Chapter 285: One Person, Ten Thousand Paths

I never imagined that Brother Goat would come to save me.

I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life in that room…

But Brother Goat really came, bringing Uncle Tiger, Uncle Snake, and Uncle Black Goat with him.

All four of them came to rescue me.

That night, Brother Goat fought fiercely with the Snake-headed Man, while Uncle Tiger covered my eyes so I couldn’t see.

But I could hear it—the sounds of a brutal fight.

Both of them were incredibly strong, clashing like two tractors colliding.

In the end, Brother Goat won, leaving the Snake-headed Man bleeding from his face.

Brother Goat didn’t kill him, just warned him to be more careful in the future.

I didn’t understand what had really happened, and I didn’t know whether to be afraid or happy.

They had abandoned me, yet they came back together to save me… Would they abandon me again?

I could accept people treating me poorly, but not someone being kind to me only to throw me away again…

Uncle Tiger held me in his arms and brought me back to Brother Goat’s room.

“Little Mouse… are you okay?” Uncle Tiger asked.

“I… I’m fine, Uncle Tiger…” I forced a weak smile.

Uncle Black Goat cursed under his breath, “Dang it! I completely forgot about that old snake’s trick… Good thing we got there early.”

“Oh!” Uncle Snake glanced at my clothes, slapped his forehead, and pulled out a dirty suit from a nearby cabinet. “I’ve got an extra suit here. I’ll tailor it for you tonight so you can wear it to work tomorrow.”

“Why are you suddenly being so nice?” Uncle Tiger grumbled. “Are you planning to stay up two nights in a row?”

“So what? I’m happy.” Uncle Snake wiggled his head and winked at Uncle Tiger.

“Fine, go ahead and tailor the suit. I’ll put Little Mouse to sleep.”

“Why you?” Uncle Snake protested. “You’re so ugly—who’d want you to tuck them in?”

“If not me, then who?” Uncle Tiger shot back. “You? You stink so bad, you’d suffocate someone.”

The mood felt different… like they weren’t planning to abandon me anymore.

“Mouse, from now on, this will be your resting room,” Brother Goat said. “Let me reintroduce myself—I am ‘Earth Goat,’ and starting today, I’ll be your teacher. You are my student, and I will guide you on your path to ascension. Maybe one day, I can even recommend you for the ‘Zodiac Ascension Contract.’”

“T-Teacher?” I stood up abruptly, unsure if I should bow and say, “Hello, Teacher.”

“From now on, you’ll live with my other three students. If you have questions, ask them first. If they can’t answer, come to me.” Brother Goat continued, “Remember—on this train, only the four of us can discipline you. No one else.”

For some reason, I felt really happy.

“But… am I really capable…?” I glanced nervously at Brother Goat, afraid I’d mess things up again.

“There’s no such thing as an ‘incapable’ person,” Brother Goat said gently. “The world has many paths, and everyone has their own. We just choose different roads—it doesn’t mean we won’t reach the end.”

Ever since Brother Goat called himself my “teacher,” I started seeing him as one.

From that night on, I entered the happiest period of my life.

During the day, I’d sit by the empty warehouse, and at night, I’d come back to play with everyone.

I gradually discovered how interesting my uncles’ personalities were.

Uncle Black Goat might have seemed indifferent, but he left a small drawing on my bedside every night.

Apparently, Uncle Black Goat didn’t just draw—he used to practice calligraphy too. Uncle Tiger said his fan paintings once sold for money.

Uncle Snake was the most cheerful of the four. He often made me laugh, and I’d forget about the foul smell of his mask. He was genuinely kind—to train my mind, he’d quiz me with riddles, though I could never solve them.

Uncle Tiger was the most amusing. He listened to everything I said and never refused any request. Rumor had it he had a daughter my age, and the reason he became “Tiger” was so he could one day return to see her.

Uncle Tiger often found ways to sneak me snacks. His game arena was supposedly a supermarket, where he’d dig out unwanted treats.

Even if most of the snacks he brought were spoiled, I was still happy—no one had ever given me snacks before.

I kind of envied Uncle Tiger’s daughter.

If only my own father missed me like that… but he abandoned me long ago.

Even if I could go back one day, I wouldn’t know where to find him. If my dad was half as good as Uncle Tiger… I’d die happy.

As for Brother Goat…

He was a strange one.

Unlike the rest of us, he never slept. Whenever he had time, he’d lock himself in his room reading books—books so profound I’d never even heard of them.

What was even more curious… Brother Goat didn’t seem to have a reason to leave.

He’d said more than once that he had no family outside, so staying here was better. But his game designs were so outstanding that he supposedly met the “quota” every day. They wouldn’t tell me what the “quota” was, only that once a game was designed, it couldn’t be changed. So one day, Brother Goat would leave.

I both looked forward to that day… and feared it.

Uncle Tiger said if Brother Goat really left… the three of us would be left without a “teacher.”

We might be randomly assigned to other “Earth-level” Zodiacs… or even Earth Dragon.

Then I might not be able to live with my three uncles anymore.

But I truly wanted Brother Goat to leave.

This place clearly wasn’t the real world, and someone as good as him shouldn’t be trapped here forever.

It was like a giant prison, locking us all inside.

The uncles said that once you boarded this train, you could never leave.

We were all “participants” here, masks or not. Whenever this topic came up… their eyes dimmed with sadness.

We’d trapped ourselves here—whether as staff or players, it seemed like no one could escape.

The day everything changed was no different from any other.

Brother Goat sat at the dining table as usual, calling us to eat.

But halfway through the meal, he suddenly said:

“Everyone, I’ve paved the way for your future.”

“What…?”

“I recommended the three of you to Tianlong and submitted the required amount on your behalf.” Brother Goat’s voice was calm.

“Our… amount?”

“Three thousand six hundred ‘Dao’ per person—ten thousand eight hundred in total. I’ve already given them all to Tianlong.”