Chapter 401: The Plan
At this moment, Earth Sheep also sat down, somewhat dazed.
Now it seemed he had long since fallen into White Sheep's layered scheme.
"So that means..." Earth Sheep muttered quietly, "Brother Sheep even foresaw that he wouldn't be promoted to Heaven Grade... He knew that as long as he became a Participant again, no matter how much time passed, he would eventually cross paths with either you or me. At that point, the path he laid in advance would come into play."
"That's exactly it." Earth Tiger nodded. "I always thought you were smarter than me, but this time you took so long to catch on?"
Earth Sheep stared blankly at the ground, lost in thought.
This feeling was strange—he had been keeping White Sheep's secret all this time, only to find out in the end that he had been duped... How helpless did that feel?
"If your plan is this ambitious..." Earth Dog slowly rose to his feet, "the three of us alone won't be enough."
"Indeed..." Earth Tiger nodded. "We need help... more Zodiacs..."
"Oh, give me a break." Earth Dog glanced at him, his eyelids drooping. "With your lousy connections, what kind of help can you find?"
"If I can't, can you?" Earth Tiger shot back.
"At least better than you." Earth Dog walked slowly toward the door. "The only thing I've learned in all these years on the job is that 'getting along with coworkers is more important than sucking up to the boss.' I've got a few good candidates in mind—they've all been waiting to be promoted to Heaven Grade. It's just that the 'leader' won't transfer out, so no one below gets a chance to move up."
"Comparing this place to a workplace... aren't you underestimating the Train?" Earth Sheep said. "Which 'workplace' allows you to kill your own superior?"
"You're free to call it whatever you want, but in my eyes, this is a workplace." Earth Dog turned back to them again. "I've endured this long, pretending to be no threat to anyone, all for the sake of climbing up. If I find I have no hope of promotion, I'll completely change my tune. Now give me a few days. I'll go rally the other 'endurers.'"
As those words fell, Earth Sheep's expression grew heavy.
What was this bizarre development all about?
Even if everything was as Earth Tiger said—that White Sheep had arranged it all in advance—wasn't it weirder to think about it carefully?
This was clearly using him and Earth Tiger as *guns*.
What good could come from rebellion?
Once Earth Tiger turned everything upside down here, anyone connected to him would fall into an extremely dangerous situation. Even if White Sheep's real plan succeeded by then... the three people in this room would be dead for sure.
Earth Sheep slowly closed his eyes. He felt this matter needed more deliberation. If he impulsively followed Earth Tiger's lead, the end result would surely be falling into an abyss.
"Brother Sheep, I respect you from the bottom of my heart... Don't let me down..."
Earth Dog opened the door and left, and Earth Sheep slowly stood up as well.
"Let's call it a day." Earth Sheep said. "For now, I won't take part in any of your actions... I need to watch from the sidelines."
"Watch all you want." Earth Tiger grumbled irritably. "When you leave, call my students in. Those little brats must be starving."
...
The long night of the third day descended.
Everyone who retained their memories seemed to feel that this place had become even stranger.
The sense of murkiness and putrid rot in the air grew heavier; rustling sounds crawled across the walls outside the building.
Occasionally, a night wind swept by, rustling the withered trees here with a sharp rustle. That sound carried a foul stench, then desperately drifted into the darker distance.
Whether they were people in the prison, people in the school, or those forced to spend the night outdoors—they all stared at the pitch-black scene outside the windows, vaguely sensing that something major was about to happen. The air was thick with a stifling, low-pressure atmosphere.
When the sun of the fourth day rose, the people still alive here painfully climbed to their feet, embracing the sun of the fourth day.
Zhang Chenze hurriedly got up to check the conditions of the few people in the room.
After all, aside from herself, the other three all had injuries of varying degrees. After a night had passed, their conditions might have worsened.
She walked over to Lin Qin and looked at her broken leg. The area below her knee was now completely swollen. Splint treatment was urgently needed, but unfortunately, they were currently in a glass shop with no suitable tools.
"Lin Qin, are you okay?" Zhang Chenze reached out and took Lin Qin's hand, finding it bright red—frostbitten.
"I'm fine..." Lin Qin forced a bitter smile. "My whole body aches... but none of it is fatal. You should check on Lao Qin first."
Zhang Chenze nodded and walked over to Qin Dingdong. Qin Dingdong hadn't woken up yet, so she could only reach out and feel her forehead.
"Good... no fever... probably nothing serious..." Zhang Chenze gently shook her. "Dingdong, are you alright?"
Qin Dingdong slowly opened her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly coughed violently. After a few seconds, she spat out a big mouthful of bloody phlegm.
"Damn... I put up with you saving me, but do you have to wake me up in the morning too..." Qin Dingdong wiped the corner of her mouth and looked at Zhang Chenze. "Do you know the saying 'Getting up early ruins the whole day'?"
Zhang Chenze smiled wryly. "What kind of saying is that? I was just worried about you..."
"Ah... alright, alright... Don't be too nice to your sister. It makes her weak." Qin Dingdong waved her hand, barely managed to sit up, and looked toward Su Shan. "How's Little Shan?"
"I'll go check."
Zhang Chenze rolled up her sleeves and went to Su Shan's side, finding her still asleep.
"Su Shan?" Zhang Chenze shook her. She had thought Su Shan's condition would be better than the other two, but no matter how much she shook her, Su Shan wouldn't wake up.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Chenze wondered aloud, then shook her harder. "Su Shan, can you hear me?"
When Su Shan still didn't respond, Zhang Chenze reached out and felt her forehead—it was scorching hot.
"What's wrong with her?" Qin Dingdong asked.
"I don't know..." Zhang Chenze frowned. "She has a very high fever..."
The two of them moved their near-broken bodies over to Su Shan. They found no injuries on her body, but her cheeks were flushed bright red, clearly indicating a high fever.
Just as they were watching Su Shan with worry, her eyes slowly opened.
Her sclera were bloodshot, and her pupils had started to dilate like those of someone who had been dead for a long time.
"Huh...?" She blinked in confusion, then turned her head to look at the people around her. She stared at Zhang Chenze in front of her for a moment before furrowing her brow. "You..."
"Su Shan, are you okay?" Zhang Chenze asked.
"I..." Su Shan forced a faint smile. "What could happen to me?"
Lin Qin had little contact with Su Shan before and didn't know what was wrong with her, so she could only turn to look at Qin Dingdong.
Qin Dingdong sighed, took a step forward, and extended her hand in a fist. "Little Shan, tell me—how many fingers am I holding up?"