Chapter 67: Rabbit
Rounding a corner, the three of them arrived at a dilapidated police station.
A rabbit-headed person stood at the entrance.
"Right here!" Old Lv said. "Looks like it's already over..."
Qi Xia glanced at the rabbit-headed person; it appeared to be another woman.
Her mask was worn and torn, her suit covered in dust—clearly a "Human Rabbit." That meant if Officer Li had really participated in her game, his life shouldn't have been in danger.
"Want to play my game?" the Human Rabbit asked with a smile.
"No..." Qi Xia shook his head. "I wanted to ask if a man and a woman who came to play your game earlier are still here."
"A man and a woman?" The Human Rabbit crossed one arm over her chest and rested her chin on the other hand, looking somewhat flirtatious. "Oh... you mean that sturdy young man, right?"
"That's right."
"He's a man with no sense of romance." The Human Rabbit waved her hand coquettishly. "I told him he didn't need to pay with 'Tao,' just spend a day with me, but he was as stiff as a block of wood..."
Qi Xia sighed impatiently. "Where is he?"
"You're quite handsome yourself, young man..." The Human Rabbit suddenly reached out and touched Qi Xia's face, startling him.
"Even if you're not as burly, as long as you spend a day with me, I'll not only give you 'Tao' but also tell you where that man went. How about it?"
Qi Xia pushed aside the Human Rabbit's hand and turned to the other two. "Forget it. Let's search nearby."
Old Lv and Lin Qin also knew better than to tangle with a "Zodiac," so they followed Qi Xia as he turned to leave.
"If you want to search on your own... you'd better hurry." The Human Rabbit gave a charming smile. "That young man is seriously injured. If you're too late, it won't matter anymore."
"What?" Qi Xia had only taken three steps when he froze in place.
"Why was he injured?" Qi Xia turned back, confused. "Is your game that dangerous?"
"Not at all." The Human Rabbit swayed her hips and stepped forward. "My games are all 'escape-type' games. Big sister here designed some very intricate mechanisms. But that young man, relying on his strong physique, insisted on using brute force to break through. What could I do?"
Qi Xia said nothing more. He turned his head and suddenly noticed a few streaks of fresh blood on the ground. His expression turned cold as he spoke:
"Let's go."
The three of them followed the trail of blood, moving forward.
Given the amount of blood, Officer Li's injury probably wasn't that serious. The Human Rabbit was likely exaggerating.
Soon, the group followed the bloodstains to the entrance of a pharmacy. The sound of clattering came from inside, indicating someone was there.
"Officer Li?" Qi Xia called out.
The noise inside paused for a moment, and Lawyer Zhang was the first to come out.
"Qi Xia?!" She looked different—her usually neat appearance was disheveled.
Her clothes were drenched, as if she had just been in the water.
"What happened?" Qi Xia asked. "Where's Officer Li?"
Lawyer Zhang's eyes suddenly widened, and she grabbed Qi Xia. "Please help me! Officer Li is done for!"
"What?!"
Qi Xia felt confused. They had followed the trail of scattered blood here, which seemed like nothing more than a cut on the arm at most. How could he be done for?
The three followed Lawyer Zhang inside. A strong smell of rust wafted out.
A few steps in, they saw Officer Li, completely drenched in blood.
His entire body was covered in gore, making it impossible to tell where he was injured at a glance.
His lips were pale, his face ashen, and he sat slumped weakly on the ground.
"Wh-what happened..." Lin Qin tremblingly rushed over. "Officer Li... where exactly are you hurt?"
Officer Li turned his head to look at Qi Xia and Lin Qin, forcing a bitter smile onto his face. He slowly raised his hand, as if wanting to say something.
Qi Xia looked down, and his heart suddenly pounded.
This wasn't a matter of "where he was hurt"—
Officer Li's entire right hand was gone.
At his wrist was a rough, jagged stump, not like it had been cut, but rather torn off.
And it seemed he had used a piece of wire to tie off his arm to stop the bleeding. The wire was tightly embedded in his flesh, turning the surrounding skin and muscle purple.
Because of that, only a small amount of blood was seeping from the wound.
"Oh my god..." Lin Qin wanted to help somehow but found she could do nothing. "Lawyer Zhang, what exactly happened?"
"That rabbit's game..." Zhang Chenze bit her lip hard. "That woman is a complete psychopath..."
Qi Xia's gaze gradually turned cold. He walked over to Officer Li, wanting to say something, but every word stuck in his throat.
He had imagined many scenarios for meeting him again, but he never expected it to come to this.
"Lawyer Zhang, take them out," Officer Li suddenly said. "I want to talk to Qi Xia alone."
"Talk alone?" The others looked confused.
Zhang Chenze thought for a moment, then nodded. She led Lin Qin and Old Lv out of the room.
Seeing them leave, Officer Li gave a bitter smile and said to Qi Xia, "Why the frown? You look like you've been wronged."
"I..." Qi Xia sighed and could only say, "I'll avenge you. That rabbit..."
"No..." Officer Li shook his head. "That woman is insane. Don't join her game."
Qi Xia's unspoken words lodged in his throat again, leaving him speechless.
Officer Li smiled weakly. "Have you found a way out of here?"
"No..." Qi Xia said dejectedly. "I think I might have been wrong. Not only did I not find a way out, I even got Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian killed."
With only Officer Li left, Qi Xia finally voiced the sorrow hidden in his heart: "I underestimated everything..."
Officer Li's pale lips curled slightly. He shifted his body to sit more comfortably.
"What's wrong?" Officer Li asked. "Something you can't handle?"
Qi Xia didn't know how to describe the matter concerning "Xiao Xiao," so he only shook his head.
Now even the Officer Li he trusted was about to die. Qi Xia felt a headache coming on.
He shook his head, pretending nothing was wrong, and asked, "Why did you keep me alone?"
"I have some things I want to say to someone before I die."
Officer Li reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn-out cigarette case. Inside were two moldy cigarettes, probably scavenged from some abandoned building.
He put one in his mouth, then felt around his other pockets and muttered a curse.
"Forgot I never found a lighter. Can't even get a last smoke before I die."