"Damn it all, another madman."
Qiao Jiajin spat on the ground.
"I get the feeling that if we stay here long enough, we'll go mad too."
This old man was getting on Qi Xia's nerves.
"Qi Xia, are you alright?"
Lin Qin asked from the side.
"I'm fine."
Qi Xia composed himself.
"These people can't stop me. I'm going to participate in the 'game'. You don't have to follow."
"I'll go with you," Lin Qin said.
"No matter what 'game' you join, I'll go with you."
Hearing this, Qi Xia slowly stopped walking. He turned his head and looked at Lin Qin coldly. His gaze was exceptionally icy, giving Lin Qin quite a scare.
"W-what is it?"
"Lin Qin, what is your motive?"
"Motive?"
Lin Qin asked, a little confused.
"Do I need to have a motive?"
Qi Xia stared into Lin Qin's eyes once more and said, "Why are you approaching me? No matter how I think about it, you should be moving with the other team, right? The three of us are not your kind of people, and we shouldn't be companions."
Hearing Qi Xia's question, Lin Qin just smiled faintly and said, "I've said it before. I'm very interested in you. I want to know what you're thinking."
"I want to get out," Qi Xia said without a second thought.
"I've said it many times. I want to get out and see my wife. She can't live without me. Do you understand?"
Lin Qin blinked and replied, "Understood."
"My wife's name is Yu Nian'an. She has suffered for me, endured hardships in my place. She is all I think about in this life, so I must go back to her. That is the entirety of my thoughts. Is that clear enough?"
"Clear enough."
"Now you know what I'm thinking. Aren't you going to leave yet?"
Qi Xia said coldly. Lin Qin lowered her head slightly. After thinking for a long while, she answered, "I'm sorry.
For certain reasons, I still can't leave." Qi Xia frowned at Lin Qin. Although he didn't sense any danger or deceit from her, he still couldn't see through to her objective.
"Suit yourself..."
Seeing that he couldn't reason with this woman, Qi Xia could only turn back around and continue walking forward. Qiao Jiajin also walked up alongside Qi Xia and said, "Con man, we had an agreement. You've got the brains, I've got the brawn.
Let's team up."
"Do you also have a reason you absolutely must get out?"
"Yes."
Qiao Jiajin nodded.
"I don't want to die, but I don't want to just sit here and wait for it either."
"Teaming up is fine, but I have to make something clear first."
Qi Xia glanced at Qiao Jiajin and continued, "I have no history with you. If, in the end, only one person can get out, I will abandon you without a moment's hesitation."
"Damn... you don't have an ounce of loyalty, do you?"
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly.
"You're really not a likable person."
Hearing the others talking, Tian Tian silently lowered her head. Every single person seemed to have a clear goal. But compared to them, what was she doing?
Suppose she really overcame all odds and got out of this damn place. Suppose she really returned to the real world, back to her original life, she would once again live those dim days, embracing those filthy old men with passion. Thinking of it that way... perhaps "dying here" was a pretty good end for her.
"Tian Tian, what's wrong?"
Lin Qin asked.
"It's nothing."
Leaving the plaza, the group arrived at a street on the other side. This place was different from the street with the convenience store. It seemed to be full of small residential houses, rows of low-rise buildings arranged irregularly.
It was unknown if anyone lived here. They hadn't walked more than a few steps before the four of them saw another animal mask. That person was currently standing at the doorway of an old room, hands clasped behind their back.
Qi Xia walked straight toward them. Only when he got closer did he realize this person was wearing a giant mouse mask that gave off a foul smell. But this person's figure was very thin and small, not at all as strong as the other animal-masked people they had seen before.
Qiao Jiajin spoke up and asked, "'Rat-Man', right?" The rat-headed person finally noticed the four people in front of them, then smiled and said, "I'm not 'Rat-Man', I'm 'Human Rat'." Her voice was very pleasant; it was a girl.
This must have been the first time the group had encountered a woman beneath one of the animal masks.
"You bastard, give you an inch and you take a mile..."
Qiao Jiajin said irritably.
"I don't care what you are."
"Human Rat is Human Rat. It'll be troublesome if you get it wrong," the girl said with a chuckle.
"It's rare for anyone to visit me. Do you want to participate in a 'trial'?"
Qi Xia looked at the house behind the Human Rat, then asked her, "What are the rules?"
"The 'Rat' trial. The entry fee is one 'Dao'."
The Human Rat was like a very patient shopping guide, gently introducing it to them.
"You'll have a hard time finding a 'trial' with such low difficulty in the other city districts."
"So what's the game behind you?"
Qi Xia asked again. The Human Rat turned, pushed open the door, and walked inside. It was a small warehouse.
"My game is called 'Warehouse Dao Hunt'. Right now, there is one 'Dao' in this room. Only one person can enter. If you find the 'Dao' within five minutes, you win, and that 'Dao' will be yours."
Qi Xia felt something was off, so he asked, "And if we can't find it?"
"Can't find it?"
The Human Rat let out a "pfft" and laughed.
"If you can't find it... your entry fee is forfeited. You just lose one 'Dao'."
"Lose one 'Dao'?"
Qi Xia was taken aback.
"That's it?"
"What else could there be?"
The Human Rat looked at Qi Xia, puzzled. What was going on? Qi Xia frowned and thought about it carefully.
The entry fee was one 'Dao'. Winning gets you one 'Dao', and losing means you lose one 'Dao'. This game felt very dissonant.
It sounded like you wouldn't gain any extra 'Dao', nor would you lose your life over it. If that's the case, what was the purpose of participating in these games?
"Isn't this a good opportunity?"
Tian Tian said.
"We can take this chance to participate once, to better understand our situation."
"But..."
Qi Xia was still a bit puzzled. Even if they won this game, what would it prove?
"I can go try first," Tian Tian said, turning to Qi Xia.
"It's fine even if I die."
"What kind of talk is that?"
Lin Qin felt that Tian Tian's state of mind wasn't quite right.
"It's true," Tian Tian said calmly.
"I just thought it through. I feel like it makes no difference at all whether I get out or not."
After speaking, she asked Qi Xia for a 'Dao' and handed it to the Human Rat.
"Is this all I need to do?"
Tian Tian asked.
"Yes, the 'entry fee' has been received. The game will begin the moment you enter the room."
The Human Rat nodded enthusiastically.
"Let me repeat the rules one more time. Right now, there is one 'Dao' in this room. If you find it and bring it out within five minutes, this 'Dao' will belong to you."
"Okay, I understand."
Tian Tian nodded again.
"Are you ready?" the Human Rat asked.
"I'm ready," Tian Tian nodded.
"Very good," the Human Rat said.
"The game begins. Good luck."
After saying that, she closed the door.