The Earth-Dog was stunned for a few seconds before opening his mouth. “But I haven’t finished explaining the rules…”

“The known conditions are already enough.” Qi Xia said. “The ‘four seasons’ all need to do what their respective seasons should do, and everyone’s ‘lots’ will continuously change according to the attributes of the ‘four seasons.’ Otherwise, the ‘four seasons’ you designed would be meaningless. What confronts the ‘Year Beast’ could completely be four ‘warriors’ holding firecrackers, not the ‘four seasons.'”

After hearing this, the Earth-Dog swallowed. “Brother Yang… you…”

“So I roughly understand the prototype of the game, and the countermeasure naturally follows.” Qi Xia nodded. “Winter’ is the only season in a year that can confront the ‘Year Beast.’ You should place your main ‘calamities’ in ‘Winter.'”

The Earth-Dog blinked. “But Brother Yang, you just said… only one smart person is enough. My game is thoroughly a ‘cooperative type.’ How could one smart person possibly be enough?”

“You don’t believe it?” Qi Xia said.

“Yes, it’s hard for me to believe.” The Earth-Dog said. “If you were to participate in the game… which season would you choose to become? ‘Winter’?”

“It’s ‘Spring.'” Qi Xia said. “You said yourself that there’s a choice in the game called ‘transfer.’ The first season can transfer the ‘lots’ in their hand intact to the second season.”

“That’s right.”

“This means as long as ‘Spring’ can control the overall situation, they can transmit their ideas to everyone.” Qi Xia said.

“But that’s impossible.” The Earth-Dog said. “This game has absolutely no way to communicate. The soundproofing in each room is exceptionally well done. The reason we can freely converse here is precisely because of this.”

“Actually, all you need is a pen.” Qi Xia said again. “Once you have a pen, using just one ‘ordinary lot’ can let everyone know my strategy. Even without a pen, it could be blood or a carving knife. As long as I can leave words on the lot, everyone can see it.”

“You…” The Earth-Dog now felt that the person before him must definitely be Baiyang. “You not only figured out the game’s solution, but also thought of how to transmit this solution to the remaining three people.”

Qi Xia nodded. “Your game is very good. Although the difficulty isn’t high, it will still cause stable casualties among ‘Participants.’ There are quite a few strategic elements involved. If I were a ‘Participant,’ I could guarantee a ninety percent win rate, but if I’m the ‘referee,’ I can guarantee a one hundred percent win rate.”

After hearing this, the Earth-Dog fell into silence. He was not only shocked that the man before him had come up with a strategy in just a few seconds, but even more shocked by the “one hundred percent win rate” he mentioned.

“Yes…”

“So the question I asked you earlier…” Qi Xia said again. “Who were your former teammates?”

“Brother Yang, promise me one thing. Even if you know who my teammates are, don’t inquire about my name from them. Otherwise, it will violate the ‘Zodiac’ rules, and I might face a death sentence.”

“Don’t worry.” Qi Xia nodded. “I’m inquiring about your origins not to figure out your name.”

“Good.” The Earth-Dog also seemed to relax, saying cautiously, “Brother Yang, there aren’t many people in my room. I heard there are only four left now. Their names are Jiang Ruoxue, Zhoumo, Su Shan, and Fang Zichen. I heard these people are still active in the ‘Land of End,’ and you might have encountered them.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes.

Perhaps it was fate—he had actually encountered all four of these people.

“Including you, that’s only five people.” Qi Xia said. “Were there only these people in your room?”

“From the time I have memory, it’s always been the five of us.” The Earth-Dog answered. “Later I also left the room and became a ‘Zodiac,’ but that was already many years ago.”

“Approximately how long ago was that?” Qi Xia asked again.

“You mean when I became a ‘Zodiac’?” The Earth-Dog pondered for a while, then said with slight uncertainty, “About thirteen years?”

“Thirteen years…?”

Qi Xia thought with furrowed brows. Although his memories had recovered partially, he was still somewhat puzzled by this time point.

“You’ve been a ‘Zodiac’ for thirteen years?” Qi Xia confirmed.

“Yes…” After hearing this, the Earth-Dog shook his head helplessly. “Brother Yang, I know what you want to say. The path you completed in just seven years, I haven’t even walked half of in thirteen years, but people are indeed different…”

“No, that’s not the problem.” Qi Xia interrupted. “You’re saying you were already in that room thirteen years ago, and that room only had five people?”

“Yes.” The Earth-Dog nodded. “Is there a problem…?”

According to Qi Xia’s own deductions and pieced-together scattered memories, he should have reformed the room between twelve and eleven years ago, and acted together with everyone in the room for about a year or so. It was also during that time that he gradually became familiar with Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan.

In other words, if he wanted all his former teammates in the room to become “Zodiacs,” it could only have been before twelve years ago.

But what was the identity of this Earth-Dog who was in the same room with Su Shan thirteen years ago?

Why was he drawn into this torrent?

“There’s still fog.” Qi Xia said softly. “The most important memories haven’t returned yet…”

“What ‘memories’?” The Earth-Dog said with confusion.

Qi Xia shook his head, but just to be safe, still asked, “Earth-Dog, were you an ‘Echoer’ before you became a ‘Zodiac’?”

“No.” The Earth-Dog answered decisively. “I’m an ‘Unfortunate,’ and that’s precisely the reason I became a ‘Zodiac.'”

This answer dispelled part of the fog in Qi Xia’s heart.

He felt things were indeed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

If the eight “Zodiacs” drawn on the map were all his teammates, then there couldn’t possibly be an “Unfortunate” among this team.

Because he would inevitably discover the principle of “Echo.” As long as he could find the right “opportunity,” there couldn’t possibly exist a true “Unfortunate” on this land.

Moreover, he absolutely couldn’t possibly let an “Unfortunate” become a “Zodiac.” If he couldn’t spend a very long time building emotion and trust, this teammate also wouldn’t be able to serve as a qualified “chess piece.”

In summary, the “Unfortunate” was definitely not one of his own.

This made the identity of the Earth-Dog before him even more enigmatic.

Could it really be as “Qinglong” said—that he was “Heavenly-Dragon’s” confidant?

Qi Xia and the Earth-Dog before him stood in the narrow glass room, the two facing each other, as if both carrying many concerns.

If he really was “Heavenly-Dragon’s” person, shouldn’t he be killing him here?