Chapter 598: A Flash in the Pan
Everyone felt puzzled. The Earth Pig, who usually wore a cocky look on his face and seemed completely ignorant of how to get along with others, turned out to be a cringey chuunibyou teenager.
"I originally thought you guys were the team of weak links, but now it looks like each of you is fated in some obscure way!" Earth Pig nodded. "I have a lot of information you don't know, and you have a meticulous plan. If we really join forces... I mean really join forces... the consequences would be unimaginable."
"Is that how you use 'unimaginable'?" Black Sheep felt something was off.
"So, what's your plan...?" Earth Pig asked as if he hadn't heard a thing. "This matter is way too big. When do we start?"
Everyone turned their gazes toward Money-Losing Tiger, since he was the first to propose the rebellion.
"Plan...?" Earth Tiger blinked, then braced himself and said, "I-I do have a plan. We just kick the door down, yell 'Heavenly Level, come out and die,' and that should just about do it."
His words plunged all the Earth Level Zodiacs in the room into silence.
"Your leadership is really something..." Earth Rat gave an awkward smile. "That plan sounds fresh to me. Is it called 'No Plan' by any chance?"
"I really haven't thought it through," Earth Tiger said. "I haven't even figured out how many people I can gather. How could I have a solid plan?"
This time, the group not only fell silent but their faces went rigid.
"Can I kill him now?" Black Sheep asked. "Right now. I can't take it anymore."
"Hey! Old Black, don't be like that!" Earth Tiger said with a grin. "More people mean more strength. Discussing a big plan together is the right direction. You can't expect me to handle something this huge all by myself, can you?"
"I'll kill you first," Black Sheep said flatly. "I get the feeling this plan would work just fine without you."
"How can you be so heartless?" Earth Tiger turned to look at the other Zodiacs. "Do you all feel the same way?"
"Boss, if you put it that way, this fence-sitter is about to jump ship right now." Earth Rat gave a fake smile. "You folks seem decent enough, so I won't rat you out for now. Let's just call it quits here."
"Don't do that!"
The atmosphere hit a deadlock. Lying Flat Dog put both hands behind his head and said lazily, "How about we start by introducing ourselves?"
"Huh?" Earth Tiger was taken aback. "That formal?"
"We're already grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Isn't it weird not even knowing who the other guy is?"
"Fine, fine, fine!" Earth Tiger nodded quickly. "I'll go first. I'm Earth Tiger."
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"What?" Earth Tiger asked, confused.
"Then what?!" they all said in unison.
"That's it!" Earth Tiger seemed a bit puzzled. "What else is there? I can't tell you my real name, and I can't show you my face. Isn't that all the info there is?"
After thinking it over, he felt something was off and added, "Oh, right, how about I tell you about my game? Brother Sheep designed it for me. No brainpower needed, perfect for me. If you've got time, I can go into detail."
Black Sheep turned to Earth Dog beside him and asked, "Can I kill him now? Like, right now?"
"Ah, enough, enough, enough." Earth Dog felt a headache coming on. "I never thought my off-duty hours would be this stressful."
"What's there to stress about?" Earth Tiger asked. "Introductions are great! They build camaraderie. Who's next?"
No one felt like dealing with him. An Earth Level self-introduction was basically just "I'm Earth Tiger"—what was the point of introducing yourselves like that?
"Boring. I'm heading back." Earth Dog got up and walked toward the door. "This plan doesn't look like it's going anywhere. Might as well go catch some sleep."
"Ah?"
Earth Tiger watched the departing Lying Flat Dog, but before he could say anything, Black Sheep also stood up.
"I'm leaving too," he said with a sigh. "If I stay here any longer, I'm afraid I'll kill you."
"Hey?!"
Without another word, the two of them opened the door and left. The onlookers outside had already dispersed sometime earlier.
Earth Rat covered his mouth with a snicker. "Since that's the case... we'll take off too. Let's call it here."
"Why is everyone leaving...?" Earth Tiger looked at the three departing figures with a hurt expression, at a loss. "I'll go get us some drinks later. Can't you stay?"
No one stopped. The only sound was the fading footsteps of leather shoes on the corridor.
Back in the room, the three remaining people stared at each other.
Earth Tiger looked at the rabbit before him, who was about as burly as he was. Neither knew the other, and the silence was awkward. But at least the rabbit seemed relatively steady in temperament, showing no expression for now.
"Uh... buddy... you..." Earth Tiger scratched his head, not knowing how to start. "How about we grab a drink?"
"Er..." Earth Rabbit hesitated for a long time before finally showing an awkward expression. "Maybe I should head back too. I'm covered in injuries—there's no way I'm staying up all night drinking here..."
"Ah? We don't have to drink, it's okay..." Earth Tiger seemed to be trying his hardest to keep him there. He quickly grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the floor. "How about we just chat? Want some seeds?"
"Ah, no, no..." Earth Rabbit waved his hand politely. "Let's leave it at that. It's too late today. Some other time."
Watching Earth Rabbit almost flee out the door, Earth Tiger's face showed a hint of disappointment. The only person still standing in the room was Earth Pig, the one who had injured his knee earlier.
"Big Tiger, you okay?" Earth Pig asked.
"I'm fine, Little Pig." Earth Tiger shook his head. "I never thought the only ones left rebelling would be us two... But I still have confidence. As long as someone's with me, I can definitely..."
"I have to go too," Earth Pig said. "I've got a bunch of students waiting for me to give them a lecture back there."
"Huh?"
"But today was really fruitful." Earth Pig curled his lips into a smile. "Whenever you manage to gather that group again, I'll come back."
Earth Tiger silently lowered his head. What ability did he even have to bring these diverse Earth Levels back together?
Seeing Earth Tiger's dejection, Earth Pig extended his fist and held it in front of his face.
"What's this?" Earth Tiger asked.
"This is our pact." Earth Pig smiled. "Bump fists, and we're agreed. We'll carry this promise forward."
Earth Tiger looked at him, a bit dazed, then stuck out his own massive fist and gave it a perfunctory bump.
After Earth Pig left, Earth Tiger sat down on the floor silently, his mood exceptionally low.
He knew that all day long, White Sheep had been out there tirelessly rallying various "Zodiacs." Seven of them had gathered together—a rare golden opportunity. And yet, he had botched it.