“Hey… Digou!”
Xiaoxiao couldn’t take it anymore and finally called out.
“Mmm…” Digou lazily responded from behind a book covering his face.
“Do you even want to go or not?” Xiaoxiao snapped. “Weren’t you just all fired up, saying we should wait for someone to clear the way for us? And now, just a few minutes later, you’re practically falling asleep.”
“Mmm…” Digou murmured again, as if sleep-talking.
“I give up… I really give up.” Seeing that Digou wouldn’t listen, Xiaoxiao turned to Zheng Yingxiong. “Just keep an eye on him, okay? Better yet, watch him to death.”
Zheng Yingxiong had been staring intently at Digou the whole time, lost in thought.
Xiaoxiao ignored the odd pair and walked over to Lin Qin instead.
The girl had been muttering to herself in the corner, almost like chanting sutras.
Xiaoxiao couldn’t fathom what “important scripture” needed reciting at such a critical moment.
When she got close enough to hear Lin Qin’s murmurs, it only took a few seconds for her blood to boil.
As she had said before—not a single person in this team was normal.
Only she, with her bipolar tendencies, seemed genuinely committed to the “Extremists” and the final mission.
Lin Qin might have looked sane, but the words she kept repeating sounded utterly deranged:
“I should drink some water soon.”
“Maybe I should eat something?”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Insane… all of you are insane…” Xiaoxiao shook her head in frustration, then remembered Han Yimo, who had been lying behind the sofa for ages.
If anyone could still be of any use, it was probably him.
“Hey!” Xiaoxiao crouched beside Han Yimo and slapped him twice without hesitation. “Still alive?”
Han Yimo didn’t react at all. Though he was breathing, he looked like he’d been dead for a while.
“You’re like a weak little chick—one injury and you’re down…” She slapped him again. “If you’d just worked out more, you wouldn’t be like this…”
Still no response. Xiaoxiao worried that a few more slaps might actually kill him.
“Fantastic.” She stood up, surveying the bizarre group in the room. “You’ve all really opened my eyes. I’m going alone. Anyone coming with me?”
The other “Extremists” members stared blankly at her.
“We’ve already missed the scheduled time…” Xiaoxiao continued. “Every other ‘Extremist’ is fighting to free the ‘Ants’… and here we are, hiding… I can’t take this anymore.”
The group exchanged uneasy glances but remained still.
Xiaoxiao glared at them. “Don’t you get it? This Digou has no intention of leaving. He wants to stay out of this storm. Are you all just going to wait here too? Until our comrades are dead? Until the mission fails and we’re exiled?”
At that, Digou shifted the book slightly, revealing one eye.
“If you won’t go, I’ll go alone,” Xiaoxiao declared. “Even if it’s just me… I’m going.”
“What’s the rush?” Digou’s muffled voice came from behind the book. “Isn’t it already too late?”
“And whose fault is that?!” Xiaoxiao’s temper flared. “Weren’t you supposed to escort us to the Black Sheep? Instead, we’ve been wasting time here… What are we even waiting for?!”
“I told you,” Digou sighed. “We’re waiting for a brave ‘Zodiac’ to clear the way.”
Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back any longer. She grabbed Digou’s collar and yanked hard, making him stumble—his book fell to the floor.
“I am brave enough!” she snapped. “All you do is wait… Do you think this grand plan will succeed just by waiting? I just pray there aren’t too many ‘Zodiacs’ like you, or the entire ‘Extremists’ cause is doomed.”
“Relax, there aren’t many like me.” Digou gripped her wrist and effortlessly pried her hand away. “Since we’ve missed our chance with the Black Sheep, why not wait here with me for another encounter?”
“Another encounter…?”
“Shh.” Digou raised a finger to his lips. “Don’t disturb her.”
Xiaoxiao followed his gaze—he was looking at Lin Qin.
“Disturb… her?” She turned back to Lin Qin. “She’s already lost her mind from the ‘Train’… Do you even know what she’s muttering about?”
“I can see,” Digou said. “Though I only thought of this plan after meeting her… but I have a feeling it’ll catch them off guard.”
“What…?”
“It’s a ‘scheme,'” Zheng Yingxiong interjected. “I’ve been sensing ‘scheme’ wafting off you since earlier…”
“Of course.” Digou stretched lazily. “I might look idle, but for me… today is genuine ‘overtime.'”
Xiaoxiao stared at Lin Qin, baffled, as the girl continued murmuring:
“I should drink some water soon.”
“Maybe I should eat something?”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
……
Meanwhile, Xiao Ran reached the end of the hallway and noticed the number of “participants” had dwindled significantly. By the time she stood before the final door, she was completely alone.
There were no “participants” here—nor any “Zodiacs.”
She had expected the door at the end to be grand and imposing, but it was just as shabby as the others. Her opinion of Qinglong and Tianlong dropped further—apparently, even the leaders here weren’t wealthy.
“Goddammit, that was far,” she muttered, then took a deep breath and called out in a sweet voice, “Is anyone there?”
Silence.
She glanced at the sides of the door and noticed two short corridors branching off, forming a “T” shape with the main hallway—the door stood at the intersection.
“I have something to report. Could someone open the door?” she tried again, louder.
Still no response.
“Well… if it’s not too much trouble, I’ll just come in.”
After waiting a few more seconds, she pushed the door open gently.
Inside was a round table. Directly across from her, a man in a dark green robe sat rubbing his temples, never once looking up.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage