“This is a verse from ‘Pity for the Farmers’…” Zhang Chenze muttered in a low voice.

In ancient poetry, “Sweat Drips Down to the Soil Below the Grain” referred to farmers sprinkling their sweat into the fields during the busy farming season, symbolizing the hardship of agricultural work and the scorching heat.

“Agricultural busy season…?”

Zhang Chenze tried her best not to pay attention to the buzzing sound by her ears and carefully thought through the current situation.

Because she was “Summer,” she should play this lot representing the busy farming season.

After all, “Summer” was too far from the Year Beast. If she wanted to make a contribution, the best method was to engage in “busy farming.”

Zhang Chenze stood up. After walking forward a few steps, she boldly cleared away the locusts on the table, then placed this “Sweat Drips Down to the Soil Below the Grain” into it.

Right now, she couldn’t see the scenes in the other rooms at all. She could only pray that she had done the right thing, otherwise it would be unfair to the others.

Having just breathed a sigh of relief, Zhang Chenze stepped back, preparing to continue enduring the torment within the room, when she suddenly felt a small tear open in the back of her clothing. In an instant, all the locusts swarmed in like they were invading territory, tearing at every inch of Zhang Chenze’s skin.

Yes, locusts didn’t eat people, but they had replaced her clothing, covering her entire body.

Having just gotten used to sharing a room with the locusts filling the sky, Zhang Chenze collapsed once again.

She could clearly feel every inch of skin on her body moving, as if she had already become one with the locusts.

The locusts were wriggling, causing the skin on her body to wriggle along with them.

In the adjacent room, Su Shan suddenly felt something unusual. She turned her head to look, and at this moment, a large amount of light was surging toward Zhang Chenze’s room, causing successive collisions.

Whenever rays of light collided, two extremely clear characters would rise into the air.

“Soul Migration”!

“Could it be…” Su Shan roughly understood the meaning of these characters. They should be what everyone referred to as “Echo.” Her ability was actually to directly see the names of “Echoes.”

Although this transcendent ability was slightly different from what she had imagined, if she could master it skillfully, it should also bring enormous contributions to the team.

A full ten-plus seconds later, the distant bell sound arrived belatedly, announcing to all people in the “Land of the End” that Zhang Chenze had “Echoed.”

“The ‘bell’… slower than me?” Su Shan furrowed her brow, feeling like she had grasped a thread of a clue.

However, now was not the time to consider these questions. They needed to win this game as soon as possible.

Based on the current situation, all four people in the room were “Echoers.” It would be best if they could win this game, but even if they couldn’t win, it wouldn’t cause catastrophic consequences. All of this was probably thanks to these “locusts.”

“But… what does ‘Soul Migration’ mean?”

Zhang Chenze felt a ringing in her ears for a moment, and her entire train of thought cleared up somewhat. The sense of fear brought by those insects pressing on her body also slightly diminished.

But she didn’t know what had happened outside. After all, besides the clanging bell sound, what filled her ears more was the chirping of insects.

She walked forward and took the remaining two lots from the table, holding them in her right hand. These two lots were “Heavy Rain Pours Down” and “Blazing Sun Caresses the Earth,” and should come in handy at some point in the future.

If she didn’t protect these two “lots” well, they might once again be covered with insects.

After obtaining the “lots,” Zhang Chenze crouched down again, carefully feeling the sensation of being covered in locusts.

The next second, a locust flew onto her face. In her panic, she caught that locust with her left hand, and after a moment’s thought, crushed it in her hand.

“Although this is unfair to you all… I really don’t want to be touched by you anymore.”

The feeling was like crushing a raw quail egg—after the not-particularly-hard exterior shattered, sticky stuff covered her entire hand.

Zhang Chenze retched, quickly wiping her hand on her pants, but at this moment, a thought also emerged—

If she wanted to move freely in this room, was the only countermeasure now to kill as many locusts as possible?

After all, the appearance of the locusts was just one link in the game. They weren’t a true natural disaster, just a symbol, so their numbers couldn’t possibly be endless.

Kill one, and there would be one fewer.

Before she could think of a countermeasure for killing the locusts, she suddenly felt one of the “lots” in her right hand begin to move.

This feeling was very strange. It was clearly a wooden slip, yet that “lot” seemed to have a pulse—it was jumping in her hand at this moment. The feeling was like grasping a worm.

Somewhat flustered, she threw the “lot” away. The next second, something strange happened.

That lot with “Blazing Sun Caresses the Earth” written on it bent on the ground, and using the rebound force, it actually jumped away.

“What…?”

Zhang Chenze stared blankly at that “lot.” It was like it had come to life, repeatedly bending on the ground, constantly leaping, just like…

A locust.

She felt like she had probably gone mad.

Could it be that because she had been in contact with locusts for too long and in such great numbers, she was now seeing the “lot” in her hand as a locust too?

Seeing that “lot” hopping and jumping its way in front of her, Zhang Chenze came to her senses and reached out to grab it, but unexpectedly, the “lot” rose from the ground once more, jumping toward her face.

Since she was already crouching on the ground, in the chaos she closed her eyes and dodged backward, nearly falling over.

And that “lot” completely disappeared into the swarm of insects on the ground, its whereabouts unknown.

“Not good…”

Although she didn’t know what had happened, she felt that it was most likely the Earth-Dog who had done something.

Perhaps there were special mechanisms in everyone’s “lots.” If they weren’t caught, the game would become increasingly difficult to proceed with.

This scene was clearly seen by Su Shan on the side.

She saw that within the flickering light of the insect swarm, the glowing Zhang Chenze was chasing a “lot” with writing on it.

Could this be caused by “Echo”?

But relying solely on this bizarre scene, Su Shan had absolutely no idea what Zhang Chenze’s ability actually did. She knew that she still understood far too little about “Echo.” If she could remember the abilities of a few “Echoers,” she should be able to deduce the general principle behind Zhang Chenze’s ability.

“The second person’s ‘wish’ has ended. Next, the third person will ‘draw lots.'”

Lin Qin, supporting her injured forehead, looked toward the table, where a “lot” slowly floated up—”Rice Flowers Drift in a Bountiful Year.”

Su Shan, directly opposite, also forcefully opened her eyes at this moment, enduring slight stinging pain as she looked at that “lot.”

Now she completely understood the rules of the game.

As long as she could wish for “Four Seas Have No Idle Fields,” then Summer would draw “Sweat Drips Down to the Soil Below the Grain.” If Summer also successfully used this “Sweat Drips Down to the Soil Below the Grain,” then Autumn would draw “Rice Flowers Drift in a Bountiful Year.”

Whether Summer, Autumn, and Winter could draw these lots depended purely on whether “Spring” had played “Four Seas Have No Idle Fields.” This was an “offensive means” launched in coordination with everyone.

Just like in the real world—if spring didn’t toil, the remaining seasons couldn’t possibly have harvests out of thin air. In the end, they could only have “Average Fortune.”