Chapter 286

Chapter 286 Drifting Apart

All three misters stood up in shock after hearing that, their expressions filled with disbelief.

"Goat ge… you..." Mister Tiger said in disbelief, "All this time—you were able to leave, weren’t you? You’ve been quietly saving {Dào} for us?!"

"As I said, I have no blood relatives. But a shared meal makes us no less than family," White Goat gege said, retrieving three documents from his pocket.

"The only unfortunate part is that Celestial Dragon knew all the {Dào} was earned by me, so he issued only two {Earthly Branches Ascension Wagering Contracts} and one {Probation Room Collaboration Contract}," White Goat gege remarked, laying the documents out. "Pick what suits you best—fight for a place among the {Terrestrials}, or perpetually remain here as a Facilitator, free of quotas."

The three misters looked up at the documents spread out on the table, a deep unease stirring in their hearts.

"No matter which path you choose..." White Goat gege continued, "I’ll be here waiting for you. I’ll take care of Mouse in the meantime—remember, there are many paths in this world, and everyone walks their own."

The three misters looked at one another, each seeming to hesitate over what choice to make.

After a long while, Mister Black Goat finally reached out, picked up an {Earthly Branches Ascension Wagering Contract}, and signed his name, then folded the contract in half.

Now there was only one {Earthly Branches Ascension Wagering Contract} and one {Probation Room Collaboration Contract} left.

Mister Tiger and Mister Snake looked even more torn.

"You should go, Little Tiger," Mister Snake said after a pause. "I’ve grown rather fond of this place. Let me stay with Goat ge

"Cut the crap?!" Mister Tiger cursed loudly. "What the hell gives you the right to stay?! What about your family?!"

"Sigh..." Mister Snake waved his hand dismissively. "I’ve committed too many sins. I don't have the face to see my family again... just let me live out my days here."

Before Mister Tiger could react, Mister Snake snatched up the {Probation Room Collaboration Contract}, bit his thumb, and pressed a bloody fingerprint onto it.

"You motherf..." Mister Tiger slowly stood up, his whole body trembling with anger. "Who gave you the right to decide for laozi?! Laozi hasn't made up my mind about leaving!"

"Be good, Money-Draining Tiger, go see your daughter," Mister Snake said with a smile. "No matter how many years it takes... you have to reunite with her."

"You..." Mister Tiger panted heavily, looking furious.

"Aw, don’t be so mad!" Mister Snake said cheerfully. "As long as you don’t die in the probation room, we can still meet up every night!"

Mister Tiger slowly sat back down, crestfallen.

Even though I didn’t fully understand what was happening... I still felt really sad, as if I was being pulled farther and farther away from them...

"Mouse, don’t make that face," White Goat gege said. "It won’t be long... before your misters become just as strong as I am."

"Ah...?" I looked at him. "R–Really?"

"Mhm, they’re all very talented," White Goat gege

After that day, there was an unmistakable change in the air between the five of us.

Whenever Mister Tiger and Mister Black Goat came back, they carried a heavy smell of rust.

They didn’t seem to want to talk to me much anymore... Every time I tried to chat with them, they would avoid meeting my eyes.

What was happening to them?

Thankfully, Mister Snake was still willing to talk to me... He told me that Mister Tiger and Mister Black Goat were in a bad mood because they were doing things they didn’t like.

But he wouldn’t tell me what those things were.

This went on for about a year.

Throughout that year, not a single {participant} came to my game.

My warehouse was small and tucked away in a remote spot. Even though I gathered lots of items to fill it up, no one ever came to play.

Thinking back on it, after the first day my game had been set up, I hadn’t entertained even a single {participant}. It left me feeling a little downhearted.

Mister Tiger and Mister Black Goat’s demeanors also started to change... even their masks seemed to grow more and more lifelike.

Finally, after another six months, Mister Black Goat changed completely.

The day he returned, I realized he had become just like White Goat gege... the goat head on his face was no longer a mask, but a real goat’s head.

They said that Mister Black Goat reached this state in an incredibly short time, breaking every {Earthly Branches} record.

A year and a half... was that really considered short?

That day, he came back specifically to thank White Goat gege and to pack up his belongings, ready to leave our room.

White Goat gege called him back, and the two of them spoke quietly for a while, but judging by their expressions, it didn’t seem like a pleasant conversation.

After that, Mister Black Goat never came back to this room again. The only ones who returned every few days were Mister Snake and Mister Tiger.

I felt like our {family} was slowly drifting apart... I didn’t know what to do, so I just tried to help White Goat gege clean the room whenever I had the chance.

I did all the housework I could, hoping it would make them feel a little happier.

But it seemed like everyone had their own worries, and I didn’t know how to help them.

Mister Tiger hardly ever speaks to me... I almost didn’t know how to approach him anymore. Was he angry with me?

That day, I ran into Ruoxue jiejie again. She came specifically to play with me and even gave me a bag of snacks.

I couldn’t bear to eat it, so I decided to bring them to Mister Tiger after work. Even though I didn’t know what had made him upset, I hoped he wouldn’t be angry with me.

But when he looked at the bag of snacks, he simply took it silently, not saying a word to me.

I wanted to cry, but that’s when I realized Mister Tiger and I have no blood connection; it wasn’t his responsibility to constantly look after me...

White Goat gege also seemed off. In my memory, he had always been a very serious person, but lately, he seemed to be zoning out more often.

What was he thinking about?

Half a year later, another change occurred.

That day, we went to White Goat gege’s room to eat, just like we always did.