# Chapter 507: Preparing for Battle
"Astrologer Girl...?" Qiao Jiajin lowered his head silently. "Astrologer Girl, she..."
Qiao Jiajin's words caught in his throat, and the surrounding members of the "Cat" squad also wore mournful expressions.
"She did well." Qian Wu was certainly no fool and immediately raised his hand to cut off the discussion. "Although I wasn't there, I know that Ning Shiba did everything she could to help everyone. I look forward to her return next time."
The members of the "Cat" squad had naturally experienced countless scenes like this before, and no one fell into grief.
Qian Wu collected himself and asked Bai Jiu, "With so many bell tolls just now, how are everyone's 'Echoes' coming along?"
Qian Wu took a moment to understand the current situation from everyone. Aside from the team leader, all members of Qi Xia's team had achieved their "Echoes."
As for Qiao Jiajin's team of seven, apart from those who had already Echoed—Ning Shiba with "Overgrowth," Yun Shijiu with "Silence," and Qiu Ershi with "Gale"—only Qiao Jiajin himself had obtained his Echo.
For the remaining members—Bai Jiu, Luo Shiwu, Feng Shioi, and others—their "Echo Triggers" were mostly things like "physical and mental exhaustion," "hunger," or "fear of the dark." Compared to others, these should be relatively easy to trigger. If they locked these three in separate dark rooms tonight and prevented them from sleeping, everyone should have their Echoes by tomorrow morning.
"What about your team?" Qi Xia asked Qian Wu. "Have you all Echoed?"
"No." Qian Wu shook his head. "I'm limited in skill, none of the interns have Echoed yet, but..."
He turned and gave Officer Li a meaningful glance. Officer Li nodded and walked over.
"Qi Xia, I've already Echoed."
Officer Li's statement made both Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin freeze for a moment.
"You...?" Qi Xia looked Officer Li up and down, noticing he didn't even have a single scratch on him. "What's this...? Isn't your 'Echo Trigger' supposed to be 'near death'?"
As soon as Qi Xia said that, he realized something... Could it be that because he was in Qian Wu's team, Officer Li could recover from a near-death state back to full health?
"We were all wrong..." Officer Li shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even I thought my 'Echo Trigger' was 'near death'... but that's not actually the case."
"What?"
Hearing this, Qian Wu turned to Qi Xia and said, "It's indeed easy to misunderstand. Only those who've spent enough time with Li Si would know... his 'Trigger,' while not 'near death,' is inextricably linked to it."
Qi Xia frowned upon hearing this. He had been present both times Officer Li had faced death. He pondered briefly over the two near-death experiences, wondering if there was some other commonality besides "near death" in both situations.
It couldn't be "losing his right hand"... could it?
Qi Xia lowered his head in recollection, and within just a few seconds, the answer surfaced.
Both times Officer Li was on the verge of death, he had said the same exact words—
"Qi Xia, if I die, it's my atonement."
The moment he said those words, his expression would instantly relax, the shadows lifting from his face, and the "bell toll" would follow.
That was his true "Echo Trigger."
"Officer Li needs to let go of the burden in his heart..." Qi Xia said softly. "Every time before, you let go of that burden at the moment of death... making us mistakenly believe your 'Trigger' was 'near death'..."
"That's right..." Officer Li nodded. "If it weren't for Qian Wu, I might never have realized that my true way of achieving Echo was this simple..."
Qi Xia nodded, knowing this was a good thing. Officer Li shared the same Echo as "Black Tortoise," and if developed, he would certainly be a powerful combatant.
As the group was conversing, an unusually small figure emerged from a nearby building. Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin both turned to look. The one coming out was a short Boar zodiac.
"Shapeshifter, walking so fast, are you rushing to your death seeking reincarnation...? Don't you want the 'Way' anymore?"
A cold, gloomy voice emanated from his diminutive body, filled with impatience.
Without waiting for anyone to respond, the Boar casually tossed a cloth bundle into the air.
Qian Wu watched the bundle flying toward him without moving an inch. In the next second, Luo Shiyi leaped high and caught it in his hand.
"Talking to our Fifth Brother like that—what do you think you are?" Luo Shiyi weighed the bundle in his hand, putting on an arrogant expression.
"Oh...?"
The Boar stepped forward, standing in front of Luo Shiyi. He was a full head shorter than Luo Shiyi, but his aura was terrifying.
"And just what do you think you are...?" the Boar sneered coldly. "A toad jumping onto the back of my foot, trying to disgust me?"
"I jumped—what are you going to do about it?" Luo Shiyi tossed the bundle back to Bai Jiu, his tone unyielding. "I'll not only jump onto the back of your foot, I'll cripple one of your legs. You going to let me?"
"Heh..." The Boar was clearly angered by Luo Shiyi. He suddenly reached out and shoved Luo Shiyi to the ground. "What makes you think you have the right to mouth off to me? Even if I can't kill you, I can still beat you, can't I?"
"Damn it..."
Luo Shiyi had just gotten up from the ground, about to curse back, when Zhou Liu stepped forward and stood between the two. "Tsk, shorty, does pushing someone down give you a sense of accomplishment?"
"Yes." The Boar nodded. "Seeing how frail and pathetic you all are just makes me want to laugh."
Beside them, Qiu Ershi of "Gale" also stepped forward. He reached out and pulled Luo Shiyi up, then stood shoulder to shoulder with the other two. "Laugh? With a pig face like yours, you still have the nerve to laugh? How dare you talk to my Sixth Sister and Eleventh Brother like that?"
The few people on scene who looked the most arrogant now stood squared off against each other, creating a tense atmosphere that made everyone else shake their heads helplessly.
"That's enough." Qian Wu's calm but authoritative voice came softly. "Everyone, come over and listen to my arrangements."
The three who had been bickering with the Boar immediately restrained their expressions somewhat. In unison, they spat on the ground near the Boar's feet, then turned and walked back to Qian Wu's side. Only Qi Xia remained where he was, sizing up this short zodiac beast from a distance.
"Everyone." Qian Wu spoke in a low voice. "Tomorrow's 'Pegasus Hour' is crucial. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we will all escape the prison around noon and scatter into unfamiliar territory. Therefore, brothers who have already Echoed should go prepare enough food and drink for two days. Pack them in small portions and distribute them tonight—that includes the new brothers and the interns. Wang Ba, take your men to handle this."
"Got it, Fifth Brother." Wang Ba, with his round face, nodded. "Don't worry about the food. Even if we only have one grain of rice, I'll magnify it a thousand times."
"Ten thousand times," Qian Wu said.
"Alright!" Wang Ba agreed, then turned and called for Luo Shiyi, Qiu Shiliu, Yun Shijiu, Qiu Ershi, and the interns. After exchanging greetings with Qian Wu, Qi Xia, and Qiao Jiajin, they took their leave.
Qian Wu then looked at the remaining team members who hadn't yet Echoed and waved them over. "You few, go lock yourselves in confinement. If you haven't Echoed by daybreak, you'll die in that confinement room."
"Understood!"
Now, almost all the members of the "Cat" squad had left. Only Qian Wu, Zhou Liu, Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Officer Li remained.
"No way...?" Qi Xia looked at Qian Wu with a serious expression. "Are you planning to...?"
"That's right." Qian Wu nodded. "We still have half a day left. Qi Xia, what is your 'Echo Trigger'?"