Chapter 357: Slacking Off?

“So, can we extend the session a bit?” Su Shan asked. “Does your game take a long time?”

“Not really,” Earth Dog shook his head and sighed. “But it’s exhausting. I’ve already taken out one batch today—can we do this tomorrow?”

“Taken out one batch…?” Lawyer Zhang looked uneasy.

“Yeah, I’m a bit tired. Let’s schedule it for tomorrow?” Earth Dog yawned lazily. “I’m afraid I might fall asleep during the game.”

Qin Dingdong turned to Su Shan. “Are you really sure about joining?”

“More importantly, are you all prepared?” Su Shan countered.

Qin Dingdong sighed in response.

“Lin Qin and I are both ‘Echoers.’ Games like this aren’t too stressful for us since we’ll retain our memories even if we lose. But what about you two?” Her gaze shifted between Su Shan and Zhang Chenze. “If you die before ‘Echoing,’ you’ll forget everything.”

“I…” Zhang Chenze paused. “Honestly, I don’t mind. I don’t have any retained memories. If you hadn’t explained the rules earlier, I’d have thought I just arrived.”

The group turned their attention to Su Shan.

“I’m not afraid of failure,” Su Shan said. “The more painful the failure, the more it will trigger my ‘Echo.'”

Earth Dog scratched his ear with his pinky, sensing trouble. “Wait, so… all four of you are veterans?”

“No,” Su Shan corrected. “Technically, only two are veterans. The other two are newbies.”

“Two is still troublesome…” Earth Dog pursed his lips. “Can you go somewhere else? I’d love to take you down, but I’m really tired today.”

“That’s strange…” Su Shan frowned at the scrawny dog-headed man. “Can ‘Zodiacs’ actually refuse to let us join games?”

“Well, not really,” Earth Dog grumbled. “If I could refuse, I would’ve done it already.”

“Then why try to convince us to leave?” Su Shan asked, puzzled.

“Because I’m stalling,” Earth Dog leaned back against the wall, resting his arms behind his head. “Maybe if I drag this out, I can clock out.”

“It won’t work,” Su Shan shook her head. “I’ve made up my mind—I’m playing your game today.”

“Ugh…” Earth Dog closed his eyes. “I’m telling you, veterans are such a pain…”

Qin Dingdong, Lin Qin, and Zhang Chenze exchanged glances before Qin spoke up. “Xiao Shan, if he doesn’t want to host, maybe we should let it go. It’s getting late…”

Su Shan shot her a glance. “You can rest if you want. I think time’s too precious to waste on sleep.”

“Huh?” Qin Dingdong was taken aback by the weak excuse.

Su Shan then turned back to Earth Dog. “How many players does your game require?”

Earth Dog sighed dejectedly. “Just my luck—exactly four.”

Zhang Chenze nodded. “Su Shan, I’ll join you. Gathering intel helps me make better decisions.”

“Oh?” Su Shan looked at her, then nodded approvingly.

Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong seemed reluctant, both hesitating.

“Su Shan,” Lin Qin called out. “As someone who’s been through this, let me tell you—the first to die here are usually the ones obsessed with games.”

“So you’re saying those who drown are the ones who know how to swim?” Su Shan met her gaze with sharp eyes. “But this whole world is flooded. We either learn to swim immediately or drown slowly. Which do you choose?”

Lin Qin pondered for a moment before nodding.

It was because of people like her that the “Land of Endings” still made them feel alive.

“What about you, Old Qin?” Lin Qin asked.

“Ugh… what can I do?” Qin Dingdong sighed. “I guess I’m Su Shan’s ‘good friend,’ after all.”

“Fine.” Lin Qin extended a hand. “Lawyer Zhang, Su Shan, for safety’s sake, let’s shake hands.”

“Shake hands?” Both were confused.

“Exactly,” Lin Qin said. “If you shake my hand, Old Qin and I will join you in this game.”

Without hesitation, Su Shan clasped Lin Qin’s hand. Lin Qin then turned to Zhang Chenze.

Zhang Chenze hesitated. “I’ll pass. Unless it’s an emergency or medical necessity, I don’t like being touched.”

Lin Qin remembered—during their last game with Earth Dog, Zhang Chenze had said the same thing.

“I don’t get your aversion, but shaking hands increases your chances of ‘Echoing.'” Lin Qin pressed. “Sure you don’t want to?”

After a pause, Zhang Chenze lightly touched the back of Lin Qin’s hand.

“Is this okay?”

Lin Qin nodded. “A bit forced, but it’ll do.”

The four women turned back to Earth Dog, their expressions now resolute.

“Seriously?” Earth Dog looked on the verge of collapse. “When did ‘participants’ get so competitive? I just wanted to hide in a corner and be invisible, but today I have to deal with two groups.”

“If you open shop, this day was inevitable,” Su Shan smiled. “What’s the entry fee?”

“Or…” Earth Dog pulled out a coin. “How about a coin toss? Guess right, and I’ll give your team a ‘Dao.’ Let’s call it a day.”

“What do you think?” Su Shan asked.

Earth Dog’s expression darkened. He pocketed the coin, stood up slowly, and smoothed his fur, visibly annoyed.

“I hate two kinds of people most in life…” He yawned. “Those who slack off, and those who stop me from slacking.”

“Don’t you hate yourself, then?” Su Shan asked.

“Exactly,” Earth Dog nodded. “Entry fee’s three ‘Dao’ per person. Win, and you get ten each.”

“Not bad,” Su Shan remarked. “As expected of an ‘Earth-level.’ We worked all day for just three or four ‘Dao’ each, but your game can net us seven.”

“I didn’t want this,” Earth Dog shook his head. “A slacking ‘Zodiac’ accidentally trained some overachievers, and now I’m torn. If I don’t at least pretend to try, my disciples will look down on me.”