Chapter 1128: I Have a Plan
The moment the Monkey appeared before them, a vanished iron rod also materialized at Zhong Zhen's throat on the ground.
Given the circumstances, it seemed the Monkey that now stood before them had just pierced Zhong Zhen's throat with an invisible iron rod, and both he and the rod had become visible at the same time.
But even though they understood the situation, questions still flooded everyone's minds.
A "Zodiac" with an "Echo" killing someone?
Since the dead Zhong Zhen had no clear allegiance, there was no way to deduce the Monkey's faction from this.
"Wh-what's this 'Long Live' business? I don't get it..." Doctor Zhao quickly forced a laugh. "You're here to assassinate the 'Rebel' too, right? We're on the same side."
Taking advantage of their exchange, Lin Qin cautiously pulled the belt from Zhong Zhen's waist, then went to Xiaoxiao's side and helped her tie it around her upper arm to stop the bleeding.
Jin Yuanxun also wiped the blood from between his brows and moved closer to Doctor Zhao to guard against any surprises. He felt the Monkey's ability was somewhat like his own—both could appear out of nowhere at a certain spot—but the Monkey was stronger because he could also make an iron rod appear from thin air.
It seemed like "Jump," or perhaps "Shift."
The Monkey stepped forward. "If I explain too much, I might die. That's why I could only reveal myself in the thick smoke."
Seeing the suspicion on everyone's faces, the Monkey spoke again. "If you trust me, I have a plan."
Doctor Zhao knew the problem now lay in whether they should trust this "Zodiac" before them. After all, nearly everyone in the square had their own agenda.
Some wanted to destroy the giant bell, some wanted to kill the Rebel, some wanted to obtain a thousand "Dao," and there were probably people like Zhong Zhen who just wanted to take revenge or slaughter in the chaos.
Now that a "Zodiac" was voluntarily proposing cooperation, Doctor Zhao found it hard to build trust.
"You say you have a plan..." Doctor Zhao said in a low voice. "I'm worried that plan might get us killed."
The Monkey looked up at the smoke gradually dissipating in the sky, then lowered his head and raised his empty palm in front of Doctor Zhao.
A moment later, a bloodstained folding knife appeared on his palm—it was the very same knife Zhong Zhen had been holding earlier.
The knife had been taken by the Monkey at some unknown time, even hidden in his hand.
But the Monkey wasn't holding the handle; he simply placed the knife flat on his palm, seemingly intending to hand it to Doctor Zhao.
"In any case," the Monkey said, "if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need a 'plan.'"
"Uh..." Doctor Zhao felt the Monkey wasn't lying. Even if the Monkey had merely patted his shoulder just now, that would have been enough to drive the invisible knife into his body.
The Monkey lowered his voice. "Take this knife. If you think it's a trap, you can kill me anytime."
Though puzzled, Doctor Zhao reached out and accepted the folding knife, just to be safe.
The Monkey took another step forward. "There have been many unexpected events, but this smoke has helped us. Right now, only my plan can get the job done."
"You..." Doctor Zhao looked at the Monkey with a mix of doubt and uncertainty, unsure how to respond.
"The smoke is about to dissipate. Once it does, the White Tiger will be even crazier, the fragrance will be stronger, and we'll have no chance of winning." The Monkey suddenly grabbed Doctor Zhao's hand. "You were sent by Sister Chun to destroy the giant bell, weren't you?"
The Monkey's words revealed many key points, making Doctor Zhao feel that he might really be on their side.
"Yes, I am..."
"How long would it take you to destroy it?" the Monkey asked, pointing at the smoke behind him.
"I'm not sure..." Doctor Zhao said with a troubled expression. "I've never destroyed anything this big before. It's like a short building—I definitely can't make it vanish in an instant. Maybe a few minutes?"
"A few minutes..." The Monkey looked up at the smoke again. "The white smoke is about to clear. A few minutes is too long. The White Tiger is only temporarily unable to tell where you are. Once his vision returns, you'll be the first to die."
"So what do we do?" Lin Qin asked from the side. "Should we try to calm the White Tiger first?"
"No." The Monkey shook his head. "The White Tiger is on the verge of losing his sanity. Too much effort would be needed to bring him back to 'calm.'"
"Then what do you suggest?" Lin Qin paused.
"The only way is to make him even crazier," the Monkey said. "If he goes a little madder, he'll fall into a state where he can't think at all."
Doctor Zhao, Lin Qin, Jin Yuanxun, and Xiaoxiao exchanged glances, feeling that the Monkey was proposing an extremely dangerous plan.
"Don't touch the giant bell for now," the Monkey said. "If you want to destroy it, follow my arrangements from here."
...
The members of "Jidao" began to regain their sight within the smoke, as if the source of the smoke had vanished.
But the scene before them was even more horrifying than before.
The gradually clearing smoke revealed a field littered with bodies and the wounded, while many who were still standing were locked in mutual slaughter.
Perhaps everyone had entered the square with their own goals at the start, but soon they had devolved into a state of desperate survival, unleashing lethal moves.
Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling stood in front of Yan Zhichun, shielding her.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ruoxue and Zhou Mo appeared to have sustained minor injuries.
"Tch, why couldn't you have come even later?" Zhou Mo said. "Why not wait until those two bitches are dead before showing up?"
"Say one more word!" Jiang Ruoxue pushed Zhou Mo.
"Damn it, you know how it is," Zhang Shan said with a laugh. "A brawl of hundreds—those who could grab weapons did, and those who couldn't unleashed their 'Echoes.' On the way here, there were explosions and smoke. Moving from the edge of the square to the center was a real pain."
"Like walking through a mountain of flames," Li Xiangling added, swinging her stick and looking at the smoke's trajectory. "Shan Ge... the smoke seems to be dissipating."
"Dissipating? That's trouble." Zhang Shan turned to look at Yan Zhichun and saw light returning to her eyes. "Hey, the White Tiger's about to go all out soon. More of our people will die. What do you say?"
Yan Zhichun took a deep breath and replied, "If things go wrong, please take all of 'Heaven's Gate' and withdraw. Today, 'Jidao' won't take a single step back."
Zhang Shan paused. "Even if you might all lose your sanity, you're determined to die here?"
"For some people... maybe they just got up this morning, walked down the street looking for today's 'Zodiac Game,' and after hearing some broadcast, stumbled here and got caught in this battlefield. But for us, we've poured decades of effort into this place." Yan Zhichun's lips trembled slightly. "I don't know what reason we'd have left to keep living if we escaped now."
Zhang Shan was stunned and wanted to speak, but noticed the deep sorrow in Yan Zhichun's eyes.