“Call someone…?” The eyes beneath the white sheep mask flickered slightly. “Interesting.”
At that moment, the sheep seemed troubled. He stepped forward and reached out, but instead grabbed the shar-pei.
“Human-dog, maybe you should wait…” the sheep said. “At least hear what he has to say?”
“No…” The shar-pei’s eyes were full of panic. “Before he speaks… there’s still time. Once he reveals his ‘rebellion plan,’ we’ll be in too deep—no matter what, we’ll be silenced!”
“But the white sheep ‘violated the rules’ and survived,” the sheep said calmly. “Human-dog, he broke the contract, yet no one punished him. He’s still standing here.”
“What does that prove…?” The shar-pei shook his mask-covered face impatiently. “Sheep… you’re being naive! He has connections!”
“Connections…?”
The shar-pei nodded. “He has backing, but we don’t! Just because he survives doesn’t mean we will! How can you not see that…?”
The sheep seemed lost in thought, nodding slightly.
Seeing the sheep fall silent, the shar-pei pressed on. “Think about it—the white sheep could enter the interview room the day after becoming a ‘Zodiac.’ Doesn’t that seem fishy? The ‘contract’ requires a teacher to request it from ‘Tianlong,’ but is ‘Tianlong’ really that available? Would he just hand out ‘contracts’ on demand?”
“Oh, is that so…” the sheep murmured.
“If he could become an interviewer the day after joining the ‘Zodiac,’ it means his teacher was preparing in advance!” The shar-pei grabbed the sheep’s collar. “What are we compared to him? How could we possibly rebel with him?! Are you insane?!”
“I…” The sheep lowered his head, conflicted. “You’re right… People like us, with no skills or backing… it’s the same everywhere…”
“Good, you understand.” The shar-pei sighed. “Let’s just do our jobs and avoid unnecessary risks.”
The sheep said nothing, exhaling softly after a long pause.
The next moment, the situation took a drastic turn, leaving Zhang Qiang and me utterly stunned.
“What?” The shar-pei snapped at the sheep. “Why the sigh?”
“Because we have no skills or backing, we need to find backing quickly… Human-dog, turn around.” The sheep’s voice was grave.
The shar-pei froze, then slowly turned—only to find a pitch-black gun barrel pointed at his face.
“What…?”
The white sheep pressed the pistol against the shar-pei’s forehead. “Time is short. If I can convince you, I will. If not, I’ll have to eliminate you. You’re the only one left in this room opposing me.”
The shar-pei swallowed hard, assessing the situation. “You… you and the sheep were always in this together?”
The white sheep gave an ambiguous look in response.
“Impossible…” The shar-pei’s eyes trembled beneath his mask. “You die first every time… the sheep dies last… How could you communicate without me knowing?”
“Oh…?” The white sheep feigned surprise. “Is the brain I’m about to shoot really this slow?”
“You—!” The shar-pei seethed.
“Human-dog.” The sheep spoke from behind him. “You overlooked one thing. You and the white sheep die in this game, but I don’t. Our game room has no ‘assistant,’ so I descend to the next level, open the door, and guide the ‘participants’ out.”
“What…?” The shar-pei faltered, realizing he’d been outplayed.
The sheep continued, “Some rooms require an ‘assistant’ to open the door if all ‘Zodiacs’ die. But ours doesn’t.”
The shar-pei turned to the sheep with a bitter smile. “So you always return to the ‘train’… waiting quietly for the ‘participants’ to come back.”
“Exactly.” The sheep nodded. “I don’t die here. I have all the time in the world to talk to anyone.”
The shar-pei frowned again, shifting his gaze back to the white sheep.
“But that still doesn’t make sense…” His lips trembled. “Even if the sheep returns to the ‘train’… what about you? You die here every time. How do you communicate?”
“Did I… die?” The white sheep’s voice was icy. “‘White sheep’ dies, but do ‘I’ die?”
“What… what do you mean…?”
The white sheep paused. “You’ve been here too long. There’s a ‘participant’ outside gaining influence. Know who it is?”
He glanced at the clock on the table.
The shar-pei’s expression darkened. I couldn’t read his thoughts, but he fell into a long silence.
“Human-dog, if you’re out of questions, it’s time to go.” The white sheep said coldly. “Consider this a mercy—dying with clarity.”
“You…” The shar-pei took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter… If ‘violating death’ means survival, killing me won’t help. Next time, I’ll make you pay.”
“That’s a misconception.” The white sheep smirked. “‘Violating death means survival’ was a lie.”
“What…”
The shar-pei’s eyes widened in shock. Zhang Qiang and I listened intently, sensing something monumental was unfolding.
“Apologies. Only half of what I say is true. The contract’s terms are real—if you’re killed, you’re dead. No second chances.”
Without waiting for a reaction, the white sheep pulled the trigger, firing the pistol’s sole bullet through the shar-pei’s skull.
The sheep watched impassively as the shar-pei collapsed, then checked the time.
“White sheep, leave now if you’re in a hurry,” the sheep said.
“Can’t.” The white sheep sighed. “Only one bullet—wasted on human-dog. This time, I’ll have to take the risk.”
“Will you wait for the ‘harpoon’ to arrive?” the sheep asked. “Or should I kill you now?”
“My bones might be too tough for you.” The white sheep tossed the gun aside and turned to Zhang Qiang and me.
“Since I’m stuck here, let me explain the plan.”
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