Chapter 532: According to the Plan
"Let's not talk about this anymore... When does the 'Pegasus Moment' start?" Qi Xia snapped back to reality and asked.
"It's still morning. It should begin around noon," Qian Wu replied. "We need to pack our bags and be ready at the gate. After all, when the 'Pegasus Moment' arrives, most of us will scatter and flee. No one knows where we'll end up."
"I see..." Qi Xia propped his forehead with his hand and slowly got out of bed. Although it looked like he had slept through the night, his expression was full of exhaustion.
"Are you okay?" Chen Junnan asked with a frown. "Old Qi... any of us can die, but you can't... If you die, we're in serious trouble."
"I'll try not to die..." Qi Xia shook his head. "But my brain has been feeling strange lately."
"Don't overthink it," Qian Wu said. "Everyone, I'm going to gather all the members of the 'Cat' team now. We'll follow the original plan. I'll first try to organize everyone to kill the 'Pegasus' together. If I fail, there's no need for you to come back. Just flee for your lives. We'll meet again in five days."
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt his mind gradually clearing, as if he could finally think normally.
"Qian Wu... something doesn't seem right..." Qi Xia grabbed his hair, enduring the headache, and said, "I keep feeling that the plan to kill the 'Pegasus' is strange..."
"After all, no one has ever tried it before," Qian Wu sighed. "In all my years at the 'End of the Land,' this is the first time I've felt what it's like to have an uncertain future. I don't know which way to go next, nor do I know if I'll have another cycle."
"Maybe you should just flee too..." Qi Xia said. "I think we need to discuss this more carefully..."
"I've been running long enough," Qian Wu replied. "Now that all of you powerful people are gathered together, it's time for me to make the real decision for the 'Cat' team. This time, we'll take aim at the 'Pegasus.' Regardless of the outcome, the next target will be the 'Black Tortoise.'"
Qi Xia stood up and grabbed Qian Wu's arm.
"That's not right... Qian Wu." Qi Xia clutched his hair and said, "According to the rules of the 'End of the Land,' the 'Pegasus Moment' is the 'Pegasus's' game. If you try to kill the referee during the game, the 'Black Tortoise' will appear immediately."
"Then I'll already be dead," Qian Wu said. "Just like when I killed the Centaur in the initial room back then—once the 'killer' is dead, even if the 'enforcer' appears, there's nothing they can do. A dead person should be the safest."
Although Qian Wu's words seemed flawless, Qi Xia couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
Would a rare "Heavenly Level" enemy be treated the same as a "Human Level" one?
Everyone packed their belongings, each carrying a tattered backpack, and gathered on the prison's exercise yard. Qian Wu exchanged a few words with each person. Fortunately, most of the "Cat" team members who hadn't "Echoed" the previous day had now achieved "Echo" in the confinement rooms. Only Bai Jiu, who had the "Liquefaction" ability, and a few interns were still in an ordinary state.
But according to Qian Wu, Bai Jiu's "Echo trigger" was "physical and mental exhaustion." Even if she hadn't attained "Echo" yet, there was a high probability she would awaken while desperately fleeing during the "Pegasus Moment."
After giving his instructions, Qian Wu had everyone hide in the concealed areas of the exercise yard, to avoid the "Pegasus" seeing them standing ready when it appeared, which could cause complications during the "kill."
Qi Xia looked up at the sun in the sky, noticing it was about to reach its zenith.
"The 'Pegasus Moment' is triggered at noon..." Qi Xia thought for a moment and came to a simple conclusion. "Because it's the 'Noon Horse,' the 'Pegasus Moment' should refer to the 'Noon Hour'—between 11:00 and 13:00, a full two hours."
After reaching this conclusion, Qi Xia felt a sense of danger.
From previous conversations between Chen Junnan and Qian Wu, it was mentioned that the 'Pegasus Moment' lasted about one to two hours, meaning his guess was likely correct.
A normal person would have to keep running for one to two hours. If they stopped, they would die. Thinking about it this way, the death rate for "participants" was extremely high.
It was now noon on the fifth day. Most "participants" had no idea the 'Pegasus Moment' was about to descend. Once they started fleeing, even if they could run continuously for two hours, they would eventually become unable to move due to dehydration or exhaustion.
What's more, there would still be a considerable number of people playing games inside the "game grounds" at this moment. They would die instantly, with no chance to escape at all.
"What an unreasonable 'hour,'" Qi Xia said.
As soon as he finished speaking, two figures turned the corner of a distant street—one old, one young. From afar, they were clearly the "Pegasus" and the "Tiger."
The "Pegasus," appearing ancient and frail, shuffled forward with unsteady steps, yet each stride covered four or five meters. It pulled the small "Tiger" along as it rapidly advanced toward the prison.
"They're here," Qi Xia said.
Qian Wu nodded and looked back at everyone one last time. "Everyone, I'll see you in five days."
All members of the "Cat" team silently saluted Qian Wu with their eyes, watching him walk out of the prison step by step.
At that moment, Luo Shiyi and Qiu Ershi exchanged glances and each tucked a dagger into their belts.
"Everyone, goodbye." Luo Shiyi said softly to the group, then followed Qian Wu out of the prison.
"Hey... 'Doesn't Know Pain,' 'Trickster Kid'..." Qiao Jiajing was startled. "You two...?"
"We have a mission. We can't join you in the joyful run this time," Qiu Ershi said with a smile. "Brother Qiao, let's meet again if fate allows."
Qiu Ershi nodded to everyone and followed Luo Shiyi out.
"Good luck!" Qiao Jiajing called out. "'Doesn't Know Pain,' 'Trickster Kid,' you'll definitely make it."
After three steps, Luo Shiyi stopped and turned back to look at Qiao Jiajing. "Hey, you said you would remember me. Who am I?"
Only then did Qiao Jiajing realize he had misspoken. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, you're not 'Doesn't Know Pain.' You're 'Forget Sorrow.'"
"That's right." Luo Shiyi waved to everyone, then resolutely walked out the gate with Qiu Ershi.
Qi Xia's heartbeat quickened. The Luo Shiyi before him and the man named Qiu Ershi both seemed like capable team members. If his guess was correct, their mission this time wasn't to "kill the Pegasus" but to find a way to "kill Qian Wu."
Whether their mission succeeded or not, they definitely wouldn't be coming back.
After all, the "Pegasus" still had the "Tiger" by its side.
Even if that child looked at most four or five years old, it still bore the title of "Tiger," and was definitely not someone ordinary could handle.