TDU Chapter 418
Chapter 418 Deadline
Qian Five was about to respond when a sudden, sharp pain gripped his chest. He clutched at it, and darkness clouded his vision.
“{Conjoined Identity Bloom}… are you alright?” Celestial Snake asked, worry etched across his face. “I have a number of self-crafted organs… you only copied my flesh—how could you possibly withstand it?”
As he spoke, Celestial Snake pressed his own chest, also struggling for breath.
“What kind of monster are you…” Qian Five wheezed, “you… made your own organs…?”
“What exactly is this {Conjoined Identity Bloom} of yours…” Celestial Snake murmured, lowering his head as he fought to steady his breathing, his heart racing in alarm.
Qian Five fell silent, then drew a dagger from his waist and pressed it against his own throat. “Celestial Snake… you’re out of luck.”
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin froze, startled by the suddenness of the act. Though Qian Five aimed to eliminate a {Celestial}-grade Earthly Branch, none had expected such decisive action.
As the edge of the blade cut across Qian Five’s neck, a slight cut also appeared on the Celestial Snake’s throat. However, before the knife could sink in completely, two figures suddenly materialized before them.
An elderly woman held the hand of a bare-bottomed little boy; they were none other than Celestial Horse and Celestial Tiger.
At their appearance, Qian Five’s hand froze mid-motion. He quickly touched Qi Xia, and his body swelled at once, matching Qi Xia’s stature perfectly. Even the cut on his neck vanished without a trace.
Only then did Celestial Snake realize. He reached for his neck to find a fresh wound.
“Oh {Conjoined Identity Bloom}…” Celestial Horse smiled and stepped forward, “What are you all doing here?”
“Zhou Six, stand guard,” Qian Five said sternly, then lifted his gaze to fix coldly upon the three figures before him.
Three {Celestials} now stood at the prison entrance. Even if Qian Five insisted on taking one down, what would happen once he fell?
Without him present to maintain order, what would become of {Cats}? And Qi Xia and his companions?
These {Earthly Branches} seemed to have disregarded the {rules}, free to unleash carnage at will. One misstep, and {Cats} could very well fall apart—an utterly disastrous outcome for an organization that had laid in restraint for seven long years.
“Celestial Horse…” Qian Five murmured.
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin stiffened slightly at the name, their eyes flicking to the two before them—figures they had once crossed paths with.
Back then, they had merely brushed past each other; neither had spoken a word.
“{Conjoined Identity Bloom}…” Celestial Horse forced an obsequious smile. “A whole day has passed… what of the person I asked you to find?”
Qian Five’s gaze darkened; for a moment, he drew a blank. In this cycle, so many {Celestial}-grade Earthly Branches had been mobilized, even conducting dealings with {Cats}. Anyone would struggle to respond at this moment.
“The allotted time is scarcely enough,” Qian Five replied. “We need a few more days. If I cannot locate that person, I am willing to give my head in exchange.”
Qi Xia cast a discreet glance at Qian Five. His words were addressed both to Celestial Horse and, subtly, to himself—signaling that he had decided not to hand anyone over.
After all, all his attachments lay within {Cats}. Now, accompanied by Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, and Officer Li, he had no reason left to cooperate with the {Earthly Branches}.
“A few more days…?” Celestial Horse’s smile widened faintly. “{Conjoined Identity Bloom}… do you take me for a fool?”
“What’s the matter? Do you think I don’t need time to complete a task just because you assigned it to me?”
“If you take a few more days… what use is it for you to {offer your head}?” Celestial Horse’s ancient, piercing eyes fixed on him. “By then, everyone in your organization will have obtained their {Reverberations}. Whether you live or die will make no difference.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Tomorrow is the final deadline,” Celestial Horse said. “I will still be here waiting for you in the morning. If you fail to produce that person, I will unleash {Celestial Horse's Hour}, ensuring the total disintegration of your organization.”
Qian Five slowly furrowed his brow. “Tomorrow…?”
“I’ve given you enough face, {Conjoined Identity Bloom}. You must remember, you are negotiating with a {Celestial}.” Celestial Horse said, then slowly turned to Celestial Snake. “Snake ge, are you also here searching for that {massive Reverberation}?”
Celestial Snake fidgeted nervously. “Ma–Massive… {Reverberation}? What’s that…? Huh?”
“You…” A trace of mockery appeared on Celestial Horse’s face. “As expected of {Celestial Dragon}’s favorite…forgetting the task entirely, and he isn’t even mad?”
“Ah, right… yes… we do have a task…” Celestial Snake turned awkwardly to Qian Five. “Could you… please help me find the source of that {massive Reverberation}? If we don’t locate them, {Celestial Dragon} will be angry…”
Qian Five’s expression turned ice-cold.
“Then tomorrow morning,” he declared. “If I cannot hand that person over by tomorrow morning, I will willingly accept {Celestial Horse's Hour}.”
“You said it yourself, so there’s no backing out.” Celestial Horse said with a faint smile, taking Celestial Tiger’s hand.
“Grandma, can’t I eat him?”
“Good boy, he doesn’t taste good.” Celestial Horse reached out with her other hand to pat Celestial Tiger’s head. “He’s scheming against Grandma, so his meat is sour.”
“Ah? Really?” Celestial Tiger blinked. “Then I won’t eat sour meat.”
As the two of them vanished from sight in an instant, Qian Five’s expression darkened further as he turned to Celestial Snake.
“Then what about you?”
“Huh… what?” Celestial Snake froze. “Me…?”
“Given my arrangement with Celestial Horse, why not wait another day?” Qian Five said. “After tomorrow, I’ll discuss that matter regarding {Chen Junnan} with you.”
Celestial Snake fixed his gaze intently on Qian Five’s eyes, but to his frustration, Qian Five wore a pair of pitch-black sunglasses, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
“Celestial Horse said you’re scheming… I don’t know if I should trust you.”
“You…” Qian Five pressed his lips together. He had a strong desire to kill the figure before him, yet if he died, everyone in {Cats} would inevitably fall prey to {Celestial Horse's Hour}.
Observing Qian Wu’s difficulty, Qi Xia took the initiative to ask, “It matters little if you doubt {Conjoined Identity Bloom}; do you at least trust {Celestial Horse}?”
“Hmm…?” Celestial Snake was briefly taken aback. He turned to glance at Qi Xia, but could discern nothing from his eyes.
“It appears {Celestial Horse} bears some resentment toward you,” Qi Xia began. “Is there a chance… those words were deliberately spoken for you to hear?”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
