Chapter 1070: The Human-Level Needle
"He said those words alone…?" Qi Xia asked tentatively.
"No… there was… a little more after that," Human Snake replied.
"Tell me." Qi Xia said in a tone that brooked no argument. "If you don't choose to trust me now, you might very well miss the best opportunity."
Human Snake knew Qi Xia wasn't lying, so after a long pause, he spoke. "He said, 'If you human-level zodiacs don't like this new leader, then take off your masks.'"
Qi Xia lowered his head, pondering these two sentences carefully. He thought to himself, no wonder Human Snake had taken this as a farewell. But now it seemed more like a mission. Because these two sentences were destined to become a mission only when he himself appeared; otherwise, they were merely a goodbye.
This mission didn't seem to be limited to Human Snake alone. It also made Qi Xia vaguely grasp something.
Why did White Sheep tell Human Snake in advance, "He is him, and I am I"?
Could this reason also be attributed to White Sheep's contempt for him?
Qi Xia quickly shook his head, feeling that White Sheep was being redundant. If he had contempt for him, he could have conveyed it directly through other information, without needing to tell Human Snake this sentence alone.
Although he also wanted to distance himself from White Sheep, there was no need to single this out at such an important moment of parting.
Of course, the second sentence was also worth noting: "If you 'human-level zodiacs' don't like the new leader, then you can take off your masks."
This sentence was like a death sentence, yet Human Snake had taken it as a farewell.
"Human Snake, do you want to take off your mask now?" Qi Xia asked.
Upon hearing this, Human Snake shook his head with a bitter smile. "I've thought about this sentence for a long time, but I haven't reached any conclusion."
"What do you mean?"
"I know Brother Sheep didn't want to kill me," Human Snake said. "But he clearly knew that taking off my mask would kill me. So I've guessed many possibilities, but unfortunately, none of them can explain his words. Maybe Brother Sheep was also very sad at the time…?"
"Then let me explain it for you," Qi Xia said, rubbing his chin. "Although I can't remember the exact mood he was in when he said it, I should be able to replicate his train of thought."
Human Snake nodded.
"You also know that neither I nor White Sheep want to kill you. So the first question to consider is: under what circumstances would taking off your mask *not* kill you?" Qi Xia asked.
Human Snake thought for a few seconds, feeling that this question was already somewhat ridiculous.
"As long as we're still in the 'Land of the End,' taking off the mask will definitely kill us," he replied. "Unless… we are no longer here."
"That reasoning doesn't hold," Qi Xia denied decisively. "Because White Sheep's statement was, 'If you don't like the new leader.' I'll assume that the new leader is me, and he also assumes that when you take off your mask, you're still in the 'Land of the End.' So what I'm asking is… how can you take off your mask in the 'Land of the End' and not die?"
"This… I don't know…" Human Snake shook his head. "Based on my experience, all 'human-level' who take off their masks die. There has never been an exception."
"You're stuck in a mindset trap." Qi Xia reached out and tapped the notebook on the table. "Haven't all these difficult problems sharpened your thinking yet?"
"I…" Human Snake lowered his head, not knowing what to say.
"Whether a 'human-level' dies after taking off the mask depends on only one person." Qi Xia said in a deep voice. "And that is 'Vermilion Bird,' right?"
Human Snake's eyes widened, and he quickly nodded. "Yes… 'Vermilion Bird' is the punisher for zodiac rule violations… but what do you mean…"
"If you want to survive when taking off the mask, there are currently only two ways." Qi Xia held up two fingers. "One is the death of 'Vermilion Bird'…"
"Ah…?"
"With 'Vermilion Bird' dead, it means all 'human-levels' are liberated," Qi Xia said. "At that time, all 'human-level zodiacs' can take off their masks and turn back into 'participants' without facing any punishment."
Human Snake's eyes were wide open, and he dared not speak for a long time.
Vermilion Bird would die…?
Every day, 'human-level zodiacs' worried about how to escape from under Vermilion Bird's hands, but they had never thought that one day Vermilion Bird might die.
"But how could Vermilion Bird… die…?"
Qi Xia didn't answer upon hearing this. He just slowly stood up and walked to the door on one side of the room.
This door didn't lead to 'Cangjie Chess,' but instead opened onto the street.
Qi Xia opened the door, looked at the sky of the 'Land of the End,' then broadly determined the direction, and looked toward the prison.
Qi Xia seemed to know what Human Snake was thinking, and said softly, "Someone will be in charge of dealing with 'Vermilion Bird.'"
"What…"
"I've already guessed White Sheep's intention…" Qi Xia continued. "'Human-level zodiacs' might have been swept into the torrent of 'killing Vermilion Bird.'"
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Human Snake paused, feeling that this matter seemed a bit incomprehensible. "Didn't you just say someone would handle 'Vermilion Bird'?"
Qi Xia sorted out his thoughts and spoke. "Yes, but neither I nor White Sheep can guarantee they will succeed one hundred percent. We need someone to assist from the side, and you are that assistance."
Human Snake quickly went over and closed the door, whispering, "…What do you need us to do?"
Qi Xia didn't answer directly. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "That brings us to the second way to 'take off the mask without dying.'"
"What is it?"
"That is, if too many 'human-level zodiacs' 'violate the rules' at the same time, Vermilion Bird simply can't kill them all," Qi Xia said.
Human Snake felt that every word Qi Xia said was shattering his cognitive limits, and even his voice began to change. This feeling inexplicably made him want to shout the words "Brother Sheep," but the phrase "He is him, and I am I" stood in the way.
"Wait… hold on…" Human Snake waved his hand. "Isn't this too absurd…? 'Can't kill them all' still counts as not dying?"
"That's how it is all over the world," Qi Xia said. "If the number of violators suddenly skyrockets, the police force of every city will be paralyzed. And it's the same here. All 'human-levels' are terrified of Vermilion Bird's ruthless killing methods, which is why none of you dare to break the rules. And 'Vermilion Bird' has consequently become quite idle."
"That's ridiculous…" Human Snake said, lowering his head. "You're comparing us to 'lawbreakers' and 'Vermilion Bird' to 'law enforcers'?"
"That's not my analogy." Qi Xia stared into Human Snake's eyes and said seriously, "But if the time to act really comes… in the eyes of all 'participants' and 'zodiacs,' we will already look like complete 'lawbreakers.'"
Upon hearing this, Human Snake lowered his head again in contemplation.
Qi Xia's words seemed to confirm from the side that in this operation, their opponents were not only the 'zodiacs,' but also those who didn't know the truth and thus sided with the 'zodiacs.'
"Human Snake," Qi Xia called out again. "This afternoon, how many 'human-levels' can you persuade to take off their masks together?"
(Wishing all examinees the sharpest pen and the direction of their heart. May every stroke you write be worthy of your past life, and then head toward a better future with no regrets and with anticipation.)