Li Chonglou nodded and said, "Of course, but I might not be able to protect you right now."
The two thought this was Li Chonglou being humble and didn't take it to heart, nodding repeatedly and saying it was fine.
"By the way, Big Brother, do you know what this place is?" Geli asked curiously.
Li Chonglou knew a little, but explaining it would only cause more confusion, so he shook his head.
Just then, Xiaobai, who had been lying quietly on his shoulder, suddenly stood up, its fluffy white fur bristling like a hedgehog.
Sensing the abnormality, Li Chonglou was about to ask, but Xiaobai suddenly leaped away from him and dashed in one direction, disappearing after a moment.
"Xiaobai!" Li Chonglou's expression changed as he quickly called out, but Xiaobai was already gone.
"Big Brother, what's going on?" Gaoshan asked with some surprise. Li Chonglou's brow furrowed. Xiaobai could find him on its own, so its intelligence and spirit were unquestionable. He guessed that something must have happened ahead.
"Let's go see!" Li Chonglou immediately led the two towards where Xiaobai had gone.
Meanwhile, inside the beast-fighting arena.
The solitary figure, who had been hiding in a corner, now followed Fang Qian to the front of the assembled figures.
"Shitou, you're finally awake," Old Lin sighed, greeting the figure. The latter nodded slightly but kept his head bowed, preventing anyone from seeing his expression.
Old An directly said, "Shitou, you know what's going on, right?"
"I know. I'll complete the mission." Shitou finally raised his head. Although all the figures were blurred, obscuring their faces, his profile clearly indicated that he was a young man in his early twenties.
The assembled figures then breathed a sigh of relief. Shitou didn't hesitate further and walked to the center of the arena. Under everyone's gaze, his figure disappeared in a beam of blue light.
Old Lin then curiously asked Fang Qian, "Xiaoqian, how did you persuade him?"
"At first, he ignored me when I spoke to him. Then I told him that Brother Li might be able to get him out of here."
Old Lin was stunned and then slapped his forehead. "Damn, why didn't I think of such a simple method just now? Shitou was in a state of breakdown because he was trapped here. Now that that kid can clearly free us, isn't this exactly what he wants?"
The assembled figures finally reacted and gave Fang Qian thumbs-ups, making her feel a bit embarrassed. In truth, she had just told a lie. After all, she had no idea if Li Chonglou could rescue them, but to achieve her goal, she had said it. To her surprise, it worked exceptionally well. As soon as Shitou heard that, he reacted immediately, and her objective was successfully achieved. As for the details of the mission, Old Lin had already explained them to her, so now everyone could only wait for Shitou's good news.
On the other side, not far from the ancient gate, a corpse that had been dead suddenly got up.
"Seriously injured? Looks like they're all newcomers," Shitou muttered as he examined his new body. He then quickly headed in a direction with practiced ease.
"I need to find the main person quickly. This body won't last long..." Judging by his demeanor, he was clearly familiar with the environment outside the gate. As he walked, he not only deliberately avoided certain areas but also moved in almost a straight line towards the next entrance.
At this moment, Li Chonglou and the other two encountered trouble. Given the vast space here and the mere dozen or so people mutated by the purple smoke, the chance of them encountering any was slim. Yet, they had run into three living dead. Li Chonglou recognized their clothing and recalled they were passengers from the same flight. However, their faces were now ferocious, and their eyes bulged as if about to leap out, looking truly terrifying.
"Big Brother, don't let them injure you! It seems to be infectious!" Geli cried out in panic, reminding him. There were originally three of them, including his friend, but that friend was injured by one of the living dead. Halfway through their escape, they discovered their friend had also turned into a living dead! That's why the two of them had fled here in a panic!
"Could it be some kind of virus?" Li Chonglou narrowed his eyes. Although these living dead looked extremely frightening, that was all they were to him. He lunged forward, punching the jaw of a male living dead, causing it to skew. He kicked another one that lunged at him, sending it flying. Li Chonglou's primary target was not these two. He slid directly behind the third one and focused on its coccyx. All the muscles in his leg tensed, and the next moment, Li Chonglou's right foot struck the opponent's coccyx heavily!
Crack.
Geli and Gaoshan clearly heard the sound of bone breaking. The living dead immediately collapsed, crawling on the ground like a quadruped.
"Big Brother is so cool!" the two exclaimed, even clapping their hands.
Li Chonglou couldn't bother with them now. Using the same method, he knocked down the remaining two living dead one by one. However, unfortunately, his body was also that of an ordinary person, and his right foot was already beginning to ache. He was unable to continue to deliver the finishing blows.
"Let's go for now." Li Chonglou glanced speechlessly at the two who had become cheerleaders. They finally reacted and quickly followed.
"Big Brother, why didn't you finish them off?" Geli asked curiously.
"Conserve strength." Li Chonglou didn't explain, offering a casual excuse. Unexpectedly, the two took him seriously and nodded.
"That makes sense! Big Brother is indeed Big Brother. As long as their tailbones are broken, they can only crawl around like turtles. It doesn't matter if you finish them off or not."
One could never be too sure... Li Chonglou had a vague guess, but his priority was to find Xiaobai. Therefore, he could only put his thoughts aside for the moment.
As the three hurried towards where Xiaobai had disappeared, Shitou had also scouted the perimeter. Although he had never met Li Chonglou, Fang Qian had described him as an all-powerful handsome guy. While he suspected there was some fangirling involved, it still provided him with effective clues. Since he was an expert, he wouldn't be hiding everywhere, and even if he encountered 'himself,' he wouldn't panic.