Chapter 605: The Mole Bureau

“The Lying Sheep…”

Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin’s expressions froze to the extreme. The faces of everyone in the room flickered in their eyes like ghosts.

A newly reassembled room, nine strangers…

No, ten people.

When exactly was this room formed?

And for what purpose?

“At least eight years…” Chen Junan muttered blankly. “This room has existed for at least eight years…”

He rapidly pieced together the truth in his mind.

After the room was formed, Qi Xia had led him and Qiao Jiajin in their activities for nearly a year. In that time, they had experienced countless successes and just as many failures.

A year later, Qi Xia vanished, becoming a “Zodiac.”

Before his transformation, he had specifically instructed Chen Junan to keep everyone in the room trapped for seven years.

Thinking about it now… was he also afraid of losing people?

Had he known the problem with this room all along?

No… it was more accurate to say the Qi Xia of the past knew, while the current Qi Xia did not.

That was the real reason he had ordered everyone to be confined—he feared that before he returned, people in the room would disappear due to various reasons.

The more Chen Junan thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

“This was all orchestrated by Old Qi…” he murmured. “Every single one of these people is ‘useful’ to him.”

But something still felt off.

Qi Xia had no way of knowing whether he would retain his memories upon returning. How could he gamble so recklessly?

No, to be precise, Qi Xia wasn’t even sure if he could return at all.

Did he really believe that merely seeing these people would trigger his memories of the grand scheme he had laid out?

“But you forgot everything yourself, Old Qi…” Chen Junan frowned. “This time, you didn’t remember your own plan. Xiao Ran is already gone. What use do they even have for you? Has the plan fallen apart?”

Chen Junan’s thoughts raced wildly while the Earth Rat simply watched him in silence from across the room.

Some things didn’t need to be spelled out—it was better to let him figure it out himself.

Amid the deafening heavy metal rock, Chen Junan’s expression shifted dramatically as spine-chilling truths flooded his mind.

Though many mysteries were surfacing, Chen Junan knew that everything Qi Xia had done was for the sake of escaping.

He wouldn’t act meaninglessly without reason.

The Earth Rat sensed the timing was right and took a step forward, asking again, “Do you two believe me now when I say I stand with Qi Xia?”

“You…” Chen Junan felt the real issue lay elsewhere. “Big Rat, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Chen Junan, your focus is completely misplaced.” The Earth Rat wagged a finger in front of him. “You must realize—I know the truth, yet I haven’t told a soul. I only woke *you* up. What does that signify?”

“Are you trying to show sincerity?” Chen Junan asked.

The tension from earlier had dissipated. Now, both wore grave expressions, speaking with extreme caution.

“I want you to trust me immediately,” the Earth Rat said. “Our time is limited, and our situation is dire. If I can’t earn your trust in these few words, everything that follows will be futile.”

“I’ll believe you after one last question,” Chen Junan said.

“Ask. I’ll answer if I know.”

“How do you know so much?” Chen Junan felt as though a hidden door had blocked his train of thought. “If you became a ‘Zodiac,’ you must be a ‘loser.’ So why do you remember everything so clearly? How did you preserve your memories?”

“Chen Junan… use your brain.” The Earth Rat lowered his voice sternly. “Who told you that ‘Zodiacs’ *have* to be ‘losers’?”

“What…?”

“It’s just that ‘losers’ are more likely to become ‘Zodiacs,’ which gave you that misconception.” The Earth Rat pointed at his own masked face. “‘Losers’ can wear this mask, but so can ‘Echoers.’ It’s just that most ‘Echoers’ would never choose this path.”

“You mean you…”

“I *was* an ‘Echoer.’ But not anymore. To strengthen his rule, ‘Heavenly Dragon’ fused our bodies with animals. Now, we ‘lack the heart of man, bereft of divine power.'”

“But *why*?! Why would you willingly become a ‘Zodiac’ and go this far?”

Chen Junan felt that ever since meeting this rat, events had spiraled beyond control.

“We’re all part of the same ‘game,'” the Earth Rat chuckled. “Chen Junan, even if our paths have diverged over the years, we’ve been striving toward the same goal. Now that the tower is collapsing, every player has begun moving. I was lost at first, but yesterday, after seeing *that man*, everything connected. All these events… they’re part of one grand scheme.”

“So Old Qi had an ‘enlightening sh*t’ for you?”

“I must correct you—it’s ‘epiphany,’ not ‘enlightening sh*t.'”

“Whatever.” Chen Junan shook his head. “Old Qi *is* impressive. Following him always leads somewhere.”

“‘Impressive’ is an understatement. In this hellhole, I’ve only ever met two people I couldn’t figure out. Now I realize they were the same person. Isn’t that exhilarating? Whether he’s ‘Bai Yang’ or ‘Qi Xia,’ he’s been orchestrating the same plan all along.”

“Oh?” Chen Junan’s interest was piqued. “So why tell me all this today? What do you want me to do?”

“My goal is simple. First, I need your trust. Second, I need your help with something.” The Earth Rat leaned in. “Everyone is moving toward the final objective. I need to synchronize our progress.”

“And what stage are we at now?”

“Your actions yesterday across the game sites have yielded initial results. Many ‘Zodiacs’ have been swayed by your rallying. The uproar is immense. I need to eliminate ‘Heavenly Dragon’s’ inner circle in advance.” The Earth Rat smirked. “Even if ‘Bai Yang’ never included me in his plans, I believe I can keep up and contribute. Does that sound arrogant?”

Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin studied the Earth Rat for a long moment. Though his demeanor was nothing like Qi Xia’s, they had to admit—he was sharp.

“Tell me who these ‘inner circle’ members are first. Then I’ll decide.” Chen Junan crossed his arms. “Aside from Old Qi and Old Qiao, I don’t trust anyone here a hundred percent.”