Lin Qin was noticeably stunned after hearing this.
"What do you mean by 'how am I still alive'?"
She slowly took a step back, sensing that Qi Xia standing before her was somewhat dangerous.
"What... what are you going to do?"
Seeing Lin Qin's reaction, Qi Xia seemed to realize something. He slowly walked over to the sides of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.
"Qi Xia... do you know something?"
Lin Qin asked, her voice trembling.
"What exactly happened?"
Qi Xia crouched down and stared at these two comrades he had spent no more than two days with. A complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart.
Even though his mood was heavy, whenever he recalled the time spent with the two of them, it felt as if a bug inside his mind was trying to break out, causing a splitting headache. Lin Qin looked at Qi Xia with a trace of fear.
"Say something... you..."
"That woman named Xiaoxiao killed them," Qi Xia said in a low voice.
"I will make her pay in blood."
"Xiaoxiao...?"
Lin Qin blinked in disbelief.
"The girl we ran into earlier...?"
Qi Xia gently touched Tian Tian's forehead. There was a small hollow wound there. It was the mark left behind by a piercing nail.
Tian Tian had once said she was ready to die here. But now, she did not even know the reason for her death.
"But I do not understand why..."
Lin Qin said.
"Why did she have to kill Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian?"
Qi Xia paused for a moment and said, "I also want to know why she did it, but I want to know even more... why she did not kill you."
"No wonder you asked me that earlier..."
Lin Qin seemed to understand what Qi Xia meant.
"But I also have no idea why I survived. Even if you suspect me, I have no way to prove my innocence."
"When I first woke up, I did suspect you, but I no longer have any doubts. After all, you seemed afraid that I was going to kill you just now. That is not the expression an accomplice would show."
Qi Xia cast another reluctant glance at Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian, then slowly stood up.
"You thought I was the one who killed them just now, right?"
"I..."
Lin Qin lowered her head in regret.
"Yes. After all, only the two of us survived, so the killer could only be..."
Qi Xia did not mind and simply continued, "Xiaoxiao told me to give up searching for Dao, but I do not plan on listening to her." Lin Qin furrowed her brows as she carefully pondered those words, unable to stop herself from asking, "She told you to give up searching for Dao?
Why?"
"I do not know."
Qi Xia shook his head.
"They seem to belong to some kind of organization. If my guess is right, they are actively stopping others from collecting Dao."
"That is just too strange..."
Lin Qin said while reaching out to check her waist.
"Ah! Where is my Dao?"
After she spoke, she looked at Qi Xia's waist, then lowered her head to look at the waists of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian. Everyone's Dao was gone.
"That is exactly what I wanted to tell you," Qi Xia murmured.
"That woman was not collecting Dao, she was destroying Dao."
Saying this, Qi Xia pointed to the extinguished fire pit not too far away and told Lin Qin, "I saw her burn our Dao with my own eyes."
"But that does not make sense..."
Lin Qin seemed unable to comprehend it.
"Did you not say that the referees would never allow things like killing and stealing Dao to happen?"
Qi Xia lowered his head and thought for a moment before replying, "That woman named Xiaoxiao is very smart... or rather, she has a profound understanding of the rules of this place. First of all, just as I said, she did not steal the Dao; she merely destroyed the Dao.
Secondly, when she removed the Dao or destroyed them, Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian were both still alive. No matter how you look at it, she did not break the rules."
"So that means killing is allowed, but stealing Dao is not..."
Lin Qin crouched down, her expression looking especially sorrowful. She plopped down onto the ground and asked Qi Xia, "Now we do not even have a single Dao left... Even if we wanted to participate in a game, we would not be able to... right?"
Qi Xia looked at Lin Qin and said flatly, "Do you care that much about participating in the game? Earlier, I did not get the feeling that you wanted to leave this place." Lin Qin nodded.
"Yes. At first, I had absolutely no interest in this place. But now... there is something I must go back and confirm."
"Go back and confirm?"
"That is right."
Lin Qin looked at Qi Xia with a serious expression.
"I need to return to the real world to confirm something."
Qi Xia stared straight into Lin Qin's eyes for three seconds, as if trying to judge whether she was lying. After a moment, he slowly stood up and said, "Lin Qin, no matter what, we should part ways."
"Part ways?"
"Yes, we part ways."
Qi Xia nodded.
"That woman was coming for me. If you continue to follow me, you will be in grave danger."
Lin Qin also stood up and replied, "I cannot leave. I have to stay and move together with you. Otherwise, even if I return to reality, I will not be able to confirm that matter."
Qi Xia paused slightly upon hearing this and asked, "This matter you are talking about, does it have something to do with me?"
"It does."
"The reason you are so interested in me is also because of that matter?"
Qi Xia asked.
"Yes."
"What exactly is it?"
Qi Xia rarely encountered a situation that he could not figure out at all. The girl named Lin Qin standing before him had truly piqued his curiosity.
"I am sorry, I really cannot say."
Lin Qin shook her head.
"You only need to remember that we are not enemies."
Qi Xia stayed silent for a brief moment, then offered some earnest advice, "If you stay with me, you might die."
"Mhm..."
Lin Qin appeared a bit hesitant, but she still answered, "I am prepared to make a gamble. Perhaps I will not die, and I will even make it out of here." Seeing Lin Qin so determined, Qi Xia stopped trying to persuade her.
He slowly walked over to the doorway and looked out at the darkening sky.
"If that is the case, then let us make a gamble together," Qi Xia said.
"We are not entirely out of Dao just yet. We still have one stored away with an acquaintance."
"You mean..."
Lin Qin realized what he was talking about.
"Will Officer Li give the Dao to you?"
"He will."
Qi Xia paused for a moment before continuing.
"But his three teammates will not."
"Then what should we do?"
Qi Xia shifted his gaze to look at Qiao Jiajin on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I will go and beg them. I am determined to get that Dao.
As long as I keep participating in the games, that woman named Xiaoxiao will definitely show up again. I cannot let Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian die a senseless death." After he finished speaking, he picked up the remaining bear meat along with the pot, then pushed open the door and walked outside.
Lin Qin followed closely behind him. By this time, the sky had already grown rather dim. The city seemed to be filled with the chirping of bugs, and the rustling sounds of crickets could be heard everywhere.
"We need to hurry," Qi Xia said.
"Hopefully, they will take an interest in this bear meat."
Lin Qin lifted her head to look at Qi Xia once again, feeling an emptiness in her heart. The man standing before her seemed to have no emotions at all; he acted completely indifferent to the deaths of everyone around him.