“Is that why you made this decision—because Tengu has the ‘Spirit Hearing’?” Lin Qiao asked. “Aren’t you afraid he might hear what you’re saying now?”
“Just like what that strong woman said earlier…” Earth Dog glanced at Xiao Xiao, “the first phase of the rebellion is basically set, and Tengu must have already chosen his side. Even if he hears me now, it doesn’t matter. What’s bound to happen has already happened—he knows what he needs to do.”
Earth Dog walked to the door of the room and carefully cracked it open, confirming that chaos had indeed erupted outside.
The scene before his eyes wasn’t just corpses and blood—there were “Participants,” “Zodiacs,” and even “Ants.”
This night of rebellion seemed more like a twisted carnival for everyone living in the “Land of the End.” The expressions on their faces were a mix of panic and unease, as if none of them knew what fate awaited them after tonight.
After the past few hours of escalating madness, encountering any face on this “train” was no longer surprising.
“So where do you want to go now?” Lin Qiao asked.
Earth Dog didn’t answer. Instead, after a glance at her, he countered, “Is anyone still invading your thoughts right now?”
“Not at the moment,” Lin Qiao shook her head, “but I can’t let my guard down.”
“Good.” Earth Dog nodded. “I’m going to find Tengu now—I need to ask him something. And I still need your help. If you trust me, come with me.”
Lin Qiao, Xiao Xiao, and Zheng Hero exchanged glances. But at this point, there was no better choice. The “Ants” had already flooded the corridor, proving that the “Liberate the Ants” strategy had worked. If they wanted to contribute anything more to this operation, the only option was to follow Earth Dog.
……
Near the “rear of the train”—the exact opposite direction from Qinglong’s room—two figures who seemed oddly out of place stood there.
Neither seemed to have expected to run into the other, and they were still bickering.
“Brother… why do you keep haunting me like a ghost, huh?” Jin Yuanxun asked in confusion. “Where are you even taking me?”
“Ah, Xiao Jin! Hahaha!” Chen Junnan laughed. “This dumbass really has the worst luck—of all people to run into right now, why’d it have to be you?”
“Brother!!” Jin Yuanxun snapped, annoyed. “I boarded this train to save Brother Chu and Brother Shan! Why are you dragging me all the way toward the exit? Aren’t we going the wrong way? And also… did you just sneak in an insult at me earlier?”
“How could I?” Chen Junnan shook his head. “If I wanted to curse at you, I wouldn’t bother hiding it.”
“Then what the hell are you doing…?” Jin Yuanxun grew even more confused. “We’ve come all the way out here, brother. Are you running away?”
“Don’t just spout nonsense, kid. Don’t you have any poetry or dreams in that head of yours?”
“What corpses and police…? You’re not even fighting, but you can’t just drag me around like this.”
Chen Junnan sighed, slung an arm over Jin Yuanxun’s shoulder, and pointed at a row of doors. “Alright, Xiao Jin, since you’re so skeptical, take a look at your brother’s handiwork.”
Jin Yuanxun followed Chen Junnan’s finger—all he saw was a corridor lined with doors and a few scattered Participants.
This close to the exit, even “Zodiacs” were a rare sight.
“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
“The doors,” Chen Junnan said. “Look closely—what’s weird about them?”
Jin Yuanxun took a few steps forward and scrutinized the doors. To his shock, he realized their frames were all cracked, some even split down the middle.
Disbelieving, he pulled one open at random—only to find a bare wall behind it.
“Aish… brother, what’s going on?” Jin Yuanxun muttered, stunned. “Why are doors just installed in the wall?”
“You really don’t use your brain at all, do you?” Chen Junnan shook his head. “This isn’t about doors being installed in walls—this is your brother’s grand plan.”
“Grand plan…?”
“I’ve done my research,” Chen Junnan said, jerking a thumb toward the direction they’d come from. “The front of this ‘train’ houses the ‘Celestials,’ followed by a few dozen ‘Earthly’ Zodiacs, then hundreds of ‘Human-level’ ones, and finally, some doors that break the rules…”
Jin Yuanxun paused, unsure if it was his Chinese comprehension or Chen Junnan’s abstract explanation, but the words were starting to lose meaning.
“These ‘rule-breaking’ doors are split into two sections,” Chen Junnan continued, gesturing. “If you divide the ‘train’ into three parts, the first section is the ‘residential area,’ where most of the Zodiacs live. That’s where Old Qi and the others are fighting now—the closer to the front, the more dangerous it gets.”
“Huh?”
“The second section is where we are right now,” Chen Junnan said, tapping the floor beneath them. “Every door along this corridor leads to the ‘Land of the End.'”
“Huh? Huh?”
“These ‘doors’ connect to different corners of the ‘Land of the End.’ If I’m not mistaken, this is their commute route—the ‘work zone.'” Chen Junnan smirked. “Which gave me a bold idea… if we destroy every door here, no Zodiac will ever appear in the ‘Land of the End’ again. Even if they win this rebellion, they’ll be trapped on this train with no way out.”
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Will you stop with the ‘huhs’? Just say something!”
“No, brother…” Jin Yuanxun tried to process the idea. “This plan is way too reckless… You’re planning to smash every door bare-handed? By yourself?”
“Damn, you hit the nail on the head.” Chen Junnan sighed. “At first, that was exactly my plan. I was smashing them to pieces. But then I realized even a small crack was enough to disable them. Now, I’ve mastered the art of door-breaking. And… I’m not alone anymore, am I? I’ve got you.”
“Brother!” Jin Yuanxun gaped. “Even with me, that’s still way too few people!”
“I’ve already smashed dozens of doors solo. With you here, our efficiency just doubled.” Chen Junnan grinned. “Besides, I couldn’t find any other help. Everyone around here just wants to escape. I tried sweet-talking a few, but no one bit. Lucky for me, I ran into a big sucker like you.”
“B-Big sucker…?” Jin Yuanxun had a sinking feeling that was him. “Brother… is that why you stopped me when you saw me from far away…?”
“Xiao Jin! That’s harsh!” Chen Junnan laughed. “Weren’t we comrades in ‘Cangjie’s Game’? Why the sudden distance?”
“Brother…” Jin Yuanxun was at a loss for words. “Even in ‘Cangjie’s Game,’ we were enemies…”
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