Seeing the three of them like this, Qi Xia couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place.
After all, this was a “Land” level game, and their opponents were the “Extremists.”
The tension in Qi Xia’s heart was palpable, starkly contrasting with the demeanor of the three before him.
After about an hour, relying on memory, Qi Xia arrived at the spot where he had encountered Xiao Xiao the previous day. Following a narrow path around the street corner, he finally laid eyes on the “Tiger.”
The creature had a white tiger head, each strand of fur unnervingly lifelike, as though it had naturally grown from its face.
Unlike the other “Zodiacs,” the “Earth Tiger” wasn’t standing imposingly at the entrance with hands clasped behind its back. Instead, it sat listlessly on the ground.
Behind the Earth Tiger stood an old-fashioned residential building, at least five or six stories high.
Noticing the four approaching figures, it lazily lifted its eyelids for a glance before lowering its head again in silence.
“Hey,” Zhang Shan called out. “We’ve got business.”
Hearing this, the Earth Tiger slowly raised its head and gave Zhang Shan another glance but still said nothing.
“What’s up with you, ‘Zodiac’?” Zhang Shan eyed it suspiciously. “Every other ‘Zodiac’ we’ve met practically begs for customers, but you don’t seem to welcome us at all.”
“Scram,” the Earth Tiger replied.
“Huh?” Zhang Shan was taken aback. “What do you mean, ‘scram’?”
The Earth Tiger sighed, slowly rising to its feet before repeating, “My game kills people. If you understand, get lost.”
It had expected these words to deter them, but none of the four showed even a flicker of fear.
“How much for the entry fee?” Zhang Shan asked calmly.
The Earth Tiger studied each of them in turn, its expression still irritated. “Are you deaf? My game can kill you.”
“Yeah, we know,” Zhang Shan nodded. “So, how much?”
The Earth Tiger’s expression shifted slightly. After a low growl, it turned and slammed the heavy iron gate shut. “Sorry, closed for the day. Get lost.”
Qi Xia stroked his chin, observing the Earth Tiger with growing intrigue.
While every other “Zodiac” was eagerly courting participants, this white tiger was taking the exact opposite approach.
In past encounters, regardless of difficulty, “Land” level entities had always relished the prospect of players dying in their games. Yet here was the Earth Tiger actively discouraging them with warnings of death.
Qi Xia suddenly recalled Xiao Xiao mentioning that this Earth Tiger’s game arena had only recently been established. In other words, was this Earth Tiger a recent promotion?
That would explain why it differed from the other “Land” level Zodiacs—it still retained some semblance of its former “human” side.
“Hey, hey, hey… this game is important to me,” Qiao Jiajin interjected. “This is my ‘Brain Defense Battle.’ Can’t you, as the referee, cooperate a little?”
“I don’t get it,” the Earth Tiger shook its head. “There are plenty of ‘Zodiacs’ around here. Go bother them. Just stay out of my territory—go wherever you want.”
Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan exchanged glances, sensing things were at an impasse.
Qi Xia stepped forward. “Earth Tiger, why don’t you want us in your game?”
“I don’t want to kill anyone,” it replied, then added after a pause, “Not right now, anyway.”
“Why?” Qi Xia pressed.
“Do I owe you an explanation?”
When the Earth Tiger refused to elaborate, Qi Xia tried another angle. “What if we *want* to die?”
“You—” The Earth Tiger looked exasperated. “With all the paths open to you here, you’d choose death?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “There are many roads in this world, and each person has their own path to walk. Ours leads us to your game.”
The moment those words left Qi Xia’s lips, the Earth Tiger shuddered violently.
Its gaze transformed.
Those brown tiger eyes flickered with disbelief as it scrutinized Qi Xia from head to toe.
“Sorry…” The Earth Tiger’s voice trembled. “What did you just say?”
“I said, ‘There are many roads in this world, and each person has their own path to walk.'”
The Earth Tiger fell silent for a long moment, swallowing hard.
“Five ‘Tao’ per person,” it murmured finally. “Teams of three. Two groups needed.”
Though puzzled, Zhang Shan fished out a handful of “Tao” from his pocket and tossed them to the Earth Tiger.
“Alright, we’re going in,” he said, waving as the group pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Qi Xia didn’t follow. A deep sense of foreboding gripped him.
“Earth Tiger… have you heard that phrase before?” he asked.
After a pause, the Earth Tiger nodded.
That faint nod sent a jolt through Qi Xia’s heart.
He lunged forward, grabbing the Earth Tiger’s shoulders. “Where is she?!”
“What…?” The Earth Tiger was taken aback.
“The person who told you that—where is she?!” Qi Xia’s voice cracked with urgency. “Where did you see her?!”
“Why are you so worked up?” The Earth Tiger shoved Qi Xia back effortlessly. “Do you know that sheep?”
“Wha—” Qi Xia’s eyes widened. “You mean… you heard this from another ‘Zodiac’?!”
Realizing it had said too much, the Earth Tiger’s expression darkened.
“I said, what’s it to you?” It stepped closer, looming over Qi Xia. “You ask too many questions.”
“I—”
Before Qi Xia could continue, the world seemed to spin. Every clue he’d painstakingly gathered about the “Tao” now felt meaningless, shattered.
A *sheep*?
Was Yu Nian’an the “Sheep”?
This was getting too surreal.
Had the one who brought him to the “Endgame” been Yu Nian’an all along? Was she part of this place from the start?
But to what end?
Qi Xia’s eyes widened further.
Was “Yu Nian’an” itself the “Sheep’s” lie?
This “Zodiac’s” deception wasn’t limited to games—it could warp memories.
No, more than memories…
She had *physically* appeared in the real world. She’d stitched that cartoon sheep emblem onto his belongings herself.
Such power far surpassed the “Land” level.
Could Yu Nian’an be…
“Hey…” Qi Xia’s voice shook. “The sheep you mentioned… is it the ‘Celestial Sheep’?”
“Probably,” the Earth Tiger answered vaguely, its gaze drifting skyward. “Wasn’t before… but likely is now.”
Qi Xia pressed a hand to his forehead, a sharp pain throbbing in his skull.
“She’s the ‘Celestial Sheep’… I’ve been deceived…?”
He slowly lifted his head, meeting the furry, tiger-like face before him.
Then, a pained smile twisted his lips.
Why was he believing the words of this half-human, half-beast monstrosity in this godforsaken place?
He’d known Yu Nian’an since he was nineteen.
Now, at twenty-six, seven years had passed.
Even if she *was* the Celestial Sheep, why would she spend *seven years* deceiving an ordinary man?
Did a nobody like him really warrant such an elaborate ruse from a being of that level?!
“Either I’ve been fooled…” Qi Xia muttered to himself, “…or I’ve lost my mind.”
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