Chapter 605: The Rat's Game
"The lying sheep..."
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin's expressions both dropped to freezing point. The faces of the people in the room kept drifting before their eyes.
A newly formed room, nine people who didn't know each other...
No, ten people.
When did this room start to form?
And what was the purpose of its formation?
"At least eight years..." Chen Junnan muttered blankly under his breath. "This room has been forming for at least eight years..."
He quickly tried to reconstruct the truth of the entire matter in his mind.
After the room was formed, Qi Xia had moved with him and Qiao Jiajin for about a year. During that year, they had experienced countless successes and also suffered many failures.
Then Qi Xia vanished, becoming a "Zodiac."
Before becoming a Zodiac, he had specifically instructed Chen Junnan to trap everyone else in the room for seven years.
Thinking about it now... was he also afraid of losing members?
Had he already known about this room's problems?
No... It could only mean that the former Qi Xia had known this information, but the current Qi Xia did not.
That was the real reason he wanted to trap everyone in the room—he was afraid that before he could return, the people in the room would disappear due to various issues.
The more Chen Junnan thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
"This was all arranged by Old Qi..." he muttered. "These people are all 'useful' to him."
But things were still very strange.
Qi Xia had no way of knowing whether he would retain his memories when he came back. How could he dare to gamble like this?
No, to be precise, Qi Xia wasn't even sure if he could come back at all.
Did he really think that just by seeing these few people, he would be able to recall the trap he had laid?
"But you forgot even yourself, Old Qi..." Chen Junnan frowned. "This time, you never remembered your own plan. Xiao Ran has already disappeared. What use were they to you? Has the plan been disrupted?"
Chen Junnan's thoughts kept racing, while the Rat sat silently across from him, watching him calmly.
Some things didn't need to be spelled out; it was better to let him figure them out on his own.
Amid the blaring heavy metal music, Chen Junnan's expression shifted dramatically. One bone-chilling truth after another crashed into his mind.
Although many obscure facts were surfacing, Chen Junnan knew that everything Qi Xia had done was for the sake of escaping.
He wouldn't do meaningless things for no reason.
The Rat judged that the time was right. He took a step forward and asked again, "Now do you believe that I'm on Qi Xia's side?"
"You..." Chen Junnan felt that wasn't the core issue. "Big Rat, what do you really want to do?"
"Chen Junnan, your focus is seriously off." The Rat raised a finger and shook it in front of him. "You see, I clearly know the truth, but I haven't told anyone. I only awakened you. What does that mean?"
"Are you trying to show sincerity?" Chen Junnan asked.
The earlier atmosphere between them had vanished. Now both of them wore grave expressions, looking extremely cautious.
"I wanted you to trust me from the very start," said the Rat. "We don't have much time, and our situation is very bad. If I can't earn your trust in just a few sentences, everything that follows will be futile."
"I only need one last question before I can trust you," Chen Junnan said.
"Go ahead. If I know, I'll answer."
"How do you know so much?" Chen Junnan felt as if a hidden door was blocking his train of thought. "Since you became a 'Zodiac,' you should be an 'Unfortunate.' How are you so clear about what happened before? How did you preserve your memories?"
"Chen Junnan... use your head." The Rat spoke seriously and quietly. "Who told you that a 'Zodiac' must be an 'Unfortunate'?"
"What...?"
"It's just that 'Unfortunates' have a higher probability of becoming 'Zodiacs,' which gave you that false impression." The Rat raised a finger and pointed at his own cheek. "An 'Unfortunate' can wear this mask, and an 'Echoer' can too. It's just that most 'Echoers' wouldn't choose this path."
"You mean you..."
"I was an 'Echoer,'" said the Rat. "But not anymore. 'Tianlong' merged our bodies with animals to strengthen his rule. Now we have 'no human heart, and can hardly find divine power.'"
"But why?! Why did you willingly become a 'Zodiac' and keep going all the way to where you are now?"
Chen Junnan felt that ever since he met this rat, everything had been spiraling out of control.
"We are all in the same 'game,'" the Rat laughed. "Chen Junnan, even though we've taken completely different paths over the years, we've always been striving toward the same goal. Now the building is starting to collapse, and all the players in the game have begun their moves. I was a bit lost before, but when I saw that man yesterday, I connected everything. All the events that happened—it's all one single game."
"So Old Qi gave you a sudden epiphany?"
"I have to correct you—it's 'sudden enlightenment,'" said the Rat.
"Whatever." Chen Junnan shook his head. "Old Qi is really something. Following him always pays off."
"More than 'something'? In this godforsaken place, I've only ever met two people I couldn't figure out. Now I realize they were the same person. Isn't that exciting? Whether he was 'White Sheep' or 'Qi Xia,' he was always planning the same thing."
"Oh?" Chen Junnan became interested. "So what do you want me to do now that you've told me all this?"
"My goal is very simple. First, I need to gain your trust. Second, I need you to do something for me," said the Rat. "Everyone is now working toward the final goal. I need to synchronize our progress."
"So what stage are we at now?" Chen Junnan asked.
"Your actions in the various game venues yesterday have yielded preliminary results. Many 'Zodiacs' have accepted your mobilization. The matter has made quite a stir. I need to clean out 'Tianlong's' trusted subordinates in advance," said the Rat. "Even though 'White Sheep' didn't originally include me in his plan, I think I can keep up with his pace and contribute. I wonder if that sounds arrogant?"
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin stared at the Rat for a long time. Though his demeanor was completely different from Qi Xia's, they had to admit he had some intelligence.
"You can tell me who those 'trusted subordinates' are first, and then I'll decide," Chen Junnan said. "Other than Old Qi and Old Qiao, I don't trust anyone here one hundred percent."