Xiao Ran stood up and began surveying the nearby people who didn’t move a muscle.
She realized they seemed like furniture in this enormous room.
Some had wires coiled around their bodies, holding up lightbulbs in their hands as if they were standing lamps. Others had their arms spread apart, one hand draped with a towel and the other with clothes.
Were it not for their occasional blinking, Xiao Ran might have thought they were dead.
“Servants, right?” Xiao Ran stared at one of them and asked.
The person seemed deaf and blind—they neither glanced at her nor spoke a word.
“Don’t you dare complain,” Xiao Ran said, crossing her arms. “It’s my own skill that I could lead your master on my very first day here. As long as you follow my orders from now on, I promise I won’t make things hard for you. Understand?”
The “furniture” remained silent, staring blankly ahead.
Xiao Ran snorted coldly and continued her inspection. She noticed one person with their hands outstretched, stacked with books—clearly serving as a bookshelf.
Casually picking up the topmost book, she glanced at the title: *Game Theory*.
“Disgusting,” Xiao Ran chuckled lightly. “Does reading books make you stronger?”
She flipped to a random page, dug her nail into it, and tore a long gash across the paper.
“I never liked reading, yet here I am, giving orders to the ‘Celestials.’ What does that tell you?” She closed the damaged book and placed it back. “Instead of wasting time on books, learn from me—expand your connections. Others work hard to improve themselves, but I work hard to know *them*.”
Seeing that her impassioned speech had stirred no reaction in the room, Xiao Ran sighed in boredom, wearing an expression of frustration before giving up on the “furniture” and lazily flopping back into her chair.
…
The moment Celestial Snake stepped out, he knocked on the door across from his own—he had too many questions.
After a brief pause, Celestial Dog slowly cracked the door open, peering cautiously outside. Upon recognizing Celestial Snake, he averted his gaze to the floor.
“No need to look for me,” Celestial Dog said. “I heard what you said. I’ll contact the ‘Terrestrials’ soon.”
“Are you playing dumb with me… Celestial Dog? You *have* to help me,” Celestial Snake pleaded. “There’s something I can’t figure out… I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of angering the Azure Dragon.”
“Then why come to me?” Celestial Dog replied. “Go back and figure it out yourself.”
“That’s exactly why I *need* to ask someone!” Celestial Snake hissed under his breath. “I can’t just ask the Azure Dragon… You saw how strangely he treated us today… Celestial Rat didn’t even finish speaking before getting beaten bloody. If I—”
As he spoke, he subtly adjusted his angle, trying to catch Celestial Dog’s gaze.
Noticing this, Celestial Dog took a silent step back, letting his eyes sink deeper into the room’s shadows.
“Wait… Celestial Dog… why are you avoiding me?” Celestial Snake grew more uneasy. “What did you hear? Just let me see—”
“I *can’t* this time,” Celestial Dog murmured from the darkness. “It’s too unusual… I can’t give you any advice.”
“So… it’s serious, then?” Celestial Snake pressed. “What exactly is the problem? Can’t you give me a hint?”
“I really shouldn’t say…” Celestial Dog muttered. “It feels like everything’s been orchestrated by someone… I’m drowning in helplessness. I just want to survive.”
“But—” Celestial Snake reached through the gap, trying to grab Celestial Dog’s arm, but missed again. “Celestial Dog, aren’t we friends? All these years, we’ve looked out for each other…”
Celestial Dog sighed from the shadows. “Celestial Snake, stop lying to yourself. No matter how we’ve gotten along, you know the truth—if things go wrong, we’ll save ourselves first. We’d never risk our necks for each other.”
“So…” Celestial Snake seemed to latch onto something in his words. “This time… it’s *death*? Because of that woman…?”
“She’s already ‘Echoed,’” Celestial Dog said grimly. “I shouldn’t be saying anything, but you’re right… Over the years, we may not have been sworn brothers, but we’ve endured hardships together. So I’ll give you one piece of advice about her.”
“What…?”
“Kill her,” Celestial Dog said. “Forget about the ‘new Black Tortoise.’ Ignore her sweet talk. The moment you return to your room, kill her. That *might* save you. Or maybe…”
He trailed off, leaving Celestial Snake’s heart pounding.
“What the hell is happening…?” Celestial Snake asked. “What *is* that woman…?”
“She’s just a pawn,” Celestial Dog said. “But the problem isn’t her… Do you understand? It’s like thinking a pawn has reached the general, only to realize the enemy’s chariots, horses, and cannons are *all* aimed at him. Even the board itself is tilted—it’s a checkmate from every angle. We’re about to lose.”
Celestial Snake only grew more confused. “What’s going on? Some ‘participants’ boarded the train… Even if there are more of them, they can’t possibly threaten the ‘Train’… And we have plenty of ‘Terrestrials’—”
“I envy you…” Celestial Dog murmured. “You’ll never hear what people think unless they stand before you and meet your eyes. But I… I know too much.”
“Too much to even look at *me*?” Celestial Snake asked.
“Yes…” Celestial Dog admitted. “I need to stay alive. Your only move now is to go back and kill that woman. Make her disgusting ‘Echo’ stop ringing in my ears.”
With that, he shut the door, retreating into the pitch-black room.
Celestial Snake stood frozen outside for a long time. Though he had no idea how to deal with the strange woman in his room, he knew the top priority was rallying the other ‘Celestials’ to resist.
No matter what happened to that woman, the Azure Dragon’s orders had to be followed—immediately.
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