“How come I don’t get it…?” Earth Tiger asked blankly, “Aren’t those so-called ‘Destroyers’ just ‘Participants’?”
“Right,” Earth Rooster replied. “They should be ‘Participants.'”
“Then why would they bring ‘death’?” Earth Tiger sounded puzzled. “Aren’t we on the same side…? Are those ‘Destroyers’ planning to kill us?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Earth Rooster said again. “But White Goat did say that.”
Earth Rat narrowed his eyes after hearing this, sensing something off about the statement. “Leaders… If Goat Bro meant that ‘Participants’ might encounter a ‘Death Door,’ I could still understand—it’d mean there’s a traitor among us who’d kill those ‘Destroyers’ on the spot. But Goat Bro said *we*, the ‘Zodiacs,’ would face the ‘Death Door’… Doesn’t that mean one of us won’t make it back to the ‘Train’ that night?”
“Exactly,” Earth Rooster nodded again. “After thinking it over these past few days, that seems to be what White Goat meant. Once the plan starts, one of us ‘Zodiacs’ will die in ‘Taoyuan’ and never return.”
“But… *why*?” Earth Rat pressed. “We all know that if ‘Participants’ dare attack a ‘Zodiac,’ ‘Black Tortoise’ will immediately descend from the sky and kill them. Even if ‘Black Tortoise’ doesn’t arrive right away, with our ‘Earth-level’ physical abilities, how could we possibly die out there…?”
He then glanced at Earth Rabbit. “Big Bunny, you’ve faced some pretty intense attacks from ‘Participants,’ right?”
“Yep,” Earth Rabbit nodded. “Probably one of the strongest offensive ‘Echoes’ in all of ‘Taoyuan.’ Anything he threw exploded on impact, but even with him fighting for his life, I still didn’t die.”
“That’s the issue,” Earth Rat said. “Leaders… If we don’t figure this out, we’ll all be on edge. What kind of ‘death’ is waiting for us? It clearly can’t be the ‘Participants’ doing, right?”
The group fell into thought. A ‘Zodiac’ unable to return during off-hours… What exactly could stop them?
Seeing that none of the ‘Zodiacs’ had an answer, Earth Rat slowly stood up and spoke softly. “Rooster Leader, I have a personal question for you…”
“Go ahead,” Earth Rooster said.
“What if one of us here *never* sees any ‘Destroyers’…? What should we do?”
Earth Rat made a bold assumption—that only the eight ‘Zodiacs’ he’d once seen on a map would receive ‘Destroyers,’ and that map didn’t include him.
Similarly, it didn’t include Black Goat, Broke Tiger, or Tall Horse.
Out of the nine in the room, four might never encounter ‘Destroyers,’ while three who *could* die weren’t even present.
Had this plan been announced too soon?
“Not seeing any ‘Destroyers’…” Earth Rooster finally shook her head. “White Goat never mentioned this scenario… The rest of us will have to improvise. Our tasks aren’t just outside the ‘Train’—some are *on* it too.”
Earth Ox stepped forward and addressed the group. “Next… I’ll explain the second phase of our ‘mission’ once we board the ‘Train.'”
“What’s the deal…?” Black Goat tapped the table lazily. “Are we supposed to protect those ‘Participants’ now?”
“No,” Earth Ox said. “*I’ll* handle that. The rest of you have other responsibilities.”
“*You’ll* handle it…?”
Black Goat frowned, questioning the statement’s validity. After all, those ‘Destroyers’ were his allies in freeing the ‘Ants.’
Yet this unfamiliar Earth Ox claimed she’d protect them… Did she share his mission?
“Everyone, once the ‘Participants’ board the ‘Train,’ you’ll need to quickly gather trusted allies and head to the ‘Celestial-level’ rooms.”
“Head to the ‘Celestial-level’ rooms…?” Earth Rat blinked. “You mean the meeting room at the front?”
“No, their personal quarters,” Earth Ox clarified. “According to White Goat, the ‘Celestials’ will be scattered to their own rooms that day. Your task is to execute ‘counterpart kills.'”
Earth Rooster stiffened, turning an odd look at Earth Ox.
“Damn…” Earth Tiger muttered. “‘Counterpart kills’…? One-on-one?”
The group erupted into murmurs. Many were here precisely to kill their superiors, but they’d never considered such a brutal method.
“Not necessarily one-on-one,” Earth Ox said. “As I said, gather allies and strike with full force. Eliminate the ‘Celestials’ as quickly as possible.”
“This is *way* too bold…” Earth Tiger mumbled. “Did Goat Bro really say this…?”
“Yes,” Earth Ox nodded. “This was White Goat’s plan.”
Earth Rooster’s brow furrowed. She clearly wanted to say something but, after scanning the room, chose silence.
“Wait a sec…” Earth Tiger froze. “There’s no ‘Goat’ among the ‘Celestials’… Hey, Blackie—team up with me! Let’s take down ‘Celestial Tiger.'”
Black Goat narrowed his eyes, thinking for a few seconds. “I… won’t go.”
“Huh?” Earth Tiger gaped. “Seriously? You’re gonna bail *now*? If you don’t come, I’m dead for sure.”
“Then die,” Black Goat said flatly. “I’ve always wanted you dead. Perfect opportunity.”
“You bastard…” Earth Tiger growled. “No loyalty at all.”
“Ox Leader…” Earth Rat interjected. “Not sure if my memory’s failing me, but… we don’t have a ‘Snake’ here. ‘Celestial Snake’ is a tough opponent. Who’s handling him?”
“I don’t know,” Earth Ox admitted. “White Goat probably has someone else assigned for that. It’s not part of *this* plan.”
“Yeah, but—*that’s* the problem?” Earth Tiger grumbled. “The real issue is whether we can even *kill* a ‘Celestial.’ Those bastards have ‘Echoes.'”
Earth Ox nodded. “True. They wield ‘Immortal Arts’ and ‘Divine Power,’ which makes this a major challenge. So I need to ask everyone here… Be honest with me.”
“Honest…?”
She scanned the room and asked gravely, “Who among you… possesses ‘Immortal Arts’?”
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