“Can’t laugh…?”
The three of them turned to look at Mole, their expressions equally conflicted.
Mole sighed heavily and said in a low voice, “Haven’t you all realized that I actually have nothing to do with this ‘rebellion’?”
“What…?”
“I’ve been lying to you all this whole time,” Mole admitted. “You leaders don’t need to consider me a friend anymore.”
“Lying…?” Chu Tianqiu paused. “What exactly did you lie about?”
“I was never Qi Xia’s teammate at any point…” Mole murmured. “I wasn’t even his student or friend… Tianlong and Qinglong never wronged me, and I don’t hate them. Everyone here has some kind of identity or reason to ‘rebel’—even those without one were recruited by you all for various reasons… But not me. Qi Xia just happened to pass through my game zone and left me three kumquats.”
The group stared at Mole, feeling an inexplicable sadness.
“I must be the most unconventional one here, right?” Mole gave a bitter laugh. “To put it bluntly, I jumped into this storm willingly. Even without Qi Xia, I would’ve sought out Zhang Xia, Li Xia—anyone, really. I was determined to rebel.”
“I’m still a bit confused,” Chu Tianqiu said. “If that’s the case, our goals ultimately align. You want to rebel, and so do we. How does that make you a liar?”
Mole glanced again at the two distant “Celestials,” his expression still cold.
“My goal has always been one thing: to kill Tian Shu,” he said quietly. “When I heard about the rebellion, I was more eager than anyone because I knew I could stir the pot. If I joined this team and spun some lies about how ‘killing Tian Shu is the top priority,’ people would willingly die for me. For that, I even took the time to dig up stories about White Sheep.”
“So you had no prior connection to them…?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
“Not entirely. One of the ‘rebels’ happened to be my former teammate, but we argued a lot, so we weren’t exactly close.” Mole sighed. “When I joined this group, I already thought it through: I wouldn’t hesitate to betray everyone at the last moment. Whether this rebellion succeeded or failed, I’d make sure I stayed safe. If Tian Shu died, great. If not, I’d just wait for the next opportunity.”
“So what?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled and shook his head. “Isn’t this the perfect chance now? Even if you spin some last-minute lies to push us, I’d just assume everything you said before was a joke.”
“No, it’s precisely because you’re all like this that I’m done playing.” Mole’s voice grew weary. “I kept lying, and you all kept being honest. It’s exhausting. Ever since joining this rebellion, every complicated person I’ve met has opened up to me. I’m tired. I was supposed to be stirring the pot…”
The three of them seemed to understand Mole’s point, but wasn’t this stance a little too dangerous?
“So from now on… I’ll handle my own business. No need to trouble you all.” Mole declared. “Every ‘Zodiac’ I met in that rebellion room was decent. This time, I’ll be merciful and not betray them. This is between me and Tian Shu now. I’ll settle it myself.”
“That’s ballsy,” Zhang Shan remarked. “But I don’t get it—why does someone like you keep insisting you’re a ‘fence-sitter’?”
“Usually, ignorant people flaunt knowledge, and the poor flaunt wealth.” Mole replied. “What people harp on about is often what they lack the most. From the moment I first called myself a ‘fence-sitter,’ it was to remind myself not to get emotionally attached to those ‘Zodiacs.’ But I failed.”
The three fell silent. They hadn’t known Mole for long, but it was clear he wasn’t a bad person. Despite his sharp tongue, when Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin were forming their “Twin Flowers” link earlier, he was the only one risking his life to cover for them.
Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan needed to conserve their strength for the “locomotive,” but in this environment, parting ways now meant goodbye forever.
“Fine.” After a few seconds of silence, Chu Tianqiu nodded. “You’re not just playing the hero. I’ll respect your choice.”
Qiao Jiajin nodded too. “I get that feeling. If you don’t settle the score with your enemy personally… it leaves a void.”
“Exactly.” Mole’s expression hardened. “If you all helped me kill Tian Shu, this entire journey would lose its meaning.”
Zhang Shan shrugged helplessly. “Then you better focus, kid. Aim for his chin.”
Mole straightened his tie. “I will. Leaders, the road is wide. Let’s part ways here.”
With that, he strode forward alone toward the two distant “Celestials.”
“Damn it, are we really not gonna help him?” Zhang Shan stared after Mole’s retreating figure. “A bunch of ‘Earth-levels’ had him cornered earlier, and now it’s two ‘Celestials.'”
“Everyone makes their own choices,” Chu Tianqiu said. “His eyes show he’s ready. Even if he dies there, at least it’s doing what he truly wanted.”
“Tch…” Zhang Shan sighed.
“Besides, we all have our own burdens. I carry the hopes of everyone in ‘Paradise,’ and you…”
Zhang Shan’s expression darkened. He knew his burden was even heavier than “Paradise.”
“…So we can’t afford to take risks now.” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Let’s leave it to him.”
Qiao Jiajin, ignoring their conversation, eyed the door beside them and asked, “So… should we find somewhere to hide?”
Chu Tianqiu glanced at the door, hearing faint voices inside. There were still “Zodiacs” in the room.
“More ‘Celestials’ will probably show up,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Mole mentioned ‘counter-kills.’ Even if he knew it was fake, not all the ‘rebel Zodiacs’ do. Ideally, every ‘Celestial’ gets tied up by them, and the three of us can move freely to the ‘locomotive.'”
“Using ‘Earth-levels’ to stall ‘Celestials’… sounds like a ridiculous strategy no matter how you spin it.” Zhang Shan sighed. “Let’s hope it works.”
Qiao Jiajin gently pushed the door open—it wasn’t locked. A girl’s voice drifted out:
“…Guess what Bunny told me in the end? She said the one she’s always liked was Pig next door! Ugh, I was so mad. If you didn’t like him, just say so earlier!”
“Wait, she really said that? That’s so harsh…”
The voices cut off abruptly as the two “Zodiacs” inside turned to stare at the door.
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