Chapter 504: The Beating Brain
"Mm..." Chen Junnan's words were cut short, and he slowly furrowed his brow.
It seemed that "rebellion" was a major issue among the "Zodiacs." If they agreed outright, they would definitely be monitored, so they needed a more subtle way to express their stance.
But what other subtle method could he think of?
At that moment, a cold voice gradually echoed in Chen Junnan's ears: "I suspect I've planted a 'needle' among the 'Zodiacs.'"
That's right, Old Qi had already paved the way. Now all they had to do was go with the flow.
"I want you to find the 'needle,'" Chen Junnan said.
"The 'needle'...?"
"Yeah." Chen Junnan nodded thoughtfully. "Go back tonight and focus on recovering, but I need you to scope out whether there's been any unusual activity among the other 'Zodiacs.' Then, infiltrate them and get a sense of the situation."
Chen Junnan knew that besides his own team, the other groups were also trying their best to conquer the "Zodiacs." Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin's abilities during the games were at least as strong as his, if not stronger. So they must have taken down some "Zodiac" of their own.
Now, he didn't need to win over this fat rabbit. He just needed to let him go with the flow.
"Other 'Zodiacs'...?" Earth Rabbit caught the key point keenly from those words. "What kind of organization are you people? Are you rallying others besides me?"
Chen Junnan chuckled and shook his head. "Big Brother Rabbit, don't ask. The more you ask, the faster you die. Just do as I say. We'll pass on this 'Dao' this time. You can keep it for yourself."
Chen Junnan turned around, waved at the others, and hoisted Xiao Jiangshi onto his back.
Cui Shisi carried Jiang Shi's head, Ma Shier and Wu Shisan supported Song Qi, and everyone silently pushed open the door and left, completely exiting Earth Rabbit's game venue.
Earth Rabbit was silent for a long time before looking up at the corner of the ceiling. He slowly frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
...
The teams of Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin had been waiting outside the building for a while, but the game Qian Wu had entered was a bit strange.
After everyone entered the room, the door had been locked, and there was still no sign of it opening. They couldn't help in any way and couldn't see what was happening inside. They could only hope that Qian Wu would finish the game soon and come out to treat the wounded.
"What's taking so long...?" Qi Xia furrowed his brow as he looked at the towering building before him. He didn't even know which "Zodiac" Qian Wu was up against, so he couldn't offer any strategic advice.
However, from a while ago, he had been hearing bells ringing intermittently.
But when he thought about it, the person capable of leading the entire "Cat Team" was certainly no ordinary figure. Just by observing the state of the Cat Team members, one could get a rough idea.
"Speaking of..." Bai Jiu, with her petite figure and pigtails, looked at Qi Xia's team and asked with some confusion, "You guys really took on an Earth-level game and came out completely unscathed?"
"Sheer luck," Qi Xia replied. "The game we played didn't require fighting—just thinking."
"Sheer luck...?" Bai Jiu gave a bitter smile. "Earth-level games where everyone survives are really rare... It's hard to believe it's just luck."
Qi Xia looked expressionlessly at the petite girl in front of him and said quietly, "Don't lose heart. If I had led my team into 'Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses,' our casualties would probably be about the same as yours."
"About the same as ours...?"
Bai Jiu shook her head. First, she looked at Qiao Jiajin, who was the most seriously injured, then at the others who were also hurt. Their team had seven people participating in this game—one dead, five wounded. Things couldn't get any worse.
If Qi Xia hadn't arrived in time, this team might have been completely wiped out by that ruthless Earth Horse.
She wondered what kind of leader that guy named Chen Junnan was...
Would he lead his team out unscathed, or would they all end up wounded?
Noticing Bai Jiu spacing out, Qi Xia asked softly, "Who's in Qian Wu's team?"
"Oh..." Bai Jiu turned around and gave a sweet smile. "Fifth Brother's team includes Officer Li—that's the newly joined Fourth Brother—and a few interns."
"Interns?" Qi Xia was taken aback. "You have interns too?"
"Of course," Bai Jiu nodded. "If a senior member vouches for someone, they don't really need to intern. But we do have some talents we've dug up from all corners of the 'Land of the End.' Some don't have strong convictions, and others have trouble 'Echoing.' Since we're not sure they can become long-term members of the 'Cats,' they haven't been officially inducted yet. There are four of them in total."
"So Qian Wu's team also has six people," Qi Xia said after a moment of thought. "Is Qian Wu experienced in participating in games?"
"At least more than us," Bai Jiu said with a chuckle. "We really haven't participated in games for a long time. Even when we do, we don't exactly plan on winning. We try to pick games that don't pose much threat, and as long as we can trigger an 'Echo,' we'll drop out midway."
Qi Xia wasn't interested in the Cat Team's daily activities. He walked over to where Qiao Jiajin was lying, frowned, and examined his injuries.
At this moment, Qiao Jiajin's life was hanging by a thread. The fragments of the exploding ice ball that had been lodged in his body had now melted, and he had no idea where he was injured.
Suddenly, Qi Xia felt a splitting headache. Some fragmented memories flickered in his mind.
He felt like he had seen scenes like this many times before—teammates injured, severely wounded, dying, or completely dead.
Every time he tried to grasp those tiny images, his head felt like it was about to explode, blocking his thoughts.
"What am I..." Qi Xia gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain in his skull, and cautiously tried to recall those fragments of memory.
But he gradually realized it was like punching the air—all his efforts were futile. The more he tried to remember, the more blank his mind became. It was as if all the bones had been extracted from his body, replaced by a deep sense of despair.
Although he hadn't remembered anything, Qi Xia felt his brain was already filled with despair.
"What happened...?" Qi Xia rubbed his temples, feeling that something was very wrong with his brain.
He was like a lucid machine. When thinking about many things, his brain was unusually active and never stalled. But whenever it came to memories of his teammates and the past, his brain shifted into a different state.
He couldn't recall even the smallest details, as if his memories had been drained away.
Qi Xia slowly moved his left hand, threading his fingers through his messy hair, and touched the left side of his skull where the pain was most intense. He could even feel his brain pulsing slowly through his skull.
Had his brain always been beating like this?
It was like a strong, steady pulse. When he thought about certain things, it would throb and thump wildly, ruthlessly interrupting all his trains of thought.
For example... who exactly was he?
For example... where was Yu Nian'an?
Qi Xia stroked his head, which was beating like a living creature.
He felt like something was growing inside his brain.