After hearing these words, Earth Monkey closed his eyes again, his voice carrying the weight of time.
“**Yucheng**…” Earth Monkey sighed. “Didn’t I tell you? I worked there once, ran my own gambling den.”
He exhaled deeply. “I should’ve designed a game with a more complex layout. Every time there’s a reshuffle, us **Zodiacs** who don’t need a dedicated space are the first to be reassigned. Damn it…”
“Uncle, you know that’s not what I’m asking…”
Zheng Yingxiong reached out and grasped Earth Monkey’s wrist. The old man immediately noticed how icy the boy’s hand was.
The child’s expression was complicated—fear mixed with a sliver of hope.
“Uncle… If you’ve hosted **games** there, you must know… **Yucheng** is sick. It’s…”
“Yeah, spent a few years there. Only two people ever entered my venue. What a strange city.” Earth Monkey nodded and fished out another cigarette from his pocket.
“Two is already a lot…” Zheng Yingxiong replied. “Uncle, you’re neither the **Divine Dragon** nor the **Executioner**. Two is already a lot…”
“Exactly.” Earth Monkey nodded. “That’s why I said **Yucheng** is fascinating. The people there thought the rules of the **Ending Land** weren’t restrictive enough—they had to add their own. Mandatory worship of the **Divine Dragon**, facing the **Executioner** for every mistake…”
Zheng Yingxiong withdrew his hand, nervously twisting the hem of his shirt. Earth Monkey kept glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
“Have all the **Zodiacs** been reassigned from there now?” Zheng Yingxiong asked softly. “Is there no way left to save the people of **Yucheng**? Can they still escape by **playing the games**…?”
He fired off question after question, surprising the others—it was the first time they’d heard him speak so much at once.
“Hopeless.” Earth Monkey lit his cigarette. “That city isn’t just **sick**—it’s terminal. The entire place is doomed, waiting to die.”
“But I came out here to **heal Yucheng**. It’s all because of me that—”
“It’s **never** just one person’s fault.” Earth Monkey cut him off. “If a city is sick, then everyone living in it is sick. No single person can change that.”
“I…”
A sorrow far beyond his years clouded Zheng Yingxiong’s young face.
Come to think of it, he was nothing like a normal child. At eight or nine years old, he carried none of the innocence or playfulness he should have.
“When they pinned all their hopes and responsibilities on a child, they were already on the path to ruin.” Earth Monkey spoke softly. “It’s not your fault. You’ve seen the outside world now—do you think the people of **Yucheng** did the right thing?”
“I… I don’t know… But they placed their hopes on me… I shouldn’t let them down…”
His head hung low, as if weighed by guilt, yet no one in the room blamed him.
“Don’t you find it ridiculous?” Earth Monkey said. “Every other city is doing everything to grow stronger—studying **divine power**, defeating **Zodiacs**, escaping this place. But **Yucheng**? From the start, they were obsessed with creating a **City Hero**, expecting their manufactured **savior** to carry them through. It’s a miracle the city lasted this long.”
“So, Uncle… You knew me…” Zheng Yingxiong looked up, bewildered.
“The infamous **City Hero**? Anyone who’s been to **Yucheng** knows you.” Earth Monkey reached for the newspaper crown on the boy’s head, but Zheng Yingxiong instinctively flinched away.
“What?” Earth Monkey smirked coldly. “Have you embraced the title yourself now?”
“No…” Zheng Yingxiong shook his head. “Deep down, I’ve always known I’m no **hero**. But this crown… it’s important to me.”
Earth Monkey gave him a long, unreadable look before falling silent again, closing his eyes.
Seeing that Earth Monkey wasn’t responding, Zheng Yingxiong tapped him again. “Uncle, I have one more question…”
“Are you done yet?”
Despite the sharp words, his tone was gentle.
“Sorry, Uncle… But I really need to know… Will the **Divine Dragon** and the **Executioner** be reassigned too?”
“You’ve asked me so many things—aren’t you afraid I might lie?” Earth Monkey countered. “Don’t forget, you’re a **participant**, and I’m a **Zodiac**. Did the people of your city encourage you to talk to us?”
“I never got the chance to speak to a **Zodiac**… I have so many questions…” Zheng Yingxiong paused. “Uncle, you don’t smell dirty. That means you wouldn’t lie to me. Tell me—will they be reassigned?”
Seeing the boy’s earnest expression, Earth Monkey couldn’t help but soften.
Was it fair for a child to shoulder all this?
“The **Divine Dragon** and the **Executioner**…” Earth Monkey shook his head. “Don’t you people realize? They’re just **Earth Dragon** and **Earth Ox**—**Zodiacs**, like me. Sooner or later, they’ll leave that city. And when they do… **Yucheng** will truly die.”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed, his small frame trembling as if standing required all his strength.
**Yucheng**… is going to die?
Will **she** disappear too?
Just as despair threatened to swallow him, a bizarre scent flooded his senses.
Neither fragrant nor foul—something indescribably eerie.
In all his years, he’d only encountered it once before.
“He’s here…” Zheng Yingxiong murmured.
“He?” The others turned to him. “Who?”
Before anyone could react, movement drew their attention to Qi Xia.
His slumped head slowly lifted. With a series of **cracks**, Qi Xia—still eyes shut—rolled his neck, his entire being radiating a chilling, predatory aura.
As if he’d **evolved** again.
Before his eyes even opened, his lips curled into a grin.
A smile so terrifying, none of them had ever seen it on his face before.
Then his eyes snapped open, scanning the group.
His irises had turned ash-gray, his pupils elongated into horizontal slits.
Zheng Yingxiong took a hesitant step forward.
“My **target**… is here.”
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