Chapter 1231: Stubborn Mouth
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the scrawny Earth Tiger suddenly thought of something.
He looked around and, sure enough, spotted several "Participants" on the opposite side moving along the wall.
These "Participants" were heading in the direction that would take them out of the "train."
How could this be allowed?
They came and went as they pleased, and now they were humiliating the "Zodiacs" with their enhanced bodies. The more the Earth Tiger thought about it, the angrier he became. In a flash, he lunged forward and grabbed a female participant by the neck. As she cried out in surprise, he shoved her in front of him as a hostage.
The other "Participants" nearby scattered in panic, and Qiao Jiajin's expression darkened at the sight.
"’Participants’ are, after all, ’Participants’..." the scrawny Earth Tiger said. "You still have the nerve to board the ‘train’—are you planning to take over this place...? You haven’t suffered the hardships of the ‘Zodiacs,’ so why should you enjoy the blessings of being a ‘Zodiac’?"
"Hardships... of the ‘Zodiacs’?" Qiao Jiajin paused, feeling like the other was saying things he couldn’t quite grasp. He could only shake his head and change the subject. "Forget all that. First, let that person go. A fight is a fight—don’t point your weapon at innocent people. This is my first warning."
"It’s already blown up this big... How do you have the face to spout nonsense like ‘a fight is a fight’...?" the Earth Tiger snarled. "Do you really think we can just walk away and pretend nothing happened?"
"If you have a grievance, take it out on me." Qiao Jiajin stared coldly at the several "Zodiacs." "Don’t drag unrelated people into this. This is my second warning."
The Earth Tiger paused, feeling that Qiao Jiajin’s aura had changed from a moment ago. But if he backed down just because of a few scoldings in this situation, he would lose all face.
"I’m not asking for much!" the Earth Tiger said. "If you all get off the train with those ‘Participants’ right now, we’ll call it even."
Qiao Jiajin let out a light laugh upon hearing this. "Shouldn’t ‘terms’ be set by the winner? Besides, what are you, little tiger cub, thinking...? Do you really believe that pulling someone in front of you... can stop me?"
As the words fell, Qiao Jiajin’s figure suddenly shot forward from where he stood. When he reached the Earth Tiger’s line of sight, he planted his foot and came to an abrupt halt, like a car slamming its brakes. A gust of wind from his high-speed movement followed closely behind.
The Earth Tiger felt a blast of wind hitting him square in the face. For a moment, he couldn’t even open his eyes, and his body involuntarily leaned back.
But he never forgot to keep his left hand tight around the female "Participant’s" neck. The next instant, he felt someone grab his left wrist, twist it gently, and the wrist went numb. The female "Participant" was pulled away to the side.
Before the Earth Tiger could say anything, Qiao Jiajin grabbed his dislocated wrist and swung his entire body like a weapon, smashing him into the remaining "Earth-Grade" Zodiacs.
Screams rang out continuously. All three of them were slammed into the wall, tearing the wall of the Earth Dog’s room to shreds.
Zhang Shan and Chu Tianqiu sidestepped to avoid the flying debris. The "Earth-Grade" Zodiacs tumbled into the room. Two of them rolled their eyes back, while the only conscious one, the Earth Tiger, had his arm twisted into a pretzel, completely incapacitated.
The Earth Rat, watching this scene, swallowed hard, silently recalling whether he had offended this man earlier.
"Damn it... why did you use so much force?" Zhang Shan shook his head. "Aren’t you planning to save some strength for the ‘Engine Room’?"
"I was too angry." Qiao Jiajin lowered his head and looked at his own strong body again. A strange feeling began to spread in his heart.
"What’s there to be angry about?" Zhang Shan asked. "If you can’t win, use dirty tricks. You’ve been on the streets for years—haven’t you seen plenty of this?"
"No... that’s not what I’m angry about..." Qiao Jiajin sighed. "Big guy, tell me... why would a ‘Participant’ become a ‘Zodiac’?"
"Huh?" Zhang Shan paused. "What do you mean?"
"Is it... to get this kind of enhanced body?" Qiao Jiajin asked again.
"Maybe." Zhang Shan nodded. "After all, the only real strength of ‘Earth-Grade’ Zodiacs, as we see it, is being able to suppress ‘Participants’ with their enhanced bodies."
"But..." Qiao Jiajin turned around and looked at Zhang Shan with a very complicated expression. "Big guy, you were born stronger than most people. Does that make you happy?"
Zhang Shan was silent for a long moment. "I... can’t say. When I was young, I did pride myself on this body. But if I had a choice... I’d rather be an ordinary person."
"Yeah, I’m confused too." Qiao Jiajin said. "In the past, I was probably always fighting opponents stronger than me, so I never felt this way... But now I’m very lost..."
Qiao Jiajin clenched his fist again, feeling the immense fullness of power, yet only an emptiness remained. "...Using a body stronger than others to bully the weak... has become something people flock to?"
The others hadn’t expected Qiao Jiajin’s focus to be on this, and for a moment, they were at a loss for words.
"Some people are willing." Chu Tianqiu interjected. "You can’t force your own thoughts onto others."
"Gentlemen..." The Earth Rat shook his head and stepped forward. "The reason you two have this kind of thinking is because you already have strengths others don’t have... But what about the ordinary people who have nothing? This might be their only chance to be stronger than others."
Qiao Jiajin listened to the Earth Rat’s explanation and nodded as if he half understood.
"I suggest you gentlemen move to the ‘Engine Room’ as soon as possible. If you’re late, you won’t make it in time to die," the Earth Rat added.
"Alright..." Qiao Jiajin sighed. Just as he was about to say something, he looked up and saw the Earth Dog nearby. "What about you... Still want to fight?"
The Earth Rat shot the Earth Dog an annoyed glance and said quietly, "Dog bastard, we used your room, but you also sold us out. As long as you don’t cause any more trouble, we can call it even."
"I’m dying of laughter..." The Earth Dog’s expression turned awkward, but he still stubbornly insisted, "It’s obviously because I don’t want to mess with you guys anymore, okay? Don’t act like you’re letting me off. I don’t really want to be let off either. If it came down to a real fight, who knows who’d be scared of who. I’m really dying of laugh—"
Before he could finish, Qiao Jiajin threw a lightning-fast jab that landed squarely on the Earth Dog’s chin.
The Earth Dog’s eyes slowly rolled back as he collapsed straight to the ground like a broom.
"Uh..." The Earth Rat was stunned. "Tattooed gentleman, what are you doing?"
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin didn’t understand. "Didn’t he say it himself... that he wanted to keep fighting? So I hit him."
"Oh, that makes sense." The Earth Rat nodded. "That’s fair. Let’s get moving."