Chapter 779: Sweet Dream
While the two were speaking, a withered old man near the round table suddenly began trembling all over.
The old man's hair was sparse, but every strand was kept very long. His skin was mottled and pale, his clothes barely covering his body, yet he wore a belt around his waist.
Hanging from the belt was a collection of devices that resembled remote controls.
A few seconds later, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying in his sleep, his expression twisted in pain, his limbs contorted, and the remote controls at his waist began crackling wildly.
Soon, he fell off his chair, then jolted awake, looking around in panic.
"Fuck!!" the withered old man cursed loudly. "What the hell?! What the hell is going on?!"
Qinglong and Tianniu stood by, watching him coldly.
He quickly noticed Qinglong, and his tone softened somewhat, though it was still filled with discontent.
"Qinglong... what does this mean?" He staggered to his feet and said to Qinglong, "Didn't 'Tianlong' promise us? We could return to the real world and live with our families... But how can he suddenly appear in the real world?! Is he trying to drive me crazy?!"
Upon hearing this, a trace of disdain flickered in Qinglong's eyes, and then he said, "Are you pretending not to understand, or have you actually gone mad? The scene you see when you close your eyes—is that really the real world?"
"How is it not?!" the old man shouted. "Open your eyes, and it's one world; close your eyes, and it's another. Tell me, does this place seem more like a dream, or does that place seem more like a dream?!"
Upon hearing this, Tianniu turned his face away, as if he didn't want to bother with this old man.
"You... planning to keep speaking to me in this tone?" Qinglong asked with a hint of killing intent.
"I... no... not at all..." The old man realized he had lost his composure and quickly adjusted his tone. "I... I can't lose my family... I need to go back to sleep... Sorry... I'll sleep first..."
"Don't be foolish," Qinglong said. "As for the world where you can see 'Tianlong,' what kind of real world is that, exactly?"
The old man's mental state was clearly precarious. He looked at Qinglong and said shakily, "Don't say that... you can't shake my resolve..."
"That world was bestowed upon you by him, so naturally he can come and go as he pleases." Qinglong ignored the old man's feelings and continued, "How much longer are you going to indulge in this delusion?"
"This is too absurd... too absurd..." The old man slowly widened his eyes, hunched over as he came before Qinglong. "Qinglong... what is Tianlong doing now?"
"Why do you ask?"
Tianshu seemed not to hear and continued, "He's snatching away the last straw from a drowning man and then placing it on the back of a camel that's about to fall. One straw kills two people... He wants everyone dead..."
Qinglong sighed and said, "Instead of complaining about why he suddenly appeared there, you should think about the orders he gave you. That way, at least you'll live a little longer."
"His... orders..." The old man racked his brain for a long time before slowly opening his eyes wide. "He told me to activate the 'Tianshu Hour'..."
"What...?"
"How is this possible...?" The old man stared at Qinglong with wide eyes. "Why would he have me activate the 'Tianshu Hour'?"
"How should I know?" Qinglong retorted. "Wasn't that something he said to you?"
"This is too terrifying..." The old man reached up and grabbed his thinning hair, then slowly crouched down. "He took the form of my family and then commanded me to activate the 'Tianshu Hour'... But in all these years, we've never activated that hour! That's 'Zishi'! That's 'Midnight'!"
"That's none of my concern," Qinglong said. "Tianshu, the choice is yours."
"Dammit... This is insane!" Tianshu stood up angrily. "Going out at midnight... What is he thinking? If we're going to die, we'll all die together..."
His eyes gradually grew manic, and then he took down those strange remote controls from his waist.
Among the dozen or so remotes, only one had a lit indicator.
Without a second word, Tianshu reached out and pressed the switch. At the same time, Qinglong extended a finger and gently pressed it against his ear canal.
Although his ears were blocked quickly, Qinglong still heard a muffled sound from far away, followed by blood everywhere and screams one after another.
"Heh... hehe... satisfying..." Tianshu bared his yellowed teeth and said, "If we're going to die, we'll die together... It's a pity that among so many people, only one is wearing a 'Collar'!"
Qinglong didn't speak, but Tianniu, standing beside him, opened his mouth:
"The Earth-level 'Zodiacs' are clearly understaffed. You'd better control yourself. Managing the 'Ants' is already annoying enough for me—don't add to my workload."
"What are you pretending to be a good guy for?!" Tianshu said. "Don't you want to kill the Earth-levels?! They're ready to kill us at any moment! Besides, those 'Collars' were voluntarily added to their own games by them... Whatever happens, they have to bear the consequences. We already explained all the pros and cons beforehand... And I haven't treated them badly!!"
After saying this, Dishu stretched out his hand, and a round, rosy cherry appeared in his palm.
"Pretty lady... I'll treat you to a cherry."
Tianniu looked at him with contempt, knocked the cherry from Tianshu's hand to the ground, and replied, "It reeks of 'Peach Blossom Spring.' Get lost."
"Hahahahaha!" Tianshu danced with joy, then pulled out a banana from his hand and threw it directly at Tianniu. "This is hilarious! Hilarious! Hahahaha! Haven't I treated these people well enough?! Even if it's all conjured from 'plants,' it's still fruit!"
Tianniu was furious at Tianshu's actions and took a step forward, about to strike, but Qinglong merely cleared his throat softly, and the two froze in place in terror.
"If you've lived long enough, you can let me know," Qinglong said. "One of you dares to eavesdrop on my conversation at the door, and the other casually slaughters Earth-levels. It hasn't been long since I last disciplined you, and you've already grown this bold?"
After hearing this, the two hung their heads deeply, saying nothing.
Qinglong first looked at Tianniu and said, "Starting today, I'll monitor every breath you take until I calm down."
"U-understood..."
Qinglong then turned to Tianshu: "In the future, if you want to vent your anger, you can cut their tendons or slice off their tongues, but you cannot reduce their numbers. Understood?"
"Fine... fine..." Tianshu said. "Let me see who hasn't finished their fruit tonight when they come back... I'll cut off their tongues and have some fun..."
Qinglong snorted coldly, pushed past the two, and headed toward the exit, but after just a few steps, his ears twitched.
Something seemed to have happened on the "Train" side—there was an unusual sound in the sky.
It seems the "Tianshe Hour" has arrived.
Qinglong's gaze gradually darkened, and he muttered quietly, "Come on, let me see where your 'limit' really lies."