch. "Fine, no more bad jokes... How about we discuss our current situation? Do I seem like a complete idiot to you? Acting like some savior, when I can’t even guarantee my own life, yet I fantasize about saving this person and that person. For the sake of the newcomers, I almost endangered my own team members—no, I did endanger them. If it weren't for me, perhaps those Buddhist scriptures..." "If it weren't for you, maybe we wouldn't have gone looking for those Buddhist scriptures at all," Zhan Lan murmured, still leaning against Zheng Zha, though her eyes were beginning to clear.

"I don't know what others think, but being by your side feels incredibly safe. I've seen too much of this in the real world: people watching coldly when someone is robbed, only to scream about the indifference of others when they become the victim. In this deadly world of horror movie cycles, everyone should suspect everyone else, even attacking each other. But the five of us have genuinely stayed by your side. Though I can't quite articulate it, we all believe that if the five of us face danger, you will exert every effort to save us. That's why this team exists."

Zheng Zha gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "I'm not as noble as you say. I just want to gather everyone's strength so we can survive these horror movies. Compared to my foolish kindness, Chu Xuan's approach is far more efficient. At least he will lead the majority to live, whereas I might lead most people into an abyss. Isn't that right?" Zhan Lan gently shook her head too. "I don't know why, but I always feel Chu Xuan is a pitiful person. Even though I don't know where this feeling comes from, every time I see his detached expression, I feel like he seems very tired... Never mind him. Your kindness is not foolishness. Your kindness has held the hearts of our team members together. We just need to be careful selecting newcomers in the future. Please, keep that kindness. If I or another member falls into despair, would you come to save me?" Zheng Zha nodded seriously. "Yes, I definitely would. I promised I wouldn't abandon any member I've accepted. If the danger stems from their own responsibility, I will prioritize the safety of the majority. But if the danger is caused by a team responsibility, then even if I am the only one left, I will definitely go and save them!" "Is that so? You truly are..." Zhan Lan suddenly pressed against Zheng Zha's chest and began to weep softly. The more she cried, the more mournfully she murmured, "Why are you so much like him? You fool, idiot, big dummy! Why pretend to be a good Samaritan and rush into danger... Why? No one will remember you. In a few years, I’ll forget what you look like, forget your height, forget the scent of sweat on your skin... I will forget you too, you big idiot, why do you have to be a good person..." Zheng Zha dared not move in the slightest, sitting there stiffly. Soon, the front of his shirt was soaked by Zhan Lan's tears. Not only that, Zhan Lan clutched his waist tightly, leaving him not a single inch of room to pull away.

After an unknown amount of time, when Zhan Lan’s crying finally subsided, Zheng Zha spoke slowly, "If you want to talk, I will listen quietly..." Zhan Lan just shook her head forcefully. Though her sobs had stopped, she still held Zheng Zha tightly, unwilling to let go, as if only this could provide a sliver of security. This continued for a long time, until a soft cough came from behind them. Zhan Lan suddenly released her grip, lowered her head, moved to a chair, and fell asleep, not daring to look around during the entire process.

Meanwhile, Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong had awakened. They watched Zheng Zha quietly, their gazes making his face flush. He let out a forced laugh and casually found a chair to lie down on, but inside his mind, Zhan Lan’s weeping echoed incessantly, along with the still-damp stain of her tears on his chest.

Time flew. The night passed without incident. The next day, the group mostly moved together. They casually found a diner, ate some food, then rented rooms at a nearby hotel to freshen up. Afterwards, they returned to the plaza to resume their lonely vigil. When evening arrived, they again split into guard teams. When Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan began their shift, the young woman immediately sat down next to Zheng Zha without a word and wrapped her arms tightly around him, leaving Zheng Zha only able to offer a bitter smile.

Time sped on relentlessly... In the blink of an eye, it was the evening of the seventh day. They only needed to hold out for another seven or eight hours to return from this terrifying world of the Curse to the 'Main God' space. Although failing to kill the main source of the Curse was a pity, surviving safely was considered a great fortune amidst misfortune.

The plaza during dusk was crowded. After enduring days of holding the line and sleepless nights, the group was utterly exhausted. Thus, even though it was evening, they had already divided into groups and begun to rest.

Zheng Zha was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly pushed awake. While his thoughts were still hazy, Zhang Jie’s voice reached him: "Zheng Zha! Zhan Lan is missing!" "Missing?" Zheng Zha shot up with a loud cry. "Zhan Lan is gone? Wasn't she sleeping right here? How could she suddenly vanish? Where's the talisman? Did it burn?" Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong were also awakened. Zhang Jie said urgently, "Qi Tengyi and I didn't dare doze off; we watched our surroundings intently. Both protective talismans were intact. There were even more pedestrians than there are now. Could she have left with the crowd?" Zheng Zha then noticed it was already dark, estimating the time to be past eight, nearing nine. Just as he was about to ask more, his communicator vibrated. He snatched it open. "Zhan Lan? Where are you? Why didn't you tell us where you were going? Don't you know we were all worried about you... Zhan Lan?" On the communicator, Zhan Lan was crying continuously. She sobbed, "I don't know what happened. I was suddenly jolted awake by the cold, and I woke up in the suite we rented at the Sunshine Hotel! I don't know how I got here; I was clearly sleeping on the chair just now... Waaah, Zheng Zha, the protective talisman I was carrying is burning! I'm so scared..." Zheng Zha shuddered at the words. The protective talisman was burning... This clearly meant...————(Recommend new book: Love of Killing, Book ID: 110550) Click to view image link: cmfu/smenhu.cn?bl_id=110550 Love of Killing Jump to