Chapter 71: Three Questions
Qi Xia's expression darkened after hearing that. He sighed and said, "Are you being too optimistic? I don't know how to escape this godforsaken place either."
"Officer Li once said that if anyone could escape this place, it would probably be you, Qi Xia."
Qi Xia fell silent.
In his life, things rarely exceeded his expectations.
He was usually able to control everything with meticulous planning.
But ever since he arrived here, he had felt powerless many times.
Nothing here seemed to develop according to his plans.
At first, Qi Xia formulated a strategy to obtain "Dao" by relying on "Betting on Lives," but immediately afterward, he encountered the "Earth Ox," which could take lives during the game.
Later, Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian died right before his eyes, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had no power to stop it.
Now, he had intended to team up with Officer Li and discuss the next move.
But Officer Li was dead too.
He had no choice but to team up with Attorney Zhang.
But what kind of person was Attorney Zhang, really?
"Not being able to strategize and control everything makes me very uncomfortable," Qi Xia muttered to himself. "Attorney Zhang, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Ask me a few questions?" Attorney Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, as long as they don't involve my privacy, go ahead."
"What's your reason for having to get out of here?"
"I..." Attorney Zhang found this question somewhat interesting. "Even if I didn't have a reason to get out, would I be willing to stay here?"
Qi Xia nodded and asked again, "Do you think 'killing others to take their Dao' is feasible?"
"Killing others to take their 'Dao'..." Attorney Zhang propped her chin in her hand and carefully considered the question before answering seriously, "I think this method is feasible, but I don't want to do it. It's against the law."
Qi Xia thought for a moment and said, "Alright, one last question... Have you ever made a mistake?"
"A mistake?" Attorney Zhang was taken aback. "Are you referring to a crime?"
"It has nothing to do with the 'law,'" Qi Xia said. "Rather, a mistake that changed the entire trajectory of your life—one that fills you with remorse, one you regret deeply, one that makes you pay for it for the rest of your life. A 'mistake.'"
Attorney Zhang's gaze suddenly turned cold. She stared straight at Qi Xia and asked, "What does that mean? What does this question have to do with our teaming up?"
She didn't answer, but Qi Xia already knew the answer.
It seemed that everything traced back to the first game.
Everyone had lied.
"Alright, I understand. Let's move together." Qi Xia nodded and extended his hand to Attorney Zhang.
Attorney Zhang looked at Qi Xia with some suspicion, then slowly reached out and shook his hand.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Old Lü felt like an outsider again. It seemed he would need to put in some effort to become part of this little group.
He knew Qi Xia was no ordinary man. Teaming up with him would greatly increase the chances of obtaining "Dao."
With that in mind, Old Lü stepped forward, let out an awkward laugh, and said to Qi Xia, "Since you've found your people, I guess I should be going now?"
Qi Xia nodded expressionlessly and said calmly, "No need to see you off."
"Huh?" Old Lü was slightly stunned. "Kid Qi, you're not going to ask me to stay?"
"There's no need for that." Qi Xia turned around, slowly sat down, and continued fiddling with the lighter in his hand.
Old Lü stood there awkwardly. He had planned to stage a touching scene of "everyone reluctant, forced to stay," but this young man was completely immune to that kind of act. What now?
He turned to look at Lin Qin, a hint of expectation in his eyes.
But Lin Qin knew Qi Xia too well. He would never keep a stranger by his side.
After all, the misfortunes of Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian were caused by that stranger named Xiaoxiao. So Lin Qin ignored Old Lü.
Seeing that Lin Qin didn't respond after a long while, Old Lü could only turn to Zhang Chenze.
He thought to himself that this woman seemed kind-faced and wouldn't be so cold-hearted.
So he leaned toward Attorney Zhang, pulled her clothes tighter to cover her, and said, "Little girl, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself."
To Old Lü's surprise, Zhang Chenze was even colder than Lin Qin.
"Uncle, don't trouble yourself," Zhang Chenze said coldly. "Also, let me clarify: unless it's an emergency or a medical situation, please don't touch me."
"You..." Old Lü's teeth itched with anger, but he had nothing to say. After all, he was the one who proposed leaving.
He had seen people give themselves an out before, but never someone who built a ladder only to hang themselves on a cliff.
Now it was Old Lü's turn to be reluctant.
He kept looking back as he walked toward the door, but found that no one was trying to stop him. So he could only slink out in disappointment.
Just as he was about to leave, a thought suddenly struck him. He quickly turned back and said to the group, "I found a game this morning that requires four people to participate... Are you all interested?"
Hearing this, Lin Qin and Zhang Chenze both looked at Qi Xia.
Qi Xia slowly raised his head, thought for three seconds, and asked, "What animal?"
Seeing that Qi Xia was indeed interested in "Dao," Old Lü sat down right then and there.
"Hehe, it's 'Dog'!" Old Lü said. "This is a game that tests our team's coordination. There won't be any problem!"
"Dog?" Qi Xia was taken aback and lowered his head in thought.
"Dog" was a "team coordination" type of game. Lin Qin and Zhang Chenze were not stupid, and they would follow his instructions. The coordination wouldn't be a problem. The only variable was Old Lü in front of him.
Qi Xia stared at Old Lü with a complicated expression, as if weighing the feasibility of the team game.
"Kid Qi, what's wrong? Don't you trust me?" Old Lü was getting anxious. "I told you, the more critical the moment, the smarter I get!"
"Old Lü, can you agree to one request?" Qi Xia asked.
"Sure! Name it!"
"During the game, you must follow all my commands."
Old Lü rolled his eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, anything else?"
"No, just that one request."
"Pfft, I thought it was something serious!" Old Lü laughed and waved his hand. "Don't worry, kid Qi. I'll listen to you when the time comes."
Qi Xia still felt uneasy and added, "I might make decisions that seem strange, but if you want to win the game, you have to follow me."
"Alright, I get it!" Old Lü nodded seriously.
Seeing Old Lü's earnest expression, Qi Xia didn't press further. He turned to Attorney Zhang and asked, "Are you full?"
"Yeah." Zhang Chenze picked up a relatively clean piece of scrap paper from the ground and carefully wiped the oil off her hands.
"It might not be the best suggestion, but do you want to change into Officer Li's clothes?" Qi Xia said.
Attorney Zhang was taken aback. She looked at her own soaked clothes, then at Officer Li's bloodstained T-shirt. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
"I'm a germaphobe. I'll just wear what I have on."