Chapter 32: Gambling with Life
After these words, everyone was shocked.
Even Ren Shu was slightly stunned for a moment.
"You want to... gamble with your life?" Ren Shu confirmed.
"That's right," Qi Xia nodded. "I'm betting my life."
Ren Shu's throat moved slightly as she swallowed, then said, "Is that... necessary?"
Her reaction exceeded Qi Xia's expectations.
He had thought these animal masks would be willing to stake their lives, so why was she panicking?
"This, this is just a simple 'finding' game; betting your life is too extreme... Besides, my entry fee is only one 'Tao'; you don't need to bet your life..."
Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin were also confused beside him.
"Can you... gamble with your life in this game?" Qiao Jiajin asked with a frown. "But Liar, why do you want to bet your life? Are we short on 'Tao'?"
"I thought of what that withered old man said, and I want to try it here," Qi Xia said quietly. "Judging by her reaction, it seems she's very afraid of me 'gambling with my life.'"
"I know you want to win," Lin Qin interjected. "But if you bet your life to open a can, what if something goes wrong? What if the 'Tao' isn't inside?"
"I'll win." After saying this, Qi Xia looked up at Ren Shu. "I've placed my bet. Can we start now?"
Ren Shu was silent for a long time before finally speaking tremblingly: "If you really want to gamble with your life, don't regret it... The game begins now."
Qi Xia walked into the room.
Just as Ren Shu was about to exit and close the door, Qi Xia grabbed her arm.
This action made Ren Shu's whole body stiffen.
Qi Xia expressionlessly reached out and slowly took a 'Tao' from Ren Shu's jacket pocket.
"I found it."
The three people at the door all opened their mouths wide.
Was this allowed?
Finding the 'Tao' on the referee the moment the game started?
Didn't this break the rules?
Ren Shu was trembling incessantly, looking very scared.
"If I'm not mistaken, as soon as you close the door, there will never be a 'Tao' in this room, right?" Qi Xia pressed aggressively.
"How did you know..."
"It's simple," Qi Xia said softly. "Every time you explain the game rules, you always stand inside the room and tell us that 'right now' there is a 'Tao' in this room. That statement was correct, but unfortunately, it was a huge trap."
Seeing that Ren Shu didn't reply, Qi Xia continued: "'Right now' there is indeed a 'Tao' in the room, but it's about to disappear immediately."
The eyes behind Ren Shu's mask started rolling wildly. After holding it in for a long time, she finally asked, "And you made this bold assumption and bet your life on it?"
"Assumption? Of course not," Qi Xia continued. "What really convinced me was when you declared Tiantian's 'game failure.'"
"What?!"
"At that time, she had closed the door. Logically, none of us could know what was happening inside. But the moment you opened the door, you told Tiantian she had failed." Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. "How did you know she hadn't found it?"
"I..."
"The answer is obvious: you knew there couldn't be a 'Tao' in the room."
Ren Shu's body shivered slightly.
"And the 'Rodent' game was another trap. We all thought rodents like to be active at night and search for targets in the dark. That was Tiantian's train of thought, and logically she wasn't wrong. But there are other kinds of rodents in this world. They hide important things in their mouths, right?"
Ren Shu stared at Qi Xia for a long time, knowing she had truly lost.
She paused, then suddenly mustered great strength to push Qi Xia down and turned to run.
"Holy shit!" Qiao Jiajin immediately reached out to grab Ren Shu, but she dodged just like a real mouse.
She ran very fast, sprinting away down the street.
The group was momentarily at a loss. They had never expected these animal masks to flee.
"What's going on, Liar?" Qiao Jiajin helped Qi Xia up from the ground, looking puzzled. "Why did she run away?"
"I don't know either," Qi Xia shook his head, but his expression suggested he was thinking of something.
Could it be that 'gambling with life' meant...
He looked in the direction Ren Shu had gone, trying to confirm his guess, but his eyes widened involuntarily.
"What's wrong?"
Qi Xia stretched out his hand, trembling, and pointed into the distance.
The three turned around and were immediately stunned on the spot.
A floating figure appeared in midair, blocking Ren Shu.
"Holy shit... Is that a Terminator...?" Qiao Jiajin's voice trembled slightly. The scene before him had completely exceeded his imagination.
The figure in midair gently waved a hand, and Ren Shu collapsed, as if all strength had left her body.
Then, the two disappeared in the distance and reappeared in front of Qi Xia and the other three in the next second.
This scene, like a god descending to earth, left the four present temporarily blank-minded.
Floating in midair was a tall, lean man. He was naked, draped in a cloak made of blood-red feathers, and a few feathers were stuck in his disheveled long hair. At this moment, he was drifting up and down in the air like a bird.
The four were severely shaken by the sight, none daring to speak.
Ren Shu was trembling all over, and from under her mask came what sounded like sobbing.
"Ren Shu, what are you doing?" the man asked softly. "Were you trying to flee?"
"I... I..." Ren Shu kept shaking, her voice distorted with fear.
"Running away won't do." The man slowly descended, gently reaching out to stroke Ren Shu's head. "You must behave. 'Gambling with life' means 'gambling with life.'"
"Lord Vermilion Bird...!" Ren Shu cried out. "Please spare me...!"
"That won't do." The man called 'Vermilion Bird' extended his slender fingers, tracing over Ren Shu's mask. "You must accept the consequences of the gamble. The other party wants to bet your life, so I have no choice."
Qi Xia had a bad feeling. Summoning his courage, he spoke to the man: "I... I don't want her life. I gambled my own life just to get more 'Tao.'"
"Oh?" Vermilion Bird raised his eyes to look at Qi Xia, but his hand slowly moved down to Ren Shu's fair neck, gripping her like he would a real mouse.
Ren Shu's body stiffened, trembling, not daring to say a word.
"Is this necessary?" Qi Xia frowned. "I initiated the 'gambling with life,' and now I don't want her life. I just want the 'Tao.' Killing her does me no good."
Hearing that Qi Xia seemed to be pleading for her, Ren Shu slowly raised her head and looked at him, tears in her eyes.
Upon hearing Qi Xia's words, Vermilion Bird slowly withdrew his hand and let out a 'pfft' laugh.
"Interesting... Ren Shu, get up. He's letting you off." He patted her on the back.