"A logical connection..."
No matter how you looked at it, this special power called 'echo' was already beyond everyone's comprehension. In this strange place, there was not only a person like God, but also streets filled with madmen. Countless participants were being slaughtered here at will, and now, one could even obtain special powers...
If this wasn't a dream, who would believe it?
"Qi Xia..."
Zhang Chenze looked at Qi Xia's injuries, her expression full of worry.
"You failed to trick Jiang Ruoxue just now. What should we do next?"
"Trick?"
Qi Xia clutched his wound and shook his head.
"I wasn't tricking anyone. I'm really giving up."
"Huh?"
The two women were truly stunned.
"You're really giving up?"
"Yes."
Qi Xia's eyes were like a pool of stagnant water.
"I have a hole this big stabbed into my body. It's impossible for me to continue participating in the game."
Neither Zhang Chenze nor Lin Qin had expected Qi Xia to give up so decisively. For a moment, they didn't know what to do.
"Don't lose heart. I know some basic bandaging," Lin Qin said.
"Let's find a place to stop the bleeding first. There are still many days left. It's too early to talk about giving up."
"Stop the bleeding..."
Qi Xia raised his head and looked at the sky. This day had been exceptionally long, and it was only dusk now.
"That's right, Qi Xia..."
Zhang Chenze added from the side.
"You have a better chance than any of us to collect all three hundred and sixty Dao. If you give up, we really don't know what we'll do." ...
The three of them found a dilapidated massage parlor to settle in. According to Zhang Chenze's thinking, a massage parlor had separate cubicles and beds, which would at least allow Qi Xia to recuperate properly. This massage parlor, like the other buildings, was almost completely ruined inside.
Fortunately, they were still able to find some cloth drapes. Lin Qin tore the drapes into thin strips, preparing to make bandages. Zhang Chenze also cleaned up a single sofa.
The two of them helped Qi Xia onto the sofa, then took off his shirt. Qi Xia's shirt was completely soaked in blood. It felt heavy in their hands, and with just a slight twist, the blood inside would gush out.
Only now did the two of them finally understand that, just as Qi Xia himself had said, let alone continuing in the game, even standing up required all his strength. Lin Qin looked at Qi Xia's wound and felt that it was not good.
When the bald man had stabbed the dagger into Qi Xia's shoulder, he had twisted the blade. This action had caused what should have been a straight cut to blossom into a red flower of flesh. Not only was the skin on the surface completely torn, but it was also very likely that the muscle tissue inside had been damaged.
"We can't stitch the wound..."
Lin Qin said.
"Endure it for a bit. I'll bandage it for you."
"Just bandaging it is useless."
Qi Xia took out the old metal lighter from his pocket.
"Find a dry piece of wood. After lighting it, you can use it to stop my bleeding."
"This..."
Lin Qin took the lighter with some hesitation.
"It might hurt a lot..."
"It's fine..."
Just as Qi Xia was about to say something, he suddenly heard a faint noise not far away. The sound was like something hitting a wall with a steady rhythm.
"What's wrong?"
"Shh!"
Qi Xia silenced the two of them and listened carefully.
"I think there's someone in this building."
"Someone?"
The two women quickly lowered their voices and listened intently. Indeed, there was something making noise inside the building.
"It might be a native..."
Qi Xia slowly stood up and said, "I don't know if it's dangerous. Let's find another place."
"No, your injury won't allow you to move around anymore. I'll go take a look," Zhang Chenze said.
"We've been here for so long. If it was dangerous, we would have been dead already."
"Don't..."
Qi Xia was about to reach out and stop Zhang Chenze, but she always acted with swift decisiveness. With a single leap, she had already rushed out. Seeing this, Qi Xia could only turn back and call to Lin Qin, "Quick, stop her.
There's no need to take the risk." Lin Qin nodded and hurried after her. But this massage parlor wasn't large to begin with.
There were only four cubicles in total on both sides of the corridor. It only took Zhang Chenze a few seconds to find the room where the noise was coming from. She thought for a moment, then reached out and knocked on the door.
"Chenze!"
Lin Qin whispered anxiously, "Be careful of the 'natives'!"
"The natives probably won't harm us."
Seeing no response, Zhang Chenze reached out and pushed the door open. The moment she pushed the door open, a foul stench wafted out, forcing both of them to take a step back. Inside the room, a man as thin as a skeleton had his back to the door, giving a back massage to the "customer" on the bed.
After seeing the scene before them clearly, both women gasped in shock. Indeed, the "natives" wouldn't harm people. But the actions of the natives could always send a chill down one's spine.
The "customer" lying on the bed was nothing more than a desiccated corpse, yet the gaunt man had his hands crossed, continuously pressing down on the corpse's back. He looked like he had been pressing for a very long time. The corpse's entire back had been flattened, and a foul-smelling liquid was splattered all over the bed.
"Sir... is the pressure okay... Sir... is the pressure okay..."
The gaunt man asked lifelessly as he forcefully pressed down. His hands passed through the corpse and hit the bedboard, making a "thump, thump" sound. The two women stood frozen on the spot, not moving for a long time.
Qi Xia slowly walked over, reached out from behind them, and closed the door.
"Don't let it affect you."
After speaking, Qi Xia found a relatively clean cubicle, walked in, and sat on the bed.
"Go find a piece of wood."
Lin Qin came back to her senses, knowing that stopping Qi Xia's bleeding was the top priority. She quickly turned to look for a dry piece of wood. On the other side, Zhang Chenze stared at the room from before, lost in thought.
After a few seconds, she opened her mouth and asked, "Qi Xia, do you think these people... were they once like us?" Qi Xia didn't answer. Instead, he said to Zhang Chenze, "Lawyer Zhang, don't be so impulsive in the future.
What would you have done if the room hadn't contained a native, but a group of desperados like that bald man from before?" Zhang Chenze slowly lowered her head and replied, "I was a bit frantic with worry. If we can't rest here, your injury will get worse."
"Frantic with worry?"
Qi Xia felt slightly awkward. He pondered for a moment and said to Zhang Chenze, "Lawyer Zhang, you should know, I saved you from that giant microwave because it was the only way to win the game. It doesn't mean I have any special regard for you."
"I know..."
Zhang Chenze nodded.
"It's probably because of what happened to Officer Li. Such a good person died right in front of me... I'm worried you'll end up like that too."
"Such a good person...?"
Qi Xia fell silent. He recalled the story Officer Li told him in his final moments. Could Officer Li really be considered a "good person"?
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