When Qi Xia and Chen Junnan returned to the classroom, they unexpectedly found that Qin Dingdong had followed them in as well.

It seemed more and more people were living in this classroom.

Everyone stood up to greet Qin Dingdong.

“Ah…” Qin Dingdong spotted Lin Qin at a glance. “You…”

“That’s right, it’s me.” Lin Qin nodded. “Long time no see.”

Qin Dingdong turned her head to scan the room, discovering that most of the people here were Qi Xia’s teammates from seven years ago, but there was also a short-haired girl who didn’t seem like she should be here.

“You…” Qin Dingdong stared at that novel face in surprise, then immediately ran forward. “Little Shan?”

“Who are you?” Su Shan stared at Qin Dingdong with some curiosity. The atmosphere between the two was somewhat strange.

“It really is you!!” Qin Dingdong cried out happily. “Last time I lost you, I thought in this vast sea of people I’d never see you again!”

“Did we know each other before?” Su Shan said with confusion.

“Of course, of course.” Qin Dingdong nodded. “We used to be good sisters!”

“Ah…? Really?” Su Shan blinked her bright eyes. “Good sisters?”

Listening from the side, Qi Xia only found it amusing. Su Shan was a police officer, while Qin Dingdong was a female con artist. Even if they knew each other, what were the chances these two could become “good sisters”?

“It’s getting late.” Qi Xia interjected. “Everyone should rest early. Tomorrow will be the same as today—everyone goes out to search for ‘Dao’ on their own.”

“Really? Then tomorrow I want to act together with Little Shan!” Qin Dingdong affectionately took Su Shan’s arm, which made Su Shan feel rather uncomfortable.

The several people dispersed, each finding tables and chairs to push together, choosing their own places to rest.

Qi Xia also dragged over a chair to sit by the door, slowly moving his muscles and bones. But when he lowered his head, he suddenly discovered a strange, short shadow beside him.

This shadow seemed to be cast in from the corridor.

He turned to look and saw a strange youth standing at the classroom doorway.

This youth appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old, even younger than Jin Yuanxun.

He wore an ordinary t-shirt and shorts, but strangely, he had made a cape from an old bedsheet and draped it over his back, with a crown folded from old newspaper on his head.

The youth took a step forward, curiously looking everyone over, then extended his hand.

Qi Xia noticed he was holding a short sword folded from newspaper in his hand.

Everyone noticed this strange child and focused their gazes on him.

“Who are you…?” Qiao Jiajin asked.

“I am… a hero.” The youth said with a completely serious expression.

“A hero…?” Everyone looked at the youth with confusion.

Qi Xia never spoke, just watching the youth coldly from the side. To him now, “Heaven’s Gate” was merely a lodging place where he could stay safely. No one here could be fully trusted.

“Do you have any monsters here?” the youth asked again.

Lin Qin seemed to understand what the youth meant: “This outfit of yours… are you playing a game of fighting monsters? You’re playing the ‘hero’?”

“I’m not playing a game of fighting monsters, I’m looking for real monsters.” The youth’s expression was extremely resolute. “And I’m not playing a ‘hero,’ I am a true ‘hero.'”

Lin Qin was somewhat amused by him: “But there are no monsters here. What will you do? Won’t you, this little ‘hero,’ have no place to use your skills?”

“You’re civilians, right?” The youth inserted his newspaper short sword into his loose belt. “If there are no monsters, I can protect civilians.”

“How will you protect us?” Lin Qin walked forward and crouched in front of the youth, looking at him with a slight smile. “Little hero, are we in danger right now?”

“Yes!” The youth nodded vigorously. “Right now there’s a very powerful monster. He might be lurking among the civilians. I need to find him!”

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do. This pretend play game sounded rather difficult.

“Having a chuunibyou episode, huh?” Chen Junnan scratched his ear. “Kid, we’re fine here. Go check the room next door—I feel there’s a very strong monster aura there. Go interrogate them one by one.”

“Really?” The child looked toward the corridor and said with confusion, “You feel the monster is next door?”

He thought for a moment, then reached out to help Lin Qin in front of him stand up, saying: “Noble lady, please rise. Don’t worry, as a ‘hero,’ I will solve your troubles.”

Lin Qin just felt somewhat amused but still stood up, looking at the youth and saying: “Then thank you, ‘hero.'”

The youth flicked his cape and was just about to leave when Qi Xia called out to him.

“Hey.”

“Mm?”

“What does the ‘monster’ look like?”

After hearing this, the child reached up to adjust the newspaper crown on his head and said: “I told you, he looks just like a civilian right now, so he’s very hard to find.”

“Then how do you plan to find him?” Qi Xia asked. “Just go room by room asking ‘are there any monsters’?”

“This…” The child thought for a moment and said, “I really don’t have any good methods, after all the ‘monster’ is very cunning.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia looked the youth over again.

Was he a member of “Heaven’s Gate”?

Qi Xia had met almost all the named members of “Heaven’s Gate,” but he had absolutely no impression of this youth.

If he really was a member of “Heaven’s Gate,” his appearance was so crazed, indicating his “conviction” was extremely deep, and he should possess a very strong “Echo.”

But why hadn’t he been seen in the last war?

Could he be someone who just joined this time?

If that was the case, what was this “monster” he spoke of?

An ominous thought instantly flashed through Qi Xia’s mind. Could he be searching for a “Heaven-level” Zodiac hidden among the crowd?

“Kid.” Qi Xia said. “What is your ‘Echo’?”

After hearing this, the youth sniffed: “I… can smell his stench.”

“Stench…?” Qi Xia nodded. “Which means you can smell ‘Zodiac’?”

“Not just ‘Zodiac.'” The child answered. “I can also smell the stench of ‘Echoes.'”

This use of the word “smell” made Qi Xia feel somewhat strange.

“What do you mean by the stench of ‘Echoes’?” Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked, “You can ‘smell’ other people’s ‘Echoes’?”

“Right, that’s what I mean.” The youth nodded. “I’m a very powerful ‘hero.'”

Before Qi Xia could say anything, the youth suddenly turned and rushed toward the corridor.

“I, I think I smell it!!”

He shouted and drew his newspaper short sword from his waist, quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Everyone in the room was left bewildered by this scene, with only Qi Xia stroking his chin in contemplation.

“I smelled an ‘Echo’…?”