After hearing this, both of them clutched their foreheads, feeling that there was simply no reasoning with this “Money-Losing Tiger” before them.
“Alright, alright…” the Slacker Dog nodded. “We won’t argue with you for now. But tell us, if that person really is Brother Sheep, and if he truly knows what you’re thinking, what would you do?”
The Earth Tiger grinned mischievously. “If all my speculations are correct, that means he’d be working with me from the inside! We just need to see if he’s planted any ‘seeds’!”
The Earth Sheep still wore an impatient expression, but the Earth Dog slowly furrowed his brow. He extended his long tongue to lick his nose and said, “Elaborate.”
“Look…” The Earth Tiger gestured animatedly. “Assuming he knows that I know, he’d definitely try to sway the other ‘Zodiacs.’ All we have to do is see who’s been influenced!”
“And how exactly would you check?” The Earth Sheep sneered. “Walk down the train knocking on every ‘Earth-level’ door and asking, ‘Interested in a rebellion?'”
“Cut the crap!” The Earth Tiger stood up. “You think I’d be that stupid?”
“Even if you’re not that stupid, you’re not far off,” the Earth Sheep sighed. “Are we really going to bet everyone’s lives on your speculation?”
“But that’s exactly how Brother Sheep always was!” The Earth Tiger grew agitated. “He taught us both—nothing in this world is impossible! As long as there’s even a 10% chance, it’s a gamble worth taking!”
“But we’re not him!!” The Earth Sheep slammed the table and stood up, visibly furious. “Brother Sheep could take risks we can’t! He could win games we can’t! If we were really like him, why would we still be stuck as ‘Earth-level’ Zodiacs?!”
“Then at least let’s try!! You think you can become a ‘Heaven-level’ just by running your mouth?!”
As the two were on the verge of a full-blown argument, the Slacker Dog tapped the table. “Hold on… I have a way to test if Money-Losing Tiger’s guess is right.”
“What way?” Both turned to him.
The Slacker Dog leaned back lazily in his chair. “Like I said last night, I have some ‘like-minded’ friends. I’ve already told them—if anything ‘mentally unsettling’ happens recently, they should knock on Money-Losing Tiger’s door. Tonight, we’ll see.”
“That’s way too vague!” The Earth Tiger frowned. “‘Mentally unsettling’? Is this a therapy clinic now?”
“What, you want me to spell it out?” The Slacker Dog crossed his arms behind his head. “Honestly, even this feels risky. My life’s already hanging by a thread.”
“You’re just adding to the nonsense…” The Earth Sheep muttered. “We’re relying on waiting for someone to knock to deduce Brother Sheep’s plan?! You’re all insane… completely insane…”
“If we’re insane, are you still sane?” The Slacker Dog smirked. “Still think you’re a ‘Sheep’? Forgotten you were once human?”
“What…?”
“You’ve gotten used to your black fur, but I haven’t.” The Slacker Dog tossed a grape into his mouth. “Sit down and wait. If you’ve got energy to spare, maybe stretch a bit. What’s coming might not be an ally—it could be an enemy.”
The two exhaled heavily and slowly sat back down.
The situation was tense. Though they had grand ambitions, they couldn’t make the first move.
Every Zodiac here could be an enemy.
What the Earth Sheep didn’t expect was that just ten minutes later, a knock came at the Earth Tiger’s door.
The knock was soft, as if hesitant to disturb those inside.
“No way…?” The Earth Sheep glanced at the other two. “This is…”
“Money-Losing Tiger…” the Slacker Dog called. “Were any of your students supposed to come back tonight?”
“Shouldn’t be…” The Earth Tiger thought for a moment. “I told them all beforehand—said I was treating the ‘Earth-level’ to dinner. They should’ve gone back to their own rooms.”
“Then open the door.” The Slacker Dog grinned. “Time to reveal the answer.”
The Earth Sheep fell silent, squinting at the door until the Earth Tiger got up and opened it—revealing the figure outside.
It was an Earth Rat.
“Oh, are all the bosses here?” The Earth Rat smiled. “Hope my late-night visit isn’t too presumptuous?”
“You…?” The Earth Tiger didn’t recognize this Rat—probably one of the Slacker Dog’s friends.
“Corporate Rat,” the Earth Dog introduced. “A ‘like-minded’ friend of mine.”
“You… come in first…” The Earth Tiger sized up the Rat, noting his small stature. If this was a rebellion, he hardly seemed like a strong ally.
The Earth Rat nodded in thanks and stepped inside, surveying the room. “The bosses sure have refined tastes—not eating or sleeping at this hour, just sitting around courting death.”
“What the hell kind of talk is that?” the Earth Tiger snapped.
“Ah, Boss, don’t be mad. You’re a Tiger, and I’m just a Rat.” The Earth Rat waved a hand dismissively.
“Good that you know it.”
“In the Zodiac, I’m first, and you’re third.” The Rat grinned. “How dare you get angry at me?”
“You little—!” The Earth Tiger grabbed the Rat by the collar, incensed by his words. “You know whose room this is? You got a death wish?”
“Money-Losing Tiger,” the Earth Dog called. “We finally get a teammate, and you’re gonna scare him off?”
“What kind of teammate is this?!” The Earth Tiger glared at the Dog. “What gives him the right to talk to me like that?”
“His ‘intelligence,'” the Slacker Dog said. “His game designs are brilliantly complex—some haven’t been solved in years. That alone earns him a seat.”
“You…” The Earth Tiger still hesitated, but they needed all the help they could get—especially if this Rat was one of Brother Sheep’s “seeds.”
“Let go, Boss. Thanks.” The Earth Rat nodded, then effortlessly broke free and took a seat at the table.
Silence fell over the group until the Earth Sheep finally spoke.
“So… why exactly are you here?”
“Do you even need to ask?” The Earth Rat chuckled. “Bosses, today I met a very interesting participant.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage