Chapter 45: Capture the Ringleader
Earth Ox did not respond, only swept a glance over the surviving participants, then said with slight displeasure, "Nineteen 'Dao' per person. The game is over. Please come forward one by one to collect your 'Dao'."
Little Glasses looked at Zhang Shan's wound and couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat. "Zhang Shan... are you really okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine," Zhang Shan said with a smile, patting Little Glasses on the head. "How about you guys? I see you and Old Lyu are both looking pretty energetic."
"Ah...!" Little Glasses suddenly exclaimed. "Zhang Shan, speaking of Old Lyu, there's something I need to discuss with you..."
At that moment, Old Lyu also hurried over to Zhang Shan, gesturing excitedly. "Yes, yes! You have to stand up for me!"
"Stand up? What happened?"
Seeing the three of them whispering, Qi Xia's expression darkened. He turned back and asked Lin Qin, "What exactly happened over there?"
Lin Qin took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, I thought we were done for..."
"That's right..." Tiantian added from the side. "When Black Bear came out, Lin Qin and I were so scared we couldn't even stand."
"And then?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Then..." Lin Qin blinked, thinking as she spoke. "I only remember that man named Zhang Shan shouting 'Get out of the way,' then he picked up an iron plate and charged at Black Bear."
"What?!" Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin both exclaimed in a low voice.
"We didn't dare to look..." Lin Qin said. "It was too brutal. He used the iron plate to tackle Black Bear, pinned its body down, then sat on the plate and kept attacking the bear's head. The whole place was covered in blood..."
"Damn... that's a real Terminator..." Qiao Jiajin said through gritted teeth. "That big guy is fierce."
"It seemed like he knew Black Bear's weakness. Before the game ended, the bear was already beaten beyond recognition—its nose was broken, and many of its teeth were knocked out..." Lin Qin said.
Tiantian added, "But Zhang Shan didn't have it easy either. Black Bear fought back desperately in its death throes, flipped the iron plate, and kept clawing at him, scratching him all over with blood. Luckily, the bear fell within a minute. Thanks to him, the rest of us were safe..."
Qi Xia frowned after hearing this. No wonder Tiantian and Lin Qin thought they couldn't win this game on their own.
It turned out that in their arena, no one had used the same method as he did to pass. Instead, someone had used that heavy iron plate as a weapon and fought the bear directly.
"In that case... why were you so late coming up?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "You only came back three or four minutes after the game ended. The Liar and I were about to prepare your funerals."
"This is even scarier..." Lin Qin bit her lip and lowered her head. "After that big guy killed the bear, he suddenly said, 'I haven't eaten for days, and bear paws are a delicacy.' Then he directed us to use the iron plate to break off both of the bear's arms..."
"So those two bear arms..." Qiao Jiajin was about to say something more, but suddenly saw the big guy, Little Glasses, and Old Lyu walking straight over toward them.
All three had small cloth bags hanging from their waists, apparently having collected their 'Dao.'
The big guy at the front had a cold expression, his eyes fixed on Qi Xia, looking hostile.
"Oh..." Qiao Jiajin suddenly remembered the "deal" between Qi Xia and Little Glasses and sensed trouble. "Liar, what's the plan?"
"Matthew Effect..." Qi Xia muttered to himself. "To those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."
"What does that mean?"
Qi Xia didn't answer. He silently surveyed the surroundings, then pulled a chair in front of himself, ensuring some distance between him and the other party.
There were three more chairs beside him. He examined them carefully and noticed one was placed within easiest reach—its leg was nearly broken, making it an excellent weapon.
The Earth Ox was still ten paces away, unable to intervene immediately. Qi Xia knew that if everything went smoothly, he could definitely take down Zhang Shan.
"No big deal..." Qi Xia looked at Zhang Shan with cold eyes. "He can kill a bear, but unfortunately, I'm not a bear."
"What are you going to do...?" Lin Qin felt scared.
Qiao Jiajin also watched the approaching three with a serious face, casually rolling his neck.
The atmosphere grew tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder.
If this big guy was really here to "avenge" his friends, it would surely be a fierce battle.
Zhang Shan arrived in front of Qi Xia and looked at him thoughtfully.
Qi Xia also raised his head, looking back at the man who stood over 1.9 meters tall.
"I heard... you had a little incident with my friends," Zhang Shan said flatly.
"That's right," Qi Xia replied. "That old man bought his life from me with 'Dao.'"
"Hah... who the hell do you think you are..." Zhang Shan extended his pinky to scratch his ear. "Buying life from you? Are you the King of Hell?"
"I can be." Qi Xia took a step forward, moving closer to the chair. "I can save lives, and I can also take them."
Zhang Shan frowned. "What's wrong with you? Can't you speak properly?"
"Whether I can speak properly depends entirely on whether you give me the 'Dao.'"
"You're really annoying," the big guy scowled. "What if I don't give it? What will you do?"
Little Glasses was taken aback, then whispered urgently, "Zhang Shan! What do you mean? That's not what we agreed on!"
"Leave it," Zhang Shan whispered back. "I have my own plan."
"If you don't give it, I'll take it myself."
"Oh? You've lived long enough?"
Before Zhang Shan could react, Qi Xia kicked the chair at his feet forward, slamming it into Zhang Shan's knee.
Zhang Shan winced and quickly stepped back.
Taking advantage of the opening, Qi Xia dashed forward, grabbed the chair by its leg, and swung it. He knew Zhang Shan was injured—this was the perfect chance to take him down.
"Thirty-Six Stratagems: Capture the leader to defeat the group," Qi Xia thought to himself, then swung the chair.
Seeing the danger, Zhang Shan immediately ducked and covered his head with his arms.
The next second, the chair shattered against his arm.
*Crack!*
Though painful, the blow didn't hit a vital point.
"Crush their core, seize their leader, to disintegrate them," Qi Xia muttered again.
Zhang Shan was clearly enraged. "You're seriously going for the kill?"
But before he could curse, he noticed Qi Xia still holding a broken chair leg.
Qi Xia used the momentum to spin and swung the leg toward Zhang Shan's head.
Zhang Shan was no ordinary man—he turned his head and used his hardest forehead to meet the wooden rod.
*Crack!*
The chair leg snapped on impact, leaving a red mark on Zhang Shan's forehead.
"Interesting...!" Zhang Shan said through gritted teeth. "You fight to kill... then I won't hold back either!"