“The consequences…?” Qian Wu’s expression darkened upon hearing this. “The consequences don’t matter. We, the ‘Cats’… only follow orders… without questioning the reasons or considering the future…”
“Lies.” Qi Xia interrupted. “From what I’ve heard, ‘Xuanwu’ oversees ‘killing for the Way’ and ‘gambling with the Zodiac.’ If this system disappears, the fairness of the entire ‘Land of the End’ will completely collapse.”
Qian Wu’s expression remained grim.
Qi Xia knew he had already considered this issue.
“So, do you really want to kill ‘Xuanwu’?” Qi Xia asked skeptically, eyeing Qian Wu. “If she dies, all participants could kill freely for a single ‘Way,’ and the Zodiac’s life-gambling would no longer have a referee. What then? Do we just rely on ‘killing’ to escape this place?”
“Well… that’s not entirely impossible…” Qian Wu muttered.
“That’s just the first scenario,” Qi Xia said. “What if there’s a second one?”
Qian Wu looked up at him. “A second scenario?”
“What if the ‘Beasts’ are like the ‘Zodiac’—replaceable at will? Could it be that after we kill this ‘Xuanwu,’ a new one appears the next day?”
“This…”
“We don’t have enough intel right now,” Qi Xia shook his head. “To execute such a grand plan in this place… we can’t do it alone.”
“But who else can you count on besides the ‘Cats’?” Qian Wu countered. “‘The Extremists’? ‘Paradise Port’? While more ‘Echoers’ would be ideal, the reality is everyone has their own hidden agendas. In the entire ‘Land of the End,’ there’s no team more reliable than the ‘Cats.'”
“There is,” Qi Xia nodded. “Theoretically, there’s a team that could rival an army. Though they all have their own motives, they share a common goal. The only problem is we don’t yet know how to gather them.”
“What team?!” Qian Wu frowned in confusion. “If such a powerful team exists, why have I never heard of them?”
“All the ‘Earth-Level Zodiacs,'” Qi Xia said.
“What…?”
“The ‘Earth-Level Zodiacs’ want to escape more than any ‘participant.’ They not only have the resolve but have fought for this goal all along. It’s like sifting gold from sand—they are the elites the ‘Land of the End’ has selected for us. Those ‘Zodiacs’ who lacked the strength were eliminated long ago at the ‘Human-Level.'” Qi Xia paused in thought before locking eyes with Qian Wu. “If this team is willing to help… we can attempt to dismantle the entire ‘Land of the End.'”
“Isn’t that too bold?” Qian Wu stared at Qi Xia as if looking at a madman. “As you said, the ‘Earth-Level Zodiacs’ value their lives more than anyone. They’ve spent so much time ascending to ‘Earth-Level.’ Why would they help you destroy this place? Given the choice between the two paths… clearly ‘becoming Heaven’ would be safer.”
“Becoming ‘Heaven’…?” Qi Xia smirked slightly. “Can they really become ‘Heaven’…?”
The others in the room suddenly recalled something—according to Qi Xia, just as he was about to become ‘Heaven,’ he was reverted to a participant.
If all the ‘Earth-Levels’ heard and believed this, it would be a devastating blow to them.
But since they’re on opposing sides, how could the ‘Earth-Levels’ trust the words of an ordinary participant?
“I suspect…” Qi Xia, sensing their doubts, spoke up. “That I planted ‘needles’ among the ‘Zodiacs.'”
Chen Junnan nodded but then frowned. “Wait, Old Qi, you planted ‘needles’ among the ‘Zodiacs’? What’s your deal?”
Realizing he hadn’t explained this to Chen Junnan, Qi Xia briefly summarized his speculation about having once been a ‘Zodiac.’
Chen Junnan, usually irreverent, was visibly shocked.
“Old Qi… you were a ‘Zodiac’?”
“Just a reasonable deduction,” Qi Xia replied. “Knowing myself, I wouldn’t act without preparation or a plan… I’ve been wondering—why do some ‘Zodiacs’ remember me so vividly? What did I do to them…?”
“You mean…” Qian Wu felt as though he was seeing Qi Xia as he had when they first met—a single man, a single mind, daring to manipulate the fate of the entire ‘Land of the End.’
“I would’ve left myself a way out,” Qi Xia said. “If I failed to become ‘Heaven,’ the ‘needles’ I planted would start moving, and the current me would piece it all together… collaborating with my past self ‘out of thin air.'”
What a “collaboration out of thin air” indeed.
Had Qian Wu not met Qi Xia before, he would’ve thought the man a complete lunatic.
After all, this was all speculation!
Even Qi Xia’s belief that he had once been a ‘Zodiac’ was just speculation!
Not only did Qi Xia fully believe he had been a ‘Zodiac,’ he had also mentally reconstructed everything that followed, attempting—without any memory—to conspire with his past self on such a long-term plan.
Wasn’t that insane?
A single flaw in this plan would cause it to collapse entirely.
“You don’t need to look at me like that,” Qi Xia said. “I have no choice.”
“What…?”
“I can only trust my past self,” Qi Xia stated. “This is a plan that requires cooperation. If ‘I’ can’t trust ‘me,’ then the plan has already failed.”
“But are you so certain…?” Qian Wu asked. “Are you sure your past self really paved the way for the current you?”
Before Qi Xia could answer, Chen Junnan spoke up: “It’s probably true.”
“Huh?”
Everyone in the room turned to him.
“Old Qi has always been a monster. I believe he really did pave the way,” Chen Junnan said, lowering his head in thought. “And that road… is even longer than we imagined…”
“What?” Even Qi Xia didn’t understand this.
Chen Junnan turned to face Qi Xia, his expression deadly serious. “Old Qi, I suspect that even before becoming a ‘Zodiac,’ you already knew you’d end up back here.”
“What…?”
Chen Junnan gave a bitter laugh. “Remember? Yesterday, you asked me why I kept everyone in that room stuck for seven years… You said I had another plan.”
“Yeah,” Qi Xia nodded. “Didn’t you?”
“Old Qi, that was never *my* plan,” Chen Junnan’s eyes flickered. “It was *yours*!”
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