Chapter 850: One of Our Own
"Call someone...?" The eyes beneath the White Ram mask flickered slightly. "Interesting."
At that moment, the Sheep found himself in a difficult position. He stepped forward and reached out, but instead grabbed the Shar-Pei.
"Man-Dog, do you want to hold on a second..." the Sheep said. "At least we should hear what he has to say, right?"
"No..." the Shar-Pei's eyes were full of panic. "Before he says it out loud... there's still time. Once he tells us his 'rebellion plan,' we'll be caught in a dilemma. We'll be silenced no matter what!"
"But the White Ram 'violated the rules' and lived," the Sheep said calmly. "Man-Dog, the White Ram broke the contract, but no one came to punish him. He's still standing here."
"So what does that prove...?" The face shaking beneath the Shar-Pei's mask grew anxious. "Sheep... you've really lost it! He has connections!"
"Connections...?"
The Shar-Pei nodded. "He has backers, but we're different! Just because he can survive doesn't mean we can! How can you be so dense...?"
The Sheep didn't respond to the Shar-Pei's words, seemingly lost in thought as he simply nodded slightly.
Seeing the Sheep fall silent, the Shar-Pei continued, "The White Ram could enter the interview room the very next day after becoming a 'Zodiac'—doesn't that seem suspicious? The 'contract' requires a teacher to request it from the 'Celestial Dragon,' but is the 'Celestial Dragon' really someone with that much free time...? Would he be on standby at all hours to hand out 'contracts'?"
"Oh, is that so..." the Sheep replied.
"If you want to become an interviewer the day after joining the 'Zodiacs'... it can only mean his teacher was already prepared!" The Shar-Pei grabbed the Sheep by the collar. "What standing do we have... to rebel alongside him?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"I..." The Sheep slowly lowered his head, his expression troubled. "You're right... people like us, with no ability and no background... we're the same wherever we go..."
"Glad you understand." The Shar-Pei said. "Let's just do what we're supposed to do and not take any risks."
The Sheep said nothing, letting out a soft sigh after a long moment.
The next second, the situation on the field took a sharp turn. Zhang Qiang and I were so stunned our mouths hung open.
"What?" The Shar-Pei glared at the Sheep. "What are you sighing about?"
"It's precisely because we have no ability and no backing that we need to find a backer as soon as possible... Man-Dog, take a look behind you." The Sheep said in a low voice.
The Shar-Pei froze for a moment, then seemed to realize something as he turned his head in disbelief—only to find a dark gun barrel aimed directly at his face.
"What...?"
The White Ram pressed the pistol against the Shar-Pei's forehead, his voice cold. "I'm running out of time. I can't delay any longer. If I can convince you, I'll convince you. If not, I'll have to send you off. After all, in this room, you're the only one left opposing me now."
The Shar-Pei swallowed, carefully considering the situation. "You... you and the Sheep were in this together from the start?"
The White Ram didn't answer, giving the Shar-Pei an ambiguous look.
"Impossible..." The pupils beneath the Shar-Pei's mask trembled slightly. "You die first every time... and the Sheep dies last... How could you communicate with him without me knowing?"
"Oh...?" The White Ram's voice carried a hint of mockery. "The head I'm about to blow open can't even think straight?"
"You...!" The Shar-Pei's anger flared instantly.
"Man-Dog." The Sheep stood behind the Shar-Pei, speaking calmly. "You did overlook one thing. You and the White Ram both die in this game, but I don't. Our game room has no 'Assistants,' so I descend to the next level, responsible for opening the door and leading the 'Participants' out."
"What..." The Shar-Pei was momentarily stunned, realizing he had indeed been outmaneuvered.
The Sheep continued, "Some rooms have all the 'Zodiacs' die when the game ends, so a special position—the 'Assistant'—is needed to open the door for the 'Participants.' But our room doesn't require one."
Hearing this, the Shar-Pei turned back to look at the Sheep, letting out a bitter laugh as he nodded. "So you can return to the 'Train' every time... quietly waiting for the 'Participants' to come back."
"That's right." The Sheep nodded. "I won't die here. I have plenty of time to communicate with anyone."
The Shar-Pei frowned again, then turned his gaze back to the White Ram.
"That still doesn't add up..." The Shar-Pei's lips trembled. "Even if the Sheep can return to the 'Train'... what about you...? You die here every time... How do you get in touch with anyone?"
"I... died?" The White Ram's tone remained icy. "'The White Ram' died, but did 'I' die?"
"What... what does that mean...?"
The White Ram paused, then said, "You've been here too long. You probably don't know much about what's happening outside. I've heard there's a 'Participant' out there building quite a power base now. Do you know who he is?"
After speaking, he cast another glance at the clock on the table.
The Shar-Pei's expression grew increasingly sour. I couldn't read his thoughts at all, only knowing that he fell into a long, heavy silence.
"Man-Dog, if you have no more questions, I'll send you off now." The White Ram said. "Consider it dying with some clarity."
"You..." The Shar-Pei took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter... Since you can survive 'violating the rules and dying,' killing me is useless. Next time, I'll make you regret it."
"One thing you've misunderstood." The White Ram said. "Surviving 'violating the rules and dying'—I made that up."
"What..."
The Shar-Pei's eyes shot wide open. Zhang Qiang and I kept our heads down, listening intently to their exchange.
If I wasn't mistaken, something major was about to happen.
"Sorry, you can only believe half of what I say. Everything written in the contract is true. If you're killed, you're dead. You can't come back."
After speaking, the White Ram didn't wait for any reaction. He pulled the trigger decisively, firing the only bullet in the pistol straight through the Shar-Pei's head.
The Sheep watched expressionlessly as Man-Dog crumpled to the ground, then also glanced at the time on the table.
"White Ram, if you're in a hurry, go ahead." The Sheep said.
"Unfortunately, I can't go." The White Ram said. "There was only one bullet in the pistol, and now it's wasted on Man-Dog. This time, I'll have to take the risk."
"Then you'll wait for the 'Harpoon' to come down?" The Sheep said. "Should I just kill you now?"
"I'm afraid my bones are too hard for you to kill." The White Ram tossed the gun carelessly on the ground, then turned his gaze to Zhang Qiang and me.
"Since I can't leave now, I'll be the one to tell you about the plan going forward."