Chapter 249: Engagement

The moment those words were spoken, it was like a bomb went off inside Xiaohongshu. A tidal wave of insults and hatred crashed down on them, so intense it made the ceiling tremble.

’Fuck... Xiaohongshu has a rule like that? Why didn’t anyone tell me?’ Zhang Wenda cursed inwardly.

Even Hu Maomao and Song Jianguo’s attempts to explain were useless. They had already been excommunicated as women.

The situation had taken a nosedive, plunging them into a perilous position.

The words pouring from their mouths materialized as blocks of text, crashing down and threatening to bury them. Even the Cat Shield was on the verge of breaking.

This was beyond something that could be fought with pure strength. One couldn’t possibly fight against the inhabitants of an entire building.

Now, the entirety of Xiaohongshu had sided with Tang Xingxiong. Things were about to get ugly.

Seeing the crowd grow ever larger, Zhang Wenda made an instant decision. "This is going south. We’re pulling out!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Wenda led the other two in a charge for the Xiaohongshu exit.

Tang Xingxiong hadn’t even attacked; the barrage of flying text alone was nearly enough to crush them.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Even after they escaped, the mob remained in hot pursuit, as if they would follow Zhang Wenda to the ends of the earth.

’This isn’t working. If this keeps up, they’ll run us into the ground. I have to come up with a plan.’ Just as this thought crossed Zhang Wenda’s mind, he spotted the Zhihu Building nearby, and an idea sparked.

He immediately changed direction and charged inside.

The moment he burst in, he saw men in sharp suits delivering all kinds of passionate speeches. He even recognized one of them. Who else could it be but the internet personality, Jia Junpeng.

With his hair in a neat side part, he stood on a podium, shouting with grave concern, "My friends! Is this right? I believe the world isn’t supposed to be this way!!"

This was no time for pleasantries. Zhang Wenda charged straight for the deepest part of the Zhihu Building.

A violent tremor shook the ground, and in the next instant, the main doors of Zhihu were smashed to splinters.

Jia Junpeng, mid-oration, was stunned by the sight. His face contorted in terror as he whirled around and screamed, "Everyone, run! Xiaohongshu is attacking us!!"

Zhang Wenda’s tactic of leading the disaster to their door worked beautifully. The two groups already had bad blood, so the people of Zhihu quickly organized a defense. Soon, the two sides were locked in a chaotic brawl, and Zhang Wenda was finally free from the chase.

"Captain! What brings you here? On a special mission?" Jia Junpeng asked, walking over to the panting Zhang Wenda beside the messy free-for-all.

"Oh, right. I’ve gathered some intel on Qianxi. I was going to collect a bit more before reporting in, but I can tell you now if you want."

Zhang Wenda glanced around nervously, searching for any sign of Tang Xingxiong. "You’ve got no business here. Get out, it’s too dangerous."

"But I can help! I know my way around here. What in the world is going on?" Jia Junpeng asked, his face a mask of confusion.

"Up above!" At Hu Maomao’s warning, Zhang Wenda snapped his head up. He then saw a moon on the ceiling of the Zhihu Building.

One of Tang Xingxiong’s moons hung in the air, rotating slowly. As it spun, it seemed to absorb all the light in the building, which began to grow dim.

"Get him out of here!" Zhang Wenda ordered, grabbing Jia Junpeng with one hand and tossing him onto the Black Cat.

The Black Cat expertly transformed into a giant slingshot, aimed at the shattered entrance of Zhihu, and launched him outside with a terrified scream.

Moments after Jia Junpeng was flung outside, the entire Zhihu Building plunged into pitch-black darkness. A squirming sound arose, and dark creatures began to emerge from the shadows.

’Damn it, Tang Xingxiong has this kind of power, too!’

The creatures spawned from the darkness ignored the two warring factions, turning their attention instead to Zhang Wenda and his two companions.

When they tried to escape, they found themselves in the same predicament Tang Xingxiong had been in earlier. The entrance was blocked by the dark creatures. She was planning to trap them and pick them off.

Waiting any longer meant certain death. Zhang Wenda knew the moon was the key.

"Song Jianguo, we attack the moon together!"

Stomping his feet, Zhang Wenda brandished his scythe and shot directly toward the black moon.

But Tang Xingxiong wasn’t about to let Zhang Wenda have his way. Writhing tentacles materialized in midair, whipping and coiling to block his approach to the moon.

Suddenly, a piercing Orange Light flared, beginning to drive back the darkness. It was Hu Maomao. Holding a flashlight high, she cast her Three-Line Spectral Technique and flew over to run interference for Zhang Wenda.

Bathed in the brilliant Orange Light, the dark creatures recoiled in fear, and Zhang Wenda resumed his charge toward the black moon.

This time, however, a familiar figure rushed him—it was the man from before.

The man closed the distance, his brawny, knotted arms whistling through the air as he threw a punch straight at Zhang Wenda’s face.

Zhang Wenda’s reverse-jointed legs gave a bizarre twist in midair, allowing him to narrowly dodge the heavy blow.

He extended his right hand, about to use the same trick on his opponent. He seized the moment the man’s red aura weakened and prepared to finish him off for good, but a thin steel wire shot from the distance, effortlessly piercing his wrist.

Zhang Wenda whipped his head around and saw it was the woman. Her skin was splitting apart, revealing countless fine threads packed within.

Seeing this, Jianguo immediately charged over on her cat. But just then, Tang Xingxiong, who had been hidden, reappeared. She commanded her Crows to attack, and they punctured Jianguo’s cat, deflating it.

The ones accompanying Tang Xingxiong were no ordinary individuals. Her three subordinates coordinated with flawless teamwork, and for a moment, both sides were locked in a tangled melee.

Overall, however, Zhang Wenda’s side was at a disadvantage, as Hu Maomao had to constantly maintain her Spectral Technique to keep the darkness at bay.

Just as Zhang Wenda prepared to take one of them out to gain an advantage, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

"Now what?" Both sides simultaneously stopped fighting and looked toward the entrance.

In the next second, the dark creatures blocking the doorway were blasted aside as a roaring, shouting crowd stormed in from outside.

No matter how many creatures surged from the darkness, they were no match for the sheer, overwhelming numbers of the crowd.

The crowd flooded into the Zhihu Building like a tidal wave, making a tremendous racket as they poured in.

"I heard Xiaohongshu and Zhihu are fighting? I’ve gotta come see this."

"Sun Ba was here!!"

"Boring! Is this all? I wanna see rivers of blood!!"

Carried forward by this clamoring mob, Jia Junpeng, the very man who’d been thrown out earlier, now marched at the forefront. He held a large banner high, chanting as he advanced, "Di Ba goes to war! Leave no blade of grass standing! Di Ba goes to war! Leave no blade of grass standing!"