Su Shan, Lin Qin, Qin Dingdong, and Zhang Chenze emerged from a “Man-Horse” game venue, each wearing expressions of exhaustion.

“Little Shan, I’m saying… we’re done for today, right?” Qin Dingdong rotated her neck and spoke to Su Shan at the front of the group. “Today’s been nothing but mental challenges and speed competitions—are you dragging us through special training or what?”

“But it’s still not enough…” Su Shan murmured to herself. “Could it really be like what Qi Xia said, that I need to abandon part of my humanity and let myself become even more insane?”

“What did you say?” Zhang Chenze asked from the side.

“I’m saying… we might need even harsher ‘games.'” Su Shan shook her head. “You’re all very intelligent. These ‘Man-level’ games are simply too easy for our team.”

Lin Qin thought for a moment after hearing this, then asked: “Are you really going to participate in ‘Earth-level’?”

“Yes.” Su Shan nodded.

Qin Dingdong blinked, then looked up at the sky: “It’s already almost evening. Are you sure you want to participate in an ‘Earth-level’ game now?”

“You two…” Su Shan looked at Qin Dingdong and Lin Qin. “You should be veterans, so you’ve both already ‘Echoed,’ right?”

Lawyer Zhang frowned from the side: “‘Echoed’?”

Qin Dingdong and Lin Qin had naturally seen plenty of the world before, and both showed somewhat indifferent expressions.

“You brought us through five ‘Man-level’ games today just to force yourself to ‘Echo’?” Lin Qin asked.

“Yes.” Su Shan nodded. “And I’ve discovered… ‘Dao’ doesn’t seem that hard to earn, does it?”

“You’re smarter than most people, so it’s not difficult for you.” Lin Qin nodded. “But even if you can win every ‘Man-level’ game, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to collect three thousand six hundred in ten days.”

“Is that so…?” Su Shan said ambiguously. “But I have a premonition that I’ll find a method to gather three thousand six hundred ‘Dao’ in a short time.”

Lin Qin sighed after hearing this: “I advise you not to do that.”

“Not to…?”

“Don’t misunderstand.” Lin Qin shook her head. “I’m only thinking of your safety.”

“Is it that dangerous?” Su Shan thought for a moment. “From what I’ve observed, ‘Man-level’ games don’t endanger lives.”

“In any case, I’ve said what I need to say.” Lin Qin spoke. “Try not to collect three thousand six hundred ‘Dao’ in a big, ostentatious way. If you really must do it, then don’t trust anyone from the ‘Land of the End,’ and go do it secretly on your own.”

“What…?”

Qin Dingdong, hearing these words, also looked at Lin Qin with vigilance. Lin Qin returned her gaze, and the two silently understood each other.

“Everyone.” Zhang Chenze said. “Should we find a place to rest first?”

Su Shan looked at her and said: “I want to take a gamble.”

“Take a gamble?” Everyone looked at her.

Su Shan extended a finger, pointing at the winding alley before them: “We’ll walk straight down this road, keep walking until we reach the main street. If we happen to encounter an ‘Earth-level Zodiac,’ that would be our fortune, and we’ll participate in their game.”

“Little Shan…” Qin Dingdong shook her head. “You call ‘encountering an Earth-level Zodiac’ your ‘fortune’?”

“It might not be your ‘fortune,’ but it’s mine.” Su Shan said. “I have to thank Qi Xia. He showed me the method to retain memories. If he hadn’t pulled me out from the river of reincarnation, I’d probably still be fighting alone with a few burdensome teammates.”

“So?” Lin Qin asked.

“So I must find a way to make myself ‘Echo’ at the first opportunity. Otherwise, I’ll fall into a passive position again.” After finishing, Su Shan looked at Qin Dingdong and asked: “By the way, Dingdong, you said before that you and I had a good relationship in the past. What exactly is my ‘Echo’ ability?”

“Huh?” Qin Dingdong was startled. “Little Shan, you ‘Echoed’ last time but don’t know your own ability?”

“That’s right.” Su Shan nodded. “Last time, Qi Xia’s methods were too clever. I died within less than a minute after ‘Echoing.'”

“Ah, well…” Qin Dingdong smiled bitterly. “We really did have a good relationship before—saw each other every day… but I genuinely don’t know what your ‘Echo’ is.”

“Hmm…?” Su Shan, being a former police officer, quickly noticed the logical flaw in Qin Dingdong’s words. “So you’re saying that even though I didn’t remember you, I could maintain a ‘good friend’ relationship with you…?”

“Um… yes…” Qin Dingdong smiled somewhat awkwardly. “I would go find you every time and introduce myself to you.”

“Then why did you stop looking for me later?” Su Shan pressed.

“I…”

Seeing Qin Dingdong at a loss for words, Su Shan naturally smiled. After all, this wasn’t an interrogation—there was no need to make the atmosphere too tense: “I’m just joking with you. We’ve been together for almost a full day now. Of course I know you’re my good friend.”

“Oh, really?” Qin Dingdong breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. “You just scared me to death.”

Lin Qin observed the two with interest. She knew that Qin Dingdong’s most skilled technique was to portray herself as a swindler full of holes, but her deceptions were often hidden among various flaws.

The more you believed she had made a mistake, the more likely you were to fall into her trap.

Whether Su Shan had seen through Qin Dingdong’s little scheme or not, she simply told everyone to gather themselves and set off again.

In today’s five “Man-level games,” Su Shan’s performance had been exceptionally brilliant. She seemed to deliberately align her thinking with Qi Xia’s approach—her entire mindset was unusually erratic, and she often made gambles that made people’s eyebrows tighten.

Just like now, she actually wanted to rely on “Heaven’s will” to search for an “Earth-level.”

Not to mention this tiny alley—even if one deliberately searched for an “Earth-level,” with bad luck it could take several hours.

But fate is sometimes just like that—it never follows your expectations.

When everyone saw that incredibly emaciated dog-headed person quietly crouching at the corner, their expressions all changed.

That person’s clothing was slightly different from other “Earth-levels.” He was bare-chested, with a suit jacket simply draped over him. At this moment, he revealed his toned, dog-fur-covered abs, sitting lazily on the ground.

“Is that ‘Earth-Dog’?” Qin Dingdong said in a low voice.

Lin Qin suddenly remembered the first time she truly teamed up with Qi Xia to participate in a game—it had been an Earth-Dog’s “Messenger” game.

Unfortunately, this Earth-Dog looked different from the previous one. He was a brownish short-haired hunting dog of indeterminate breed, looking exceptionally lean and capable.

“Uh…” Earth-Dog was stunned for a moment. He looked at the four women standing before him and said expressionlessly: “Ladies, this isn’t good… I’m about to close for the day.”