# Chapter 33: Joyful Leap
Human Rat, still in shock, looked nervously at Zhu Que, seemingly seeking his approval.
"What? Do I need to help you up?" Zhu Que asked with a smile.
"N-No need..." Human Rat stood up shakily.
She paused for a long moment, then said to Qi Xia: "Thank you! Thank you!"
Qi Xia shook his head: "You don't need to thank me, I just—"
*Thump.*
Before he could finish, Qi Xia saw a hand thrust out from Human Rat's abdomen.
Her body stiffened, and her voice abruptly stopped.
Warm, sticky blood splattered all over Qi Xia.
Zhu Que slowly wrapped his arms around Human Rat from behind, as if embracing a lover.
"This child has very good manners," Zhu Que said with closed eyes, pressing his face against Human Rat's cheek, as if smelling her scent. "Saying 'thank you' is a good habit. But you broke the rules and tried to escape. He may have let you off, but I won't."
With that, Zhu Que reached out with his other hand, removed Human Rat's mask, and tossed it to the ground.
Qi Xia stood face to face with Human Rat, now seeing her clearly.
This "Human Rat" was clearly just a teenage girl.
Her face still bore traces of youth not yet faded, her tear-filled eyes full of fear and despair, and blood coughed from her mouth.
"It... it hurts so much..." Human Rat coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
"Be good... it won't hurt soon..." Zhu Que rubbed his nose against Human Rat's hair. "You're going to die soon, don't worry, don't worry... death will end it all..."
"What kind of sick freak are you?!" Qiao Jiajin couldn't bear to watch anymore. "She's just a child! I'll fuck your mother... let her go!"
Zhu Que let out a cold laugh, pulled his bloody hand out, and pushed Human Rat forward.
Qi Xia instinctively caught the girl, his expression full of shock.
That was right. This was "betting your life."
If he won, the other person would die.
Even if he didn't want her life, she would still die.
This little girl called Human Rat had been driven to her death by Qi Xia.
He thought he was only betting his own life, never considering that the other party would wager the same.
But weren't they supposed to be one of the game's organizers?
Were these animal masks also some kind of "participants"?
"Qi Xia, why are you here?" Zhu Que shook the blood off his hand and asked coldly.
"What—" Qi Xia was stunned. He looked up at him. "You know my name?"
Zhu Que's mouth curled slightly. He pointed at the four of them, calling out in turn: "Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, Zhang Lijuan. Why are you all here?"
Tiantian was also stunned. "Zhang Lijuan" was her real name, but she hadn't used it since she was fourteen.
"What do you mean by 'why are we here'?" Lin Qin asked. "If we're not here, where should we be?"
Zhu Que's face always carried a meaningful smile. He slowly shook his head and said, "It seems you really don't know why you're here. How pitiful."
"If you have something to say, just say it. What's with all this evasion?" Qi Xia held the dying Human Rat in his arms, his gaze extraordinarily cold. "Do you think being coy makes you seem profound?"
At these words, Zhu Que's gaze gradually turned icy, and the smile that had been on his face vanished.
"Qi Xia, I knew we wouldn't get along," Zhu Que said contemptuously. "You'll never escape. Rot here forever."
"Oh?" At this point, Qi Xia had nothing left to fear. He pressed aggressively: "Rot here? Are you going to kill me now?"
In a flash, Zhu Que flew to Qi Xia's side, his feathered cape billowing behind him.
He grabbed Qi Xia by the collar and snarled, "If not for the rules restricting me, I would tear you apart right here!"
"So... according to the 'rules,' you can't kill me," Qi Xia replied.
"Heh..." Zhu Que finally smiled again. "Even if I don't kill you, you'll still die here."
Under everyone's vigilant gaze, Zhu Que slowly floated into the air, like a deity.
"Why do you think I'll die here?" Qi Xia looked up and asked.
"Because you are Qi Xia, so you are destined to die here." Zhu Que snorted coldly, then vanished into thin air.
He didn't fly away like an immortal in a TV drama, nor did he emit light like a spell. He simply disappeared in midair.
This sudden change left everyone baffled.
"Because I am Qi Xia... so I'll die here?"
"Cough..." The Human Rat lying in Qi Xia's arms coughed.
Qi Xia looked down at her. This girl's face was very clean, not like someone from this world.
His emotions were complicated. If he hadn't chosen to bet his life, this girl might not have met such an end.
Thinking carefully, she had never done anything to harm Qi Xia from the start.
One "Dao" for another "Dao."
Maybe it was just as she had said—Qi Xia would never find a game this simple, this safe again.
Human Rat reached into her pocket and slowly took out three "Dao," then said with difficulty: "What a shame... I've been waiting here a long time. You're the first batch of participants. I thought I could earn some 'Dao'..."
She handed the "Dao" to Qi Xia and said haltingly: "One of these is your entry fee, and the other three are my own 'Dao.' They're all yours now..."
The four of them looked at the girl, not knowing what to say.
By position, they should have been enemies. But this girl's helplessness and despair struck deep into their hearts, evoking an indescribable resonance.
"Are you also some kind of participant?" Qi Xia asked coldly.
Hearing this, Human Rat smiled instead. Blood began to flow from her mouth again: "Who isn't a 'participant' here... To be honest... I wish I was like you, never putting on the 'Rat' mask... Even though none of us can leave..."
Her head slowly lolled to the side, and her arm dropped to the ground.
The two women sighed, and even Qiao Jiajin's face was filled with sorrow.
But Qi Xia's expression remained as indifferent as ever.
He gently laid the girl flat on the ground and slowly stood up. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Qi Xia... are you alright?" Lin Qin asked.
"Me?" Qi Xia was slightly stunned. "Do I look... like something's wrong?"
"Because there's no expression on your face... that's not normal."
"I—"
Before he could finish, a splitting headache suddenly struck Qi Xia. He let out a piercing scream and crouched down, clutching his head.
"Hey! Conman!" Qiao Jiajin sensed something was off with Qi Xia's condition. When Han Yimo died this morning, Qi Xia had also experienced a headache.
Qi Xia felt as if his skull were cracking, something deep inside his brain pulsating.