The three of us lowered our heads, and no one spoke.

It seemed everyone couldn’t accept that this day had truly arrived.

Seeing us keep our heads lowered in silence, Brother Sheep instead smiled and stood up, saying, “Actually, I don’t want to leave either, but I’ve been here for far too long… It’s time to go out and take a look.”

“Brother Sheep…” Uncle Tiger said in a low voice, “I-I said it before… You should go when you need to go… You don’t have to worry about us… After all, we’re all burdens…”

These words were like a pen dipped in ink, darkening the lost emotions in our hearts even more.

“You’re not burdens. On this ‘Train’… you are my family.” Brother Sheep said. “I’m leaving soon, and before that, I don’t want to hear any sad remarks.”

“Brother Sheep…” Uncle Tiger’s voice became somewhat choked up. “They say that after becoming a ‘Heavenly,’ one can freely enter and exit this place… but we don’t know what each other looks like nor do we know each other’s names… How am I supposed to find you? How will I know whether you’ve gone out or come back?! I…”

“Tiger, I promise you.” Brother Sheep said. “After becoming a ‘Heavenly,’ I will definitely come back to see you. When I return here… I will leave you a mark. I’ll draw sheep horns everywhere I’ve been, guiding the direction you should advance.”

“Really…?” Uncle Tiger asked.

“Really.” Brother Sheep nodded. “If by then you’ve already become ‘Earth-Level,’ then I’ll personally visit your game to see your progress.”

“Good!” Uncle Tiger suddenly stood up. “Brother Sheep! We’ve agreed then… If I become ‘Earth-Level,’ for every day I don’t hear from you, I won’t kill anyone for that day.”

“Ha!” Brother Sheep smiled bitterly. “Tiger, are you punishing me or punishing yourself?”

“I don’t care!” Uncle Tiger waved his large hand. “Anyway, we’ve agreed! I’ll wait for your news forever!”

“Good.” Brother Sheep nodded.

After saying this, Brother Sheep turned to look at Uncle Snake.

He was silent for a moment, then pulled out a thick notebook from his chest and handed it to Uncle Snake.

“Brother Sheep… what is this…?” Uncle Snake asked.

“I owe you something.” Brother Sheep said. “So I’ve also paved a path for you.”

“What…?”

“I’ve written down one hundred difficult problems.” Brother Sheep said. “If one day you can write down all the answers, I will definitely come back and find a way to make you an ‘Earth Snake.'”

“One hundred difficult problems…” Uncle Snake took the notebook and quietly lowered his head. “Brother Sheep… aren’t you just comforting me? With my brain… how could I possibly finish answering the riddles you’ve written?”

“You will someday.” He smiled at Uncle Snake. “This is my promise to you. We’ve agreed on it.”

Uncle Snake smiled bitterly. “Brother Sheep… You’re about to leave, yet you’re still thinking about us… Are you afraid we’ll lose the motivation to move forward…?”

Brother Sheep didn’t answer, only shook his head and said, “I still need you two to promise me one thing.”

“What is it…?”

“Help me take care of Mouse.” Brother Sheep pointed at me. “Remember what I said—in this world, only we can discipline her. Other than us, no one else can.”

Hearing these words, I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

My tears kept flowing inside my mask, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Brother Sheep was leaving.

This Brother Sheep who gave me food, gave me a place to live, didn’t mind that I couldn’t earn ‘Dao,’ and would stand up for me was leaving.

I would never see him again in the future.

On this train, there would never be another “Zodiac” who would dote on me like this.

“Brother Sheep…” I stood up, crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. “Brother Sheep… can you tell me what your name is… can you tell me what you look like…”

Uncle Tiger and Uncle Black Sheep were ignoring me, and now Brother Sheep was leaving too.

He slowly walked over, gently patted my head, then embraced me.

“Alright, Mouse… don’t cry.” He said softly. “You don’t need to know what I look like, and you don’t need to know my name, because when I see you, I’ll recognize you immediately. At that time, you’ll discover that my voice won’t be like a goat’s as it is now.”

“But I don’t want you to leave…” I tightly clutched Brother Sheep’s clothes. I felt that if I let go this time, I would have nothing left.

“You should grow up.” Brother Sheep said. “If I’m not here… can you earn ‘Dao’?”

“I… I can…” I kept sobbing, feeling so miserable inside.

“Then stop crying. I’ll give you something good.” Brother Sheep said as he pulled out two “Dao” from his chest. These two “Dao” looked like they had been kept for a long time—their color had already turned somewhat black. “Mouse, these two ‘Dao’ are my lucky charms. They were given to me by my two best brothers. I’ve carried them with me all these years, and now I’m entrusting them to you.”

“Lucky charms…?” I carefully reached out to take the two “Dao,” as if receiving my entire world.

“Next time we meet, return them to me with interest—ten in total.” Brother Sheep said with a smile. “Then we’ll have a good chat. Can you promise me that?”

“I can!” I nodded vigorously.

That night, we watched Brother Sheep cross the entire train. Even Uncle Black Sheep, whom we hadn’t seen in a long time, came out to pay his respects.

All the “Zodiacs” respectfully walked out their doors and stood on both sides of the corridor to witness the birth of a “Heavenly-Level.”

Their gazes were all very complex. Only I kept crying the whole time.

We witnessed with our own eyes as Brother Sheep disappeared in a burst of golden light. He had completely left the “Train.”

Uncle Tiger put his arm around me from the side and said softly, “Little Mouse… I’ll upgrade to ‘Earth-Level’ as soon as possible… From now on, I’ll bring you snacks every day… Just wait a few more days for me…”

I buried my head in Uncle Tiger’s belly, crying especially hard.

The three of us had lost our teacher, and I had lost Brother Sheep.

After that, Uncle Tiger, Uncle Snake, and I were separately assigned to different new teachers’ rooms.

Looking at that large group of unfamiliar brothers and sisters, I felt very uneasy. I was someone who couldn’t earn “Dao” every day, so naturally I wouldn’t be liked by the new teacher.

In this kind of place, only Brother Sheep wouldn’t dislike me.

I missed Brother Sheep all the time. The two remaining “Dao” in my hand were my entire sustenance. I often stared at them in a daze.

It had already been more than ten days since Brother Sheep left…

He should have already returned to the real world by now. How wonderful… I… I’m happy for him.

Even though I said I was happy… I inexplicably felt like crying.

Brother Sheep… what do you actually look like, and what is your name?

When we meet again, can you let me hear your real voice?

By that time, Uncle Tiger and Uncle Snake will have become “Earth-Level” too, right? I wonder if we can still eat at the same table together? At that time… will Uncle Tiger still give me chicken legs?

I was lost in thought when I saw two men and two women walking toward me from the distance.

Ah ah ah! They’re participants!

They’re the first batch of participants after I perfected my rules!

I have guests here!

Brother Sheep! Just you wait!

I will definitely earn ten “Dao,” and I absolutely won’t embarrass you again! Next time we meet, I’ll definitely surprise you!

I am Shu Hua… no, I am Man-Mouse.

I am Brother Sheep’s most beloved student, and I’m about to begin my “test”!