TDU Chapter 532
Chapter 532 Going by Plan
“Let’s drop that for now…” Qi Xia remarked as he gathered himself. “When does {Celestial Horse’s Hour} begin…?”
“It’s still morning,” Qian Five replied. “It will likely begin around noon. We need to pack our belongings and gather at the main gate in advance. When {Celestial Horse’s Hour} arrives, most of us will scatter and flee. No one knows where they’ll end up running.”
“I see…” Qi Xia pressed a hand to his forehead as he slowly rose from the bed. Though it looked as though he had slept through the night, exhaustion was written plainly across his face.
“Are you really all right?” Chen Junnan asked with a frown. “Ole Qi… any one of us could die, but not you. If you die, we’re in real trouble.”
“I will do my utmost to avoid death,” Qi Xia said, shaking his head slightly. “Yet my mind has felt increasingly… unsettled of late.”
“Don’t dwell on it,” Qian Five said. “Everyone, I’ll go assemble all of {Cats} now. We’ll proceed according to the original plan. I’ll first attempt to organize everyone to jointly slay {Celestial Horse}. If I fail, there’s no need for you to return. Each of you should flee for your own survival. We’ll meet again in five days.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt his thoughts gradually clearing, as though his mind were finally regaining the ability to reason properly.
“Qian Five, something isn’t right,” Qi Xia began, gripping his hair as he endured the lingering headache. “I can’t shake the feeling that this plan to kill {Celestial Horse} is… wrong.”
“It’s likely because no one has ever attempted this before,” Qian Five sighed, his tone heavy. “During all my years in {End Point}, this is the first time I’ve truly understood what it feels like to face an uncertain future. I don’t know which path to take next, nor whether I will have another cycle of life.”
“Then perhaps you should flee as well…” Qi Xia said. “I believe this matter requires careful, long-term consideration…”
“I’ve fled long enough,” Qian Five replied. “Now that all of you formidable figures are gathered, it is time for {Cats} to make a decisive move. This time, we strike at {Celestial Horse}. No matter the outcome, our next target will be {Black Tortoise}.”
Qi Xia rose and grabbed Qian Five by the arm.
“This isn’t right, Qian Five,” Qi Xia said, clutching his hair. “By the rules of {End Point}, {Celestial Horse’s Hour} is {Celestial Horse}’s game. If you were to strike at the umpire within their game, {Black Tortoise} will appear immediately.”
“I’d be dead by then,” Qian Five said calmly. “Just as when I killed Mortal Horse in my probation room, the {killer} is already gone. Even if an {enforcer} appears, nothing can be done. The dead are the safest.”
Although Qian Five’s reasoning was sound, Qi Xia could not shake a sense of unease.
Could a precious {Celestial-grade} receive the same treatment as a {Mortal-grade}?
Everyone gathered their belongings, each shouldering a worn backpack, and gathered in the prison yard. Qian Five gave a few instructions to each person. Fortunately, most of {Cats} who had not yet triggered their {Reverberation} yesterday had already gained it while confined to their cells. Only {Liquid Morphing} Bai Nine and a few interns remained vulnerable.
According to Qian Five, Bai Nine’s {Reverberation trigger} was {total exhaustion of body and mind}. Even if it had not yet awakened, there was a high probability it would during the frantic chaos of {Celestial Horse’s Hour}.
After Qian Five gave his orders, Qian Five directed everyone to conceal themselves in the yard, to avoid being seen by {Celestial Horse} and causing accidents when the {killing} commenced.
Qi Xia looked up at the sun and noticed it was nearly directly overhead.
‘{Celestial Horse’s Hour} begins at midday…’ Qi Xia pondered in his mind, reaching a simple conclusion. ‘Since it is {Wǔ Horse*}, {Celestial Horse’s Hour} must refer to the {hour of wǔ}, that is, between eleven and thirteen o’clock, a full two hours.’
(TLN: Wǔ (午) is an Earthly Branch in Chinese astrology, representing the Horse in the zodiac cycle. Wǔ is governed by the Yang Fire element, symbolizing intense heat, summer energy, and vitality. It corresponds to the fifth lunar month and is associated with positive traits like charisma, competitive spirit, and leadership.)
Having arrived at this conclusion, Qi Xia felt a surge of danger.
In prior conversations between Chen Junnan and Qian Five, they had also mentioned that {Celestial Horse’s Hour} lasts approximately one to two hours, which meant Qi Xia’s guess was likely accurate.
For ordinary people, running continuously for two hours is grueling. If they stop, they die. By this logic, the mortality rate of the {participants} must be extraordinarily high.
It was almost noon on the fifth day, and most {participants} had no idea that {Celestial Horse’s Hour} was about to begin. Once the scramble for survival started, even if they managed to run nonstop for two hours, eventual dehydration or exhaustion would leave them unable to move.
Moreover, at this very moment, a significant number of people were still engaged in games within a {game venue}. They would be struck down instantly, with no chance of escape.
“What an utterly unreasonable {{double} hour},” Qi Xia muttered.
No sooner had the words left his lips than two figures appeared down the street: a senior and a junior. From a distance, they were unmistakably {Celestial Horse} and {Celestial Tiger}.
{Celestial Horse}, old and frail in appearance, moved with a staggering gait, yet in a single flash of motion covered four to five meters, pulling the diminutive {Celestial Tiger} along and hurtling rapidly toward the prison.
“They’ve arrived,” Qi Xia said.
Qian Five nodded and turned to glance once more at everyone. “We shall meet again in five days.”
At that moment, all the members of {Cats} offered Qian Five a formal salute with their eyes, watching as he walked step by step out of the prison.
Meanwhile, Luo Eleven and Qiu Twenty exchanged a glance, each tucking a dagger into their waist.
“Everyone, farewell.” Luo Eleven quietly bid, then fell into step with Qian Five as they left the prison.
“Know No Pain, Irritant lad…” Qiao Jiajin froze mid-step. “What are you two—”
“We have a mission to attend to; we won’t be joining everyone’s joyful run this time,” Qiu Twenty said with a faint smile. “Qiao ge, if destiny permits, we’ll meet again.”
Qiu Twenty nodded to the others and followed Luo Eleven out.
“Good luck!” Qiao Jiajin called after them. “Know No Pain, Irritant lad, I know you two will be fine.”
Three steps later, Luo Eleven stopped, turning to glance at Qiao Jiajin. “Hey, you promised you’d remember me. Who am I?”
Only then did Qiao Jiajin realize his mistake. He hurriedly apologized, “Opps sorry, you're not {Know No Pain}. You’re {Affliction Dismissal}.”
“There we go.” Luo Eleven waved lightly to the group, then resolutely followed Qiu Twenty through the gate.
Qi Xia felt his heartbeat quicken. From appearances, Luo Eleven and this man called Qiu Twenty were clearly skilled operatives. If his guess was correct, their mission this time was not to {slay Celestial Horse}, but to do whatever it took to {slay Qian Five}.
Whether they succeeded or failed, they would almost certainly not return.
After all, {Celestial Horse} was accompanied by {Celestial Tiger}.
Even if the child appeared no older than five, bearing the title of {Celestial Tiger} placed him well beyond any ordinary person’s ability to contend with.
TL Note: Funny coincidence, this year is the year of the horse
Below is a chart showing you which Earthly Branch each animal is representing and the hours they are associated with
