Chapter 604: The Flock

“What do you want me to do?” Chen Junnan asked again.

The mole didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled and asked, “You two leaders, do you believe that I’m on the same side as Qi Xia?”

Qiao Jiajin frowned, sensing that the man’s words weren’t trustworthy, but he remained silent, merely turning his gaze toward Chen Junnan.

Chen Junnan narrowed his eyes, his usual playful demeanor vanishing entirely, replaced by a look of caution.

“You’ve met Old Qi?” Chen Junnan asked.

“Yes, that leader just participated in my game yesterday,” the mole said with a grin. “He’s truly a capable man. I admire him.”

“Are you fucking lying to me?” Chen Junnan’s expression turned icy in an instant. “If you’re an old acquaintance of mine, how the hell could you not know Old Qi?”

“Oh…?” The mole stroked his beard. “But… you’re you, and he’s him. Why would knowing you mean I must know him?”

Chen Junnan knew this mole was anything but simple, yet his words were undeniably hard to believe.

“You must’ve met me seven years ago, right? Back then, there’s no way Old Qi and I were separated. We came from the same room. Even if I don’t have my memories, I know he wasn’t my enemy.”

Hearing this, the mole slowly walked over to the radio and twisted the knob. The music in the room grew louder.

“What the hell are you trying to do?” Chen Junnan sensed something was off.

The mole turned back slowly, his expression complicated as he looked at Chen Junnan, then shifted his gaze to Qiao Jiajin. It seemed he had something to say, but he was also hesitating.

“Speak, damn it!” Chen Junnan stepped forward, standing beside the mole, his face tense.

The mole didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced at Qiao Jiajin and asked, “And who’s this?”

“Hah…” Chen Junnan’s expression darkened instantly. “Impressive. You don’t even know Old Qiao? What kind of ‘old acquaintance’ are you supposed to be?”

The mole shook his head helplessly and sighed, “Chen Junnan, oh Chen Junnan.”

“You…”

“Tell me, is there a possibility…?” The mole’s expression turned unusually grave. “Could it be that someone’s been lying…? Were you and Qi Xia really from the same room?”

The moment those words landed, despite the deafening music in the room, Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin heard nothing but an overwhelming silence.

“What the hell are you spouting…?” Chen Junnan snapped back to reality, cursing. “Where I woke up, where I walked out from—how could I not remember that myself?”

“Then let me ask you this,” the mole said. “How many rooms in this place have ‘all members surviving’?”

“All members… surviving?” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances. They knew the mole was referring to a scenario where all nine people in a room remained intact.

Was that kind of room really so rare?

The mole continued, “Here… losing a ‘life gamble’ means leaving the room. Becoming a ‘Zodiac’ means leaving the room. Various rule violations can get you stripped of your sanity by ‘Vermilion Bird’… So why has your room always been packed to the brim?”

The mole stepped closer, his voice cutting through the blaring music and reaching their ears with perfect clarity.

“Of course, it’s because I’ve been making arrangements all these years,” Chen Junnan said. “That’s why everyone in the room has been spared.”

“Is that so?” The mole grinned. “Then tell me, how long has your ‘arrangement’ lasted?”

“Seven years,” Chen Junnan replied. “I single-handedly kept everyone in that room from leaving for seven years. Is that enough?”

“But do you know how long the ‘Land of the End’ has existed?” the mole asked. “What about before those seven years…? How united were the people in your room? Why, after all this time… has not a single person disappeared?”

Chen Junnan wanted to retort, but he had to admit the mole had a point.

Even if he could keep everyone trapped in the room for seven years, what about before that?

During the time he couldn’t remember… had everyone been relying on Qi Xia’s protection to survive?

The logic wasn’t flawed, but something about it felt deeply unsettling.

These so-called teammates…

Xiao Ran too?

Han Yimo too?

Zhao Haibo too?

These people—forget Qi Xia, even he himself couldn’t get along with them. How had they all managed to cooperate seven years ago?

“Wait…” Chen Junnan suddenly felt a cold sweat break out.

Beyond those names, even Tian Tian was a glaring anomaly.

He’d interacted with her seven years ago, and she had no desire to leave.

So why had she remained unharmed all these years?

And if he thought deeper…

Did Officer Li want to leave?

Did Zhang Chenze want to leave?

“Damn it, hold on… What the hell is going on here?”

Chen Junnan turned to Qiao Jiajin in bewilderment, finally realizing that, in their entire room, only three of them had any real will to survive.

How had such a flawed room managed to avoid any casualties for so many years?

“Chen Junnan,” the mole called again. “You’re no fool. How can you not grasp something so simple?”

“What are you saying…?”

“Though I don’t know how this happened… is it possible your room was reassembled?” The mole struck right at the heart of the matter.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin both widened their eyes in shock.

Reassembled…?

By whom…?

And for what purpose?

“No…” Chen Junnan shook his head firmly. “That still doesn’t feel right… There are too many holes in that theory.”

“Why would there be holes?” The mole took another step forward, lowering his voice. “Chen Junnan, I’m the one who came from the same room as you. In our room, the only ones left who can move are you and me.”

“You’re lying to me…” Chen Junnan felt his mind reeling, his thoughts spiraling into chaos. “Are you saying that seven years ago, Old Qi, Old Qiao, and I weren’t even acquainted?! That’s insane!”

“The ‘Sheep Effect,’ Chen Junnan,” the mole sighed helplessly. “Do you know what the ‘Sheep Effect’ means?”

“Damn it, my memories go back at least eight years. I worked with Old Qi for a whole year before that. How could I not know what the ‘Sheep Effect’ is?”

“Oh? Then explain it,” the mole said, smirking.

“The ‘Sheep Effect’ means that once a leader does something, the rest will blindly follow.”

“No, you’re completely wrong,” the mole shook his head.

“Wrong…?” Chen Junnan narrowed his eyes slowly. “Then tell me… what is the ‘Sheep Effect’?”

“The so-called ‘Sheep Effect’…” The mole’s expression turned grave. “Is that once one sheep starts lying, the rest will become liars too.”