Chapter 466: The Hexagram
"But as for the rest of you..." Qi Xia said. "I have a very difficult task to assign."
Everyone looked at Qi Xia, quietly waiting for his instructions.
"If I'm not mistaken, this cart is attacked every eight meters on the way to the finish line, and every six meters on the way back." Qi Xia then glanced at Bai Jiu. "Am I right?"
"Right!" Bai Jiu nodded. "That's exactly it."
"So I need your cart to advance to about seven meters... then immediately accelerate to the nine- or ten-meter mark." Qi Xia organized his thoughts and continued, "This task might be a bit challenging for you, but if your goal is to 'survive,' it should still be achievable."
"Understood!" Everyone nodded in unison. "While this task might be difficult for other participants... we are the 'Cats' after all. Leave the teamwork to us."
After this encounter, Qi Xia had gained a general understanding of the 'Cats.'
It seemed that among the 'Cats,' there weren't many powerful 'Echoers.' Compared to the current 'Heaven's Gate,' they were slightly inferior. After all, the 'Echoers' who had revealed themselves in 'Heaven's Gate'—like Zhang Shan, Aunt Tong, Kim Won-hoon, and Yun Yao—were no ordinary people, and their numbers were greater than the 'Cats.'
But the 'Cats' had their own clear advantages: they were more united and fearless, like an army of steel. They only followed Qian Wu's orders and faced death without hesitation.
Everyone took their positions on either side of the cart, while Qiao Jiajin stood in front of it.
"Everyone..." Qiao Jiajin said. "This round might be even worse than you imagine..."
"Brother Qiao, don't say that." Bai Jiu shook his head. "You have no idea how bad our initial expectations were. If it weren't for you, someone would definitely be dead by now."
"But the situation now isn't much better." Qiao Jiajin said. "I might have to go all out to block the balls thrown by the Earth Horse... As for you all..."
"We'll each be responsible for our own lives." Bai Jiu said. "Brother Qi just gave us a strategy. I believe that if we work together... it shouldn't be a big problem."
Qiao Jiajin nodded. "Alright then... I'm trusting you all to watch my back..."
"Don't worry, Brother Qiao!"
Everyone looked at the Earth Horse, then at the three-minute countdown on the wall, and stepped onto this hellish journey.
Qiao Jiajin kept swinging his iron rod, his eyes locked on every move of the Earth Horse as he moved forward.
Everyone stayed a few steps behind Qiao Jiajin. Just as they were about to reach the eight-meter mark, Yun Shijiu quickly moved to the front, and the others pushed the cart forward.
At that moment, various types of 'balls' shot out from the mechanisms on both sides, as if combining all the attributes from the previous six rounds into one.
Ning Shiba did not participate in pushing the cart this time. She stood beside the others, one hand resting on Zhou Liu's shoulder, watching the scene with an anxious expression.
"'Greedy Wolf's' turn... governs 'misfortune and fortune'..." she murmured softly. "What awaits us... 'misfortune' or 'fortune'?"
"Tch..." Zhou Liu's tone was impatient, but worry was written all over her face. "What are you doing? Stop talking. Later, come back with me to find Fifth Brother."
"Sister Liu..." Ning Shiba lowered her head as tears slowly streamed down her face. "How could there be 'fortune' for us here...? What awaits us can only be 'misfortune'..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhou Liu wrapped an arm around Ning Shiba's waist to steady her, her eyes filled with undisguised heartache. "Tch, Little Eighteen, are you dizzy from the pain? What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Sister Liu..." Ning Shiba seemed truly overwhelmed by the pain, barely able to speak without sobbing. "Do you know? I've cast countless hexagrams for us... but... how are we supposed to get out of here?"
"Shut up." Zhou Liu snapped harshly, but then reached out with her other hand to pat Ning Shiba's arm. "It'll be fine, Little Eighteen. We'll all be fine."
After saying that, she turned back and gave Luo Shiyi a meaningful glance.
Luo Shiyi understood immediately. He raised a hand and gently touched Ning Shiba's back. "Little Eighteen, Sister Liu is right. We'll all be fine."
A sensation of 'Forget Sorrow' flowed through her body. Ning Shiba could no longer feel the excruciating pain wracking her entire body. For a moment, regaining normalcy in her body made her feel as if she had already ascended to heaven.
"Sister Liu..." Ning Shiba blinked slowly a few times. "I've cast countless hexagrams for us..."
In the distance, Yun Shijiu stopped the cart at about the ten-meter mark, bringing it to a steady halt. All the mechanisms gradually ceased their attacks.
Qi Xia's strategy this time, though somewhat difficult, was nothing particularly challenging for the 'Cats,' who had executed countless missions together.
Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Earth Horse slowly turned sideways, raised the stone ball above its head, and prepared to throw.
Qiao Jiajin immediately signaled for everyone to take cover behind him, gripping the metal bat with both hands.
If that stone ball was thrown, would they live or die?
The Earth Horse brought the stone ball back behind her head and hurled it forward with a very amateurish motion.
It was at that moment that Qiao Jiajin realized just how naive he had been.
The moment the ball left her hand, it produced a deafening roar, turning into a pitch-black straight line in the air, hurtling fiercely toward the direction behind Qiao Jiajin.
Before Qiao Jiajin could even raise his hands, a sharp crack reached his ears.
Everyone's eyes twitched. They slowly turned around and looked in the direction of Ning Shiba.
Her abdomen had been pierced by the fast-flying stone ball, leaving a perfectly round hole. But her expression remained unchanged; only blood slowly trickled from her mouth.
"I've been casting hexagrams for five years..." Ning Shiba gave a light cough, then turned to Zhou Liu and said, "Sister Liu, I've cast for all of us... but not a single hexagram was anything but 'ominous'... What should we do?"
Blood gushed from her mouth like an open faucet, spraying incessantly.
Zhou Liu's expression was clearly furious beyond measure, but she still gently reached out a trembling hand and placed it on Ning Shiba's pale cheek, speaking softly, "Little Eighteen, no more hexagrams. Let's stop, okay? Just sleep now."
"So tired, Sister Liu..." Ning Shiba slowly leaned her head against Zhou Liu's shoulder and said, "We can't escape..."
Her voice grew fainter and fainter until it faded away completely against Zhou Liu's shoulder.
The expressions of every 'Cat' member on the field changed in that instant. The same thought crossed all their minds...
If they were to kill the Earth Horse here and now, what price would they have to pay?