Chapter 442: Two Leaders
"Uh..." Bai Jiu tugged at Qiao Jiajin from behind. "Brother Qiao, something's off... I've heard that in Earth-level games, you can't learn the rules without paying the entrance fee first."
"Huh? That's how it works?" Qiao Jiajin turned to look back at the Earth Rabbit. "Hey, big bunny, I'm afraid of getting scammed. Can you explain the rules first?"
"Easy enough." The Earth Rabbit nodded decisively. "Of course I can."
"Yo! You're not a bad guy after all!"
"After all, I hate trouble too," the Earth Rabbit said. "Once I finish explaining the rules, if you think it's not for you, just leave quickly. Don't waste any time."
"Sure, sure." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "If it's a physical or combat type, I'm definitely going in no matter what."
"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." The Earth Rabbit shook his head. "The building behind me has sixteen rooms total. They're arranged in a square—four rooms per row, four rows altogether."
"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "A-And then?"
Seeing that Qiao Jiajin seemed somewhat interested, the Earth Rabbit squatted down and drew a rough sketch on the ground. From afar, it looked like a chessboard.
"Each room has a door on each of its four sides, so four doors total." After saying this, the Earth Rabbit pointed to the room in the top-left corner. "All participants will enter from this room."
Then he pointed to the room in the bottom-right corner. "And escape from this room in the end. In other words, as long as you can get from the top-left room to the bottom-right room, you win the game."
"Oh...?" Qiao Jiajin felt like he generally understood the game, but something still felt off. "How do we get there? Can we just run straight through?"
Behind him, Yun Shijiu, the "Silent" one, immediately noticed the issue. "No... if you could just run straight through, the 'room' setup wouldn't make any sense."
"Right." Bai Jiu also nodded. "Is there any rule about how participants can move between rooms?"
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin followed along and nodded with the others. "That's how it is...?"
"Of course." The Earth Rabbit looked at the sketch on the ground. "Everyone moves in 'turns.' This game is divided into 'Participant Turns' and 'Zodiac Turns.' Participants can choose to open one door and move once per turn, while the Zodiac can open two doors and move twice per turn."
Bai Jiu stared at the sketch on the ground for a long time before speaking. "What happens if we get caught?"
"You'll be torn apart by me." The Earth Rabbit said. "You'll die on the spot."
"I see..." Bai Jiu and Yun Shijiu nodded simultaneously. "So it's a strategy game... The seven of us have to choose our own routes, avoid the 'Zodiac,' and reach the finish line."
The other five nodded as well. "I see..."
Qiao Jiajin looked awkwardly at Bai Jiu and Yun Shijiu, then at the other five teammates. "What do you mean 'I see'? You all understood that?"
"Yes, Brother Qiao." Bai Jiu nodded. "This game shouldn't be too hard, but there will definitely be casualties. If you think it's okay, we can pay the entrance fee now."
"Uh... well... I mean..." Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. "I suddenly have a new idea."
"A new idea?"
Several members of the "Cat" team and the Earth Rabbit all looked at him.
The Earth Rabbit also sensed that this man in front of him seemed like the team leader. Was he thinking of raising the stakes?
"Everyone..." Qiao Jiajin chuckled and glanced at the Earth Rabbit. "I've decided to find a different game."
"Huh?"
The "Cat" team members hadn't expected Qiao Jiajin to suddenly say this. None of them knew how to respond.
"B-Brother Qiao..." Bai Jiu asked beside him. "Do you think this game is too hard?"
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin was also taken aback. "Is it hard? Maybe for me..."
"Are there hidden rules we haven't discovered?" Bai Jiu asked with a serious expression. "I knew this wasn't an ordinary strategy game... Earth-level games are getting harder and harder these days..."
"Yeah, Brother Qiao, did you notice something?"
"Well, no... how could you say that?" Qiao Jiajin let out a simple-minded laugh. "I just thought that if I participated in this game, I'd look like an idiot as the leader, not being able to contribute at all..."
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, nothing, nothing." After saying this, Qiao Jiajin walked up and patted the Earth Rabbit's hard, muscular shoulder. "Sorry, big bunny, my bad. Your entrance fee is way too expensive. We're a bit tight on cash, so we're going to try somewhere else."
Even the Earth Rabbit hadn't expected this man to walk away so decisively.
He led his team away without looking back, as if they had never been there.
"Wait..." The Earth Rabbit suddenly wore a pitiful expression. "You didn't even ask how many 'Dao' the ticket costs..."
Before he could finish, another group appeared at the other end of the street.
Strangely enough, this group looked very similar to the one before.
"I'm really done with this..."
A lazy voice drifted closer.
"None of you know where to find an Earth-level 'Zodiac,' do you...? Is today's main itinerary just 'sightseeing'?"
A man who looked like a slacker led a group in black leather jackets, wandering aimlessly down the street.
"We haven't participated in many games lately," said a man beside him in a black leather jacket. "So let's just look around."
A few steps later, this group happened to come face to face with the Earth Rabbit.
"Oh wow!!!" The leading man shouted when he saw the Earth Rabbit. "Song Qi! Song Qi! Song Qi! Look over there!"
The man called Song Qi helplessly shook his head. "What is it?"
"A fat rabbit!" The leading man suddenly flashed a sinister grin. "I've seen it all today. Never seen a rabbit this chubby."
The Earth Rabbit felt that this man seemed a bit too flippant. If he found out the content of the game, he'd probably turn around and run like the last leader.
But what kind of day was this?
Why were so many people in black leather jackets wandering the streets?
"Hey..." the Earth Rabbit said. "Want to join my game?"
"Yeah," the leading man said.
"Alright, let me first explain the ru—"
"Just open the door," the leading man said. "Doesn't matter how many 'Dao' it costs. The people behind me will pay up front. You're in luck today, kid—you've run into a rich man."
"Huh?" This time it was the Earth Rabbit's turn to be confused. "Hold on... I can tell you the rules in advance. Don't you want to hear them first?"
"No need for that." The leading man waved his hand and walked straight toward the building behind the Earth Rabbit. "My life motto is 'The cart will find its way around the mountain when it gets there; the boat will straighten itself out when it reaches the bridge.' Let's just go."
"W-What?" The Earth Rabbit looked at the man called Song Qi with confusion.
"Uh..." Song Qi gave a wry smile and shook his head. "That's just how our leader is. Please bear with him."