Chapter 623: Shooting for the Stars

“Alright, let’s keep going.” War Tiger flipped open the lid of his gas lighter to light his cigarette, the spark illuminating his stubbled face.

“Why didn’t Gao Yang tell Qilin he had the Guard Rune Circuit? It was because Gao Yang wanted to negotiate with Qilin, but he was worried that the negotiation would fail, leaving him with no way to back out. Thus, he bought himself time to make preparations for his independence first. As soon as the negotiation failed, he would make a run for it. And that was indeed what happened in the end.”

White Rabbit nodded bemusedly.

“What could turn them against each other?” War Tiger raised a finger with his cigarette between his teeth. “I think there’s only one possibility: Qilin wants the Guard Rune Circuit, but Gao Yang wouldn’t give it to him. Once that fact was laid out in the open, they realized that they couldn’t come to a middle ground, and all hell broke loose.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” White Rabbit frowned. “Qilin doesn’t really need the Guard Rune Circuit from Gao Yang.”

“Think about it more, Rabbit.” War Tiger gave her a hint. “The bottom line.”

White Rabbit thought for a moment before coming to a realization.

“Only Qilin knows where the Gates of Closure is. He has never told anyone!” When that thought flashed through her mind, White Rabbit put everything together.

Her eyes glinted. “Qilin’s bottom line is that he must be the one to gather the twelve Rune Circuits and open the Gates personally, while Gao Yang’s bottom line is that Qilin must not be the one to open the Gates. That’s why Gao Yang wouldn’t give him the Guard Rune Circuit, and they had a fallout.”

“Haha, that’s right.” War Tiger nodded in approval.

“Wait.” White Rabbit then brought up another point. “How can Qilin be so sure that the Zodiacs and the Hundred Rivers Union will allow him to open the Gates?”

“He can’t. That’s why he’s been preparing for it.”

White Rabbit sucked in a breath in shock. “That’s right. The Hundred Rivers Union is no obstacle at all to Qilin. He only needs to ask to ‘borrow’ the Rune Circuits from them.”

“But we have Captain, and Qilin doesn’t dare to make a reckless move.”

War Tiger nodded. “Qilin has refused to lend Dragon the Miracle Rune Circuit exactly because he doesn’t want Dragon to level up his Talent. And Qilin didn’t go to Gao Yang’s rescue last time because he wanted to force Dragon to do it, thus weakening Dragon.”

“Ha, Qilin has always had in mind the possibility that the Guild may go into war with the Zodiacs. I even believe that during the Crimson Tide, he had the ability to duel Lilia just like Dragon, but purposefully preserved his strength and only put Lilia under his control long enough for Dragon to deal with her. That was meant to test Dragon’s true power in preparation for the civil war that was very likely to come.”

“Unfortunately, none had predicted X’s betrayal. His Poison of Hell almost got all of us killed.”

“That man is despicable!”

White Rabbit never liked the hypocritical man in the skin of a gentleman, and now her distaste of him grew greater. “If Qilin hadn’t preserved his strength, X’s plan might not have succeeded, and there wouldn’t be such a great death toll among the awakeners!”

“Based on the result, that is a cross he has to bear.” War Tiger then thought of something. “When I went to Ni Nation with Gao Yang, he told me in private that Dragon had said something to him when going to his rescue in Island Nation. And he promised that he was in the same boat as us. Now it seems that Dragon had told him that Qilin must not be the one to open the Gates.”

“Gao Yang was a man who repaid his debts. He owed Dragon one for saving him, and he would repay it. That was why after the twelve Rune Circuits were all collected, he tested Qilin’s bottom line for the still hibernating Dragon. And indeed, Qilin would not compromise on being the one to open the Gates. They fell off. Gao Yang fled with some members of the Guild, and Qilin’s determined to take him out despite their history.”

“Captain won’t surrender the Rune Circuits to Qilin,” White Rabbit said vehemently. “The Twelve Zodiac Signs are bound to clash with the Qilin Guild sooner or later.”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s even more imperative for Gao Yang to return to us! We must go after Qilin together, or we’ll get taken down group by group.”

“Rabbit, oh, Rabbit.” War Tiger smiled wryly. “You’re usually smart, but not necessarily wise about the big decisions.”

White Rabbit paused, quickly realizing what he was getting at.

She felt a sudden guilt, and her heart ached a little. “So Gao Yang has taken on the most exhausting dirty work.”

War Tiger retreated into the shadow. The red dot of his cigarette flickered as he smoked. “The Twelve Zodiac Signs don't stand a chance if we go into a war with the Qilin Guild now. However, Qilin can’t be certain if Dragon has gone into hibernation. Thus, he goes after Gao Yang first. Then he’ll think about coming after us.”

“The fact that Gao Yang didn’t return to us serves as a smokescreen. The message conveyed to Qilin is simple: we may not share Gao Yang’s belief, which means Dragon may not be against Qilin being the one to open the Gates. Therefore, there’s no reason for Qilin to clash with us just yet.”

“If Gao Yang had returned to us, though, it would mean he aligned with Dragon on the matter, and we might as well have openly declared war against the Qilin Guild. Whether Dragon had gone into hibernation or not, Qilin would have no choice but to attack us with the Guild at his back. Then we could only congratulate Qilin on making the right bet...”

War Tiger knocked on the hibernation chamber. “Dragon is indeed hibernating, and Qilin would be able to easily take the five Rune Circuits from us. Then he could borrow the Hundred Rivers Union’s three Rune Circuits and open the Gates on his own.”

“Only God knows whether Qilin is truly working for humanity or his own ambition, but I’m never an optimist when it comes to human nature.”

White Rabbit felt bad about the situation. “So we do nothing?”

“Yes, we watch things unfold, which is how we’ve always done things. If Little Yang Yang needs help, he will find a way to contact us in secret. If he doesn’t, it means the time isn’t right yet.”

White Rabbit still couldn’t let the issue drop. “Then...what if Gao Yang died at Qilin’s hands?”

“Then he did.” War Tiger shrugged. “Ghost Horse died too. He died, Electric Mouse died, and many of those before us died. Why couldn’t Dark Horse and we die? The point is making our deaths worthwhile.”

White Rabbit didn’t say anything to that.

War Tiger let out a bitter laugh. “The twelve Rune Circuits are gathered. The sword of Damocles which is the civil war is hanging above all of our necks, and Gao Yang is the strand of hair holding the hilt of the sword. When it breaks, the sword will fall.”

White Rabbit said hoarsely, “When it falls, if Captain still hasn’t woken up, we’ll all die.”

“Yeah.” War Tiger tilted his head, exhaling white smoke. “I’ll probably be able to kill Azure Dragon, but not Qilin.”

White Rabbit turned to the hibernation chamber in the dark. Before, she only wished for Captain to wake up every day because she missed him and adored him, but now, she felt a stronger need and reliance on him than ever before.

“When will Captain wake up?” White Rabbit asked gently.

“Don’t rush him.” War Tiger stepped out of the shadow. “He told me that this would be his last time going into hibernation, and he will wake up when he has to. Before that, though, he won’t wake up no matter what happens, not even if Qilin comes to our doorsteps.”

“Why?” White Rabbit didn’t understand. “Then we’ll be at his mercy, won’t we?‘

“The damn gambler is going all in.” War Tiger looked at the hibernation with unwavering faith. “He’s shooting for the stars. Qilin isn’t worthy enough to be his archenemy.”