Chapter 591: Turmoil
"So you've always been this ruthless, kid?" asked the Laying-Down Dog.
"Leader, you flatter me again," the Ground Rat replied with a fake smile. "Compared to you all, I'm definitely a model of mercy. You guys are the real hardcases who deserve to rot in the deepest hell."
"If you keep running your mouth..." The Laying-Down Dog shook his head. "That collar around your neck will never come off. I'm clearly the Earth Dog, yet you have to participate in the games with that collar on. Doesn't it bother you?"
The Ground Rat, who had been putting on a fake smile the whole time, gradually let his expression turn cold upon hearing the Earth Dog's words. He remained silent for a long time.
"Dog, it's precisely because I want to take this collar off that I've exposed myself for the first time in all these years, throwing myself into the storm," the Ground Rat said in a deep voice. "This team is riddled with holes. If there's even the slightest hope of success, I'm afraid we need an exceptionally brilliant strategist."
"Are you talking about yourself?"
"Of course." The Ground Rat nodded. "I don't think I'm any dumber than the other three of us, so I'm the most suitable candidate for team leader."
Upon hearing this, the Earth Dog lowered his voice, leaned in close to the Ground Rat, and whispered, "You probably don't know who the team leader we're selecting will be cooperating with, do you...?"
"Who?" The Ground Rat turned his head to ask. "Isn't it the Loss-Making Tiger?"
"It's the White Sheep," the Earth Dog said very softly. "Are you sure you can measure up to him?"
"Uh..." The Ground Rat paused for a moment. "Let me confirm first—is it *that* White Sheep?"
"How many sheep are there in the Land of the End?!" The Laying-Down Dog frowned. "There are only two above the 'Earth' level, and you're standing right next to the other one."
"Holy shit..." Only then did the Ground Rat realize the gravity of the situation. "I thought it was just the Loss-Making Tiger having a whim to mess things up here... But this is the White Sheep's plan?"
"Now you know." The Earth Dog still wore an indifferent expression. "If it were really just the Loss-Making Tiger calling the shots, how could I have brought you in?"
The Ground Rat was now at a loss: "If that's the case... my petty cleverness is nowhere near good enough for the big stage. Although I don't have much connection with the White Sheep, most of the 'Earth'-level games here were designed with his participation..."
"Yes, that's exactly the problem." The Earth Dog lowered his voice again. "If it were just the Loss-Making Tiger trying to rebel, I would never have joined no matter what. But if this is Brother Sheep's directive, I think the feasibility has greatly increased."
"But didn't the White Sheep get promoted to 'Heaven'?" The Ground Rat still didn't quite understand. "About a month ago, didn't we watch him walk out of the train with our own eyes? How long has it been, and he's already leading a rebellion?"
"Like I told you yesterday..." The Laying-Down Dog shook his head helplessly. "This place probably has no path to ascend to 'Heaven.'"
"You only told me there was no path to 'Heaven' here—you didn't say the White Sheep failed!" The Ground Rat's expression shifted repeatedly. "So what is he now? 'Human' level?"
"He's a 'participant,'" the Earth Dog replied. "He's become the most ordinary 'participant,' and now he's active in the Land of the End. You know, even if he's lost all his memories, he's still who he is—wherever he goes, he attracts a lot of attention..."
"Hold on..." The Ground Rat raised his hand to interrupt the Earth Dog. "What's his name?"
"Qi Xia."
Upon hearing those two words, the Ground Rat was stunned for a moment, then revealed an expression of "I knew it."
"In that case... I have no choice but to get involved in this storm." The Ground Rat slowly stood up and looked toward the four people still fighting in a tangled mess in the distance.
The Black Sheep and the Earth Horse were roughly evenly matched. Although the Earth Horse was physically strong, the Black Sheep was clearly more intelligent. He used various props and weapons to maneuver around the Earth Horse, not falling behind for the moment.
On the other side, the Earth Tiger was obviously not so lucky. The Earth Pig had been at Earth level for decades, while the Earth Tiger had only just taken office. The two were on completely different levels when it came to controlling their bodies.
In the time it took for the Laying-Down Dog and the Overworked Rat to exchange a few words, the Earth Tiger's face was already covered in blood. A piece of flesh on his cheek seemed to have been torn open, and bright red blood stained his fur.
"You bastard..." The Earth Tiger gritted his teeth. "Looks like you really don't plan on leaving today..."
The Earth Pig in front of him was also a bit out of breath. It seemed that fighting the Earth Tiger was much harder than he had imagined.
"Are you really a newly promoted guy...?" the Earth Pig asked. "Or are you just toughing it out? Admit defeat now, and I'll let you die a quick death."
"Toughing it out, my ass?" The Earth Tiger rolled up his sleeves, wiped the blood off his face forcefully, and snorted coldly. "The one person on this whole train who could make me truly submit is already gone. Even if the 'Heavenly Dragon' himself came and stood before me, breaking every bone in my body, I still wouldn't bow!"
"Talking tough won't keep you alive..." The Earth Pig reached up, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and threw it aside.
Seeing this, the Earth Tiger also took off his suit jacket. Both were now down to their shirts, and each took two steps forward.
The next second, the two men, with vastly different physiques, collided. A tremendous sound erupted instantly, like a car crash.
The floor beneath their feet shattered, and the scattered food was blown away by an invisible shockwave.
A collision between "Earth" levels was clearly not an ordinary brawl. If any participant had been inside the room, a single graze would have been fatal.
The Earth Tiger had just been promoted, and the Earth Pig had little knowledge of him. After this exchange, he realized he might have underestimated his opponent.
Although newly promoted, this Earth Tiger had extremely formidable combat abilities. He was probably the strongest Earth-level aside from himself and the Earth Dragon. The most fearsome thing about an Earth-level was if they had received combat training in the real world, and this tall, white-haired Earth Tiger was very likely a professional boxer.
Gritting his teeth, the Earth Pig slammed the Earth Tiger away, then resorted to underhanded tactics—attacking his eyes and groin, using his agile frame to constantly maneuver around the Earth Tiger.
Watching this from the side, the Ground Rat exchanged a glance with the Earth Dog. The Earth Dog nodded and then stood up, walking toward the door.
He reached the doorway, dodging the indiscriminate attacks from the Earth Sheep and the Earth Horse, and then opened the door.
Outside the door, a large crowd of "Zodiacs" had already gathered—both Human-level and Earth-level, a dozen or so in total.
Seeing the door suddenly open, everyone looked a bit uneasy.
"Teacher Earth Dog..." a female Human Snake called out. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"
"Had too much to drink; got into a fight," the Earth Dog replied. "Everyone, please keep it quiet. If this gets to the higher-ups, it'll be a real problem."