“Ah, this…” Bai Jiu tugged at Qiao Jiajin from behind. “Brother Qiao, something feels off… I heard that for Earth-level games, if you don’t pay the entry fee, you can’t know the rules.”
“Huh? Really?” Qiao Jiajin turned to look at Earth Rabbit again. “Hey, big bunny, I’m worried about getting scammed. Can you explain the rules first?”
“Sure thing,” Earth Rabbit nodded decisively. “Of course.”
“Hey! You’re not so bad after all!”
“I’d rather avoid trouble,” Earth Rabbit replied. “After I explain the rules, if you don’t like them, just leave. Don’t waste time.”
“Of course, of course,” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “If it’s a physical or combat-type game, I’ll definitely go in no matter what.”
“You might be disappointed,” Earth Rabbit shook his head. “The building behind me has sixteen rooms in total, arranged in a square—four rooms per row, four rows in all.”
“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “And… then what?”
Seeing Qiao Jiajin’s interest, Earth Rabbit crouched and sketched a rough diagram on the ground, resembling a chessboard from afar.
“Each room has four doors, one on each side,” Earth Rabbit pointed to the top-left room. “All participants will enter from this room.”
Then he pointed to the bottom-right room. “The goal is to escape from this one. In other words, if you can make it from the top-left room to the bottom-right, you win the game.”
“Oh…?” Qiao Jiajin felt like he mostly understood but something still seemed odd. “How do we run? Just dash straight through?”
Silent Cloud Nineteen, behind them, was the first to notice the catch. “No… If it were that simple, the ‘rooms’ wouldn’t matter.”
“Right,” Bai Jiu nodded. “Are there rules for how participants move between rooms?”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin followed along with the others. “Oh… really?”
“Of course,” Earth Rabbit said, studying the sketch. “Everyone moves in ‘turns.’ The game is divided into ‘participant turns’ and ‘zodiac turns.’ Participants can open one door and move once per turn, while the zodiac can move twice per turn.”
Bai Jiu stared at the diagram for a long moment before asking, “What happens if we get caught?”
“I’ll tear you apart,” Earth Rabbit said bluntly. “I’ll take direct action.”
“I see…” Bai Jiu and Cloud Nineteen nodded simultaneously. “This is a strategy game… The seven of us have to choose our routes carefully, avoiding the ‘zodiac’ to reach the end.”
The other five nodded as well. “Makes sense…”
Qiao Jiajin, looking awkward, glanced at Bai Jiu and Cloud Nineteen, then at the other five. “What do you mean ‘makes sense’? You all get it?”
“Yes, Brother Qiao,” Bai Jiu nodded. “The game shouldn’t be too hard, but there will definitely be casualties. If you’re okay with it, we’ll pay the entry fee now.”
“Uh… well… I mean…” Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “I just had a new idea.”
“A new idea?”
The Cat Team members and Earth Rabbit all turned to look at him.
Earth Rabbit seemed to realize this man was the leader. Was he about to raise the stakes?
“E-everyone…” Qiao Jiajin grinned, then glanced at Earth Rabbit. “I’ve decided to switch games.”
“Huh?”
The Cat Team members were taken aback. None of them knew how to respond.
“Brother… Brother Qiao…” Bai Jiu asked hesitantly. “Do you think this game is too hard?”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “Hard? Maybe for me…”
“Is there some hidden rule we missed?” Bai Jiu asked seriously. “I knew this wasn’t just an ordinary strategy game… Earth-level games are getting tougher…”
“Yeah, Brother Qiao, did you notice something?”
“No, no… it’s not like that,” Qiao Jiajin chuckled sheepishly. “I just feel like if we play this game, I’d be useless as the leader, completely out of my depth…”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, never mind.” Qiao Jiajin stepped forward and patted Earth Rabbit’s muscular shoulder. “Sorry, big bunny, my bad. Your entry fee’s just too steep for us—we’re tight on funds. We’ll try another game.”
Even Earth Rabbit was surprised by how decisively the man walked away.
He led his team off without another glance, as if they’d never been there.
“Wait…” Earth Rabbit suddenly looked crestfallen. “You didn’t even ask how many ‘Dao’ the fee is…”
Before he could finish, another team appeared at the other end of the street.
Oddly enough, they looked very similar to the last group.
“Man, I’m so done…”
A lazy voice drifted over.
“None of you know where the Earth-level ‘zodiacs’ are, huh? Is today’s agenda just ‘sightseeing’?”
A laid-back man, flanked by a group in black leather jackets, wandered aimlessly down the street.
“We rarely participate in games anymore,” one of the black-clad men said. “So let’s just look around.”
A few steps later, they stumbled upon Earth Rabbit.
“Whoa!!!” The leader shouted, pointing. “Song Qi, Song Qi, Song Qi, look!”
Song Qi sighed. “What now?”
“Big fat rabbit!” The leader grinned mischievously. “Never seen a bunny this chunky before.”
Earth Rabbit sensed the man’s flippant attitude. If he heard the game’s details, he’d probably bolt like the last leader.
But what kind of day was this?
Why were so many people in black leather jackets roaming the streets?
“Hey…” Earth Rabbit said. “Want to join my game?”
“Sure,” the leader replied.
“Great, let me explain the ru—”
“Just open the door,” the leader cut in. “Doesn’t matter how many ‘Dao.’ My guys will cover it. You’re in luck today—you’ve met a big spender.”
“Huh?” Earth Rabbit was stunned. “Wait… I can explain the rules first. Don’t you want to—”
“No need,” the leader waved him off, already heading for the building. “My motto is ‘The cart will find its way around the hill when it gets there, and the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge.’ Let’s go.”
“W-what?” Earth Rabbit stared in confusion at the man named Song Qi.
“Uh, yeah…” Song Qi smiled wryly. “That’s just how our leader is. Bear with it.”
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