Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The same route and the same meeting point, but unlike last time, this camping event had an unusually large number of participants.

As Qiao Yang pulled into the parking lot, Tang Qiu quickly scanned the scene and found that a fairly large parking lot was already a third full. A rough count showed more than a dozen cars.

Tang Qiu was surprised, and Qiao Yang was also taken aback. Out of professional habit, he scanned the area before opening the car door. "There are quite a few people today. When I signed up, there were only seven or eight."

Tang Qiu took her phone and got out of the car. Instead of heading straight to the gathering point, she stood by the door and carefully examined the crowd that had arrived earlier.

There were a few familiar faces from the last camping trip: Xu Cui, still looking skinny in her flapping clothes; Qian Da, with his round face and dimples; the mismatched pair of coworkers, Xie Ping and Jiang Jun, one tall and one short, one thin and one stocky; and Tang Fangfang, the cool girl whose hair had changed from blue-purple to pink. And of course, the organizer of the camping event, Chen Chen, the owner of an outdoor gear shop, whose muscles were bulking up and whose skin kept getting darker.

Skipping over these familiar faces, Tang Qiu focused on those she hadn't seen before. After looking closer, she noticed they shared striking similarities: wide-brimmed sun hats, dark waterproof jackets, long pants covering their ankles, hard-soled shoes, and each of them, either wearing them or holding them, had a pair of sunglasses.

Tang Qiu occasionally saw people dressed like this during her evening runs in the neighborhood, including one in her building, but usually they also carried extra items like fishing rods or buckets. Putting two and two together, Tang Qiu quickly realized that these people were all going fishing. No wonder the camping location hadn't changed from last time.

Having figured out the reason for the larger turnout and confirming no danger since Fate's Prophetic Eye hadn't gone off, Tang Qiu relaxed.

Qiao Yang had also been observing nearby. Apparently having found nothing suspicious, he casually walked over to Tang Qiu and asked, "Want to go over and say hi? Or should we just wait here?"

Tang Qiu glanced at Qiao Yang. Whether it was his habit or only towards her, he never made direct decisions, only offered choices.

Tang Qiu was satisfied with this. Instead of picking A or B, she said, "There are too many people over there. Let's find a shady spot and wait until everyone's here."

Qiao Yang had no objection and readily agreed. "Okay."

This increasingly desolate semi-abandoned parking lot had plenty of big trees that provided shade. They easily found one not far from the crowd and started chatting casually under it.

Tang Qiu casually started the conversation. "Why didn't your friend come along this time? Are you both camping enthusiasts?"

Being a police officer, Qiao Yang habitually glanced around from time to time as he replied, "He is, but I'm not. He originally wanted to come this time, but his barbecue restaurant blew up these past two days, so he's busy making money. He'll have to come another time."

Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow and smiled casually. "Then congratulations to him. Getting so popular means his barbecue must taste great. Where's the place? I'd like to check it out when I have time."

Qiao Yang gave the name of the restaurant, but to make it easier, he also sent Tang Qiu a location via message.

Tang Qiu took out her phone and checked the location on the navigation app. It wasn't very close to where she lived, but it wasn't very far either. She might find a chance to go there.

Putting away her phone, Tang Qiu asked, "So what are your hobbies? Working out? Playing basketball?"

Qiao Yang smiled and answered, "Just running around outside for work every day is tiring enough. On my days off, I like to stay in one place and just zone out—it could be at home or outside, like a park, a square, a scenic spot, anywhere, as long as it's open but not too quiet."

That was a rather unusual hobby. Qiao Yang asked Tang Qiu in return, "What about you? What do you usually like to do? Don't tell me it's reading books."

That was totally a stereotype of her old self. But based on Tang Qiu's observations and getting to know herself over this period, the original person did enjoy reading, but she also played some single-player games—on her phone, tablet, computer, and game console—which were probably her ways of decompressing after work.

Tang Qiu had tried opening some of those games shortly after being discharged from the hospital. They were mostly shooting games. She didn't even bother to be curious; she just gave up on them outright. During the apocalypse, she was sick of real-life killing, let alone games. The mere sight of them felt boring.

Tang Qiu thought for two seconds and replied half-truthfully, "I used to play games, but after I got injured, I changed. Now I work out. I also hired a personal trainer to learn martial arts. Besides that, I read books and go for runs."

After speaking, Tang Qiu didn't look away but carefully watched Qiao Yang's face, watching his face and eyes.

Qiao Yang wasn't surprised but smiled, his face naturally softening, making his whole demeanor seem gentle.

"That's so you," Qiao Yang said. "Once you set a goal, you go all out. How's your training going? What does your coach say? Did she say you're improving fast?"

Tang Qiu nodded without changing her expression. "I hired a female coach, and she's very strong. She said I've made great progress, at least enough to defend myself now."

"That's really good news," Qiao Yang said sincerely. "By the way, what's the latest on your case? Any new developments?"

Tang Qiu didn't answer but asked instead, "Have you heard any news about my case?"

In front of Qiao Yang, ever since Tang Qiu had subtly pumped him for info about her old self, she had intentionally been a bit assertive. This was both to maintain the original person's persona and to be herself to some extent. Tang Qiu's own personality was not weak.

Qiao Yang seemed perfectly fine with this and even answered good-naturedly, "I tried to ask around for you after I got back from my business trip, but due to confidentiality, I didn't find out much. I only know that the criminal police team handling your case did discover some new key clues, but for other reasons, the case was transferred. Still, it hasn't left the precinct handling the case."

Tang Qiu thanked him. "Thanks for the information. I got it."

Tang Qiu understood why Lei Yue had transferred her case. A few days ago, she'd have been surprised, but now that she knew Lei Yue was investigating her cat form, it made sense. Every time she acted, it brought a huge workload to Lei Yue. Si Zhao had recently complained about being too busy to visit the snack street, which showed they were swamped.

They chatted a bit more, and finally, Chen Chen, surrounded by a group of people, waved his arm and called out, "Tang Qiu, Qiao Yang, gather over here."

Hearing the call, the two walked over one after the other. As they reached the edge of the crowd, they saw Xu Cui standing in a corner happily playing on her phone, while Tang Fangfang looked like she was daydreaming, not wanting to talk to anyone.

Feeling someone standing next to her, Xu Cui glanced up and greeted Tang Qiu cheerfully, "Tang Qiu, you came this time too! It's great to have someone to sit in a camping chair and do nothing with again. I'm calling dibs on the seat next to you today—no one else can take it."

The greeting, expression of joy, and firm conclusion came all at once. Tang Qiu didn't even have time to react before Xu Cui lowered her head again and continued playing her match.

Since Tang Qiu had already gotten the information she wanted, she didn't mind having someone she kind of knew around, so she didn't refuse.

After counting heads one last time and confirming everyone was here, Chen Chen arranged the car order, and they set off in a big convoy.

Tang Qiu's car was placed in the middle. Since they had been there before, the journey went smoothly without any trouble until they reached the parking spot at the foot of the mountain.

Compared to the last climb, Tang Qiu's stamina and endurance had improved significantly. She climbed more easily and still had energy to continue chatting with Qiao Yang to gather information.

In the short two-hour climb, Tang Qiu learned about Qiao Yang's work: although he was a criminal police officer, he actually belonged to the city bureau's technical team. He was a CSI and rarely sat in the office. Since he was in the city bureau, he often handled brutal murder cases, including several serial murder cases. He frequently went to support county and town police stations in the area. He spent quite a bit of time in the city, but not exclusively. After each case was solved, he could rest for half a day or a day.

Perhaps because he wasn't on guard against Tang Qiu, as long as she asked and it didn't involve confidentiality, Qiao Yang was remarkably open. Of course, while revealing his own information, he also asked about Tang Qiu's experiences over the years.

The atmosphere between them was friendly, as if they were at a class reunion. Without realizing it, they got a deeper understanding of each other.

Of course, Tang Qiu didn't tell the whole truth. Without memories of the original person, she had to make reasonable conjectures based on the information she had, mixing truth with lies to satisfy Qiao Yang.

What reassured Tang Qiu was that even though Qiao Yang was a police officer, he didn't show any suspicion toward Tang Qiu's words or behavior. This meant she was playing the role of the original person perfectly, surviving and fitting in just fine in this world.

Because there were more people this time, it took a bit longer than last time for everyone to reach the campsite. But as soon as they put down their gear, before even setting up the tents, most of the people happily pulled out fishing rods and buckets and dashed toward the pond like dogs let off the leash.

Chen Chen had expected this and wasn't surprised. While systematically organizing things, he explained to the remaining people, "Those fishermen just tagged along for the ride. We don't need to worry about them. Just do whatever we need to do and pretend they don't exist."

Among the remaining people, only Xu Cui and Qian Da were relatively outgoing. After Chen Chen finished speaking, Qian Da hesitated and asked, "So when we have the barbecue later, we don't need to take care of them either? We'll just eat by ourselves?"

Chen Chen hummed in agreement. "They brought their own food. They said they're determined not to go home empty-handed this time, so you know the drill..."

Chen Chen gave Qian Da a knowing look. Qian Da caught on immediately, stopped asking questions, and focused on preparing.

They arrived at the campsite around 1 p.m. After eating and drinking their fill, more than two hours passed. Together, they cleaned up the leftovers. The remaining few people scattered, and a scene very similar to last time unfolded. On a row of empty camping chairs sat only three people: Xu Cui was still on her phone playing games, while Tang Qiu and Qiao Yang chatted for a while before Tang Qiu stared blankly at the beautiful scenery like a picture-perfect view.

Of course, she only looked like she was daydreaming. In reality, Tang Qiu was thinking: now that she had an item capable of sending messages, she should start looking for her next target.

Following her previous habits, she would search in familiar areas. But given that Lei Yue and her team were gradually encroaching on her activity zone, she needed to go the opposite direction, using her next action to draw their attention elsewhere. The new item would be the perfect decoy.

Lost in thought, she suddenly heard a voice that really grabbed her attention.

It was a woman's voice, like she was disappointed but with a little bit of "I told you so" if you listened closely. "Look at you, screwing around like that, getting nothing and even losing what you had. Why did you have to act out? You had a good life, but you had to cause drama. You had a big villa, drove a luxury car, and got twenty thousand in living expenses every month. Now you've angered him and been kicked out, huh? You just don't know how to enjoy the good life."

The short passage contained a lot of information. Before Tang Qiu could delve deeper, a male voice followed, quite angry. "Why does the other person get ten thousand more in living expenses than me? We're both men. What am I missing?"

The woman's voice sounded amused. "He's younger than you. You're

This time, there was even more information coming through, immediately catching Tang Qiu's attention. She instinctively turned her head toward the source of the sound and found that Xu Cui, for some reason, had stopped playing games and was instead scrolling through short videos, watching with great interest.

Noticing Tang Qiu's gaze, Xu Cui eagerly moved her phone between them, saying excitedly, "Watch with me, watch with me! This is an emotional streamer I follow. Every time they go live with a call-in, there's some juicy gossip—each one more jaw-dropping than the last."

With the phone now right in front of her, Tang Qiu instinctively looked over. To her surprise, the system suddenly popped up.

You have spotted Sun Chunxiao. The item 'Fate's Prophetic Eye' has been activated.

You have successfully predicted Sun Chunxiao's fate. You have foreseen her death. Time of death: April 18, 22:39.

Tang Qiu's eyes widened in shock. She really hadn't expected the item to be triggered like this.