Chapter 590: Each with Their Own Hidden Agenda
"I didn't make a move earlier because I really didn't have a good reason, but now it's different."
Earth Boar strode in with an arrogant expression, followed closely by the tall Earth Horse behind him.
"Then tell me..." Earth Goat asked with a cold smile. "What was the reason for that kick just now?"
"Because you're about to 'rebel,'" Earth Boar chuckled lightly. "I couldn't be sure if it was just me, but I didn't expect Earth Horse to say the same thing."
"Oh...?" The expressions of the four people in the room turned somewhat unnatural.
"Recently, there's been a batch of strange participants..." Earth Boar took a step forward. "They seem to be mobilizing the 'zodiacs' to rebel in multiple games... Isn't that high treason?"
Upon hearing this, Earth Goat became even more certain that Earth Tiger was telling the truth.
That man named Qi Xia really seemed to have started taking action. There was a very high probability that he was Brother Goat himself.
If that was the case, he needed to reassess the current battlefield situation.
"Lying Dog" saw the hostile intent and asked with an unchanged expression, "Isn't this the domineering Brother Boar? Which eye of yours saw us rebelling?"
"I only need a suspicion," Earth Boar said, tilting his head up to look at the tall group before him, then laughed. "Now I'll round you all up and bring you before Heaven Snake to let him see clearly."
Earth Tiger stepped forward and blocked Earth Boar's path. "Dwarf, you stop right there."
"What did you call me...?" Earth Boar's eyes instantly widened.
"Damn it, you little shorty, I've been putting up with you for way too long. Does being a boar for a long time make you something special?" Earth Tiger asked viciously. "With Brother Goat gone, even a short-legged pig like you can throw your weight around. What gives you the right?"
Earth Goat frowned and also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Earth Tiger.
Thinking about it now, the chances of "Lying Dog" and "Corporate Rat" behind them joining the fight were likely very low. At best, it would be a two-on-two situation.
But these two had been "Earth-level" for decades, with combat and killing experience far exceeding theirs. If a real fight broke out, the consequences would be unpredictable.
"I hate it more than anything when people call me short..." Earth Boar showed a fierce expression, even baring his tusks.
"Short! Damn it, you're really short!" Earth Tiger laughed angrily. "Back in my hometown, we say people who don't grow tall have too many schemes weighing them down. How many damn schemes do you have in that head of yours?"
Earth Boar didn't waste any more words. He leaped on the spot and kicked out. Earth Tiger's expression shifted drastically as he raised one hand to block while punching out with the other.
After blocking each other's attacks, both were sent flying backward. Earth Boar quickly stabilized himself, only cracking the floor extensively.
Earth Tiger, expressionless, crashed into the cabinet behind him, shattering it to pieces.
Without hesitation, both tiger and boar steadied themselves and charged forward again.
Earth Goat frowned and quickly went to close the door. Just as he turned to join the fight, Earth Horse was already blocking his path.
"Little black goat, you'd better listen to Brother Boar," Earth Horse said, her heavily lipsticked mouth curling into a smile. "He's very close to 'Heaven-level.' You rebels are just the medals for his promotion. If you surrender and admit defeat now, maybe after he becomes 'Heaven-level,' he'll go easy on you?"
"Ridiculous," Earth Goat sneered. "I didn't expect that even as an 'Earth-level,' you'd still have such childish logical flaws. Even if he really becomes 'Heaven-level,' we'll already be dead by then. What difference does it make whether he lets us off or not?"
"I'm just giving you an out. Take it or leave it," Earth Horse said with a fake smile. "Brother Boar has already been generous enough not to report you to the higher-ups. He's here to take you in personally. Don't be ungrateful."
"Haha!" Earth Goat burst out laughing. "That's only because he has no proof! If he falsely accused us, he'd be the one in trouble. What nonsense are you spewing?"
Earth Horse's expression gradually turned to anger. Without another word, she took a large step forward and swung a punch at Earth Goat.
Earth Goat ducked to dodge the blow, then stomped hard on a loose floorboard. The other end of the board flipped up and slammed into Earth Horse's chin, shattering on impact.
Seeing this, Earth Goat quickly lunged forward, grabbed a few broken planks mid-air, and aimed them at Earth Horse's eyes as she was momentarily dazed.
Earth Horse reacted and raised her knee, striking Earth Goat in the chest. As he was sent flying, Earth Goat hurled the wooden planks, slicing Earth Horse's face.
In the blink of an eye, both sides had sustained injuries, and the situation was deadlocked.
"Lying Dog" picked up a plate from the floor, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, tossed them into the plate, then dragged a chair over to the wall and sat down. He started cracking seeds while watching the four fight.
"Corporate Rat" also moved his chair over, and the two sat quietly eating melon seeds, as if watching a close-up movie.
"So what's the deal?" "Lying Dog" asked. "Has this plan started or has it already fallen through?"
"Isn't that simple?" "Corporate Rat" smiled. "Boss, you're usually so deep in thought. Why ask such a stupid question now? How rude."
"You're not stupid. So tell me, what's our position in this fight?"
"I'd recommend the 'fence-sitter' position for you," Earth Rat said, covering his mouth with a laugh. "If that 'Money-Losing Tiger' and 'Black-Bellied Goat' get knocked down, we'll step in and land a few kicks. Even if we don't kill them, we'll cripple them for life. But if it's the 'Short-Legged Boar' and 'Tall Horse' who get knocked down..."
"Is that even possible...?" "Lying Dog" asked back. "Who is Earth Boar? Since White Goat left, he's been the boss under Earth Dragon. How many people can take him down?"
"What if, just maybe..." Earth Rat grabbed another handful of melon seeds. "Even if these hundreds of seeds taste great, you'll always find a bad one... No matter how strong Earth Boar and Earth Horse are, they're bound to run into a tough opponent sooner or later."
"So what's your plan?"
"If it's the 'Short-Legged Boar' and 'Tall Horse' who get knocked down..." Earth Rat smiled slightly. "Then we can kill them both outright and pin the rebellion charge on them... Heh heh..."
"What...?" Earth Dog squinted at Earth Rat, sensing a very interesting line of thought.
"As long as we avoid Heaven Snake, we can say whatever we want," Earth Rat winked at Earth Dog. "How many Earth-level 'zodiacs' are there in total? If the four of us, who have no real connection, all insist that Earth Boar rebelled, how would he ever turn things around?"