Chapter 1275: Three-Way Monsters
When the Black Sheep dragged his exhausted body to the exit, he found that chaos had already broken out here.
Blood was everywhere, and all kinds of wailing filled the air. A Boar was using his body to block the door, while another "Earth" was frantically attacking his back.
The Boar's entire body was trembling, and even his gaze was growing unfocused, yet he still couldn't fight back. His hands gripped the doorframe as he faced the Monkey with his back, the look in his eyes visible through his mask filled with agony.
It took the Black Sheep about three seconds to assess the situation.
When the two saw the Black Sheep emerge from the door, both froze for a moment, and the Monkey's attack stopped.
After all, the Black Sheep looked like he had just been through a deadly fight, with blood still dripping from his sleeves. The two weren't sure why a "Zodiac" would go through a life-or-death struggle in the "cargo hold."
"Move aside," the Black Sheep said.
The Boar, holding onto his last breath, quickly analyzed the situation. He had no idea how the battle below was going, nor whether the Black Sheep before him was friend or foe. But since the man had come out of the door, maybe...
He didn't want to let go, but his hands and feet had already gone numb. He had used his "Hardening" to withstand almost all of an "Earth-level" attacks, which felt like being beaten mercilessly while wearing steel plate armor. Though there were no visible wounds, every organ in his body ached.
Taking advantage of the Boar's momentary distraction, the Black Sheep stepped forward and shoved him aside, and the sight of numerous corpses came into view.
The Compensating Tiger's students lay scattered on the ground, their necks twisted—clearly the work of an "Earth-level" attack.
Only a lone Monkey stood shakily in place, holding two fountain pens as weapons, her mask torn. Hearing movement behind her, she turned and looked at the Black Sheep.
For an instant, her eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions—like seeing a lifeline. But she was afraid of putting the Black Sheep in danger, so she swallowed the words "Teacher Black Sheep" that were about to leave her lips, and under a mask of terror, pretended not to know him.
Even though she knew the Black Sheep might be the only one who could save her now, and missing this chance meant certain death...
Still, she would rather the Black Sheep go save her teacher instead. Maybe she had a one percent chance of surviving these people, but her teacher didn't even have that.
Not far from them stood a Rat with injured eyes, his expression panicked. He was being supported by a "Human," completely unable to fight.
The Monkey stared blankly at the Black Sheep. After all, in the entire "train" there was only one Goat, making the Monkey inevitably suspicious: "Wait, what's your identity?"
The Black Sheep didn't speak. He simply bypassed the Zodiacs and walked straight ahead.
"Hey..." The Monkey reached out and grabbed the Black Sheep's shoulder. "What's going on down there? Which side are you on?"
The Black Sheep frowned, turned back, grabbed the Monkey's arm, twisted it behind his back, and pressed the fragment in his hand against the Monkey's neck.
"You—"
Though subdued, the Monkey was still bewildered.
Wasn't this Black Sheep already covered in wounds? Shouldn't he be trying to save his own life at a time like this?
"Are you a 'rebel'...?" the Monkey asked uncertainly. "Are you going to save that 'Human'...?"
"Their lives have nothing to do with me," the Black Sheep said in a low voice. "Tell me where the Heavenly Tiger is."
"Heavenly Tiger...?" The Monkey paused, recalling what he had seen in the corridor earlier.
The Heavenly Tiger had clearly been entangled with an Earth Tiger, the two fighting fiercely. The scene was so brutal that none of the other Zodiacs dared to approach.
Seeing the Monkey hesitate for a few seconds, the Black Sheep knew he was hiding something. He then reached back, reversed his grip on the fragment, and while the Monkey wasn't paying attention, stabbed a bloody hole in his shoulder before pressing the blade against his neck again.
"Ah!"
The Monkey hadn't expected the Black Sheep to strike without a word. The sharp pain made him scream.
He covered his shoulder, feeling blood gush through his fingers.
"I'm running out of time..." the Black Sheep said weakly from behind the Monkey. "I'm going to poke a hole in you every ten seconds until you take me to the Heavenly Tiger."
The Monkey tried to shift his body, but realized the other man had a firm grip on his wrist from behind. The only way to escape would be to sacrifice a hand.
"No... are you, are you crazy...?" the Monkey gritted out. "We don't even know each other... Do you have to make an enemy of me? And my teacher is the Heavenly Monkey. If you do this..."
Without a second word, the Black Sheep stabbed another hole in the Monkey's shoulder, drawing another scream.
"I'm in a hurry," the Black Sheep said, forcing himself to stay alert. "Take me to the Heavenly Tiger."
Seeing how insane this man was, the Monkey had no choice but to nod. All his earlier composure was gone. After all, he had only come here on Azure Dragon's orders to provide support. No one wanted to die for no reason.
The Black Sheep gave the Monkey one last glance, then expressionlessly left with the Monkey in tow.
...
"Tch, what did you say?" Zhou Mo stared blankly at the "Ant King," still looking puzzled. "You've seen Qi Xia?"
The "Ant King" reached out and grabbed Zhou Mo's hand, conveying his thoughts to her directly.
"You're saying the 'Dragon' wants to... 'escape'?" Zhou Mo wasn't sure she understood the "Ant King" correctly. But since his words could only be transmitted to her alone, she had to clarify. "Tch, what dragon, and where is it escaping to?"
The "Ant King" still didn't speak, just held Zhou Mo's hand. After a moment, Zhou Mo nodded repeatedly.
"Alright... damn it, I understand..."
"What's wrong?" Yan Zhichun sensed something was off and frowned at Zhou Mo.
"Tch, you bastards... it seems things have changed a bit..." Zhou Mo turned back seriously to Jiang Ruoxue and Yan Zhichun. "Let me think about where to start..."
"Get to the point," Yan Zhichun said. "Is something wrong with Qi Xia?"
"No... it's the Heavenly Dragon..." Zhou Mo shook her head. "This 'Ant' says the Heavenly Dragon had long anticipated Qi Xia's rebellion and was secretly fueling it. He wants to use this chaos to completely escape from the 'Land of the End' and seal Azure Dragon here. This man discovered the Heavenly Dragon's secret, so he was demoted from 'Earth level' to 'Ant.'"
Yan Zhichun's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly found another key point: "Wait... you're saying he's already told Qi Xia this?"
"Yes, he says he wrote the characters 'Escape' and 'Dragon' on Qi Xia's palm, but due to limited time, he couldn't convey more."
Yan Zhichun lowered her head and thought for a moment. It seemed many people had laid their own plans within this "rebellion."
On the surface, it was a rebellion of "participants," but behind it, the Heavenly Dragon was pulling strings, Azure Dragon was secretly orchestrating, and then Qi Xia turned the tables, using both their schemes to lead an attack... In a game of monsters like this, could ordinary "participants" really get what they wanted?
"So... what do we do now?" Jiang Ruoxue also asked, looking confused.