Chapter 1233: An Abnormal Team
"Hey... Dog!"
Xiaoxiao couldn't take it anymore and finally called out.
"Hmm..." Earth Dog held a book in front of his face, his voice drifting out lazily.
"Do you even want to go?" Xiaoxiao asked testily. "Weren't you all fired up just now, saying we should wait for others to clear the way for us? It's only been a few minutes, and you're already half asleep."
"Hmm..." Earth Dog responded again, like someone talking in their sleep.
"I give up... I really give up." Seeing that Earth Dog wasn't listening, Xiaoxiao could only turn to Zheng Yingxiong. "Just keep your eyes on him, preferably until he drops dead."
Zheng Yingxiong had been staring intently at Earth Dog the whole time, lost in thought.
Xiaoxiao stopped paying attention to the big kid and the little kid. She moved over to Lin Qin's side.
This girl had been muttering to herself in the corner since earlier, like she was chanting a sutra.
Xiaoxiao couldn't understand what was so important that she had to chant right now, at such a critical moment.
She took three steps to stand behind Lin Qin, leaned in, and listened to her muttering. A few seconds later, she was fuming.
As she had said, not a single person in this team was normal.
Only she, suffering from bipolar disorder, seemed genuinely trying to work for the "Polar Path" and the final mission.
Although Lin Qin looked normal, all she kept repeating were a few sentences that sounded insane—
"I should drink some water soon."
"Isn't it time to eat something?"
"I need to go to the bathroom."
"Crazy... everyone's crazy..." Xiaoxiao shook her head helplessly. Soon, she thought of Han Yimo, who had been lying behind the sofa for ages.
If anyone could still be of any use now, it might be Han Yimo.
"Hey!" Xiaoxiao crouched beside Han Yimo and gave him two crisp slaps. "Still alive?"
Han Yimo showed no reaction at all. He was still breathing, but he looked like he'd been dead for a long time.
"You're like a little chick, collapsing from just a small injury..." After saying that, she slapped him twice more. "If you'd exercised a bit more, you wouldn't be like this..."
Han Yimo still didn't respond. Xiaoxiao felt that if she slapped him a few more times, she'd really kill him.
"Great." Xiaoxiao stood up, looked around at the bizarre group in the room, and then said, "You've really opened my eyes. I'm going to set off on my own. Anyone coming with me?"
Several members of the "Polar Path" stared at her, looking a bit dazed.
"We've probably already missed the appointed time..." Xiaoxiao said. "Right now, all the 'Polar Path' members are fighting to liberate the 'Ants'... and we're hiding here... I really feel terrible about this..."
The "Polar Path" members exchanged glances, but none of them moved.
Xiaoxiao stared at them and continued, "Haven't you noticed? This Earth Dog doesn't want to go out at all... He wants to stay out of the storm. Are you all planning to wait here too? Until all our teammates are dead... Until the mission fails completely and we get expelled?"
When Earth Dog heard this, he slightly shifted the book covering his face, revealing one eye.
"If you won't go, I'll go alone," Xiaoxiao said. "Even if it's just me... I'm going."
"What's the hurry...?" Earth Dog's muffled voice came from beneath the book. "Isn't it already too late?"
"Who made it too late?!" Xiaoxiao's anger flared as she heard this. "Weren't your plans to escort us to find that Black Sheep? But we've been sitting in this room wasting time all this while... What are we even waiting for?!"
"Didn't I say..." Earth Dog sighed. "We're waiting for the brave and skilled 'Zodiacs' to clear the way for us."
Xiaoxiao couldn't stand it anymore. She strode over and grabbed Earth Dog by the collar.
Earth Dog didn't expect the girl to be so strong. He was pulled forward, nearly stumbling, and the book fell from his face to the ground.
"I'm brave and skilled enough!" Xiaoxiao said. "You just keep waiting... Do you think such a massive plan will win just by 'waiting'? I only hope there aren't too many 'Zodiacs' like you, or else the entire 'Polar Path' will be betrayed."
"Don't worry, there aren't many like me." Earth Dog reached out, grabbed Xiaoxiao's wrist, and pried her hand off with a gentle force. "Since we've missed the chance to see the Black Sheep, why not wait here with me for another encounter?"
"Another encounter...?"
"Shh." Earth Dog raised a finger to his lips. "Don't disturb her."
Xiaoxiao followed his gaze. He was looking at Lin Qin.
"Disturb... her?" Xiaoxiao turned back to look at Lin Qin. "She's been scared out of her wits by the 'Train'... Do you even know what she's muttering about?"
"I can see." Earth Dog said. "Even though I only thought of this plan after meeting her... I still feel like it could catch them off guard."
"What...?"
"It's a 'scheme,'" Zheng Yingxiong said. "From earlier... you've been radiating 'scheme'..."
"Of course..." Earth Dog stretched lazily. "I may look lazy, but for me... today is real 'overtime,' you know."
Xiaoxiao stared at Lin Qin, puzzled, but found Lin Qin still muttering:
"I should drink some water soon."
"Isn't it time to eat something?"
"I need to go to the bathroom."
...
When Xiao Ran reached the end of the corridor, she noticed that the number of "Participants" on both sides had clearly decreased. By the time she actually stood before the door at the very end, she was the only one left.
There were no "Participants" here, and certainly no "Zodiacs."
She had thought the end of the corridor would lead to some grand, magnificent door, but instead, it was just another shabby, old door. This lowered her opinion of Qinglong and Tianlong slightly, making her think that the leaders here probably weren't very wealthy either.
"What a damn long way," Xiao Ran cursed under her breath. Then she took a deep breath and called out in a sweet voice, "Is anyone in there?"
After she spoke, the room remained silent.
She turned to look at the two sides of the door, finding that there were two short corridors branching off left and right.
These two short corridors formed a T-shape with the longest corridor of the "Train," and the door in front of her was right at the intersection of the T.
"I have something I'd like to report. If someone's in there, could you please open the door?" Xiao Ran called out again, louder.
Still, there was no response from inside, as if no one was there.
"Um... if it's not too much trouble, I'll just let myself in."
After waiting a few seconds with no reaction, Xiao Ran reached out and gently pushed the door open.
Inside was a round table. Directly opposite her, a man in a dark green robe was rubbing his forehead with his hand, not sparing Xiao Ran even a single glance.