The group followed Qian Wu into the room, while Earth Dog stood reluctantly at the door.
Chu Tianqiu pondered for a moment before also finding a chair inside the room to sit down.
After all, both he and Zhang Shan needed to go to the “locomotive” together. The best approach now was to wait for Qian Wu’s “Twin Flowers” to take effect, then head there with Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin. That way, he could guarantee reaching the “locomotive” and reuniting with Qi Xia.
Speaking of Qi Xia, Chu Tianqiu suddenly realized—since Qiao Jiajin was now acting alone, wouldn’t Qi Xia be in danger?
Qian Wu instructed the two to sit cross-legged and relax on the floor before explaining the precautions.
He said that “Twin Flowers” essentially replicated the body, but since Zhang Shan’s physique had been enhanced by “Heavenly Strength,” it had already surpassed human limits, making the replication process time-consuming and difficult.
Until the replication was fully complete, the two needed to remain as still as possible. Both nodded in understanding.
Qin Dingdong told the group she had other matters to attend to and left the room before anyone could stop her, blending into the crowd of wandering “Participants” outside before vanishing without a trace.
Earth Rat seized the opportunity to approach the door, standing face-to-face with Earth Dog.
Earth Dog felt instantly annoyed by the sight of his shifty-eyed face and had no intention of engaging, but Earth Rat clearly found him intriguing. No matter how Earth Dog tried to avoid his gaze, Earth Rat kept staring straight into his eyes.
“Hey, Fence-Sitting Dog,” Earth Rat called out.
“Who the hell are you calling ‘Fence-Sitting Dog’?” Earth Dog snapped back.
“You know what? Calling you that suddenly makes you feel like one of us,” Earth Rat said with a grin. “Boss Dog, given how things stand now, why not just join us? The ‘rebel’ label’s already been slapped on you—might as well embrace it, right?”
“I’m not joining. Stop talking nonsense,” Earth Dog muttered, glancing cautiously outside. “Everything I’m doing now is under duress. If anyone finds out, I know nothing.”
“What a coincidence, boss!” Earth Rat laughed even harder. “I’m under duress too! Let’s be real—who’d willingly rebel here?”
“You—” Earth Dog gave him a skeptical look. “How the hell do you look ‘under duress’? You’re out here recruiting teammates… You think I’m stupid?”
“Being ‘forced’ is subjective,” Earth Rat replied with a smirk. “As long as I say I was coerced, no one can prove otherwise. Right?”
“Get lost,” Earth Dog waved him off. “No way I’m joining. Everyone on this ‘train’ knows that siding with you never ends well.”
“I get it, I get it,” Earth Rat nodded. “My reputation precedes me—everyone thinks they know what kind of person I am. But they’ve got me all wrong. I’m actually very sincere.”
“Reputation? More like infamy,” Earth Dog scoffed. “We may act two-faced, but deep down, we’re all scared to die. But you? You’re really out here trying to overthrow Qinglong and Tianlong. A few lives wouldn’t be enough for that. And you call that ‘sincerity’?”
Earth Rat stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. “Boss, I can’t speak for sincerity, but a lot of ‘Zodiacs’ just saw you lead us inside. How do you plan to prove you were forced?”
“I—” Earth Dog faltered. “I don’t care. Being ‘forced’ is subjective. If I say I was, then I was.”
“Truly a dog with human intelligence,” Earth Rat remarked. “You learn fast.”
“What’s it to you how fast I learn?” Earth Dog rolled his eyes. “Even with all this commotion, you guys are still a mess. Having to recruit rebels on the spot? Don’t even get me started on your success rate.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Earth Rat countered. “Boss, didn’t you just say a lot of this seems premeditated?”
“So what?”
“This whole rebellion wasn’t my idea—it was Aries’,” Earth Rat said. “Who else would dare make such a big move on the ‘train’?”
“Aries…” Earth Dog paused, then sneered. “What about him? I think he’s just been hyped up. If I had more time, I could do everything he’s done. Aries isn’t that impressive.”
“Boss… Do you always narrate your dreams out loud like this?” Earth Rat asked with wide, innocent eyes. “Which part usually makes people laugh?”
“Believe what you want,” Earth Dog grumbled. “Am I the only one who thinks Aries is just digging his own grave? It’s hilarious how brainwashed you all are, throwing away decent lives on the ‘train’ for this nonsense.”
Earth Rat looked at him with deep pity. After all, those who pretend to sleep can never be woken.
Yet one had to admit—people like Earth Dog weren’t rare.
They always wanted to stand out, prefacing their words with “Am I the only one…?” They refused to acknowledge others’ strengths or confront their own flaws.
Over time, they couldn’t learn better qualities or reflect on their shortcomings, trapping themselves in a vicious cycle of rigid thinking.
“Admitting someone’s better than you… That’s really hard sometimes, isn’t it?”
The question left Earth Dog speechless.
Earth Rat shook his head and continued, “Even if Aries designs games that earn you a month’s income in a day, if he helps ‘Earth-level’ Zodiacs craft games that make them loyal, even if he’s now leading all ‘Participants’—somehow, he’s still inferior to you in every way. Does that logic hold?”
“Fine, I admit Aries has a few redeeming qualities,” Earth Dog shrugged. “But he never designed a game for me. How would I know his skill level? Am I supposed to idolize someone I barely know?”
“Forget it.” Earth Rat sighed, realizing for the first time just how vast the gap between people could be. “Boss Dog, even if you begged to join the rebellion now, we wouldn’t take you.”
“Whatever. Like I even want to rebel,” Earth Dog scoffed. “I never cared anyway.”
Earth Rat turned back and saw that Qian Wu’s “Twin Flowers” had already begun to take effect—Qiao Jiajin’s body was slowly inflating like a balloon.
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