Chapter 909: The Grand Plan
"If the person I choose ends up being the 'Death Door'..." I murmured.
"Then they'll be killed on the spot," Aries said. "That kind of 'violation' will likely carry severe punishment. You'd better say 'goodbye' to them in advance."
I let out a deep sigh after hearing this. Although I had almost no emotional connection with the people from "The Path," knowing they were going to die here still left me feeling somewhat down.
As I'd said before, they had risked their lives for "The Path." I couldn't just abandon them easily.
Even if they were truly meant to die, the reason for their death had to be carefully considered. I absolutely wouldn't allow them to die just to test "who the mole is."
"I need a reason," I said to Aries. "Brother Yang, this reason isn't sufficient. They can't die like this."
"It seems you have your own ideas too." Aries nodded. "Yan Zhichun, if we're talking about the reason for their deaths, then I have to mention the 'second step' of this plan."
"What is it?"
Aries didn't answer. He simply asked calmly, "Let me ask you this—in the entire 'Land of the End,' who wants the 'Zodiacs' dead the most?"
I thought for a moment and replied, "That would have to be the 'Participants.'"
Seeing that Aries had no reaction, I added, "Could it be the 'Natives'?"
"It's the 'Ants,'" Aries said.
"The 'Ants'...?"
"Not only do the 'Ants' have the desire to kill the 'Zodiacs,' they also have the ability to do so. They're just trapped," Aries said. "Your final mission, after entering the 'Train,' is to overcome all obstacles and find a Black Sheep. He will lead you to liberate all the 'Ants.' That is the reason your subordinates will die."
Black Sheep...?
Liberate all the Ants...?
I couldn't take it anymore... My brain was about to shut down.
For a moment, I almost envied that young man who had gone deaf.
The things Aries said today were just like when I first met him... The amount of information packed into his words was overwhelming. I simply couldn't digest it all at once.
"Your opponent is the 'Longhorn Beetle,' the manager of all the 'Ants.'" Aries didn't even wait for my reaction before continuing. "The Black Sheep will be the main combat strength against the Longhorn Beetle, and you will provide support. Remember—if the Longhorn Beetle dies, the 'Ants' live. If the Longhorn Beetle lives, all of you die."
"Good heavens..." My whole body trembled. "Brother Yang... If you were asking us to fight an 'Earth Grade,' I wouldn't be this shocked... But you want us ordinary people with 'Echoes' to directly challenge a 'Heaven Grade'?"
"There's no difference between 'Heaven Grade' and 'Earth Grade,'" Aries said. "A 'Heaven Grade' has the same physical constitution as an 'Earth Grade.' Their only advantage is that 'Heaven Grades' have 'Echoes.'"
"Then can we defeat him?"
"Yes." Aries nodded. "Both sides are evenly matched. The Black Sheep represents 'Brute Force,' while you represent 'Echoes.' With both sides possessing 'Brute Force' and 'Echoes,' you have many more brains on your side. So you hold the advantage. This battle can be won."
"That's absurd..." I shook my head. "Brother Yang... What if this 'Black Sheep' you speak of doesn't help us? What if he takes the opportunity to turn on us and tries to kill us?"
"He will definitely try to kill you," Aries replied expressionlessly.
"What...?"
When would Aries ever say something that didn't exceed my expectations?
"I know him too well," Aries said. "He'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Even though he's 'one of us,' he'll still use your bodies as shields. It's entirely possible that he'll step over all your corpses to defeat the Longhorn Beetle. That's within reason. Remember? I told you he was 'a Zodiac no one wanted.' Guess why."
"The reason is that he's too ruthless and merciless..." I paused. "Then how are we supposed to cooperate with him?"
"You'll just have to find a way to kill him," Aries said. "That way, both sides have equal motivation. He doesn't gain an advantage, and neither do you. For you, killing the Longhorn Beetle is the path that brings the greatest benefit."
"Brother Yang..." I slowly lowered my head. "What if I die there...? You said yourself that this level of 'violation' will definitely get me turned into a 'Native'... How will you fulfill your promise then? How will you make me an 'Elder' after you seize power?"
Aries's eerie eyes stared into mine for a long moment. Finally, he slowly uttered four words:
"You won't die."
"You—!" I grew anxious, stepping forward and frowning at Aries. "I'm not asking you 'whether I can die'! Answer me directly!! I want you to tell me—if I die, how will you take responsibility?! How will you fulfill your promise?!"
Aries remained expressionless. After a few seconds, he said again:
"You won't die."
"You... you..." I suddenly felt dizzy. I kept feeling like Aries was lying to me...
Even he wasn't sure what would happen to us inside that "Train"... Yet he dared to guarantee I wouldn't die...
"Brother Yang... Are you lying to me...?" My voice trembled. "Was I excluded from your plan from the very beginning...? Was I never really one of your people? I'm leading everyone into the most dangerous work—I'm just your 'gun'...!"
"The most dangerous...?" Aries shook his head. "Yan Zhichun, you overestimate yourself."
"What...?"
"A lot of people are acting simultaneously in this plan," Aries said. "You, of all people, are in the safest position."
"I... the safest?"
"You're leading an 'Earth Grade' and a team of 'Echo Bearers' to face just a single 'Heaven Grade,'" Aries said. "Rest assured. No one else in this plan will have it this easy."
My eyes flickered. I truly couldn't understand Aries anymore...
Even if we had the advantage in numbers... our opponent was still a "Heaven Grade"!
We were going to save the "Ants," but in the eyes of a "Heaven Grade"—a half-human, half-divine monster—we ordinary people were the real "Ants"!
"Don't forget," Aries added. "Besides the Longhorn Beetle, there are nine other 'Heaven Grades,' nearly thirty 'Earth Grades,' countless 'Human Grades,' four 'Divine Beasts,' and standing above them all—the 'Heavenly Dragon.' If you had to choose, which battlefield would you pick?"
Yes... If he put it that way... our "Path" team's opponent really was the easiest.
I slowly took half a step back. "Brother Yang... Are you going to take down everyone in this one operation...? Including the 'Heavenly Dragon' and the 'Azure Dragon'?"
"That's right." He nodded. "But you don't need to know the others' plans. Just focus on your own task."
Kill the Longhorn Beetle, save the "Ants"... What an absurd plan?
"Brother Yang..." I paused, then asked, "Do the 'Ants' still have their sanity?"