Chapter 624: Mountain Chicken
Upon hearing the knocking, the Earth Rat turned his head sharply, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Dear Pig and Dog leaders, please stop fighting," the Earth Rat whispered. "Something seems wrong."
He thought quickly. Even if a team had been inciting various "Zodiacs" to rebel yesterday, the "Heavenly Horse Moment" had started at eleven in the morning today. Although it ended at one o'clock, it was absolutely impossible for anyone left to participate in any more games or recruit new "Zodiacs" to their cause.
So who could be knocking...?
Someone left over from yesterday?
Everyone grew quiet and turned their gazes toward the door.
*Knock knock knock knock knock.*
A continuous, slightly insistent knocking sounded, making everyone frown.
Only the Earth Tiger's expression changed completely. As expected, Brother Sheep was Brother Sheep—no one else could have anticipated this move.
"Open the door. Our team's eighth member is here," the Earth Tiger said with a smile.
The Black Sheep gave him a suspicious look, then slowly walked to the door and pulled it open.
It was a female "Earth Chicken."
She was tall and slender, with an unusually intricate pattern of markings on her body. Though she was called an "Earth Chicken," she looked a bit like a partridge.
"Good evening, everyone," the Earth Chicken said with a sweet smile, though veins bulged on her forehead.
The Earth Sheep looked at her in confusion, then turned back to the group inside. "Is she a friend of someone's?"
"Move aside," the Earth Chicken said, still smiling, as she pushed him to the side and took a few steps into the room.
No one recognized her. They were all a bit baffled. The Earth Tiger scrutinized her carefully.
She looked vaguely familiar. He knew she lived in the room to his left, but they'd had no interaction in all these years.
When he had signed his "Zodiac Ascension Betting Contract," he'd always lived here. There hadn't been any need to get chummy with the neighbors.
"Um..." the Earth Tiger said politely. "Miss, is there something you need?"
"'Miss'? Fine. Fine."
The Earth Chicken kept her smile and walked to the center of the room.
Under everyone's gaze, she took a deep breath, then screamed with all her might:
"Can you motherfuckers not sleep in the middle of the night?!"
Her voice was so loud that it felt like an explosion had gone off in the room. Everyone's ears rang, threatening to go deaf.
The Black Sheep quickly closed the door to prevent any further trouble.
"How many times?! I ask you how many times?!" the Earth Chicken roared furiously. "Our rooms are separated by a single wooden wall!! Do you see that?! It's wood!! It's not a KTV soundproof wall!!"
Everyone looked embarrassed, but no one dared talk back.
"Every single night, a whole bunch of you gather here!! Either drinking or fighting!!" The Earth Chicken swept her gaze across the room, her smile completely gone. "Don't you think you're disturbing the peace?! Huh?!"
"No, no... Miss... please calm down..." The Earth Tiger was a bit flustered. "We were just chatting... I..."
"Chatting?!" The Earth Chicken strode over to the Earth Tiger in two steps, staring into his eyes, her sharp beak nearly poking his face. "Are you deaf?! Huh?! Just now—those two 'bang' sounds—did you hear them?! Did your ears spring a leak?!"
"They... they were just horsing around..."
The Earth Tiger smiled apologetically, feeling that this "eighth person" was vastly different from what he'd imagined.
She'd been on the scene for barely a minute, yet she'd shut everyone up. Only he could still exchange words with her.
"Horsing around? Ha! Horsing around?!" The Earth Chicken looked livid. Her feathered arms crossed over her chest, and the veins on her forehead throbbed. "That noise just now—I thought it was a car crash, and you tell me it's horsing around? What, you playing drag racing in the middle of the night?"
"No, no... first, let me explain..." The Earth Tiger gave an awkward laugh. "Why don't you take a seat first?"
The Earth Rat came to his senses and hurried forward. "Leader, leader, please don't be mad. You look pretty like a quail, but when you're angry, you look more like a hen..."
"GET LOST!!!!" the Earth Chicken yelled. "Are you crazy?!"
The Earth Rat was nearly frightened out of his wits by her shout and could only shut his mouth in dejection.
"Shut up, you damn rat!" The Earth Tiger shoved the Earth Rat hard, then turned back to the Earth Chicken. "Miss, Miss... please sit down! Since you're here, you're our guest. We didn't mean any harm. Don't be so angry."
The Earth Chicken angrily grabbed a stool and sat down, crossing her legs. "I won't say anything else. I just want to know—can you keep it down from now on? It's already past midnight. Are you all so energetic?! The first and second times, I could tolerate it. But this is the third night in a row. Are you planning to never let anyone sleep?!"
"Look how upset this young lady is... oh dear..." The Earth Tiger felt a twinge of pity. He quickly turned to the Earth Pig and Earth Dog. "Little Pig, Doggy, don't just stand there! Come apologize to the quail!"
"WHO'S A QUAIL?!!" The Earth Chicken's barely cooled fury erupted again, and she jumped up in rage. "Earth Tiger! Are you doing this on purpose?!"
"Oh, no, really!" The Earth Tiger quickly waved his hands. "Damn, it's all that stupid rat's fault for saying 'quail.' I just blurted it out... Please don't be mad... Miss Hen..."
"AAAAAHHH!" The Earth Chicken seemed on the verge of a breakdown. She kept scratching the feathers on her head. "I'm so damn annoyed! Are you all crazy?!"
Everyone had no idea what to do. A group of burly men found themselves completely at a loss in this situation.
And when they thought about it, they really were at fault. Not only had they been shouting in this room for three straight days, but they'd even been throwing punches for the past two.
When two Earth-level fighters went at it, the noise was no less than a car crash. And this poor girl had to endure it from next door.
The Earth Dog slowly stood up and walked two steps forward. "It really is our fault. We apologize. We're truly sorry."
His tone was relatively sincere, and the Earth Chicken's expression softened a bit.
"I'm not just being unreasonable, am I?" the Earth Chicken said. "I just came to ask—what exactly are you people doing? Will this happen every day from now on?"
"No, no... Miss Chicken Leader, rest assured." The Earth Rat came over with a full smile. "This will all be over soon. You'll be able to sleep well from now on."
"Really...?" the Earth Chicken asked uncertainly.
"Really..." The Earth Rat stared into the Earth Chicken's eyes for a long moment, then suddenly changed the subject. "Miss Chicken Leader, do you know 'Qi Xia'?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone turned to look at him.
The Earth Chicken paused for a few seconds, then replied, "That guy died in my game, I think. Why do you ask?"