The Sky Dog took a few steps, leaned against the wall, and began taking deep breaths.
With great difficulty, he turned his head and asked, “Has that person named Yan Zhichun arrived yet?”
“Who said you could stop?” the Earth Dog retorted, turning back. “We’ve already sent someone to fetch Yan Zhichun. Don’t act pitiful—keep leading the way.”
“Let me rest for a moment. My back is in unbearable pain, and we *have* to wait for Yan Zhichun to arrive…” the Sky Dog insisted. “Don’t you trust me yet?”
“Are you backing out now?” the Earth Dog asked coldly. “You were just fine a moment ago. Surely you know we could kill you right now if we wanted to?”
“I’ve already agreed to cooperate…” the Sky Dog gritted his teeth. “Why are you still treating me like an enemy…?”
“That’s hard to say.” The Earth Dog shook his head. “Someone who gouged out all his own eyes at the last second to save his life… might very well betray us to stay alive.”
“I told you I wouldn’t run…” The Sky Dog shifted his back slightly, trying to keep his wounds from rubbing against his clothes. “I just want to survive. Gouging out my eyes was a last resort. It makes no difference to me who rules this place… I just want to live.”
Lin Qin frowned, glancing at the Sky Dog before turning her gaze to the distant door. Then she asked, “So this is the plan you came up with on the spot? Leading us to open that door…?”
“Yeah, don’t worry…” The Sky Dog sighed evasively. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Something about his decision felt off. Just moments ago, the Earth Dog had stormed into his room with the group, demanding all the intel he’d gathered using his “Spiritual Hearing.” Yet the Sky Dog had cooperated—*too* cooperatively.
Not only had he answered every question, revealing the current state of the battlefield and listing some of the dead, but he’d also proposed a plan that even the Earth Dog couldn’t decipher.
That suggestion sent a chill down Lin Qin’s spine. The Sky Dog was acting *way* too strange—no one in their right mind would suggest something like this at such a moment.
From the Sky Dog’s perspective, once he’d spilled all the intel, he should’ve been safe. There was no reason for him to propose a plan that would drag him deeper into danger.
*Either he’s lost his mind… or he’s setting a fatal trap for all of us.*
Even weirder? The Earth Dog had actually *believed* him and chosen to follow him through that door.
“So…” Xiao Xiao sidled up to Lin Qin and whispered, “What do you make of this?”
“I really don’t know…” Lin Qin murmured back. “What other choice do we have? Even if these two Dogs plan to kill all the ‘Participants,’ all we can do is stay close and intervene at the critical moment.”
“But didn’t you play that Dog’s game before?” Xiao Xiao pressed. “Based on what you know of him, would he suddenly switch sides like this?”
“*Because* I don’t think he would, I’ve held back this long… but the Sky Dog’s suggestion…” Lin Qin hesitated. “No… actually, *both* Dogs are acting weird. The Earth Dog seems like he’s been waiting for this chance. He wouldn’t let us kill the Sky Bull, nor would he let us free the ‘Ants.’ He stalled us for so long, only to lead us to the Sky Dog—who just *happens* to be waiting here with an even more crucial mission… It’s all way too suspicious.”
Xiao Xiao noticed the Sky Dog’s figure pausing in the distance and quickly whispered, “Wait… theoretically, even after gouging out his eyes, this ‘Celestial’ still has ‘Spiritual Hearing,’ right? He might be listening to us.”
“Let him hear.” Lin Qin shrugged. “I don’t trust him. At this point, there’s no need to hide it.”
The Sky Dog shot Lin Qin a glance, his plump face flashing with hurt before he quickly feigned ignorance.
“Kid!” Lin Qin pulled Zheng Yingxiong in front of her. “I need to ask you something.”
Zheng Yingxiong nodded, though his expression was uneasy.
Lin Qin pointed at the Sky Dog. “Tell me—is he lying?”
Zheng Yingxiong was no ordinary child. Faced with such a question, he fell silent. He’d been in similar situations before, and no matter whether he answered “yes” or “no,” the outcome would be bad either way.
“Don’t be afraid.” Lin Qin softened her tone. “At most, he’s just a ‘Terrestrial’ with an ‘Echo.’ His life is in our hands—he wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”
After a long pause, Zheng Yingxiong finally lifted his head, first looking at the Sky Dog, then shifting his gaze to the Earth Dog.
He’d noticed it earlier—something about this situation was *so* eerie it made his scalp crawl.
“Sis…” Zheng Yingxiong stared at their backs. “Both of them… are lying.”
That single sentence made Lin Qin and Xiao Xiao stiffen. The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.
The Earth Dog turned around, giving Zheng Yingxiong a meaningful look. “Kid, you’re oversimplifying things. You don’t know *what* lies we’ve told, so don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Yeah…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “I don’t know *what* lies you’ve told, but I can smell deception on both of you.”
The Sky Dog whipped his head toward the Earth Dog, his face twisting with panic. “You’ve been lying to me too…? Were you never planning to let me live?”
“You—” The Earth Dog hesitated. “Aren’t you turning the tables here? *I’d* like to hear what *you’ve* been hiding. I agreed to your absurd demand, yet you still kept secrets?”
Zheng Yingxiong’s words had plunged them into a crisis of trust.
“I… I *did* hide something.” The Sky Dog scratched his cheek nervously. “But it’s nothing major…”
“Fine, let’s lay all our cards on the table.” The Earth Dog nodded. “Before we enter that door, let’s confess every lie we’ve told. That way, we won’t doubt each other at the crucial moment.”
After a long silence, the Sky Dog spoke. “If we’re being honest… this plan wasn’t my idea. It’s not even a ‘strategy for the greater good’… Someone else told me to do it.”
“Who?”
“Bai Yang—or rather, Qi Xia…” The Sky Dog lowered his head. “He instructed me from afar, telling me to lead Yan Zhichun, Lin Qin, Jiang Ruoxue, and Zheng Yingxiong to that door…”
“Qi Xia…?” The Earth Dog narrowed his eyes, still not fully grasping the situation. “You’re saying Qi Xia, from a great distance, just told you it’s time to initiate the ‘Celestial Moment’?”
“Yes.” The Sky Dog nodded.
And Zheng Yingxiong noticed—the scent of deceit around him had faded by half.
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