Chapter 418: Deadline
Qian Wu was about to speak when he suddenly felt a dull ache in his chest. He hurriedly clutched his chest, his vision going completely black.
"Twin Flower... are you alright?" Tian Snake asked with a worried expression. "I have many organs I've made for myself in my body... How can you only replicate my flesh? You can't withstand it..."
After speaking, Tian Snake slowly covered his own chest, feeling a bit breathless as well.
"What kind of monster are you?" Qian Wu panted heavily. "You make organs for yourself...?"
"This Twin Flower of yours, what exactly is it...?" Tian Snake lowered his head silently, struggling to maintain his breathing, feeling his heartbeat quicken as if he was afraid of something.
Qian Wu stopped talking and immediately pulled a dagger from his waist, pressing it against his own neck: "Tian Snake... you're out of luck."
Both Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin were startled by this sudden development. Although Qian Wu had said he would kill the Heaven-level zodiac, they never expected him to act so decisively.
The moment the blade cut into his neck, a small wound also appeared on Tian Snake's neck. But before the knife could slice completely, two more figures suddenly appeared before them.
It was an old woman leading a naked little boy—Tian Horse and Tian Tiger.
Upon seeing them, Qian Wu's hand involuntarily paused. He quickly turned back and touched Qi Xia, and in an instant his body swelled in size. Not only did he look exactly like Qi Xia in stature, but the wound on his neck vanished without a trace.
It was only then that Tian Snake reacted, reaching up to touch his neck and discovering a fresh cut.
"Twin Flower..." Tian Horse smiled and stepped forward a few paces. "What are you all doing here?"
"Saturday, alert," Qian Wu muttered darkly, then lifted his head to glare coldly at the three before him.
Now three Heaven-level zodiacs had appeared simultaneously at the prison gate. Although Qian Wu could insist on taking one of them down, if he died, what would happen next?
Without someone to hold things together, what would become of the Cat's members? And what about Qi Xia and his companions?
These zodiacs now seemed to have abandoned the rules. They could slaughter at will according to their own needs. If not handled carefully, the Cat would likely disband—the worst possible outcome for an organization that had endured silently for seven years.
"Tian Horse..." Qian Wu murmured.
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin froze at these words, also turning to look at the two figures. They had encountered them once before.
But at that time, they had simply passed by each other without a word.
"Twin Flower..." Tian Horse said with a fawning smile. "A day has passed already... Where is the person I asked you to find?"
Qian Wu's gaze turned icy cold. For a moment, he couldn't devise any countermeasure. In this cycle, Heaven-level zodiacs had emerged in force, even coming to do business with the Cat. Who could possibly know how to handle this?
"The time is too short," Qian Wu replied. "I need a few more days. If I can't find that person, I'll come bearing my head."
Qi Xia glanced at Qian Wu without expression. This statement was both for Tian Horse's ears and for his own. It seemed Qian Wu had decided not to hand him over.
After all, all of Qian Wu's hopes were pinned on the Cat. Now that he had brought Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, and Officer Li to join, he had no reason left to cooperate with the zodiacs.
"A few days...?" Tian Horse smiled faintly. "Twin Flower... do you take me for a fool?"
"What? You give me a task, and I don't need time to complete it?"
"If another few days pass... what meaning is there in you 'coming bearing your head'?" Tian Horse glared with her old, deep eyes. "By then, everyone in your team will have gained their Echoes. What difference does it make whether you die or not?"
"Then what do you want?"
"Tomorrow is the deadline," Tian Horse said. "Tomorrow morning I'll still be waiting for you here. If you can't produce that person by then, I'll initiate the Heavenly Horse Moment and completely dismantle your organization."
Qian Wu's brow slowly furrowed. "Tomorrow...?"
"I've given you plenty of face, Twin Flower. Remember, you're bargaining with a Heaven now." Tian Horse slowly turned her head and looked at Tian Snake. "Snake Brother, have you come here looking for that Giant Echo too?"
Tian Snake rubbed his hands nervously. "Gi-giant... Echo? That is...? Huh?"
"You..." A trace of mockery crept across Tian Horse's face. "No wonder you're Tian Long's top favorite... You've even forgotten your mission. And he's not angry?"
"Ah, right... yes... we have a mission..." Tian Snake awkwardly turned to Qian Wu. "Could I trouble you to help me find a Giant Echo? If I can't find it, Tian Long will be angry..."
Qian Wu's expression was colder than ice.
"Then tomorrow morning," Qian Wu said. "If I can't deliver that person by tomorrow morning, I'll willingly accept the Heavenly Horse Moment."
"You said it yourself." Tian Horse smiled faintly and took Tian Tiger's hand.
"Grandma, can't I eat him?"
"Be good, he doesn't taste good." Tian Horse reached out her other hand and patted Tian Tiger's head. "He's playing mind games with Grandma, so his meat is sour."
"Ah, really?" Tian Tiger blinked. "Then I won't eat sour meat."
Watching the two vanish instantly, Qian Wu turned his gloomy face toward Tian Snake.
"Hey, what about you?"
"Ah... what?" Tian Snake was startled. "Me...?"
"Since I have an agreement with Tian Horse, would you care to wait another day?" Qian Wu said. "After tomorrow, I'll discuss this Chen Junnan business with you."
Tian Snake listened and stared intently into Qian Wu's eyes. But Qian Wu wore a pair of black sunglasses, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Tian Horse says you're playing mind games... I don't know if I can trust you."
"You..." Qian Wu pressed his lips together. He desperately wanted to kill this man before him, but if he died, everyone in the Cat would surely be unable to escape the Heavenly Horse Moment.
Seeing Qian Wu's predicament, Qi Xia spoke up on his own. "If you don't trust Twin Flower, that's fine. But do you trust Tian Horse?"
"What...?" Tian Snake was taken aback and turned to look at Qi Xia, only to find that he couldn't read anything from this man's eyes.
"It seems Tian Horse is quite dissatisfied with you..." Qi Xia said. "Is it possible that her words just now were deliberately said for you to hear?"