The old man swallowed hard and exchanged glances with the people around him.
Just the sight of the centaur made everyone feel a phantom pain in their mouths.
Now they had to cooperate with such a “Zodiac” to liberate the “ants”?
Black Sheep paid no attention to the gazes of the others, simply staring at the centaur before him and saying, “I’ll give you a chance to keep your tongue.”
The centaur hurriedly nodded in response.
“You don’t have a mask anymore—now you’re no different from a ‘participant,'” Black Sheep continued. “Shut your mouth and join the rebellion, and I’ll spare your life.”
The centaur’s eyes widened in shock at his words. This wasn’t a plan for survival—it was a death sentence!
But right now, his life was in the other’s hands. Who could possibly escape the slaughter of an “Earth-level” Zodiac?
For now, he had no choice but to agree and look for a chance to call for help.
“O-okay… okay…” The centaur forced out the words through the excruciating pain in his tongue, his speech slurred. “I agree… I agree…”
“Sorry, too late again.”
Before he could even sigh in relief, an unprecedented wave of agony tore through his tongue. Darkness swallowed his vision as he lost consciousness.
Black Sheep shook the long, rope-like tongue in his hand before turning his gaze back to the “Extremists.” A single glance was enough to send chills down their spines.
The old man hesitated before forcing a smile. “But… didn’t that Zodiac just agree?”
“He was lying.”
Black Sheep tossed the severed tongue onto the ground like a writhing fish, then addressed the group coldly. “Let me be clear—we’re allies now. But if any of you dare lie to me, the moment I suspect deceit, I’ll kill you. Guilty or not.”
They had no choice but to comply.
After all, their mission from the start wasn’t to kill Black Sheep—it was to liberate the “ants.”
The only silver lining was that this ruthless Zodiac was, for now, on their side.
…
By now, the crowd in the central corridor had swelled to nearly two hundred, surging like a tide in both directions—yet none could find a clear path forward.
Many seemed to regain their senses upon seeing the nearby Zodiacs, realizing this wasn’t where they belonged. But when they tried to turn and flee, they found themselves trapped in a sea of bodies, unable to escape.
And this was just the first wave—at least eight hundred more were waiting outside.
The “Human-level” Zodiacs slowly encircled the crowd, but with their numbers, unenhanced bodies, and inability to use “Echoes,” their combat prowess paled in comparison to even ordinary “participants.” For now, they simply stood at a distance, watching. A strange stalemate had formed.
“Has Earth Dragon been notified…?” one Human-level whispered to another.
“Yes. He’ll be here soon.”
Earth Tiger and Old Sun led their squad forward, only to find their path blocked by a massive crowd of “participants.”
“Damn…” Earth Tiger blinked. “What’s going on? Are these your people?”
Old Sun squinted. Though he couldn’t recognize every member of the Extremists, not a single face here looked familiar.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” he muttered. “What now?”
As they stood baffled, Yan Zhichun emerged from a nearby room with a white snake coiled around her arm. She froze at the sight before her—then quickly noticed Old Sun.
“Old Sun!”
“Ah! Sis!” He turned to her. “What’s happening? The whole damn hallway’s packed!”
Yan Zhichun stepped closer, surveying the sea of unfamiliar faces still growing in number.
What part of the “plan” was this?
Old Sun shook his head, about to speak—then spotted the white snake.
“Uh…” He cleared his throat. “Aren’t you gonna introduce us, sis?”
“Introduce…?” Yan Zhichun glanced between the snake and Old Sun before sighing. “Fine. This is my…”
She hesitated, struggling for words, then met the snake’s gaze. “…a sister?”
The snake nodded with a faint smile.
“Yeah,” Yan Zhichun confirmed. “My good sister.”
Earth Tiger studied the white snake. Though they’d crossed paths before, he’d never guessed she was an ally.
Old Sun, thrown off by the title, elbowed Earth Tiger. “Say somethin’, bro.”
“Say… something?” Earth Tiger scratched his head. “Well, uh… I’ll say this—glad to meet Sis through Sun, and the snake through Sis. Real nice—”
The white snake rolled her eyes. “Hell’s bells, are you giving a toast?”
“Hey, I got nothin’ else,” Earth Tiger admitted sheepishly.
Yan Zhichun sighed. In this unreliable team, she’d have to be the brains.
“We need to bypass the crowd,” she said. “Are we sure Black Sheep’s ahead?”
“Positive,” Earth Tiger confirmed. “His workplace and quarters are both up there.”
Yan Zhichun pondered, then glanced back at the room she’d exited—the white snake’s chamber.
“We’re already fighting for our lives,” she murmured. “I have an idea.”
“What?” the snake asked.
“We’ll go through the rooms,” Yan Zhichun explained. “Ignore the crowd. Their presence is more help than hindrance—they’ll draw attention and fire while we move. We’ll break through walls to bypass them.”
“Makes sense,” the snake conceded. “But ‘through the rooms’?”
“Smash the walls,” Yan Zhichun clarified. “With your strength, it’ll be easy. We’ll carve our own path.”
“Wait—” The snake hesitated. “I spent ages picking that wallpaper… I…”
Yan Zhichun gripped her hand. “Once we’re free, you can redecorate daily. This place was never your home.”
The snake opened her mouth—then shut it. She couldn’t argue with that.
If they waited any longer, they’d be crushed before achieving anything.
“Fine.” The snake turned, opening her door. “No time to waste—move.”
Earth Tiger, Old Sun, and the others retreated from the crowd, slipping unnoticed into the snake’s room.
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