“What do you want me to do?” Chen Junnan asked again.

Earth-Mouse didn’t answer. He just smiled and asked, “You two leaders, do you believe that Qi Xia and I are on the same side?”

Qiao Jiajin frowned, feeling that what this person was saying wasn’t trustworthy, but he said nothing and just turned to look at Chen Junnan.

Chen Junnan also narrowed his eyes at this moment. His playful and joking expression vanished completely, now replaced with nothing but caution.

“You’ve met Old Qi?” Chen Junnan asked.

“Yes, that leader just participated in my game yesterday,” Earth-Mouse said with a smile. “He really is a very capable man. I admire him.”

“But aren’t you lying to this young master?” Chen Junnan’s expression instantly turned stern. “If you’re an old friend of this young master, how the hell could you not know Old Qi?”

“Oh…?” Earth-Mouse stroked his whiskers. “But… you are you, and he is he. Why would knowing you mean I have to know him?”

Chen Junnan knew that the Earth-Mouse before him was definitely not simple, but what he was saying was indeed difficult to believe.

“You should have known me seven years ago, right? At that time, it would have been impossible for me and Old Qi to be separated. We came out of the same room. Even if I have no memory of it, I know he’s not this young master’s enemy.”

After hearing this, Earth-Mouse slowly walked to the radio and twisted the knob on it. The music in the room became even louder at this moment.

“What the hell are you trying to do?” Chen Junnan felt something was wrong.

Earth-Mouse slowly turned around, looking at Chen Junnan with a complicated expression, then turned to look at Qiao Jiajin. He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but he also seemed wary of something.

“Say something, damn it.” Chen Junnan walked forward to stand together with Earth-Mouse, his expression looking somewhat nervous.

Earth-Mouse didn’t answer. He looked at Qiao Jiajin and asked, “This one is?”

“My brother,” Chen Junnan replied.

Earth-Mouse shook his head helplessly and called out, “Chen Junnan, oh Chen Junnan.”

“You…”

“Could there be such a possibility…?” Earth-Mouse’s expression also became extremely serious. “Could it be that someone lied…? Are you and Qi Xia really people who came out of the same room?”

After these words, although the music in the room was thunderously loud, Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin only heard deafening silence.

“What bullshit are you spouting…?” Chen Junnan snapped back to his senses and cursed loudly. “Where I woke up, where I came out from—could I not remember that myself?”

“Then I’d like to ask you…” Earth-Mouse said, “How many rooms in this place have ‘complete survival’?”

“Complete… survival?” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin looked at each other. They knew that what Earth-Mouse was naturally referring to was the situation where all nine people in a room were still present.

Were such rooms rare?

Earth-Mouse continued, “In this place… ‘losing the gamble’ will cause you to leave the room, ‘becoming a Zodiac’ will cause you to leave the room, all kinds of rule violations might also result in Zhu Que taking away your sanity… But why has your room always remained completely full?”

Earth-Mouse drew closer and closer to the two of them. His voice penetrated all the noisy music and entered their ears with perfect accuracy.

“Of course this young master has had his own arrangements all these years…” Chen Junnan said. “That’s why I’ve kept everyone in the entire room from meeting disaster.”

“Is that so?” Earth-Mouse grinned. “Then how long did your ‘arrangements’ actually last?”

“Seven years,” Chen Junnan said. “Is it enough that this young master single-handedly kept the people in the room from leaving for seven years?”

“But do you know how many years the ‘Land of the End’ has existed?” Earth-Mouse asked. “What about before seven years ago…? Just how united were the people in your room? Why has there been… not a single person who disappeared all this time?”

Chen Junnan wanted to refute something, but he had to admit that what Earth-Mouse said made sense.

Even if he himself could trap everyone in the room for seven years, what about before seven years ago?

During the time when he had no memory… did everyone rely on Qi Xia’s protection to get through crises?

Although there was nothing wrong with this line of thinking, it always felt very strange.

These so-called teammates…

Was “Xiao Ran” one too?

Was “Han Yimo” one too?

Was “Zhao Haibo” one too?

Not to mention Qi Xia, even he himself didn’t get along with these people. How exactly did everyone cooperate together seven years ago?

“That’s not right…” Chen Junnan suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down.

Besides those people above, even Tiantian had major problems.

He had been in contact with her seven years ago. She simply didn’t want to leave.

But why has she been fine all these years?

Thinking more carefully…

Did Officer Li want to leave?

Did Zhang Chenze want to leave?

“Damn it, wait a minute… What the hell is going on here?”

Chen Junnan turned to look at Qiao Jiajin in confusion. Only now did he finally realize that there were only three people in the room with the will to survive.

A room with so many obvious flaws—how had it managed to ensure no casualties occurred all these years?

“Chen Junnan,” Earth-Mouse called out again. “You’re not a fool to begin with. How could you not understand such a simple principle?”

“What are you saying…?”

“Although I don’t know how this situation occurred… but is it possible that your room was recombined?” Earth-Mouse asked, hitting the nail on the head.

After hearing this, Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin both widened their eyes.

Recombined…?

Who recombined it…?

And for what purpose?

“That’s not right…” Chen Junnan decisively shook his head. “I feel it’s still not right… This deduction has too many flaws…”

“Why would there be flaws…” Earth-Mouse took another step forward and said in a low voice, “Chen Junnan, I’m the ‘teammate’ who came from the same room as you. In our room, only you and I are left who can move.”

“You’re fucking lying to me…” Chen Junnan felt his mental state had suffered a severe blow. His whole person began to become somewhat confused. “Are you saying that seven years ago, Old Qi, Old Qiao, and I didn’t even know each other?! That’s too absurd!”

“The ‘Flock Effect,’ Chen Junnan.” Earth-Mouse sighed helplessly. “Do you know what the ‘Flock Effect’ means?”

“Damn it, my memory has been preserved for at least eight years. I’ve been working with Old Qi for a whole year before that. How could I not know what the ‘Flock Effect’ means?”

“Oh? Then tell me.” Earth-Mouse looked at him with a smile.

“The ‘Flock Effect’ naturally refers to how as long as there’s a lead sheep who does something, the rest will follow suit and do it.”

“No, completely wrong.” Earth-Mouse shook his head.

“Wrong…?” Chen Junnan slowly narrowed his eyes. “Then you tell me… What is the ‘Flock Effect’?”

“The so-called ‘Flock Effect’…” Earth-Mouse said with a heavy expression. “Refers to how as long as one sheep starts lying, then all the rest will become lying sheep.”