# Chapter 989: Home
Qinglong stayed in Tianlong's room quietly for an entire night. After confirming there was no movement, he activated a jump and withdrew from the room.
As he passed by the "Tian-level" room, he once again swept his gaze over the nine people inside. They remained gathered around the round table just like the previous night, their sitting postures unchanged.
In the center of the table sat an exquisite mantel clock.
The clock was staring face to face with a pale, blood-drained human head.
He had already given these "Tian-level" individuals a chance overnight—he had stayed in the "Train Head" the whole time. If these "Tian-level" members still chose to initiate the "Tian-level Moment," he could only pretend to be slow on the uptake and express belated regret.
This was giving himself a chance, giving "Tianlong" a chance, and giving all these "Tian-level" members a chance.
But these "Tian-level" individuals seemed utterly intimidated by Tianzhu's severed head, none daring to make a rash move.
"Good morning, nine of you," Qinglong said with a smile.
The nine people stared quietly at Qinglong, none of them speaking.
"Oh... my apologies." Qinglong shifted his gaze to the head on the table. "Should it be 'ten of you'?"
"Can we move freely now?" Tianniu said. "The 'Ants' haven't moved all night. I have a very bad feeling—if I don't go calm them down, something might happen..."
"What's the problem?" Qinglong retorted. "Do those damn things have an addiction to work? I graciously gave them a day off—are they going to rebel or something?"
Tianniu sighed upon hearing this and said, "I know you can't empathize with their thoughts. But those 'Ants' can't hear, can't see, can't speak—they can only think. Over an entire night, countless uneasy thoughts will arise in their minds. Perhaps you simply can't understand that for people who have nothing, only working at fixed times gives them some peace of mind."
"How ridiculous..." Qinglong grinned. "Little Niu, have you noticed that human beings are essentially livestock?"
Tianniu frowned at this, then after a few seconds denied it: "I don't think so."
"Do you know what a 'pig' is?" Qinglong pointed at the head on the table. "What's the difference between humans and 'pigs'?"
Tianniu didn't know what Qinglong was getting at, but his gaze grew increasingly cold.
"Clearly, they are fierce animals that could run freely through the forest and hunt. But if you give them a mud pit, a few walls, and throw in some rotten leftovers that would make us gag, they'll accept this way of life." Qinglong grinned broadly. "The few pigs that lead the rebellion get slaughtered on the spot. Only those content with the status quo pass on their legacy—they willingly eat, drink, shit, and piss in the same mud pit, reeking to high heaven, waiting for death, and enjoying every moment of it."
"That sounds like you're not talking about 'pigs' or 'humans,' but about everyone trapped here," Tianniu said.
"Isn't that what every so-called 'human' is like?" Qinglong laughed. "'Humans' are best suited for surviving in cracks. No matter how much you squeeze their living space, they only find ways to back down and then rationalize it to themselves. It's a fully automatic process, and it saves me a lot of trouble."
"What..." Tianniu frowned. "Stop twisting things. 'Humans' aren't like that."
"Not like that? Little Niu, tell me—when those 'Ants' have reached such a miserable state, after an entire night of 'rest,' what do you think occupies their minds?"
"Well..."
"You don't want to say it? Let me." Qinglong leaned close to Tianniu's face. "The only thought circling in their heads is: 'Am I useless now? Will I be eliminated?' ... Hahahaha! That's the best joke I've thought of today!"
Apart from Qinglong, everyone else was deathly silent.
"Laugh! Why aren't you laughing?!"
Listening to Qinglong's laughter echoing in the room, the expressions of the many "Tian-level" members naturally weren't pleasant. But Tianshu and Tianhu, after a moment, displayed the same grin as Qinglong.
"Qinglong..." Tianniu interrupted. "You shouldn't mock them like that. The reason they endure all this is that they have something to hold on to—they want to live."
"Hold on to..." Qinglong's expression paused briefly, then he glared with wide eyes and laughed even more maniacally. "What does 'hold on to' mean?"
"It's 'home,'" Tianniu said. "It's precisely because of the word 'home' that many people are willing to endure silently. The reason they can tolerate all this is that they hope to return 'home' one day."
"Hahahahaha! 'Home'! How amusing!" Qinglong laughed so hard he doubled over, clutching his belly and shouting wantonly.
After a moment, he lifted his head and took another step forward. His terrifying aura forced Tianniu to take a step back. "Little Niu, do you know? To distinguish domesticated pigs from wild boars, people gave them a new name... Tell me, what is it?"
"It's..." Tianniu was at a loss for words.
"It's called 'domestic pig.'" Qinglong laughed loudly. "Haha! Little Niu, that's the meaning of 'home'... The second joke of the day! Hahahahahaha! This word traps them generation after generation, never to be reborn—and you call it something to 'hold on to'?!"
Tianniu felt as though every word from Qinglong was a knife cutting into her heart. She wanted to refute, but she couldn't find a single angle for rebuttal.
An utterly deranged man, using the most tyrannical strength to instill the most deranged ideas—just listening to a few sentences caused the beliefs in one's heart to collapse infinitely.
And Qinglong simply laughed unrestrainedly. Every time he spoke, his voice was half male, half female, as if a crowd of people were laughing together.
Extremely lively, and yet utterly eerie.
"Little Niu... isn't this joke funny either...?" Qinglong stopped laughing and said with a hint of concern. "How about you tell me—how do you write the character for 'home'?"
Tianniu paused, then answered: "A roof over a... a..."
"A 'pig.'" Qinglong continued. "I don't need to teach you, do I? In ancient times, 'pig' meant 'swine.' A 'pig' under a 'roof'—how amusing is that character?"
With just a few sentences, Tianniu's eyes seemed to have died.
She knew Qinglong was wrong, but where exactly was he wrong?
How she wished someone would stand up and refute Qinglong right now... but the people before her had either resigned to fate or completely lost their minds.
"Are you done...?" Tianniu asked in a low voice. "If you're done, let me go. No matter how many reasons you have... 'managing the Ants' is my duty. If something goes wrong, I can't bear the responsibility."
"What a dull and rigid woman..." Qinglong sighed. "Then go ahead—go see your beloved darlings."
As soon as the words fell, the entire room shook violently, as if struck by a mild earthquake.
Everyone looked puzzled. The next second, a terrifying red light seeped through the crack of the door.