Chapter 1177: Betting on Heaven's Will
In just a few minutes, "Heaven's Gate" was being pushed back steadily under the numerical disadvantage of their opponents.
With the two sides locked in close combat, many "Echoes" had their "Conviction" affected, making it impossible to release effective "Echoes" within fractions of a second. The chaotic battle had devolved into pure hand-to-hand fighting with weapons and fists.
Within the encirclement stood a strange young man, his face covered in scars, who could summon iron shards from within others' bodies. This troublesome ability allowed him to hold off Zhang Shan almost single-handedly.
Whenever Zhang Shan tried to strike, the man would conjure iron shards from within Zhang Shan's fists. The shards seemed to have grown into Zhang Shan's hands—any movement would draw blood.
Unable to release "Heaven's Movement" anytime soon, Zhang Shan quickly became drenched in blood, relying only on brute force to endure.
Li Xiangling wasn't faring much better either. Her sharpshooting skills made her a lethal threat, quickly drawing everyone's attention. Several fearless "Participants" were hit, then grabbed wooden sticks and disarmed her. Now Li Xiangling was left to fend off the crowd with only her unarmed combat skills, and wounds were beginning to appear on her body.
Since the start of the conflict, more than seven members of "Heaven's Gate" had already died.
Fighting as they retreated, the group was soon forced into a small alley by the hoard of "Participants." The situation had turned this dire, yet not a single member of "Heaven's Gate" had fled.
Chu Tianqiu felt the situation had become passive. He had effectively taken on all the attacks meant for the entire "Polar Way." While he could keep "Polar Way" safe, he himself would likely miss that "Train."
But at this moment, who would possibly lend a hand?
Just then, he noticed a strange "Zodiac" standing in the alley—a grinning rat.
That smile made Chu Tianqiu frown slightly, and it also made him realize how ridiculous his thoughts were.
At this moment, "Heaven's Gate" was utterly isolated and helpless. Having no reinforcements from the enemy was already the best-case scenario, let alone someone offering to help.
"We can't retreat any further…" Chu Tianqiu immediately gave the order. "There's an 'Earth-level' behind us!"
Hearing this, many people turned to look back. The "Earth-level" was indeed standing on their escape route, grinning as it watched them. But there were simply too many attackers charging from the front. Saying "don't retreat" was easy, but stopping meant death.
Just as they were about to reach the Earth Rat, Zhang Shan tapped into his latent potential. He grabbed a "Participant," spun him around several times, and hurled him outward, knocking down the surrounding encirclement.
Both sides' movements came to a halt momentarily, and the Earth Rat laughed merrily from the sidelines.
The sound of "hee-hee-hee" laughter rang out sharply amid the panting crowd.
Chu Tianqiu slowly turned his head, locking eyes with the Earth Rat, then let out a light chuckle. "Any advice for us?"
"'Advice'—I wouldn't dare." The Earth Rat shook his head. "I was thinking, if all you esteemed leaders would just pay the entry fee before slaughtering each other, all the credit would go to me. What a shame—you leaders are drenched in sweat, yet you're going to die without a worthy end."
"Ha…" Chu Tianqiu flashed a smile, thinking quickly. "Hearing you say that gives me an idea."
"Go ahead, leader." The Earth Rat said. "You look the most human to me. I figure I'll be able to understand whatever you say."
"Having a rat understand my words—I suppose that's an honor in itself." Chu Tianqiu said. "If our entire team hands in our tickets, and someone still tries to kill us, you'll help us fight them off, won't you?"
Hearing this, the smile gradually faded from the Earth Rat's face. He realized the young man before him wasn't so easy to handle.
"You're joking, leader." The Earth Rat said. "My shop can only accommodate five people at a time. Besides, I suddenly remembered I have things to do at home today, so I'm not taking any customers. I wish you all a worthy death."
Chu Tianqiu exchanged a glance with Wen Qiaoyun, then both nodded. Wen Qiaoyun immediately took over Chu Tianqiu's command, replacing him in the fight.
"Earth Rat." Chu Tianqiu walked over to the rat and said with a smile, "You seem like someone who can talk business. I have a deal I'd like to discuss with you. Name your price."
"Leader, what are you saying?" The Earth Rat replied. "I'm an 'Earth-level,' and you're a 'Rebel' that everyone wants to hunt. How dare you even talk business with me?"
"I don't think an ordinary 'Zodiac' would smile when they see me." Chu Tianqiu said. "And you haven't attacked me at all, which means you clearly don't value the credit of a 'Rebel' like me."
"Fair point." The Earth Rat nodded. "Not only do you look human, but your way of thinking isn't very monkey-like either. What kind of deal do you want to make?"
"I want to use your 'Door' to board the 'Train.'"
"Ha…" Hearing Chu Tianqiu's words, the Earth Rat's mouth stretched nearly to his ears. "What a joke. Do you really think I'd accept this deal?"
"The only reason a deal fails is that the price isn't high enough." Chu Tianqiu said. "What do you want?"
"I…" The Earth Rat narrowed his eyes, his face still bearing that eerie smile. "This deal might end up killing me, someone who's perfectly safe as things are. So my price will be very, very high."
"No matter what the price, I'll find a way to meet it." Chu Tianqiu said. "This is probably my only path."
"What I want is 'Heaven's Will.'" The Earth Rat said.
"'Heaven's Will'…?"
"For the time ahead, until the 'Teleportation Gate' opens at dusk, I won't intervene in any of you esteemed leaders' affairs, whether you live or die." The Earth Rat said. "If 'Heaven's Will' allows you dozen or so people to survive from a hundred bloodthirsty killers, then I'll agree to take you—just you—through the door."
Chu Tianqiu frowned slightly upon hearing this, his hand gripping an eyeball.
"In my life, I've heard many outrageous prices, but none more outrageous than this one." Chu Tianqiu muttered. "This price doesn't seem to bring you any benefit at all."
"Leader, I don't need benefits." The Earth Rat took a step forward and said with a grin. "For me, at this stage, I only seek certainty. If I'm going to put myself in danger, I need to be sure that 'Heaven so wills it.'"
"Fine. Then I want to haggle." Chu Tianqiu said.
The Earth Rat raised his estimation of the man before him once again. "You want to haggle with 'Heaven's Will'?"
"That's right." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "If 'Heaven's Will' lets us survive, I need to bring one more person on board."
"Fine. Deal." The Earth Rat nodded. "Then watch yourself, leader. Try not to have your brains splattered all over the ground."
"You watch yourself too." Chu Tianqiu said. "When 'Heaven's Will' shows up, don't go scurrying away in fear."