Chapter 1209: Declaration of War
Earth Tiger turned around, pointed at the door of the room, and said:
"Isn't there this path too?"
Yan Zhichun and Earth Snake stared at the door for a moment.
"From a geographical standpoint... if we go out through this door, wouldn't we be entering the central position of those 'participants'?" Yan Zhichun frowned. "That would be even more troublesome than our current situation."
"Troublesome, yes," Earth Tiger nodded. "But there's no use wondering what's outside those walls while we're stuck in here. Besides, do we really have that much time to figure out what's out there?"
Yan Zhichun knew Earth Tiger was right. Time was pressing. If one path was blocked, they should indeed try another.
"Then let's keep a low profile..." Yan Zhichun said to Earth Tiger. "Don't cause too much of a commotion."
"Relax," Earth Tiger replied. "I've always been low-key. Besides, we have a plan. Now's the time to execute it."
"A plan...?" Earth Snake said blankly. "You have a plan?"
Earth Tiger didn't respond. He simply walked to the door, reached out, and pulled it open. Outside was indeed a sea of heads. The moment he opened it, a few people lost their balance and tumbled into the room, crashing straight into Earth Tiger's arms.
The increasingly noisy "participants" suddenly fell silent as they saw a door beside them swing open and a imposing tiger-headed figure step out, exuding authority without even needing to speak.
Earth Tiger was taller than most of the "participants." He swept his gaze across the surroundings and noticed that a fellow "Zodiac" was also standing among the crowd.
He spotted the fat Earth Monkey at once.
Amusingly, that fat Earth Monkey, no matter how you looked at him, resembled nothing more than a hairy, ugly "participant." He was mixed in with them without causing any disturbance.
It seemed he had intended to lead the people behind him through the crowd, pretending nothing was happening, but Earth Tiger's sudden appearance caught him completely off guard.
After all, Earth Monkey and Earth Tiger had little to no interaction, so he had no clear idea of the latter's identity.
Earth Tiger took a slow, deep breath, then bellowed: "MOVE!"
The few "participants" in front of him were shaken by his roar, staggering, and nearly crawling out of the way.
Yan Zhichun sensed something was off. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Earth Tiger, and whispered, "Hey! Didn't we agree to keep a low profile?!"
"Ah! Zhichun!" Jiang Ruoshu, who was behind Earth Monkey, spotted Yan Zhichun and waved her hand as if seeing a long-lost relative.
"Ruoxue!"
"I'm already being low-key..." Earth Tiger replied. After speaking, he looked at the crowd again and roared once more: "Since you're all here, line up in order! Left side in one row! Right side in another! Clear a path in the middle for me!!"
After his shout, the crowd stirred. Within seconds, everyone pressed themselves against the walls on either side, leaving the middle path completely clear.
At this point, Earth Monkey could only pretend nothing was wrong and lean against the wall with his people. After all, better to avoid trouble than court it. He'd wait and see what this Earth Tiger had to say.
Once the crowd dispersed, a Human Monkey also revealed himself in the corridor, leading a number of "Human-level Zodiacs." It seemed they had been mingling among the crowd all along.
"Teacher..." The Human Monkey walked up to Earth Tiger and said softly, "Everyone has been assembled."
"Good. Almost ready. Time to execute the plan." Earth Tiger slowly took a few steps forward, standing in the center of the corridor.
Earth Monkey watched Earth Tiger with keen interest, wondering what he was up to.
Earth Tiger took a deep breath, then shouted three words that Earth Monkey would never have expected:
"REBELLION!!! NOW!!!"
The tremendous roar made the entire corridor tremble.
"Holy shit!" Earth Monkey was so startled by the shout that he pressed himself flat against the wall, his mind momentarily blank.
Was this the kind of teammate he had?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. If his teammates were all like this, he might as well abandon the plan.
"TIAN-LEVEL!! COME OUT AND DIE!!" Earth Tiger continued shouting at the top of his lungs.
The tiger's roar echoed back and forth through the corridor. The doors of the rooms on both sides flew open as countless "Zodiacs" poked their heads out, faces filled with alarm.
Earth Rat was waiting in a room with Chu Tianqiu and the others. Earth Tiger's booming voice penetrated the door and reverberated in their ears.
"Heh." Chu Tianqiu let out a light laugh. "Your resistance army has teammates like that?"
Earth Rat scratched his head awkwardly. "Who would have thought that such a bold leader would ultimately resort to a plan that even a dog would shake its head at?"
"It's a good thing." Chu Tianqiu draped his coat over his shoulders and walked to the door. "Our resistance army only needs three seconds to identify our true allies."
"You talk a better game than you sing, boss." Earth Rat said. "Let's go."
Earth Dog was lazily sprawled out on the sofa. Beside him were Lin Qin, Xiaoxiao, Zheng Yingxiong, and several members of the "Jidao."
Except for Earth Dog, everyone else looked anxious, but Earth Dog seemed about to fall asleep.
"Hey..." Xiaoxiao said, puzzled. "Didn't you hear that? Someone shouted rebellion."
"Once I'm off duty, I go deaf and blind. I didn't hear a thing." Earth Dog answered absent-mindedly. "Even if I did, I might have misheard... Maybe they shouted 'dinner's ready.'"
Lin Qin gave Earth Dog a helpless look. "They also said 'Tian-level, come out and die.'"
"What field chicken and sushi? Nothing to do with me." Earth Dog picked up an open book and covered his face with it. "So annoying... Can't I just have a break?"
"But you're very excited," Zheng Yingxiong said.
"Oh?" Earth Dog shifted the book slightly, revealing one eye to look at Zheng Yingxiong.
"You're reeking of 'excitement,'" Zheng Yingxiong sniffed. "Do you think it's not the right time?"
"Haha." Earth Dog closed the book and slowly sat up, his expression turning more serious. "Of course... We can't be the 'vanguard.' Let those fierce 'Zodiacs' clear the way for us first."
Earth Tiger saw that his shout had stunned everyone into silence. He felt that with the atmosphere so charged, he had to do something.
But what could he do now?
He looked down at the wooden floor beneath his feet. A sudden idea flashed through his mind.
Slowly raising his hands, he clasped them together, then slammed them downward like a spike.
A massive crack instantly appeared, spreading forward more than ten meters.
Earth Monkey's eyes widened at the sight.
The "Train"... had a crack?
In theory, the "Train" could never be damaged. It was absolutely forbidden.
No matter how bold the person, no one would dare to make a crack in the "Train."