While the two were speaking, a gaunt old man near the round table suddenly began trembling violently.
Though the old man’s hair was sparse, each strand was left long. His skin was pallid, his clothes ragged, but he wore a belt around his waist.
Hanging from the belt was a cluster of devices resembling remote controls.
A few seconds later, as if he had seen something horrifying in his sleep, his face twisted in agony, his limbs contorted, and the remotes at his waist began crackling loudly.
Soon after, he toppled from his chair, jolting awake and looking around in panic.
“Dang it!!” the withered old man cursed. “What the hell?! What the hell is this?!”
Qinglong and Tianniu stood nearby, watching him coldly.
He quickly noticed Qinglong, and though his tone softened slightly, it was still laced with resentment.
“Qinglong… what’s the meaning of this?” he said shakily as he rose to his feet. “Didn’t ‘Tianlong’ promise us? That we could return to the real world and live with our families… So how could he just appear there out of nowhere?! Is he trying to drive me insane?!”
Qinglong’s eyes flashed with disdain before he replied, “Are you pretending not to understand, or have you truly lost your mind? The world you see when you close your eyes—do you really think that’s the real world?”
“How is it not?!” the old man shrieked. “One world when my eyes are open, another when they’re closed. Tell me—which one feels more like a dream?!”
Tianniu turned his face away at this, as if unwilling to engage with the old man.
“Are you… planning to keep speaking to me in that tone?” Qinglong asked, a hint of murderous intent in his voice.
“I—no, I didn’t mean…” The old man quickly checked himself, realizing he’d gone too far. “I… I can’t lose my family… I need to sleep again… I’m sorry… I have to sleep…”
“Stop deluding yourself,” Qinglong said. “A world where you can see ‘Tianlong’—what kind of reality is that?”
The old man’s mental state was clearly fraying. Trembling, he stared at Qinglong and muttered, “Stop… don’t shake my faith…”
“That world was granted to you by him. Naturally, he can come and go as he pleases,” Qinglong continued, indifferent to the old man’s distress. “How much longer will you indulge in this delusion?”
“This is insane… utterly insane…” The old man’s eyes widened as he hunched over, shuffling closer to Qinglong. “Qinglong… what is Tianlong doing now?”
“Why do you ask?”
Tianshu, as if deaf to the question, murmured, “He’s snatching the last straw from drowning men and placing it on the back of a collapsing camel. One straw, two deaths—he wants everyone to die…”
Qinglong sighed. “Instead of complaining about why he appeared there, think about the orders he gave you. That way, you might live a little longer.”
“His… orders…” The old man’s eyes widened slowly as he dredged up the memory. “He told me to activate the ‘Tianshu Moment’…”
“What…?”
“How is that possible…?” The old man stared at Qinglong in disbelief. “Why would he order me to activate the ‘Tianshu Moment’?”
“How should I know?” Qinglong shot back. “Didn’t he tell you that himself?”
“This is terrifying…” The old man clutched at his thinning hair before slowly crouching down. “He took the form of my family… then commanded me to activate the ‘Tianshu Moment’… But we’ve never once triggered it all these years! That’s the ‘Hour of the Rat’! That’s midnight!”
“Not my problem,” Qinglong said flatly. “Tianshu, the choice is yours.”
“Damn it… this is absurd!” Tianshu rose to his feet furiously. “Going out at midnight… What the hell is he thinking?! If we’re going to die, we might as well all die together…”
His expression grew increasingly deranged as he reached for the strange remotes on his belt.
Of the dozen or so remotes, only one was lit.
Without hesitation, Tianshu pressed the switch. At the same time, Qinglong raised a finger and lightly pressed it against his ear.
Though he covered his ears quickly, Qinglong still heard a distant, muffled explosion—followed by screams and the splatter of blood.
“Heh… hehe… feels good…” Tianshu bared his yellowed teeth in a grin. “If we’re dying, we die together… Too bad only one of them was wearing a ‘collar’!”
Qinglong remained silent, but Tianniu spoke up:
“The Earthly ‘Zodiacs’ are clearly understaffed. You should control yourself. Managing the ‘ants’ is already exhausting—don’t add to my workload.”
“Who are you to act righteous?!” Tianshu snapped. “Don’t you want the ‘Earthly’ dead too?! They’re always trying to kill us! Besides, those ‘collars’ were their own choice—they joined the game willingly! If something happens, it’s on them. We made the terms clear from the start… And it’s not like I mistreated them!!”
With that, Tianshu extended his hand, and a plump, crimson cherry materialized in his palm.
“Here, gorgeous… have a cherry.”
Tianniu swatted the cherry to the ground in disgust. “It reeks of ‘Peach Spring.’ Get lost.”
“Ahahahahaha!” Tianshu cackled, dancing with glee before pulling out a banana and hurling it at Tianniu. “This is hilarious! Absolutely hilarious! Hahahaha! Tell me I didn’t mistreat them! Even if they’re just plants, they’re still fruit!”
Tianniu, infuriated, stepped forward as if to attack, but Qinglong merely cleared his throat lightly, freezing both men in place.
“If you’re tired of living, just say the word,” Qinglong said coolly. “One of you eavesdropped on me at the door, the other slaughtered Earthly members at will. How long has it been since I disciplined you? Have you grown so bold?”
The two hung their heads in silence.
Qinglong turned to Tianniu first. “Starting today, every breath you take will be under my surveillance—until my anger subsides.”
“U-understood…”
Then he looked at Tianshu. “If you need to vent, break their limbs or cut out their tongues. But no more deaths. Understood?”
“F-fine…” Tianshu muttered. “I’ll see who didn’t finish their fruit tonight… Maybe I’ll carve out a few tongues for fun…”
Qinglong snorted and pushed past them toward the exit. But after only a few steps, his ears twitched.
Something had happened on the “train.” An unusual sound echoed from the sky above.
It seemed the “Tianshe Moment” had arrived.
Qinglong’s gaze darkened as he murmured, “Come, then. Let’s see just how high your ‘limit’ goes.”
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