Zhang Chenze nodded: “Green symbolizes peace. I want the green one.”

Lin Qin nodded after hearing this: “I want the orange-yellow room.”

“Then I have no choice—I’ll go last.” Qin Dingdong stretched lazily. “I’ll take blue.”

The group each stood in their rooms, positioning themselves before their desks, then turned around one by one to close their doors.

Just as Qin Dingdong closed the door, she suddenly remembered something. She hurriedly tried moving the door a few times, attempting to open it.

“Oh no…” A trace of unease showed on her face. She had just forgotten to mention something very important.

Although everyone now generally understood the “game rules,” she had forgotten to tell Su Shan about the rules of the “Land of the End.”

In those ancient memories of hers, when this woman got serious, she became very dangerous. She would consider the bigger picture and kill anyone without hesitation.

But this game absolutely couldn’t be played that way. If she wasn’t mistaken, there were only two possible outcomes for the four of them—

Either everyone dies, or everyone survives.

After all, this was “Earth-Dog’s” game. It symbolized “unity.” Scheming against each other would only accelerate their destruction.

Qin Dingdong pushed the door forcefully a few times. After discovering it had no effect at all, she could only give up.

Su Shan might be clever, but could she guess these rules that no one had explained to her?

Unfortunately, none of the games they participated in during the day today featured “Dog,” so there hadn’t been time to explain to Su Shan, this clever newcomer, about the types of “Dog” games.

“Su Shan…” Qin Dingdong looked at her through the glass, then tapped her own wall.

Su Shan noticed Qin Dingdong’s gaze and turned her head to the right to look at her.

Qin Dingdong pressed against the glass, pointed at Earth-Dog with her hand, then mouthed two words.

“Loyalty.”

Su Shan didn’t know if she understood. She merely frowned.

Qin Dingdong felt something wasn’t quite right, so she changed her lip movements and said two different words.

“Unity.”

Su Shan, seeing Qin Dingdong’s lip movements, could only nod ambiguously.

Qin Dingdong’s anxious heart relaxed slightly. Given Su Shan’s intelligence, as long as she was given a clue, she should be able to follow the thread and understand the nature of “Dog”-type games.

All the locks on the glass rooms clicked shut at the same moment, and Earth-Dog’s voice came through the broadcast.

“The game officially begins. Everyone will now ‘draw sticks’—two per person.”

Su Shan looked at the small hole on the desk before her. A “stick” gradually floated up. She quickly reached out to take it.

Written on it were five characters—”Fine Rain Falls Continuously.”

Below this “stick” was an arrow pointing right.

“This…” Just as Su Shan was trying to understand the meaning on the “stick,” she saw a second stick emerge from the desk. She reached out to take it and saw another five characters written on it.

“No Idle Fields Under Heaven.”

This “stick” had an arrow pointing left.

Su Shan narrowed her eyes to look at these two “sticks,” feeling completely confused. She was supposed to use these two “sticks” to kill the “Year Beast”?

“Fine rain… idle fields…?”

Before she could figure it out, “Earth-Dog’s” voice began to sound again: “‘Drawing sticks’ has ended. The round now officially begins. Each person will receive one more ‘stick’ during their turn.”

While listening to Earth-Dog’s explanation, Su Shan looked at the two “sticks” in her hands. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t imagine what using these two “sticks” would do. With only five characters on each stick’s face, the remaining content could only be guessed at through imagination.

Her turn was about to come soon. She could only wait to see what was written on the next “stick” and make a decision after considering all three “sticks” together.

A new “stick” slowly emerged from the hole on the right side. Su Shan looked at the text on it and immediately raised her eyebrows.

That’s it—this was the right “stick”!

She reached out to take this “stick,” which clearly displayed the five characters that would cause the most damage to the “Year Beast”—

“Firecrackers Bid Farewell to the Old Year.”

The only difference between this “stick” and the other two was that it had no arrow below it. Instead, it had a drawing of a lion-like monster.

“Number One, please ‘make a wish.'” Earth-Dog said through the broadcast.

Su Shan nodded and picked up the “stick” with “Firecrackers Bid Farewell to the Old Year” written on it. In legendary stories, the purpose of people lighting firecrackers was to drive away the “Year Beast,” so if she had to find one among these three “sticks” that could cause damage to the “Year Beast,” it must be this one.

But just as she was about to insert this “stick” into the hole, she faintly felt something wasn’t quite right.

Yes, the more straightforward the situation seemed, the more suspicious it was.

Why would the means to cause damage to the “Year Beast” be this easy?

Everyone needed to extinguish the “Year Beast’s” three lights within eight rounds, but this was clearly just the first stage of the first round.

Could it be… that whoever drew “firecrackers” could extinguish one of the “Year Beast’s” lights?

If that were the case, what were the remaining “sticks” for?

Su Shan hesitated for a moment but still decided to use “Firecrackers Bid Farewell to the Old Year.” After all, this “stick” currently seemed to be the most effective. The remaining “sticks” should not be used rashly before understanding what they meant.

Su Shan inserted “Firecrackers Bid Farewell to the Old Year” into the hole on the right side, watching it slowly get swallowed by the opening.

The next moment, five-colored lights instantly lit up in Earth-Dog’s glass cylinder, accompanied by cheap firecracker sound effects. This flickering light show lasted a full ten seconds before gradually stopping.

But what puzzled Su Shan was that after the light show ended, the three incandescent lights above Earth-Dog’s head were still lit—not a single one had gone out.

“What…?” She was slightly startled, feeling she had still overlooked something.

Did “firecrackers” have no effect on the “Year Beast”?

Su Shan suddenly thought of something—in legendary stories, the function of “firecrackers” was to scare away the “Year Beast.” Because they only “scared it away,” they couldn’t cause it damage?

Or perhaps… all damage would only be calculated at the end of the round?

“Number One’s action is complete.” Earth-Dog said. “Now Number Two will ‘draw a stick.'”

Before Su Shan could snap back to her senses, her phase had already passed. The next phase was handed to the person on her left—Zhang Chenze, sitting in the light green glass room.

Su Shan looked at Zhang Chenze and saw her expression was quite troubled. Because the distance was somewhat far, she couldn’t clearly see what characters were on the “sticks” in her hands.

When a new “stick” emerged before her, her expression became even stranger.

She seemed completely unable to understand the function of these three “sticks.” After a moment, she threw one “stick” on the desk, seemingly giving up on it. Then, holding one “stick” in each of her left and right hands, she looked left and right alternately. After thinking for a few seconds, she inserted the abandoned “stick” from the desk into the hole.

This time, the situation was even more bizarre.

After Zhang Chenze inserted this stick, nothing happened in the arena—as if the face of that “stick” were completely blank.