The girl's voice was not loud enough, and the taskers behind her didn't hear it clearly, so they anxiously asked their teammates in front of them.
"What's the hint?"
"listen."
"I'm listening!"
"That's right, can you stop being so pretentious? The mission reminder is very important, okay!"
"Who are you? Don't I know that hints are important? Do you want me to tell you? Who is showing off? I think you are an idiot. What I mean is that hints are just one word. Listen."
"..." The taskers who came up from behind were all speechless.
The team of a hundred people was quiet for a while, then became agitated again.
"What does this prompt want us to listen to?"
"Jing, cough," a male voice came from the back of the team. He spoke so quickly that he choked on his saliva, and said with a cough, "There is a stage in the scenic area!"
Chen Yang is 1.8 meters tall, which is considered above average in height in the team. There are no more than 20 people taller than him, so he doesn't need to stand on tiptoe or find high ground. He can basically see the teammates he wants to see.
As soon as the voice came out, Chen Yang's eyes swept over. After he saw the owner of the voice, his expression froze. Wasn't that Lao Jiang from the soy milk shop
Chen Yang took a look and realized that the reason why he didn't know the store owner was because the other party was also a tasker, and he came quite early and was very immersed in the role. He chatted with the NPC boss lady about daily life so naturally, just like a real couple.
"All the taskers here have identities, and they are all residents of Sanlianqiao." Chen Yang muttered.
The noise disrupted Chen Yang's thoughts. He looked around and saw heads everywhere. With this number of people, even if they were standing together without talking, their breathing would be a bit noisy, not to mention the ninety-nine susceptible people.
Lao Jiang's words stirred up a storm, and the team split into several small teams, eager to start the discussion.
"Yes, there is a stage. I went to look around. It's quite big inside."
"I don't dare go. The stage is a gloomy place."
"It's gloomy, right? 'Listen' refers to that place. It means we should listen to the opera."
"Yes, yes, I think so too. There are clues in the play. Maybe the three bodies are near the stage."
"… "
"There are tour guides in the scenic area!" someone shouted, "Maybe the hint is for us to listen to the tour guide's explanation!"
"Not only that," someone else said, "Old neighbors like this have strong bonds with each other, and they can chew on even the smallest things. They are very nice."
"It could also be the hawkers' cries."
"Three bridges, three bridges, there are bridges and water, three bridges connected to a river, maybe it's to listen to the sound of water."
"… "
The sun above Chen Yang's head was blocked by clouds, so he pulled Chao Jian to stand in a sunny place. The word "listen" covers too wide a range, and it would be difficult to search and eliminate it.
But there are a lot of them!
But it was useless. Chen Yang's ears were buzzing. More people were useless. You said two sentences, I said three sentences, and he interrupted... The scene was like a vegetable market. All communication had to be done by shouting, which wasted the throat.
Chen Yang wanted to buy a small trumpet or whistle to hang around his neck.
There was still noise in the team.
"Did you notice that there is only one hint for the two tasks? What does this mean?"
"It means that there are boxed lunches all over the place in this game."
"… "
"So is this hint about the first mission, or the second mission?"
"The first one, I guess."
"Do you need to listen to it when you are looking for a murderer? I think it will be very chaotic during the tourism festival, that's when you need to listen..."
"I also feel like 'listen' is the cue for the second task."
"… "
"I'm so annoyed. We're just starting now. We can investigate slowly."
"Why don't we discuss it before we investigate? You can't find anything if you're like a headless fly. You think you're the only one who's impatient? Aren't we all the same, idiot?"
"What am I saying to you? Why are you cursing at me for no reason? Are you eating shit?!"
Chen Yang had only spoken a few words to Chao Jian when several people in the team started cursing, causing the people around them to become agitated.
Chen Yang was also infected. His adrenaline surged and he couldn't help but shout, "Stop arguing."
No one listened.
Chen Yang's brain was filled with blood: "Stop arguing!"
Chen Yang was a little dizzy due to his emotions. He even wanted to pinch his philtrum to calm himself down. "I want to ask, regarding the task prompt, why can't the word 'listen' be related to the two tasks?"
Zhang Jinyang repeated Chen Yang's words. He had a good lung capacity, full of energy, and a strong bloodiness. The last word of his words seemed to land loudly.
Everyone in the team heard it, and they all looked at Zhang Jinyang.
Zhang Jinyang's head was glowing, both his hands were covered with old wounds, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, showing that they were hard fists.
However, the chaotic sounds did not stop much. The threshold was too low, and I could not be rational and calm.
Everyone was in a commotion for a while and then dispersed.
There are so many people on this mission that it is pointless to gather them together and we can't have a good conversation.
Zheng Zhitan came to find Chen Yang. Beside him was a thin woman who was well-dressed. She looked to be in her thirties or forties, with a plain face and a mole right in the center of her chin.
When Chen Yang looked over, the woman took the initiative to introduce herself. She was Zheng Zhiqin's counselor in college.
The counselor was very easy-going. She took out a bag of red dates from the small bag on her wrist and said, "Do you want to eat this? It's for replenishing your blood." As she spoke, she glanced at Chao Jian who was next to Chen Yang.
"..." Chen Yang clenched his fingers lightly and said to Jian that Jian was not anemic, but he was injured by the vomiting of blood that time. In addition, he was worried about whether his partner I could complete the rest of the journey, so his complexion was not good.
Chen Yang accepted the bag of red dates and said with a smile, "Thank you."
Zheng Zhiqin leaned close to Chen Yang's ear, and said in a low and charming voice: "Xiao Yangyang, I keep dreaming about you recently, and the dreams are all about things I have never experienced before. What do you think is going on?"
Chen Yang glanced at him: "It's just what you think."
"Then come with me." Zheng Zhiqin showed an intimate and ambiguous expression.
Chen Yang grabbed Chao Jian's arm to prevent him from getting sick: "Why should I go with you?"
"I think what I dreamed about was my past life, and our love is still there." Zheng Zhitan looked serious and said, "You said it was just as I thought, which shows that we have telepathy."
Chen Yang failed to hold Chao Jian back and watched him kick Zheng Zhiqin.
The fact that Zheng Zhiqin could come here showed that he was just like everyone else, easily provoked. Moreover, he and Chao Jian had an old grudge.
The two men started fighting.
Zheng Zhitan was soon beaten by Chao Jian.
Chen Yang couldn't bear to see Chao Jian get hurt in front of him, so even though Zheng Zhiqin was at a disadvantage, he still kicked him twice before pulling Chao Jian away: "Alright, alright, no more fighting."
The confrontation lasted only a short time, and it was over before the taskers who had not yet left had time to react.
The counselor ran to Zheng Zhiqin, shocked and confused: "Xiao Zheng, didn't you say he was an acquaintance? Why did he get beaten like this?" She secretly glanced at the young man who seemed to be severely anemic. She didn't expect him to have such a cruel side and seemed mentally unbalanced.
Zheng Zhiqian took out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t win the fight on the A3 floor, nor did he win in his dream. He didn’t believe in evil, so he tried it just now, and the result was really... shit!
"No jokes at all, still the same." Zheng Zhitan put away the look of as if he had eaten a fly. He stood up from the ground, unbuttoned his suit with one hand, put his hands on his waist and panted, as if he was just sparring with his buddies.
"If someone makes that kind of joke to your wife in front of you, can you laugh it off? Do you live on the prairie?" Chen Yang held Chao Jian's shaking hand and left.
It took Zheng Zhitan a long time to come back to his senses and he couldn't help laughing.
The counselor asked, "Are you kidding me?" She said seriously, "If you were wrong first, then you are asking for a beating."
"You're right." Zheng Zhiqin strode up to catch up with Chen Yang, "What was our relationship in the past?"
Chen Yang wanted to reply "Why are you asking when you already know the answer?", but he suddenly heard a painful sound in his ears. He glanced at the abrasion on Chao Jian's jaw and immediately lost interest in paying attention to Zheng Zhitan.
Zheng Zhitan's face turned dark. The young man with the surname Chao was quite resourceful.
"Tell me your house number and I'll come to find you in the evening." Zheng Zhitan walked to the other side of Chen Yang.
Chen Yang's state was not as good as usual. He was very impatient: "There is nothing to talk about. That's all in the past."
"Then let's talk about the mission." Zheng Zhiqin's mouth was injured, and he hissed, "We have to talk about it. Cooperation is a win-win situation."
Chen Yang finally revealed his address. Win-win cooperation was part of the reason, but the most important thing was what Zheng Zhitan said later.
"I know how you got that scar behind your left ear. I dreamt about it," he said.
Chen Yang pulled Chao Jian to sit down on a wooden chair by the river.
"Where does it hurt?" Chen Yang half-knelt down to check Chao Jian's hands and feet, not paying attention to the looks of people around him.
Chao Jian: "I want to take medicine."
Chen Yang was stunned. Chao Jian took the medicine three times a day, morning, noon and evening. He had already taken it once at noon. If he took it again at this time...
"Brother, I want to take medicine." Chao Jian repeated with a low gasp, and the hand holding Chen Yang was very cold.
"Okay." Chen Yang agreed.
Chao Jian immediately took out the medicine bottle. He first poured out a handful of medicine and was about to take it all, but then he subconsciously looked up at Chen Yang.
At that moment, he was like a child who wanted to eat a lot of candies, but he was afraid that the adults would be angry and ignore him, so he put the candies back pitifully, leaving only two.
Chen Yang tilted his head to look at the river, his eyes welling up with heat.
Chao Jian calmed down a lot after taking the medicine. He lay down, resting his arms on his legs and gently touching his head with Chen Yang's head.
Chen Yang was still squatting in front of Chao Jian. He wiped his face and was about to speak when he heard A Yuan's voice from behind.
A Yuan introduced her cousin to Chen Yang, said a few words and then left.
Chen Yang looked at Ayuan's back. Her short hair had turned into a ponytail. She gave him the feeling of withered flowers and plants in the mountains, leaving only a desolate scene.
“You’re not wearing Buddhist beads on your hands…” Chen Yang’s gaze shifted from A Yuan to another girl, Wu Lingling.
There were people around Wu Lingling too. She had changed her wig into a black one, and her waist-length hair fluttered in the wind, making her look youthful and beautiful. But her eyes kept rolling, her teeth were nibbling on her nails, and she looked anxious, irritable, and uneasy.
Chen Yang suspected that Wu Lingling had PTSD.
Noticing Chen Yang's gaze, Wu Lingling raised her head. The whites of her eyes were completely red, looking scary.
Chen Yang stood up and nodded to her.
Wu Lingling did not come over. She left with the boy next to her, holding each other's hands tightly.
Chen Yang sat on the wooden chair. There were two things missing from his home here: an incense burner and incense. Of course, even if he had them, he couldn't use them.
The review criteria for this stage is to drive them crazy.
Burn a little incense, and the four elements will be empty. How can you still play by the rules
Chen Yang peeled two milk slices, one for himself and one for Chao Jian. When Lin Shuwei passed by him, he called out, but the other party did not respond.
The one using his body now is not Lin Shuwei? Chen Yang thought about the other people who were with him and called out one by one: "Aning? Xiaopang? Old Man Li? Chu Si?"
The thin man stopped and turned back, his eyes dull: "I am Lin Shuwei."
"They are not here." Lin Shuwei walked along the river. He looked at the scenery along the way with a smile on his pale face. My teammates have all left. I am the only one left. I was left behind.
Chen Yang watched Lin Shuwei go away. Then a figure appeared in his field of vision. He was tall, with steady steps and a cold and wooden temperament. He looked like a man of action, with precise targets and the ability to strike directly at vital points. He was the winner in the chess game.
However, most of the man's hair had turned white, as if he had lost everything and even his family home.
Chen Yang's heart was filled with a strong feeling. He sighed, "Qian Qin is only two or three years older than you. He is much older."
"When the world collapses, people grow old." Chao Jian's breath smelled of milk.
Chen Yang patted the back of Chao Jian's hand and said, "Let's go home."
Not far away, by the gray wall, Zhang Jinyang was chatting and laughing with a few taskers. On the other side of the wall, Miss Qiao was flirting with a handsome guy.
Even Zhang Qi has acquaintances with whom he can reminisce about the past.
After looking around, Chen Yang couldn't help but feel a little emotional. His old teammates also had their own old teammates.
As he walked, Chao Jian was the only one by his side.
Chen Yang and Chao Jian walked around the memorial hall and entered the alley: "Every time we do a mission, we are a scattered team formed temporarily. This time there are too many people, and the scattered sand has become independent piles of sand."
"How many people were there when I entered the review area? I forgot what you said." Chen Yang's fingers brushed across the wound on Chao Jian's face.
Chao Jian said: "That's about half the number of people for this mission."
"Are we going to disperse like this?" Chen Yang said.
Chao Jian put his arms around Chen Yang's waist from behind and followed him: "Divide into many small teams."
Chen Yang was relieved. It was normal to separate. With old teammates around, who would want to be with unfamiliar new teammates
"Zheng Zhiqin is very smart. He must have guessed that both he and I have died once. When he comes in the evening, I will mention the reset. Don't do it." Chen Yang said.
A cold look suddenly appeared in Chao Jian's eyes. The little chick on his head was touched, and he whispered, "But if he deserves a beating, I will beat him with you."
The frozen air around began to flow again.
"It's strange. You don't even know what the scar behind my left ear is about, so how did Zheng Zhiqin know it?" Chen Yang turned around and faced Chao Jian, his face full of confusion.
Chao Jian stared at Chen Yang expressionlessly for a while, then he suddenly laughed: "You told that guy, but you didn't tell me."
Chen Yang's scalp instantly went numb. He coughed twice to clear his throat: "Oh, it smells so vinegary."
"Yeah." Chao Jian bent down, looked straight at Chen Yang, and lowered his head to a level where he could kiss him directly, "Do you want to control me, brother?"
Chen Yang's desire to survive was overwhelming, and he said seriously: "Manage it, manage it, we must manage it."
"Then come on." He waved to Jian.