“He can control ‘people,’ but that doesn’t mean we can.” Black Sheep frowned. “Right now, we’re stuck at the ‘people’ part!”
“You…” Earth Tiger thought for a long moment before finally pulling Black Sheep’s hand off his collar, his expression darkening. “Look, Blacky, I’ve made up my mind. Whether or not Goat allows me to kill ‘Sky Tiger,’ this plan seems to benefit him, so I’m going through with it.”
Black Sheep’s face twisted with anger as he stared at Earth Tiger before finally saying, “Then let’s go together.”
“No, that’s not…” Earth Tiger scratched his head awkwardly. “That’s not what I meant, Blacky. I can go alone. Don’t get mad—”
“Shut the hell up.” Black Sheep sighed, the helplessness weighing on him.
This was supposed to be a plan to separate the smart from the stupid. Yet here he was, seeing everything clearly but forced to act in the dumbest way possible. Would this really not backfire?
But deep down, Black Sheep knew better than anyone: if either of them died at the last moment after all these years of persistence, the survivor would regret it for the rest of their life.
“Money-Loser Tiger,” Black Sheep called again. “Just in case, there’s something I need to tell you first.”
“Tell me…?” Earth Tiger blinked. “Blacky… You’re not worried I’ll screw it up?”
“I have no choice.” Black Sheep’s voice was low. “After decades here, the people I trust can be counted on one hand: Human Snake, you, Goat… and Little Rat.”
“Blacky… come on, don’t get all dramatic.”
“Little Rat and Goat are gone. Human Snake’s body is as fragile as paper now.” Black Sheep exhaled. “So you’re the only one left. Listen, Money-Loser Tiger. If I die—”
“Bullshit!”
Earth Tiger shoved Black Sheep hard, sending him crashing into the wall.
Then he jabbed a finger at Black Sheep’s mouth. “Spit it out! Say ‘Ptooey!’ Three times! How fucking unlucky can you get?!”
Black Sheep ignored him, leaning against the wall as he continued quietly, “If I die, you need to rush to the corridor immediately and gather all the ‘Destroyers.’ Their leader is Yan Zhichun. From then on, you and she will take charge. Tell them you ‘represent Black Sheep.'”
“Wait—” Earth Tiger froze. “Damn it, Blacky… You had your own plan all along?”
Instead of answering, Black Sheep pressed on. “After gathering everyone, head to the bottom cargo hold and free all the ‘Ants.'”
“What?”
“When you free the ‘Ants,’ ‘Sky Bull’ will definitely intervene.” Black Sheep lifted his head. “Money-Loser Tiger, no one else will kill ‘Sky Bull.’ If we both want to walk away alive, we have to take down two ‘Sky-Level’ targets. And the time limit for killing ‘Sky Tiger’ has to be under ten minutes—otherwise, we won’t have time to rally the ‘Destroyers’ to kill ‘Sky Bull.'”
Seeing Earth Tiger’s silence, Black Sheep added, “Aside from Sky Dragon, the hardest ‘Sky-Level’ targets on this ‘train’ are ‘Sky Snake’ and ‘Sky Bull.’ One controls the ‘train’s operation,’ the other controls the ‘Ants.'”
“Damn it… This is…” Earth Tiger grimaced. “Blacky… Was your original mission always to free the ‘Ants’? Even before we got the ‘Counter-Kill’ task… you knew you’d have to solo ‘Sky Bull’?”
“Exactly. I even practiced on another ‘Bull’ today.” Black Sheep rolled his neck and touched the blood on his cheek. “Lucky break—’Earth Bull’ fights a lot like ‘Sky Bull.’ Probably why ‘Sky Bull’ trained her. Both women are agile and strong. Their fighting styles are probably similar.”
“You… got these injuries from that Earth Bull girl?” Earth Tiger gaped, jerking a thumb toward the wall. “The one next door?”
“Yeah.” Black Sheep nodded. “Don’t let her size fool you. She’s vicious. Heard she was an athlete before.”
“Wait, hold on—” Earth Tiger scratched his head. “You couldn’t even handle Earth Bull… and you’re gonna solo ‘Sky Bull’? Are you out of your damn mind?!”
“Our physical stats are the same, so—”
“But they have ‘Echoes’!” Earth Tiger snapped. “Cut the crap! You’d get wrecked by Sky Bull. Let’s just swap tasks!”
“Swap?”
“I’ll take ‘Sky Bull,’ and you solo ‘Sky Tiger’!”
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Black Sheep snarled. “I help you kill ‘Sky Tiger,’ and you leave me to die there? Helping you was a real stroke of luck!”
“Hah!” Seeing Black Sheep back to his usual self, Earth Tiger laughed. “Damn it, Blacky… I was joking! You think I’d actually ditch you?”
Black Sheep exhaled sharply. “Anyway, that’s the situation. Money-Loser Tiger, if it comes down to it, you can even use the ‘Destroyers’ as weapons—throw them at ‘Sky Bull.'”
“Wait—?!” Earth Tiger blinked. “But aren’t they Goat’s people?”
“Yep.” Black Sheep nodded. “But Goat would probably let it slide.”
“Why?”
“Because he handed them to me. He knows how I fight. If he dares to send them, I dare to let them die.” Black Sheep’s voice was cold. “So the ‘Destroyers’ already know I might kill them. Don’t hold back—use whatever it takes to kill ‘Sky Bull’ fast.”
Earth Tiger scratched his head. “Okay, I kinda get that… But why free the ‘Ants’?”
“I don’t know.” Black Sheep admitted. “But that’s the mission I was given. I’ll see it through, no matter what. Consider it my way of repaying Goat.”
Earth Tiger fell silent for a moment before muttering, “Damn… That’s weird…”
“What?”
“Blacky…” Earth Tiger frowned. “Why does it sound like everyone has their own secret plan… except me?”
“You…?” Black Sheep paused. “Didn’t Goat tell you anything before he left?”
“Nope!” Earth Tiger threw up his hands. “Am I not good enough?! Is my brain too dumb to handle a secret mission?!”
Black Sheep frowned. Earth Tiger was the eye of this storm, yet Goat had left him completely in the dark.
There was only one explanation.
“It means Goat believes that no matter what you do, it’ll still fit his plan.”
“Huh…?”
Black Sheep stood and walked toward the door. “I need to tend to my wounds.”
“Want help?” Earth Tiger offered.
“Piss off.”
“Fine.”
At the door, Black Sheep turned back. “Money-Loser Tiger, if you dare die on me, I’ll kill you.”
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