*Crack!*
A deafening sound echoed across the square. Aunt Tong turned her gaze toward the center, where Old Deng and the remaining “Extremists” had already shattered the “Door” into pieces.
Fragments of the door reflected a familiar yet alien black-and-red hue—leading to the “Land of End,” yet none were large enough for even a single person to pass through now.
Even if the Beetle hadn’t died in the chaos, none of the “Ants” could make it to the “Land of End” anymore.
Black Sheep strode to the center of the square, picking up a shard of the door and gripping it tightly.
Then, following the trail of blood on the ground, he walked through the swarm of “Ants” as if they weren’t there. Though these “Ants” had slowly tortured the Beetle to death, he was in a hurry.
A few “Ants” blocked his path, only to be roughly shoved aside. He didn’t even seem to have the strength to go around them.
**”Beetle… come out. I’ll make it quick.”** Black Sheep gritted his teeth. **”What’s the point of dragging this out?”**
**”Black Sheep… can we talk?”** The Beetle’s voice drifted from all directions, impossible to pinpoint. She seemed to be moving rapidly to avoid being struck by an “Echo.”
**”No.”** Black Sheep replied coldly. **”I’m in a hurry. I want you dead.”**
**”You—”**
Hearing those words, the Beetle’s conviction wavered for a split second, causing her to materialize—just for a single moment.
She floated mid-air, as if still unable to comprehend how things had come to this.
She had only been doing her job, as usual. Yet someone had orchestrated an entire plan just to kill her.
Even more absurd was the fact that despite stalling for so long, no one had noticed the “Cargo Hold” had been breached. Reinforcements never arrived.
Black Sheep seized that fleeting moment. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the shard of metal straight at the Beetle.
It struck her thigh like a bullet hitting a bird mid-flight, sending her crashing to the ground.
Only then did the others realize how badly wounded she truly was. Her entire body was torn open by the “Ants,” her blood loss so severe that the wounds themselves were indistinguishable.
Yan Zhichun shot Old Sun a glance, and he mustered the last of his energy, summoning a massive boulder that slammed into the ground.
The impact sent tremors through the earth, freezing every “Ant” in place. None moved to attack the fallen Beetle—after all, “Ants” had no vision, and with only one enemy left, a chaotic melee would only risk friendly fire.
Black Sheep slowly approached the Beetle, yanking the shard from her thigh before flipping it in his grip.
**”Wait…”** The Beetle clutched her leg, groaning. **”I surrender… I’m done fighting. I serve under Qinglong too. If you want the ‘Ants,’ take them now—”**
Before she could finish, Black Sheep drove the shard downward—straight for her face.
The Beetle twisted away, but not fast enough. The shard pierced her ear, nailing it to the ground and tearing it clean off her face. Blood sprayed across the floor.
**”AAAAAAHHH!!”** The Beetle screamed, clutching the gaping wound. **”What the hell is wrong with you?! I said I surrendered!!”**
**”My apologies…”** Black Sheep said flatly. **”I’m a sheep. Sometimes, I don’t understand human speech.”**
**”You fucking lunatic—!”**
Black Sheep wrenched the shard free, flicking the severed ear aside before stabbing again—this time toward her face. The Beetle barely managed to block with her palm, only for the metal to punch straight through.
**”AGH!! You bastard—!”** She realized then—Black Sheep wasn’t holding back. Every strike was meant to kill. **”I’m a ‘Celestial’! Don’t you want to negotiate?! I can switch sides! I can be your spy! I’ll join you!! There’s no need—”**
Black Sheep remained expressionless, pressing the shard deeper. **”You’re not lying… but talking wastes time. If you’d said this three minutes earlier, maybe I would’ve considered it.”**
The shard inched downward, piercing through her hand and creeping toward her throat.
**”W-Wait…”** The Beetle choked out through clenched teeth. **”Why… why do you *have* to kill me? We’re just on opposing sides… What’s your grudge?”**
Black Sheep twisted the shard forty-five degrees. Agony ripped through her, drawing another scream.
**”Look. What color is this shard?”** His voice was ice. **”Tell me… why is the other side drenched in blood?”**
**”Madman… fucking madman… That was Tianlong and Qinglong’s doing… What does it have to do with me—”**
Black Sheep ignored her pleas. With one final surge of strength, he drove the shard into her neck.
The Beetle convulsed on the ground, coughing up thick, dark blood in gurgling spurts—like toothpaste squeezed from a tube.
The brutality of the execution left the surviving “Extremists” momentarily stunned. But when they snapped back to reality, they realized—they’d won.
Black Sheep knelt there for a long moment before dragging his exhausted body upright.
Though the Beetle was motionless, Black Sheep didn’t look much better.
**”I’m in a hurry…”** He stared at her corpse. **”If you’ve got regrets, feel free to haunt me in hell.”**
Bending down, he yanked the shard free before turning toward the stairs—barging past a few “Ants” on the way.
**”Black Sheep!”** Yan Zhichun rushed forward, but his dark fur hid any wounds.
**”Handle the rest…”** He waved her off. **”I’ve got something else to deal with.”**
Limping up the steps, he left behind a deeply concerned Yan Zhichun.
Jiang Ruoxue stepped beside her. **”That grumpy Zodiac… Is he really okay?”**
**”We can’t help him.”** Yan Zhichun sighed. **”Right now, we need to mobilize the ‘Ants’… This army is ours now. It’s time to end the war.”**
**”Tch.”** Zhou Mo walked over, frowning. **”Do we really need to ‘mobilize’ them? Just open the damn door and let them loose.”**
**”Most would think that…”** Yan Zhichun mused. **”But Sheep won’t. He’ll make sure the plan is flawless. ‘Ants’ have no vision—they communicate through vibrations in the ‘Cargo Hold.’ But outside, they’ll be blind and isolated.”**
Just then, the former “Ant King” stood up amidst the swarm, waving toward Zhou Mo.
Sensing he had something to say, Zhou Mo approached to “listen.”
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