# Chapter 61: A Pig's Fate
"You're really a madman..." Old Lyu was so frightened he nearly couldn't stand. "It's just that I won ten 'Dao' from you. Why go this far?"
"You think I want to be a pig in this godforsaken place, living day by day relying on luck?"
Human Pig extended his hand and touched the pig snout on his mask. Although the mask had no expression, it always gave people a sense of ferocity.
"You don't understand me... Only 'betting on life'... only betting on life with formidable people makes life here meaningful."
Qi Xia could tell from Human Pig's eyes—he had been playing the pig all along, waiting for the day he could devour the tiger.
"He really is a madman..." Old Lyu looked at Qi Xia with some difficulty. The Human Pig in front of them had specifically challenged him to a life gamble. Even if they tried to run now, it was too late.
"Human Pig, let's change the approach." Qi Xia thought for a moment before speaking. "I'll stay here and bet my life with you. I don't need their help."
"Huh?" Old Lyu and Lin Qin were both stunned.
"Kid, what are you doing?" Old Lyu was taken aback. "It was me who brought you into this game. What's the point of you staying here alone to bet your life?"
Qi Xia looked at Old Lyu with some confusion, realizing he might have misjudged him earlier. He didn't expect Old Lyu to be surprisingly reliable at a critical moment.
"Uncle," Qi Xia said. "The more people who stay, the more dangerous it is. If I die, take my friend here and find that man and woman."
"No, I'm not leaving." Lin Qin shook her head. "Qi Xia, have you forgotten what I told you?"
"I'm not leaving either, dammit." Old Lyu shook his head. "Kid, this Human Pig has challenged you. In theory, me and this little girl are safe... But don't worry. If you die, I'll personally collect your corpse."
Qi Xia scratched his head helplessly. Although his view of Old Lyu had somewhat improved, the guy still spoke harshly.
"That doesn't sound very auspicious... Well then, I won't try to persuade you." Qi Xia sighed and looked up at Human Pig. "You said there's a new way to play. What is it?"
Human Pig showed an excited expression again and pushed two pairs of glasses toward them. "Here! Put them on! Put them on!"
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qin and Old Lyu put on the glasses.
The next second, two mechanical arms extended from the ends of the glasses' temples, wrapping around the backs of their heads and clicking together, locked end to end.
Lin Qin sensed something was wrong. She tried to take off the glasses but found that the small device had complex mechanisms, now clamped tightly onto her head like a golden headband.
"What's going on..." Lin Qin was about to speak, but Human Pig raised his hand to stop her.
"Pretty girl, don't speak casually." Human Pig said with a smile. "From now on, you'll only be safe if you follow my rules."
"Rules..."
"Your glasses are now 'active.'" Human Pig explained. "One of you will feel the glasses ice cold, and the other will feel them burning hot. From now on, the one whose glasses feel cold is only allowed to tell lies. The one whose glasses feel hot is only allowed to tell the truth."
Qi Xia had a bad feeling. This game mode seemed familiar.
"If either of you tries any tricks or speaks before the game begins..." Human Pig pointed to his own brow. "This spot here will be pierced through. Understand?"
Lin Qin immediately shut her mouth.
Because she could feel that some mechanism was being triggered near her brow. The inside of the glasses seemed to be wound up—maybe a bowstring, maybe a laser.
Old Lyu's face also alternated between pale and purple. He knew that "the more you say, the more mistakes you make." He couldn't be sure which sentence would trigger the mechanism.
Seeing them fall silent, Human Pig turned back to Qi Xia and said, "The game you and I will play has roughly the same rules as last time. Except this time... I'll do the distribution."
"You'll distribute?" Qi Xia looked at the chess pieces on the table and thought for a moment. "After you distribute... I'll choose?"
"Correct." Human Pig nodded. "Sounds unfair to you, doesn't it?"
"Of course it's unfair." Though he said that, Qi Xia knew the "rules" weren't finished yet. After all, the rules about "truth" and "lies" hadn't come into play.
"So I'll graciously add another rule for you..." Human Pig grunted with a foolish smile. "After you make your selection, you need to ask these two to confirm the color. But no matter who you pick, you can only ask once in total."
Then he looked up at Lin Qin and Old Lyu. "For the sake of fairness, you two can only answer 'black' or 'white.' Any questions?"
The two nodded with frightened expressions.
Qi Xia seemed to understand. This rule was outrageous.
Now he couldn't know which of them—Lin Qin or Old Lyu—would tell the truth. Asking would only complicate things further.
"The watch theorem..." Qi Xia murmured with his eyes closed. "When a person has only one watch, they know the time clearly. But when they have two watches showing different times, they can't trust either..."
"Are you ready, Qi Xia?" Human Pig asked.
Qi Xia took a deep breath and looked up at Human Pig. "I want to ask you the same thing. This is a life-or-death battle. Are you ready?"
"Life? Hehehe..." Human Pig snorted and laughed, soon shaking all over. "Living here, what life is there for us? Only when I 'die' do I feel like I've truly lived."
Qi Xia nodded. He could tell that Human Pig had been living here for a long time. Ordinary reasoning couldn't convince him.
So Qi Xia reached out and put on the blindfold.
Human Pig silently began to distribute the chess pieces.
Lin Qin and Old Lyu watched the two calm figures beside them. They were supposed to be the protagonists of this life gamble, yet both remained composed, as if they didn't care about what was about to happen.
It was Lin Qin and Old Lyu whose legs were trembling with tension.
"Do you want to get out?" Qi Xia suddenly asked.
"What?" Human Pig didn't look up, speaking casually.
"Besides dying here, haven't you thought about escaping?"
Human Pig's hand paused in midair. "Escape to where?"
"Go back to where you came from." Qi Xia, still wearing the blindfold, said with a serious expression. "Don't you want to go back?"
Human Pig thought for a moment. "If I didn't want to go back, why would I be willing to become a 'pig'?"
"What?" Qi Xia felt like he had stumbled upon some important clue.
"But I don't plan to 'escape,' Qi Xia." Human Pig placed all the chess pieces in position and said solemnly, "I intend to walk out of here with my head held high."