Chapter 595: The Groundhog’s Rule
"I guessed it." The Groundhog looked up and said. "His promotion was way too smooth. He had countless achievements, was admired by thousands, and even overshadowed his master. I suspect 'Heavenly Dragon' just used an excuse to completely get rid of him. His existence would undermine the authority of 'Heavenly Dragon's' rule."
"So... do you know what happened between him and Heavenly Dragon?" Black Sheep asked.
"No." The Groundhog replied. "I only know that 'Heavenly Dragon' does whatever the White Sheep says. Isn't that strange enough?"
"Does whatever he says...?"
"White Sheep said to increase the difficulty of the games, so 'Heavenly Dragon' let him design all the new 'Earth-level' games. Have you ever seen any other 'Zodiac' receive such treatment?" The Groundhog thought for a moment, then said, "Wrong... actually... there was one other 'Zodiac' who once designed games for someone else."
After saying this, he looked down at the Earth Horse, his expression indifferent. "You know this better than I do, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, the Earth Horse supported herself with her hands on the ground and slowly stood up, sneering, "Yes, my faith has never been in 'White Sheep,' but in my teacher, 'Golden Monkey.'"
"Golden Monkey?"
"I designed my 'Wooden Oxen and Running Horses' with her help. She ingeniously incorporated the 'Big Dipper' element into the game, giving participants a way out while ensuring they would end up either dead or disabled..."
The young 'Zodiacs' in front of her exchanged glances; none of them remembered anyone by that name.
The Groundhog explained to everyone, "Golden Monkey should have been promoted to 'Heaven' thirty years ago, so it's not strange that you don't know her."
"Promoted to 'Heaven' thirty years ago...?" Several people seemed to realize something and asked in a low voice, "Is that the current 'Heavenly Monkey'?"
"No... Sister Monkey should have gotten out..." The Earth Horse interrupted. "Her goal has always been 'to get out,' so there's no reason for her to become the 'Heavenly Monkey.'"
Black Sheep and Compensating Tiger felt like they were back to square one.
Could the people here who became 'Heaven' actually get out?
And how could they prove that 'Golden Monkey' had escaped, rather than becoming a 'participant' like Qixia?
"So do you know Golden Monkey's original name?" Black Sheep asked. "Have you ever seen her in the 'Land of Finality'?"
"No." The Earth Horse said firmly. "That's why I've never been able to understand your reasons for 'rebelling.' Thirty whole years... In thirty years, I've never seen anyone like Sister Monkey in the 'Land of Finality.' So I can't agree with your ideas, and I will definitely report you."
Looking at her resolute gaze, everyone felt the situation had become a bit tricky.
They had thought the toughest part of this conflict would be dealing with the Groundhog, but it turned out the Earth Horse was the one with ulterior motives. She had instigated the Groundhog to come and make a scene, and now that he had seen through her, she still refused to let them off.
Regardless, this woman was a full-fledged 'Earth-level.' They had no reason to keep her restrained here, nor could they simply kill her. So what now?
Compensating Tiger was frowning with anxiety. Since White Sheep had started inciting the 'Zodiacs' from outside, it was inevitable that rebels like this would learn of the plan. If they couldn't handle her here, the plan, which had only been in effect for two days, would be ruined.
The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds. The Earth Rat reached up and adjusted his tie, then said, "Ladies and gentlemen... would you mind if I said a few words?"
At that moment, no one responded, but they all turned their attention to him.
"Please don't mind me. I'm just a bit confused." The Earth Rat gave a fake smile. "Leader Ma, who exactly do you want to report us to? And what would you be reporting?"
"To 'Heavenly Dragon,' of course, that you're rebelling!" The Earth Horse laughed angrily. "Now that I know about such a big thing, do you expect me to keep it a secret for you?!"
"Please don't get upset." The Earth Rat quickly bowed and scraped with an apologetic smile. "Leader, calm down. I've heard that getting angry can cause ankle pain."
"You...!"
Though he was saying "calm down," that one sentence nearly infuriated the Earth Horse to death.
"Leader, I've been thinking, there are really a lot of troubles on this 'train' every day." The Earth Rat put his hands in his pockets. "'Heavenly Dragon' should also know that even though each of us 'Earth-levels' respects our superiors, deep down we all secretly wish they would suddenly drop dead one day. Otherwise, how would any of us get to 'Heaven'?"
"I don't understand. Say it directly." The Earth Horse snorted coldly.
"Well, with your permission, I'll speak plainly." The Earth Rat chuckled. "You keep saying we're 'rebelling,' but at best, we just want our superiors to die. What do you think 'Heavenly Dragon' would do if he found out? Throw a huge tantrum... or just let it slide?"
Upon hearing this, the Earth Horse furrowed her brow and was momentarily speechless.
"You probably wanted to use 'rebellion' to threaten us. I fully understand that." The Earth Rat nodded. "But I'm sorry to say, this time it seems nothing will threaten us. Have you ever worked in the corporate world? Think about it carefully. Usually, when a low-level employee wants to replace a middle manager, what's the boss's attitude?"
The Earth Rat hit the nail on the head, and the Earth Horse's expression turned particularly ugly. Her heavily lipsticked lips seemed to tremble.
"If you won't say it, I'll say it for you—the boss definitely encourages the low-level employee." The Earth Rat grinned cheerfully, showing his rodent teeth. "This kind of opportunity not only motivates the junior staff but also increases the middle manager's sense of crisis. It creates internal competition in the entire company, and the boss enjoys the fruits of it. Isn't that how it works?"
Watching the Earth Rat vividly describe the corporate workflow to the Earth Horse, everyone's opinion of him changed slightly. He might not seem reliable, but he had a sharp mind when it counted.
After a long pause, the Earth Horse sighed. "There are too many of you. I can't outtalk you."
"Leader, don't be modest. Even if we have more people, only I'm speaking." The Earth Rat gave a slight nod to the Earth Horse. "If you can outtalk me, feel free to do so."
"I can't be bothered." The Earth Horse snorted, turned around, and limped to the door, apparently about to leave.
Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed this ticking time bomb had been defused.
"Leaving, Leader? Not threatening us anymore?" The Earth Rat called out after her, kicking her while she was down.
"Scram." The Earth Horse replied irritably.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave..." The Earth Rat's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Since you're not threatening us anymore, I'm going to start threatening you."