Chapter 604: The Flock
“What do you want me to do?” Chen Junnan asked again.
The groundhog didn’t answer, just smiled and asked, “Two leaders, do you believe that I’m on the same side as Qi Xia?”
Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brows, feeling that the man in front of him was not to be trusted, but he said nothing—only turned his head to look at Chen Junnan.
Chen Junnan squinted his eyes as well, his playful expression vanishing entirely, replaced by nothing but caution.
“You’ve seen Old Qi?” Chen Junnan asked.
“Yes, that leader just participated in my game yesterday,” the groundhog said with a smile. “He’s truly a very capable man. I admire him.”
“But aren’t you bullshitting me?” Chen Junnan’s expression turned cold in an instant. “If you were an old acquaintance of mine, how the fuck could you not know Old Qi?”
“Oh…?” The groundhog reached up and stroked his beard. “But… you are you, and he is he. Why must I know him just because I know you?”
Chen Junnan knew the groundhog in front of him was no simple man, but his words were indeed hard to believe.
“You should have met me seven years ago, right? At that time, there’s no way I was separated from Old Qi. We came out of the same room. Even if I don’t have any memories, I know he’s not my enemy.”
Hearing this, the groundhog slowly walked over to the radio and twisted the knob, making the music in the room even louder.
“What the hell are you trying to do?” Chen Junnan felt something was off.
The groundhog slowly turned his head back, looking at Chen Junnan with a complicated expression, then glanced at Qiao Jiajin. It seemed he had something to say, but he was also wary of something.
“Speak up, damn it.” Chen Junnan stepped forward and stood beside the groundhog, his expression tense.
The groundhog didn’t answer. He looked at Qiao Jiajin and asked, “And this is?”
“Heh…” Chen Junnan’s expression instantly turned icy. “Impressive. You don’t even know Old Qiao? What kind of old acquaintance are we supposed to be?”
The groundhog shook his head helplessly and called out, “Chen Junnan, Chen Junnan.”
“You…”
“Could there be such a possibility…?” The groundhog’s expression also became extremely serious. “Could it be that someone has been lying…? Are you and Qi Xia really people who came out of the same room?”
After these words, though the music in the room blared deafeningly, all Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin could hear was a thunderous silence.
“What the hell are you talking about…?” Chen Junnan snapped out of it and cursed. “Where I woke up, where I walked out from—do you think I wouldn’t remember that myself?”
“Then I’d like to ask you…” the groundhog said. “How many rooms here have ‘full survival’?”
“Full… survival?” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances. They knew the groundhog was referring to the situation where all nine people in a room remained present.
Was that kind of room rare?
The groundhog continued, “Here, ‘failing a life gamble’ makes you leave the room, ‘becoming a zodiac’ makes you leave the room, and all sorts of rule violations can have your sanity taken away by ‘Zhuque’… But why is your room always fully packed?”
The groundhog moved closer to the two, his voice cutting through all the noisy music and reaching their ears with perfect clarity.
“Over the years, I’ve naturally had my own arrangements,” Chen Junnan said. “That’s why everyone in the room made it through safely.”
“Is that so?” The groundhog grinned. “Then how long did your ‘arrangements’ actually last?”
“Seven years.” Chen Junnan asked, “I single-handedly kept the people in the room from leaving for seven years. Is that enough?”
“But do you know how many years ‘The Land of Eternity’ has existed?” the groundhog asked. “What about before those seven years…? How united were the people in your room? Why has no one disappeared all this time?”
Chen Junnan wanted to argue, but he had to admit the groundhog had a point.
Even if he could trap everyone in the room for seven years, what about before those seven years?
During the time he had no memories… was everyone relying on Qi Xia’s protection to get through crises?
This line of thought had no obvious flaws, yet it felt strange.
These so-called teammates…
Xiao Ran as well?
Han Yimo as well?
Zhao Haibo as well?
Forget Qi Xia—even he couldn’t get along with them. How had everyone cooperated seven years ago?
“No…” Chen Junnan suddenly felt cold sweat break out.
Besides the ones mentioned, even Tiantian had a huge problem.
He had come into contact with her seven years ago, and she clearly didn’t want to leave.
But why had she been fine all these years?
Think more carefully…
Did Officer Li want to leave?
Did Zhang Chenze want to leave?
“Damn it, wait… what the hell is going on?”
Chen Junnan blankly turned his head to look at Qiao Jiajin, and only then did he realize that only three people in the room had any will to survive.
How could a room with so many glaring flaws have ensured no one was lost this entire time?
“Chen Junnan.” The groundhog called out again. “You’re not a stupid person—how can you not understand such a simple truth?”
“What did you say…?”
“Although I don’t know how this situation came about… but is it possible that your room was recombined?” the groundhog asked pointedly.
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin both widened their eyes upon hearing this.
Recombined…?
Who recombined it…?
And what was the purpose…?
“No…” Chen Junnan decisively shook his head. “I still feel it’s wrong… this inference has too many flaws…”
“Why would there be flaws…” The groundhog took another step forward and said in a low voice, “Chen Junnan, I am the ‘teammate’ who came from the same room as you. The only ones left who can move in our room are you and me.”
“You’re fucking lying to me…” Chen Junnan felt his mind was shattered, and he began to grow chaotic. “Are you saying that seven years ago, I didn’t know Old Qi or Old Qiao at all?! That’s too absurd!”
“The ‘Herd Effect,’ Chen Junnan.” The groundhog sighed helplessly. “Do you know what the ‘Herd Effect’ means?”
“Damn it, my memory has been preserved for at least eight years. I worked with Old Qi for an entire year. How could I not know what the ‘Herd Effect’ means?”
“Oh? Then tell me.” The groundhog looked at him with a smile.
“The ‘Herd Effect’ naturally means that as long as the lead sheep does something, the rest will follow suit.”
“No, completely wrong.” The groundhog shook his head.
“Wrong…?” Chen Junnan slowly squinted. “Then tell me… what does the ‘Herd Effect’ mean?”
“The so-called ‘Herd Effect’…” The groundhog said with a grave expression, “means that as soon as one sheep starts lying, the rest will all become lying sheep.”