Chapter 1112: The Path of the White Tiger
The members of "Ultimate Path" looked somewhat puzzled at the elderly man behind Yan Zhichun. Though their faces showed confusion, none dared to make the first move.
The final target display screen lay right before them; retreating now would be such a pity.
Everyone wanted to complete the task Yan Zhichun had assigned as quickly as possible. However, the problem lay in the unique nature of the "Ultimate Path" organization—none of them were familiar with their teammates. This meant they didn’t understand each other’s "Echoes" and couldn’t coordinate their "Echo" abilities, forcing them to devise tactics from an individual perspective.
This undoubtedly made launching an attack far more difficult for each person.
"I told you all long ago..." The White Tiger furrowed his brow, his expression dim. He glanced around at the crowd and continued, "None of you can do it. Only he can. Why won't you listen..."
Yan Zhichun took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said, "White Tiger, what... is your stance?"
"My 'stance'..." The White Tiger paused, then shook his head. "So much time has passed; it has worn away every stance I had... We have no hope. We will be lost here forever. No wonder even the 'Zodiac' has returned..."
The White Tiger’s voice grew hoarser, his body trembling.
"Perhaps only 'Betting on Fate'... only if he stakes his own life... is there any hope..." The White Tiger paused, then suddenly added, "But even if he stakes his life, the 'Heavenly Dragon' is still here... How can we ever be freed from this place?"
Seeing this, Jiang Ruoxue took a step forward, reached out, and tugged at Yan Zhichun, saying in a deep voice, "Everyone has their own karma. Don’t mind him."
Yan Zhichun frowned. "But I feel he will be a huge obstacle for us."
"What’s the use of just guessing? Let’s ask him directly!"
Jiang Ruoxue cut off Yan Zhichun’s words, reached out on the spot, patted the White Tiger on the shoulder, and asked, "Hey! Old man! We’re going to smash the display screen and the giant bell. Are you going to stop us or not?"
Everyone around gasped at this scene.
But the White Tiger didn’t seem to care. He listened silently, glanced at Jiang Ruoxue, and then lowered his head expressionlessly. "The giant bell and the display screen... those are not my duty. I am only in charge of the 'Zodiac Massacre.'"
"So you’re not going to interfere?" Jiang Ruoxue said. "That’s great! Old man, step aside a little, careful not to get hit by the shards."
Yan Zhichun and Zhou Mo cautiously eyed the White Tiger, ready to act if he suddenly attacked to protect Jiang Ruoxue.
But the White Tiger didn’t move to act. He just stood there like a withered tree, his face complex as if contemplating something.
Jiang Ruoxue felt something was off. Although she had set the "cause" in motion, the "effect" wasn’t heading in the direction she had hoped.
The White Tiger probably wouldn’t give up.
"Even so, I feel you are wrong," the White Tiger said, shaking his head. "If you smash the display screen and the giant bell behind me, I’m afraid the two up there will fly into a rage and strike at all the 'participants.' I cannot allow that to happen."
"What..."
"I cannot protect everyone’s lives and memories, but I believe I can protect the display screen and giant bell behind me," the White Tiger stated. "After weighing everything, I must ask all of you to leave."
On the rooftop, a young man stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, standing before a short, thin girl. Both looked down at the scene below, sensing something was amiss.
The young man had a bowl-cut hairstyle with a long, thin braid at the back of his head. He wore a long robe under a leather jacket—he was "The Indestructible" Jiang Shi.
His body had returned to normal, reverting to the appearance of a youth.
"Ninth Sister, ah—" Jiang Shi yawned, lazily turning his head to look at Bai Jiu. "Now... do we need to help?"
"I don’t think so." Bai Jiu shook her head, her twin tails swaying. "The White Tiger isn’t our target, and destroying the giant bell isn’t our mission. This incident has to be handled by 'Ultimate Path' on their own."
"Then they might die, you know." Jiang Shi wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes after yawning. "Your 'Liquefaction' could probably be useful. Sure you don’t want to help?"
"Little Jiang Shi, I need to preserve my conviction." Bai Jiu said. "As for you... you’ve been yawning nonstop. Don’t you need to take a nap now?"
"No need for that," Jiang Shi replied. "If I sleep, I’m afraid I won’t wake up. Besides, I’m not that sleepy... Ah—"
Watching Jiang Shi yawn incessantly, Bai Jiu was infected and opened her mouth to yawn too.
"Ah—"
"Ah!!" Bai Jiu quickly shook her head, forcing herself to stop mid-yawn. "Little Jiang Shi! If you keep this up, we’ll both get drowsy!"
"Tch." Jiang Shi shook his head. "Once things start heating up, I’ll be fine. This time, I’ll strictly follow Fifth Brother’s instructions no matter what."
"Oh?" Bai Jiu smiled. "I didn’t expect such a small lad to have such ambition!"
"As the saying goes, 'Dig a deep pit to capture tigers and leopards; cast a long line to hook golden turtles.'" Jiang Shi slowly crouched down, still tucking his hands in his sleeves. "Since Fifth Brother has spoken, 'A great general serves a wise ruler; migratory birds perch on high branches.' Today, I’ll make sure those divine beast freaks come but never return..."
Jiang Shi’s voice grew softer.
Even though the action hadn’t started yet, he really looked so sleepy.
Bai Jiu gave a helpless smile, then looked up across the way. Luo Shiyi, flanked by three others on the opposite rooftop, sent her a questioning glance.
After all, they had noticed that the unexpected appearance of the White Tiger was now blocking "Ultimate Path’s" advance. The current situation suggested that all three divine beasts might be deployed today. And due to the unique nature of "Ultimate Path," they certainly couldn’t have prearranged a strategy against the White Tiger.
So at this moment, the "Cat" squad should take on the task of killing the White Tiger, allowing "Ultimate Path" to proceed.
But Bai Jiu, after carefully considering the current circumstances, still shook her head solemnly and signaled for Luo Shiyi and the others to remain on standby.
As the highest-ranking person on the field, she had to decide the fate of the "Cat" squad members.
Neither Xuanwu nor Zhuque had appeared yet. If the "Cat" squad suffered heavy losses from attacking the White Tiger, all subsequent missions would collapse entirely.
Therefore, the best course now was to leave the White Tiger to "Ultimate Path."
Bai Jiu continued to stare seriously downward, but noticed some commotion among the crowd below.
A fat middle-aged man was weaving through the crowd, quickly reaching a middle-aged woman.
"Xiao... Xiao Chan!!" Old Lü exclaimed in Aunt Tong’s ear, startling everyone nearby.
Aunt Tong turned around in confusion: "Old... Old Lü? How did you get here?"
"I was wondering the same thing about you!" Old Lü looked around with a palpitation. "I saw you walk out of 'Heaven’s Gate' and got curious, so I followed you. But how the hell did so many people show up?!"