The Earth Horse writhed on the ground in excruciating pain, his face twisted into a grotesque mask. Yet, with his right ankle nailed to the floor, he dared not move an inch.
His agonized scream was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room. The Slacker Dog and the Wage Slave Rat, however, kept their eyes fixed on the door.
With the commotion growing louder by the second, could this situation still be kept under wraps?
The Black Sheep unbuttoned his shirt collar with a cold expression, stretching his neck before spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. “Earth Horse,” he said, “I think it’s time you dropped your little schemes…”
The Earth Horse couldn’t respond—he could only lie there, screaming in pain.
Even the Earth Pig, locked in combat with the Money-Losing Tiger, paused at the sight. He turned to the Black Sheep, his brow furrowed. “Have you lost your damn mind…? You just severed an Earth-level’s Achilles tendon?”
“Oh…? Did I?” The Black Sheep feigned absentminded regret. “How was I supposed to know that was the tendon? Just an unfortunate accident. I can apologize if you’d like.”
The Earth Pig’s confidence wavered at the Black Sheep’s ruthlessness. The Money-Losing Tiger alone was already a handful—if the Black Sheep was lurking behind him, ready to strike, could he even escape this fight unscathed?
The Earth Tiger wiped blood from his face and stepped forward. “You fight like a damn kid, Piggy, scratching with your nails. What’s next, biting?”
At that, everyone glanced at the Earth Pig’s fingers—he had deliberately grown his nails long as weapons, and now they were caked with white fur and bloodied flesh.
“Earth Pig,” the Black Sheep said coolly, “I’ve got a few words for you. Would you rather hear me out, or do we throw down right now?”
Even as he spoke, he picked up another table leg, splitting it open to reveal a sharpened end.
The Earth Pig wasn’t afraid of either of them, but the situation was undeniably tricky. Two Earth-level opponents stood before him, while three others watched from the sidelines. The Earth Horse had never mentioned facing so many enemies when he’d come seeking help.
“Hey, Piggy, I’m talking to you!” The Earth Tiger took a few more aggressive steps forward, clearly not ready to back down.
“Fine. I’m done,” the Earth Pig suddenly declared.
Some sighed in relief, while others exchanged confused glances.
This entire situation was already spiraling out of control. The Earth Pig had marched in, swaggering about “arresting rebels,” only to surrender now? How was this supposed to end?
“You barged in here with this damn horse, and now you’re just quitting?” The Earth Tiger scowled, unable to hide his bewilderment.
“Yeah, well—” The Earth Pig hesitated, then, seizing the moment, lashed out with a brutal kick to the Earth Tiger’s knee.
*CRACK!*
A sharp snap echoed through the room. Fortunately, the Earth Tiger’s legs were thick and sturdy—the blow didn’t shatter his knee, but the pain was still blinding. He grunted and dropped to one knee.
Without hesitation, the Earth Pig twisted behind him, one hand gripping his jaw while the other pressed three sharpened nails against his throat.
Silence gripped the room. The Black Sheep, the Dog, the Rat, and the Rabbit all stared, unsure what was happening.
“Don’t push your luck,” the Earth Pig sneered. “One wrong move, and I crush his windpipe.”
He had assumed the Earth Tiger was the rebellion’s ringleader—that holding him hostage would control the entire group. But oddly, no one seemed particularly concerned.
The Black Sheep blinked. “Just to clarify… you’re threatening *me* with the Money-Losing Tiger’s life?”
The Earth Pig faltered. “What—?”
“Go ahead. Kill him,” the Black Sheep said, tilting his chin in challenge. “Stop talking and do it.”
“Cut the damn hero act!” the Earth Pig snapped. “Aren’t you both the White Sheep’s students?!”
“So what?” The Black Sheep shrugged. “We’ve spent years wanting to kill each other. Too awkward to do it ourselves, so you’d be doing me a favor. Hurry up.”
Suddenly, the Earth Pig felt very alone. He glanced at the three spectators. “You don’t care either?! If I kill him, your little rebellion loses its leader!”
The trio exchanged glances, utterly unmoved.
Two of them had only just met the Earth Tiger today. The Slacker Dog, the only one who knew him beforehand, looked completely indifferent.
To him, the Earth Tiger was just “some Zodiac I’ve run into a few times”—not an enemy, barely even a “friend.”
“You… you people…” The Earth Pig scanned the room in disbelief. “What kind of half-assed rebellion is this?”
He couldn’t comprehend it. A team was supposed to minimize weaknesses, but this group was *made* of weaknesses.
People talked about the “bucket effect,” but these flaws had somehow formed a *plate*.
No leader, hidden agendas, no loyalty, infighting—what the hell was this mess?
“Hey now, Boss Pig, don’t go accusing us!” The Earth Rat, silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “Who said anything about rebellion? If *you* want to rebel, go ahead, but don’t drag the Earth Tiger into it!”
“You—what the hell are you babbling about?” The Earth Pig stiffened.
The Earth Rat smirked, yanking the metal table leg from the Earth Horse’s ankle—eliciting another scream—before pressing it against the Earth Horse’s throat.
“Boss Pig, there are five of us and one of you,” he said sweetly. “If this goes in, not only will you be branded a rebel, but you’ll also be guilty of ‘Zodiac slaughter.’ After all, there are no ‘ears’ on the train—our testimony is the only truth that matters.”
“You—” The Earth Pig’s eyes darted between them, scrambling for an exit. After a tense pause, he glanced at the Earth Horse, still writhing in pain. “Fine. But I can’t just walk away. You crippled my man. There’d better be an explanation—or I’ll bring my whole damn crew back for answers.”
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