Chu Tianqiu snapped back to reality and glanced down at the ground beneath his feet.
Though he wasn’t sure what had just happened, his mind had finally begun to settle.
“Boss…” Mole looked at him skeptically, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. “If you two are really that scared, there’s no need to put on such a dramatic show. Just yell ‘How terrifying!’ and you can make your exit in style.”
“Scared…?” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Mole, I boarded this train to deal with Tianlong. Why would I be scared now?”
Mole furrowed his brow slightly. “Boss… you’re here to take on Tianlong? Well, color me surprised—guess I misjudged you.”
“Then open your damn eyes and watch closely. I need to get to the **front car** as soon as possible,” Chu Tianqiu said.
“This path isn’t easy, boss. Better hold on tight,” Mole warned. “One wrong step here, and you’ll be scattered in pieces.”
“Fair point,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “I might not leave this place whole anyway, so I’ll just have to avoid tripping.”
“Then may fortune smile upon you.”
Mole then turned to Qin Dingdong. “And you, boss… what’s your noble purpose for being here?”
“Great question,” Qin Dingdong snapped. “Do I really owe an explanation to someone I’ve barely met, *little rat*?”
“Boss,” Mole sighed. “I’m the one clearing the path here. If I don’t know your endgame, it’s hard for someone like me—a natural fence-sitter—to make a call.”
“If you’re already a fence-sitter, why bother deciding anything?” Qin Dingdong scoffed. “Just lead the damn way. I’m not some weed killer—I won’t off you for no reason.”
As they spoke, heavy footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.
Mole’s expression darkened as he slowly turned and saw a massive **Earth Ox** lumbering toward them.
The creature was unnaturally muscular, its sheer bulk towering over the group.
“Gentlemen… I might have to betray you now,” Mole muttered, eyeing the ox.
“Already?” Zhang Shan smirked. “Not even gonna think it over?”
“Boss…” Mole glanced at him. “That thing doesn’t look friendly. You really think we can take it? Right now, selling you out is my best option.”
Zhang Shan didn’t respond, merely cracking his neck. A series of *pop*s echoed as his wounds began to slowly mend.
Chu Tianqiu realized this bizarre space functioned similarly to the **Cangjie Game**—**Echoes** seemed temporarily disconnected, but with the right method, they could still be reactivated.
Watching Zhang Shan heal, Mole’s expression shifted.
“Well, well… seems I spoke too soon. Forget what I said, bosses. I’ll hold off on betraying you *for now*.”
The Earth Ox stomped forward, its massive frame nearly half a head taller than Zhang Shan.
“Oh…” The ox’s gaze locked onto Zhang Shan. “You again.”
“Seriously, what’s with the ‘you again’?” Zhang Shan glared, clearly not recognizing the ox. “Cut the small talk. What do you want?”
“Fine.” The ox nodded. “I don’t *want* anything… just for you all to follow the rules. Step off the train peacefully, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”
Chu Tianqiu looked up at the towering beast. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why won’t you attack us? And why are you so intent on enforcing these rules?”
The ox shook its head. “**Zodiacs** and **participants** are, at best, collaborators. We take your lives; you take our **Tao**. We stay out of each other’s way. We can always reclaim our **Tao**, and you can always revive. But deliberately sabotaging each other’s livelihoods? That’s crossing a line.”
“Ah, ‘livelihoods.’” Chu Tianqiu sneered. “Do you really believe slaughtering 3,600 people will make you a **Celestial**?”
“Reaching **Celestial Rank** grants freedom to come and go from **Taoyuan**—that’s the goal of every Zodiac,” the ox replied. “What you’re doing cuts off that path for all of us. I can’t just stand by.”
Qin Dingdong let out a cold laugh and pointed into the distance. “Hey, Ox, look around. Out of all those Zodiacs over there, you’re the only one who stepped forward. You really think you speak for all of them?”
“I don’t care about them,” the ox grumbled. “I do my job, nothing more. If you won’t leave, I’ll *make* you leave.”
Mole stepped forward, tilting his head up at the ox. “Boss, as **Taoyuan’s #1 Beast Tamer**, why do you sound like a damn bear?”
“Mole…” The ox glowered. “If participants rebel, fine—they can die and maybe come back. But *you*? After everything we’ve been through, none of us got here by luck. Why throw your life away now?”
“Throw my life away?” Mole’s smile vanished, his voice turning icy. “How the hell would a collarless Zodiac like you know what risking my life even means? Every day in **Taoyuan**, I walk on knife’s edge. I can’t even sleep soundly. Now that I finally want to fight back, you accuse me of recklessness?”
“You’re not wearing a collar *now*, are you?” the ox countered. “And let’s be real—those collars exist because you all fell for Sky Rat’s ‘pie in the sky’ promises. You wanted a shortcut, and now you’re paying the price. But leading a rebellion? That directly threatens *my* interests. I have to stop you. If only you’d realized sooner that ‘pie’ and ‘pitfall’ are just a radical apart.”
“Yeah…” Mole nodded. “Just like how desperate people start believing in gods… When I had no hope left, Sky Rat showed up with that collar, promising a faster path to **Earth Rank** and a reunion with my family. Tell me—if it were you, wouldn’t you have taken it?”
“Maybe I would’ve,” the ox admitted. “But we’re not debating hypotheticals. The reality is, I *didn’t* end up like you, and you *are* threatening every Zodiac. So from where I stand, I have to act.”
“What a heartless brute,” Mole muttered, his gaze turning cold. “Boss, seems we both think we’re right. Since neither of us is backing down, I guess we settle this with fists.”
“I heard your game is **Fruits**,” the ox said, slowly shedding its suit jacket. “Mine’s **Hunt**. How confident are you?”
“Wrong.” Mole smirked. “I heard mine’s **Cat and Mouse**, and yours is **Hawk and Chicks**. Not much difference, really.”
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