Chapter 909: The Grand Plan

“If one of my people chooses the ‘Death Door’…” I murmured.

“Then they’ll be executed on the spot,” White Goat replied. “This kind of ‘violation’ might come with severe consequences. You should say your goodbyes to them in advance.”

I let out a deep sigh. Though I barely had any emotional ties to the “Extremists,” the thought of them dying here still weighed on me.

I had promised—they had risked their lives for the “Extremists,” and I couldn’t just abandon them.

Even if they were truly doomed to die, the reason had to be carefully considered. I absolutely refused to let them die just to expose “who the mole was.”

“I need a reason,” I said to White Goat. “Goat, this reason isn’t good enough. They can’t die like this.”

“So you’ve already formed your own thoughts,” White Goat nodded. “Yan Zhichun, if we’re talking about why they must die, then we have to discuss the ‘second step’ of this plan.”

“What is it?”

Instead of answering, White Goat asked calmly, “Tell me—who in the entire ‘Land of the End’ wants the ‘Zodiacs’ dead the most?”

I thought for a moment. “That would have to be the ‘Participants.'”

When White Goat didn’t react, I added, “Or… the ‘Natives’?”

“It’s the ‘Ants,'” he said.

“The ‘Ants’…?”

“The ‘Ants’ not only have the desire to kill the ‘Zodiacs,’ but also the capability—except they’re trapped,” White Goat explained. “Your final mission, once aboard the ‘Train,’ is to overcome all obstacles, find a black goat, and have him lead you to free all the ‘Ants.’ That’s the reason your subordinates must die.”

A black goat…?

Free all the Ants…?

No… my brain was about to shut down.

For a moment, I almost envied that deaf young man.

White Goat’s words today were just as overwhelming as when I first met him—packed with too much information, impossible to process at once.

“Your enemy is the ‘Beetle,’ the overseer of all ‘Ants,'” White Goat continued, not giving me time to react. “The black goat will be the main force against the ‘Beetle,’ while you provide support. Remember—if the ‘Beetle’ dies, the ‘Ants’ live. If the ‘Beetle’ lives, you all die.”

“Good god…” I shuddered. “Goat… if you told us to fight a ‘Tier-Earth,’ I wouldn’t be this shocked… But you’re sending us—ordinary people with ‘Echoes’—to challenge a ‘Tier-Heaven’?!”

“There’s no difference between ‘Tier-Heaven’ and ‘Tier-Earth,'” White Goat said. “Their physical abilities are the same. The only advantage ‘Tier-Heaven’ has is their ‘Echo.'”

“And we can actually defeat him like this?”

“Exactly,” White Goat nodded. “The battle will be even. The black goat represents ‘brute strength,’ and you represent ‘Echoes.’ If both sides possess both, you still have more minds at work—so you hold the advantage. This fight is winnable.”

“This is insane…” I shook my head. “Goat… what if the ‘black goat’ you mentioned doesn’t help us? What if he betrays us and tries to kill us?”

“He most certainly will try to kill you,” White Goat replied flatly.

“What…?”

When would White Goat ever say something that didn’t completely blindside me?

“I know him too well,” he said. “To achieve his goals, he’ll stop at nothing. Even though he’s technically ‘one of us,’ he won’t hesitate to use your bodies as shields. He might even trample over all your corpses to defeat the ‘Beetle’—and that would make perfect sense. Remember? I told you he’s the ‘unwanted Zodiac.’ Guess why?”

“Because he’s too ruthless…” I paused. “Then how are we supposed to work with him?”

“You’ll have to find a way to kill him,” White Goat said. “Only then will your motivations align. He gains no advantage, and neither do you. For your side, killing the ‘Beetle’ is the only path to true benefit.”

“Goat…” I lowered my head slowly. “What if I die there? You said it yourself—this level of ‘violation’ would definitely turn me into a ‘Native’… How will you fulfill your promise then? How will you make me an ‘Elder’ after seizing power?”

White Goat’s eerie eyes locked onto mine for a long moment before he finally uttered four words:

“You won’t die.”

“You—!” I stepped forward, frustrated, glaring at him. “I’m not asking ‘if’ I can die! Answer me directly! Tell me—if I die, how will you take responsibility?! How will you keep your promise?!”

Expressionless, he repeated after a few seconds:

“You won’t die.”

“You… you…” Suddenly, the world spun around me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that White Goat was lying…

Even he couldn’t predict what would happen once we boarded the ‘Train’—yet he dared to guarantee I wouldn’t die?

“Goat… are you lying to me?” My voice trembled. “Was I never part of your plan from the start? Am I not really one of you? I’m leading everyone into the most dangerous mission… I’m just your ‘gun’…!”

“The most dangerous…?” White Goat shook his head. “Yan Zhichun, you overestimate yourself.”

“What…?”

“Many are acting simultaneously in this plan,” he said. “And you just happen to be the safest one.”

“I’m… the safest?”

“You’re leading a ‘Tier-Earth’ and a team of ‘Echoers’ against just one ‘Tier-Heaven,'” White Goat said. “Rest easy—no one else in this plan has it this easy.”

My eyes flickered. I truly couldn’t understand White Goat anymore…

Even with the numbers on our side… our opponent was still a ‘Tier-Heaven’!

We were supposed to save the ‘Ants,’ but in the eyes of these half-god, half-human monsters, we ordinary people *were* the ants!

“Don’t forget,” White Goat added, “besides the ‘Beetle,’ there are nine other ‘Tier-Heavens,’ nearly thirty ‘Tier-Earths,’ countless ‘Tier-Humans,’ four ‘Divine Beasts,’ and above them all—’Heavenly Dragon.’ If you had to choose, which battlefield would you pick?”

Right… if he put it that way… the ‘Extremists’ really did have the easiest fight.

I took half a step back. “Goat… are you planning to take down *everyone* in this operation? Including ‘Heavenly Dragon’ and ‘Azure Dragon’?”

“Exactly,” he nodded. “But you don’t need to know the others’ plans. Just focus on your part.”

Kill the ‘Beetle,’ free the ‘Ants’… What an insane plan.

“Goat…” I hesitated before asking, “Do the ‘Ants’ even have any sanity left?”