The few people outside the room were, after all, participating in a game voluntarily for the first time, and each of them was a little nervous.
“Qi Xia,” Lin Qin called out.
“What is it?”
“You once said that different animals represent different types of games, right?”
“They should.”
After hearing this, Lin Qin looked at the Human Rat before them, then asked in a low voice, “What kind of game do you think a ‘Rat game’ is?” Qi Xia was also considering this question. If they didn't know the game type in advance, Tian Tian's situation would be quite difficult.
But what was "Rat" associated with?
"It seems the game currently underway fits the characteristics of a 'Rat' perfectly, which is to search for a target amidst a multitude of miscellaneous items," Qi Xia said in a low voice.
"Could it be that 'Rat' just means a 'searching' type of game?" ...
Inside the room, Tian Tian first did a general survey of her surroundings and found that there were many storage shelves. On each shelf sat paper boxes of various sizes; a quick glance revealed at least a hundred of them. Tian Tian casually picked up a paper box to inspect it and found it was filled with miscellaneous junk.
She mentally calculated for a moment. If she were to open every single box and rummage through its contents within five minutes, she was afraid she would never find the "Dao," no matter what. There were simply too many boxes.
She looked up again and saw that there was only a single incandescent light bulb in this small warehouse, and the switch was on the wall right beside her. Tian Tian thought for a few seconds, and suddenly a plan came to mind. She mustered her strength and directly pushed over a storage shelf, creating a tremendous crash.
The few people outside the room immediately grew frantic upon hearing the noise.
"Hey! Pretty lady, are you alright?"
Qiao Jiajin shouted.
"I'm fine," Tian Tian called back loudly.
"I just thought of a way."
Qi Xia pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"That's right, it is indeed a good way."
"Eh?"
Qiao Jiajin was taken aback.
"How did you know? Do you two have the 'sound transmission into secrecy' from those wuxia novels?"
The sounds from inside the room grew louder and louder. Tian Tian pushed over all the storage shelves, and the paper boxes scattered across the floor. All sorts of miscellaneous items spilled out at once.
Some boxes contained plastic plates and bowls, some contained old clothes, and others were filled with waste paper. She walked over to a few intact boxes and stomped on them forcefully. Before long, the once-tidy warehouse was in a complete mess.
Panting, she looked around, decided the time was right, then walked to the wall and switched off the incandescent light. The room was instantly plunged into darkness, with only the sound of Tian Tian's breathing audible.
"This..."
Tian Tian scanned her surroundings, her brow slowly furrowing. In her memory, that small ball called "Dao" emitted a faint glow. If the junk here was scattered all over the floor, there was a high probability she would be able to spot the "Dao" in the darkness.
But the moment she turned off the light, the entire room fell into darkness, without a single trace of light remaining. Slightly disbelieving, she boldly walked forward, her feet constantly kicking at the various boxes to expand her search area. How could a small, glowing ball completely vanish in a dark room?
After kicking around for a long while, Tian Tian felt she had opened every box, yet she still hadn't found anything that glowed. At this moment, the Human Rat knocked on the door from outside and said, "Ten seconds left." Tian Tian shook her head helplessly and turned on the light.
In the sudden burst of light, she discovered a case of canned goods at her feet. The cans had previously been in a paper box but were now spilled all over the floor. She reached out, picked up a can, and read the label, discovering that its contents were "beans".
Tian Tian shook the can, and sure enough, it made a "sha-sha" sound.
"I feel like such a moron..."
Tian Tian gritted her teeth.
"Could it be in these cans?!"
"Creaak—" The Human Rat turned the handle from outside and pushed the door open.
"Time's up. Challenge failed."
Tian Tian was startled and looked up, coming face to face with the Human Rat's bizarre countenance. The three people outside the door immediately rushed forward. Qiao Jiajin asked, "How did it go, pretty lady?
Did you find it?"
"No..."
Tian Tian tossed the can aside and stood up with a sorrowful expression.
"I suspect the 'Dao' is inside these cans, but to open dozens of them with my bare hands in five minutes... that's no easy task either."
Qi Xia looked down. They were all cans of fava beans. It made sense to hide a "Dao" inside one.
Yet, he still felt something wasn't quite right. Tian Tian dejectedly exited the room and glanced at the Human Rat with some trepidation. But the Human Rat made no other moves.
She simply closed the door and continued to stand at the entrance.
"So you really only lose one 'Dao'?"
Tian Tian asked in a small voice.
"She's not going to take my life..."
The Human Rat smiled and asked, "When did I ever say I wanted your life?" Seeing this, Qiao Jiajin finally understood.
"I say... con man, if that's the case... we can try again, right?"
"Try again?"
Qi Xia frowned.
"We already know the 'Dao' is most likely in those cans. We can go in this time and start opening them directly. Besides, she won't kill us."
Qi Xia glanced at his pocket, where only one "Dao" remained. The Human Dragon had said before that these "Dao" were both their rewards and their "chips." Looking at it this way, participating in these games required paying a certain amount of "Dao" to gamble against the other party.
If they used up too many "Dao" here, they wouldn't be able to play in future games.
"Pretty lady, are you sure you checked all the other boxes?"
Qiao Jiajin confirmed with her.
"I didn't search them carefully. I just opened all the boxes and turned off the light."
Tian Tian shook her head.
"But I didn't see any light anywhere, so... the 'Dao' must be in a sealed container."
"Good, then I'll go in and try again!"
Qiao Jiajin said with a nod. But at that moment, Qi Xia suddenly reached out and stopped him.
"Wait."
"Hmm?"
Qi Xia looked at the Human Rat and asked, "May I hear the rules of the game one more time?"
"Of course!"
The Human Rat smiled and turned to open the door. Only then did everyone discover that the room was as good as new. All the shelves were back in their original positions, and the boxes had been put back as well.
"Damn!"
Qiao Jiajin froze. Lin Qin and Tian Tian also gasped in astonishment. The Human Rat slowly walked in, looked around, and asked, "So, isn't my 'game' amazing?"
Qi Xia nodded. The Human Rat continued, "My 'game' is called 'Warehouse Dao Hunt'. The entry fee is one 'Dao'.
Right now, there is one 'Dao' in this room. As long as you can find it within five minutes, then the 'Dao' is yours." After speaking, she smiled warmly again.
Qi Xia listened, then slowly nodded.
"I want to play again," he said.
"Alright, no problem."
The Human Rat nodded.
"You can play as many times as you want."
"This time, I'm betting my life," Qi Xia said.