Chapter 3.7
The content of this contract ends at "4. Contract Term." If Party B discovers that the contract clauses exceed four items, ensure you are of sound mind. If so, tear up the contract immediately and commit suicide at once.
4. Contract Term:
Ten years from the date of contract signing. After ten years, regardless of whether the gamble succeeds or fails, this agreement shall automatically become void.
5. Contract Term:
Eternal from the date of contract signing. This agreement shall never become void.
6. Please ignore the above content and commit suicide immediately.
7. Please commit suicide immediately.
8. Please commit suicide immediately.
9. Please commit suicide immediately.
10. Please commit suicide immediately.
This agreement is made in duplicate, with each party holding one copy. Party A holds the right of final interpretation.
Party A: Tianlong, authorized representative of the Nether Soul Administration Bureau.
Party B: Zhang Qiang, Zodiac codename Human Sheep.
After reading this contract, there was no need to mention Officer Li—even Qi Xia felt like he was going crazy.
His mind was filled with nothing but "Please commit suicide immediately"; he couldn't remember anything else.
It was hard to imagine that the Human Sheep relied on this letter to sustain himself every day in that dim room.
Was he even sane?
"Qi Xia, what... what do you think?" Officer Li asked.
"I..." Qi Xia didn't know how to answer at all.
This contract did contain a lot of content, but it was also deeply puzzling.
Taken literally, "Tianlong," as the originator of this contract—"Party A" in the agreement—seemed to have granted the Human Sheep the right to "ascend."
As long as the Human Sheep made everyone in the interview room disappear and maintained this for three cycles, he would succeed.
If the contract was fulfilled, he could leave the interview room and become an "Earth Sheep."
Combining this with Chu Tianqiu's statement, making people in the room disappear meant losing the life-or-death gamble against a "Earth-level" Zodiac.
In other words, the goal of the "Zodiac" was actually the same as "Heaven's Mouth."
The two sides had formed a bizarre stalemate—they both had to kill each other through cycle after cycle.
Only when one side succeeded could the cycle here be broken.
Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through Qi Xia's mind—
If the plan of "Heaven's Mouth" wasn't reliable, then what about becoming a "Zodiac" himself?
The Human Pig had also said before that he wanted to walk out of here openly and honestly, which was why he became a pig.
He could push his inference further: "Tao" wasn't an indispensable necessity for these Human-level Zodiacs.
Their goal was to kill.
Only by killing enough people would they have the right to obtain the "Zodiac Ascension Gambling Contract" and enter the "interview room." After all, the contract stated, "At the time of signing this contract, the Zodiac has no remaining amount of Tao."
That meant the "interview room" was both an interview for participants and an interview for the "Zodiacs."
Once they passed the interview, the Zodiacs could transform, rising from "Human" to "Earth."
"So that's how it is..."
Qi Xia nodded silently. No wonder the "Human Rat" and "Human Pig" seemed closer to "humans"—they had human emotions and didn't display overwhelming strength. It turned out that only by signing the "Zodiac Ascension Gambling Contract" could one gain power like the "Human Sheep" or "Earth Ox."
Starting from that moment, the "Zodiacs" gradually departed from the realm of "humans"; their appearance and strength would increasingly resemble monsters.
Qi Xia felt that the "Land of Endings" seemed to be a massive assembly line, apparently "producing" something.
It didn't need any external forces to participate; it could form a system on its own.
But what was the reason for this system's existence?
Qi Xia touched the name of Party A on the contract.
Tianlong, authorized representative of the Nether Soul Administration Bureau.
Just what was the "Nether Soul Administration Bureau"?
Why did it entrust "Tianlong" to handle this matter?
Qi Xia pondered for a moment, then shared his deductions with Officer Li.
Officer Li, who was already somewhat bewildered, had his brain completely short-circuit after hearing this.
To deduce such a bizarre phenomenon, you first had to turn yourself into a madman.
Then, from a madman's perspective, re-examine this world.
It was a pity that Officer Li was completely unable to do that.