Chapter 28: Parting Ways
Dr. Zhao also walked out at this moment, his expression evasive.
Judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem to be there to stop anything, but rather to lend support.
"There aren't four 'Dao', only three now," Qi Xia said.
"Three?!" Xiao Ran frowned deeply. "Did you lose one?"
Qi Xia glanced at Dr. Zhao behind Xiao Ran, his eyes carrying a hint of menace.
Dr. Zhao seemed to notice Qi Xia's gaze and could only speak up:
"Xiao Ran, it's not that Qi Xia lost it. He used one of those 'Dao' to trade with that female shop assistant for fishhooks and fishing line."
"What…" Xiao Ran's eyes shifted slightly, then she sighed and said to Qi Xia, "Fine, using 'Dao' for a trade is your own business. Now I want you to return the two that belong to our team."
"The two that belong to you…?" Qi Xia's expression turned cold.
"Xiao Ran…" Tiantian, who had been silent for a while, suddenly interjected, "You can't say that. If we're really going to be precise, that lost 'Dao' was used to save Han Yimo from 'your team'. It has nothing to do with us either."
"I told you, that was Qi Xia's own decision to make the trade. It has nothing to do with our team."
"Your mother…" Qiao Jiajin stepped forward, his face fierce, and his already non-standard Mandarin completely switching to Cantonese, "I never hit women, but you girl are utterly shameless!"
"Hey… calm down!" Lin Qin stepped forward to pull Qiao Jiajin back, saying, "Those 'Dao' were won by Qi Xia. Let him decide how to distribute them."
Qiao Jiajin bit his lip resentfully, barely suppressing his anger.
Qi Xia slowly reached up and rubbed his nose, then said:
"'Human Dragon' said that these 'Dao' are both our rewards and the 'chips' for us to participate in the game. You're all planning to wait here to die, so I won't give you a single one."
"What, you're not going to 'cheat' anymore, but instead 'rob'?" Xiao Ran sneered angrily. "There's no place in this world that's a 'lawless land'. I advise you to think carefully—is this the right thing to do? We have a police officer here, you know!"
Officer Li, hearing the commotion outside, also stepped out.
The two teams had no animosity between them originally, but now because of this kindergarten teacher named Xiao Ran, the atmosphere had become tense.
"What's going on?" Officer Li asked Dr. Zhao. "I heard a lot of noise inside."
"Nothing… Xiao Ran has something to say to Qi Xia," Dr. Zhao said with an awkward smile.
"She 'has something to say to me'?" Qi Xia's face turned cold. "Dr. Zhao, you're something else… Are you sure it's Xiao Ran who has something to say to me?"
Qi Xia knew that Xiao Ran was just a 'gun', and Dr. Zhao was the instigator of this matter. After all, given Xiao Ran's intelligence and courage, she wouldn't have come out to confront Qi Xia and his three companions without someone egging her on.
Knocking down the opponent's 'gun' could stop the attack, but taking down the opponent's 'person' would solve the problem once and for all.
"I…" Dr. Zhao was taken aback, then somewhat embarrassed, he said to Qi Xia, "Qi Xia, you might be a bit upset… Those 'Dao' were indeed won with your help… But they belong to all of us. We also contributed… You should give us half."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia nodded seriously after hearing this and replied, "But Dr. Zhao, last night when you and I were trying to kill Han Yimo, you didn't say that."
"What?!" Dr. Zhao's eyes widened when he heard this. "Yo-you bastard, what nonsense are you talking about?! When did I try to kill Han Yimo with you?!"
Officer Li and Xiao Ran's expressions instantly changed.
"Didn't you say it?" Qi Xia rubbed his hands casually. "You told me, 'That person's wound isn't even stitched up properly, he definitely won't survive. One less person means one less burden. The rest of us will have a better chance of getting out.'"
"Nonsense!!" Dr. Zhao was completely enraged by Qi Xia, the veins on his forehead bulging. "Are you trying to frame me?! Although Han Yimo's wound was indeed difficult to deal with, I stopped the bleeding…! You… you…"
"Why are you so angry?" Qi Xia stepped forward, patted Dr. Zhao on the shoulder, and said to Xiao Ran and Officer Li, "Don't mind me. I'm a liar. I made all that up just now."
"You…!" Dr. Zhao's mouth twisted in fury.
"Do you hate having black and white reversed?" Qi Xia said in a low voice. "I hate it too. If you and that woman come pestering me again, asking for things that don't belong to you, I'll teach you a lesson."
Dr. Zhao was badly frightened by this remark and finally realized that the man before him was no good samaritan.
In previous games, although Qi Xia had lent a helping hand time and again, that didn't mean he could be taken advantage of.
Xiao Ran also seemed to realize something and murmured to herself, "So that's how it is… Because you're a doctor… whenever someone gets injured, you have to take care of them. You killed him to get rid of that burden…"
"I…"
"How could that be?" Before Dr. Zhao could speak, Qi Xia shook his head in denial. "Xiao Ran, that was really just something I made up. Don't believe it."
But the seed of suspicion had already quietly taken root in Xiao Ran's heart. How could it be easily removed?
"Qi Xia… what act is this? What's going on?" Officer Li asked with a frown.
Qi Xia looked at the robust man before him. He had a relatively good impression of this officer and hoped they hadn't colluded to covet his 'Dao'.
"Xiao Ran says I should split the 'Dao' with the two of you. What do you think?" Qi Xia asked.
Officer Li was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "We've already tested it. 'Dao' can't be used as currency here. Keeping them is useless. Besides, they were originally won by you. You should keep them."
"How can that be?!" Xiao Ran said excitedly. "Those 'Dao' were earned with our lives!"
Officer Li gave a wry smile and said, "Since you know those 'Dao' were earned with your life, you should be even more grateful that Qi Xia once saved your life."
"I…"
Xiao Ran was choked and couldn't speak for a moment.
What Officer Li said also made sense. Without Qi Xia, she would have died long ago in that terrifying room.
Qi Xia nodded silently, took out a small ball from his pocket, and tossed it to Officer Li.
Officer Li caught it, flipped his hand to look, and saw that it was indeed a 'Dao'.
"Hmm?" He looked at Qi Xia with confusion. "What are you doing? I'm not going to participate in the game. Giving me a 'Dao' is useless."
"Just keep it for me for now." Qi Xia waved his hand. "Consider it money laundering. Give you that one, and the two in my hand are 'clean'. Don't bother me anymore."
"Well…" Officer Li was still puzzled, but didn't know what to say.
Dr. Zhao and Xiao Ran's expressions were even more complicated, their minds in turmoil.
Everyone waited for a while and found that Officer Li was still standing there, not leaving.
"Cop? Anything else?" Qiao Jiajin asked.