Chapter 425: Identity Swap

In about ten minutes, the group kept moving through the roads.

Whether the “Human-level Zodiacs” here had heard of the “Cats” or these individuals were simply too intimidating to mess with, no one approached to solicit this “business” despite passing countless game venues.

Another ten minutes passed before they finally spotted the “Rat,” who was adjusting his hairstyle in front of a mirror.

To be precise, it was the few sparse long strands of hair on his rat-like head.

It had to be said—the “Rat” looked genuinely unsettling.

His head was topped with an oversized rodent skull, and his massive front teeth protruded from his mouth, making anyone who glanced at him shudder in discomfort.

He turned his face and happened to spot the bizarre group. Quickly, he straightened his head and pretended not to see them.

“Tch!” Saturday snapped impatiently. “Hey! Hey! Pretending you didn’t see us?”

“Ah…” Groundhog sighed and shook his head. “Honorable leaders, what brings you here?”

“Tch, we’re here to play,” Saturday said. “Let’s just get started.”

“What…?” Groundhog looked baffled. “Leaders, aren’t you ‘Cats’? Sure, I’m a ‘Rat,’ but we’ve always kept to our own business for years… What’s the meaning of this today?”

“‘Keeping to our own business’…” Eleven Luo sneered. “But if the ‘river’ is in trouble, the water in your ‘well’ won’t stay safe either.”

Hearing this, Groundhog slowly lowered his mirror and frowned. “Listen, leaders… Stick to your own trade, yeah? Even if you ‘Cats’ disband, it’s got nothing to do with me, right? If you join my game and end up dead here, won’t your leader Qian Wu come after me in the next cycle?”

“He won’t,” Qi Xia interjected. “You can treat us as regular participants.”

Groundhog sized up Qi Xia. “Leader, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you also a ‘Cat’?”

“I’m neither a leader nor a ‘Cat.’ I’m just a regular participant,” Qi Xia replied. “I’m only here to join your game.”

“Times really have changed…” Groundhog adjusted his sideburns. “Did you follow the wrong leader? Even ‘Cats’ are joining games now? A whole pack of ‘Cats’… coming after a single ‘Rat’ like me.”

“Tch, what’s it to you?” Saturday retorted. “If Fifth Brother wanted you dead, even ‘Black Tortoise’ wouldn’t just stand by. What the hell are you so scared of?”

“Better safe than sorry, right? Can’t blame me for being cautious,” Groundhog countered. “Leaders, among all the ‘participants,’ the ones you really shouldn’t mess with can be counted on one hand—and Qian Wu’s one of them.”

“Which is why I said you don’t need to worry,” Qi Xia said. “This time, I’m the leader. If anything goes wrong, it’s on me.”

Only then did Groundhog take a closer look at the man before him.

“You’re the leader…?” He wore an expression of disbelief. “Leading these four?”

“Is there a problem?” Qi Xia asked.

“Hah…” Groundhog struggled to suppress a laugh. “New to the role, huh? I’m afraid you might not be up to the task.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Feel free to set the difficulty to ‘Hell Mode.’ I don’t mind.”

“Leader, what kind of unreasonable request is that?” Groundhog chuckled. “Our games can’t be modified once they’re set. Even I have superiors to answer to…”

“Oh…? So ‘Zodiacs’ can’t adjust their game difficulty mid-way?” Qi Xia asked.

“Pfft…” Groundhog looked at Qi Xia like he was a rookie, then turned to the four behind him. “You guys alright? Picking some clueless guy as your ‘leader’? Your experience led you to this decision?”

Qi Xia expected the others to throw him under the bus, but instead, Saturday was the first to object.

“Tch, whether our ‘leader’ is clueless or not is our business. Who the hell do you think you are?”

Eleven Luo added coldly, “Hey, rat-face. Even if he’s a damn useless ‘leader,’ it’s our place to call him out, not yours.”

Even the seemingly unreliable Turtle and the visibly furious Sixteen Qiu chimed in.

“Yeah, since when does a ‘Cat’ leader need your criticism?”

Qi Xia hadn’t expected this response, and oddly enough, it put him at ease.

No matter how unreliable these people seemed, the “Cats” were still the “Cats.” For them to survive this long, their members must have been handpicked elites.

“Alright, alright…” Groundhog waved his hands in resignation. “Just said I’d treat you as regular participants, and now you’re giving me that ‘Cat’ attitude.”

He then turned back to Qi Xia. “Hey!”

“What?”

“Even if I don’t adjust the difficulty, can you guarantee you’ll survive my game 100%?” Groundhog grinned. “A little heads-up—I’ll be participating in this one personally.”

Qi Xia’s brow slowly furrowed.

In “Earth-level games,” it was rare for a “Zodiac” to personally join.

For one to willingly participate alongside the players, it either meant they were utterly insane or supremely confident in their victory.

So which one was Groundhog?

“In other words… this game won’t be easy.”

A faint smile crept onto Qi Xia’s lips. Good—it was better if it was difficult.

This game needed to be hard.

“What’s your game about?” Qi Xia asked.

“Fittingly enough, it’s tailor-made for you all,” Groundhog said mysteriously. “A thrilling round of ‘Cat and Mouse.'”

“‘Cat and Mouse’…?” Qi Xia tilted his head. “We’re the ‘Cats,’ and you’re the ‘Mouse’?”

“Of course not…” Groundhog bared his large front teeth in a grin. “Roles reversed. You ‘Cats’ will play the ‘Mice,’ and I, the ‘Groundhog,’ will be the ‘Cat.'”

Qi Xia nodded slightly. “A chase-based game?”

“Too crude…” Groundhog chuckled, then ran a hand through the hair on his head. “If it were just mindless chasing, how would I be any different from those brutish Oxen and Horses?”

“Oh…?” Qi Xia frowned. “If it’s not a chase, then what’s the point of ‘Cat and Mouse’?”

“Cats and mice aren’t foolish creatures…” Groundhog tapped his forehead. “In many places, mice starve if they don’t steal food, and cats lose their purpose if they can’t catch mice. So it takes wits to decide the outcome of this life-and-death duel—one that plays out daily in the real world.”

“Wits?” Qi Xia nodded. “Perfect.”