Chapter 425: Role Reversal
After about ten minutes or so, the group kept weaving through the roads.
Whether it was because the "Human-level zodiacs" here had heard of the "Cats" or because these few people truly weren't to be messed with, after passing countless game venues, not a single person came forward to solicit this "business."
Another ten minutes passed before they finally spotted the "Rat." He was fixing his hairstyle in front of a mirror.
To be precise, he was arranging the few sparse, long hairs on his rat head.
It had to be said that the "Rat" really looked unsettling.
On top of his head sat a massive rodent skull, with huge front teeth protruding from his mouth—just one glance made anyone feel uncomfortable all over.
He turned his face and happened to catch sight of this strange group. Quickly, he straightened his head and pretended not to see anything.
"Tch!" Zhou Liu called out impatiently. "Hey hey hey! Pretending you didn't see us?"
"Ah..." The Mole shook his head helplessly. "Gentlemen, what business brings you here?"
"Tch, let's play a game," Zhou Liu said. "Start right away."
"What...?" The Mole listened, finding it hard to understand. "Gentlemen, aren't you the 'Cats'? Even though I'm a 'Mole,' we've kept to ourselves all these years... What's the meaning of this today?"
"Keeping to ourselves..." Luo Shiyi sneered. "But when the 'river' is in trouble, the water in your 'well' won't be safe either."
Hearing this, the Mole slowly put away the mirror in his hand. Frowning, he said, "Let me put it this way, gentlemen... one should love what one does. Even if your 'Cats' disband, that has nothing to do with me, right? If you come to my game and end up dying horribly here, won't your leader Qian Wu come back to retaliate against me in the next cycle?"
"No," Qi Xia interjected. "You can treat us as ordinary participants."
The Mole looked Qi Xia over. "Sir, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you also one of the 'Cats'?"
"I'm neither a leader nor a 'Cat.' I'm just an ordinary participant," Qi Xia said. "I simply want to take part in your game."
"Times really have changed..." The Mole reached up to adjust his sideburns. "Have you followed the wrong leader? Even the 'Cats' have to participate in games now...? A whole group of cats... coming to deal with me, a mere 'Mole.'"
"Tch, what's it to you?" Zhou Liu said. "If Fifth Brother wanted to kill you, 'Black Tortoise' wouldn't just stand by. What are you so afraid of?"
"A cautious sailor sails for a thousand years. There's no harm in being careful, right?" the Mole countered. "Gentlemen, among your 'participants,' the number of people you can't mess with can be counted on one hand. Qian Wu is one of them."
"That's why I said you don't need to worry," Qi Xia said. "This time, I'm the team leader. If anything goes wrong, the responsibility will be mine alone."
Hearing this, the Mole took another look at the man before him.
"You're the team leader...?" He showed a hint of disbelief. "You're leading these four?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Qi Xia asked.
"Ha..." The Mole tried hard to suppress a smile. "A new official on his first day—I'm afraid you might not be up to the task."
"It doesn't matter," Qi Xia shook his head. "You can just give us the 'Hell difficulty.' I have no objections."
"Sir, what kind of rude request is that?" the Mole laughed. "Our games can't be modified after they're set. I've got superiors above me too..."
"Oh...? So 'zodiacs' can't change their game difficulty midway?" Qi Xia asked.
"Pfft..." The Mole looked at Qi Xia as if he were a rookie, then turned to the dead men behind Qi Xia. "Are you guys okay? You picked some clueless fool as your 'team leader'? Did your workplace experience lead you to this decision?"
Qi Xia expected the people behind him to kick him while he was down, but to his surprise, Zhou Liu was the first to object.
"Tch, what our 'team leader' is like is our own business. Who the hell do you think you are?"
Luo Shiyi added coldly, "Hey, rat-head. Even if he's a damn lousy 'team leader,' it's us who get to scold him. What right do you have to say anything?"
Wang Ba, who seemed utterly unreliable, and the furious Qiu Shiliu chimed in on the side.
"Yeah, since when does a 'Cat' team leader deserve to be scolded by you?"
Qi Xia had never expected this situation. He actually felt a little reassured.
Even if these people looked unreliable, a 'Cat' was still a 'Cat.' For them to have survived all this time, the members must be top-notch picks.
"Alright, alright..." The Mole waved his hand helplessly. "Just a moment ago you said I should treat you as ordinary participants, and now you're giving off that 'Cat' vibe."
He then looked back at Qi Xia. "Hey!"
"What?"
"Even if I don't adjust the difficulty, can you guarantee you'll survive my game a hundred percent?" The Mole smirked. "Let me give you a heads-up: I'll be personally participating in this game."
Hearing this, Qi Xia slowly frowned.
In a 'Earth-level game,' it should be quite rare for a 'zodiac' to personally take part.
To join in with the participants either meant the person was completely insane, or he had immense confidence in winning the game.
Which one was this Mole?
"In other words... this game won't be simple."
Qi Xia's lips slowly curled up. Difficult—that was exactly what he wanted.
This time, the harder the game, the better.
"What kind of game is it?" Qi Xia asked.
"It's almost tailor-made for you," the Mole said mysteriously. "It's the thrilling 'Cat and Mouse Game.'"
"'Cat and Mouse Game'...?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "We're the 'Cats,' and you're the 'Mouse'?"
"Of course not..." The Mole grinned, showing his two big front teeth. "Role reversal. You 'Cats' will play the 'Mice,' and I, this 'Mole,' will play the 'Cat.'"
Qi Xia nodded slightly. "Is it a 'chase' type game?"
"So crude..." The Mole chuckled, then reached up to ruffle the hair on his head. "If it were a simple chase, what would be the difference between me and those brutish oxen and horses?"
"Oh...?" Qi Xia frowned at him. "If it's not a chase, then what's the point of 'Cat and Mouse'?"
"Both cats and mice are not stupid animals..." The Mole pointed to his forehead. "In many regions, if the mouse doesn't steal food, it will starve; if the cat can't catch the mouse, it becomes useless. So the only way to win this life-and-death struggle, which plays out every day in the real world, is to rack your brains."
"Rack our brains?" Qi Xia nodded. "That suits me perfectly."