Chapter 71: Three Questions
Qi Xia's expression turned grave after hearing this. He let out a sigh and said, "Aren't you being a bit too optimistic? I have no idea how to escape this damn place."
"Officer Li once said that if anyone could escape this place, it would probably be Qi Xia."
Qi Xia fell silent upon hearing that.
In his life, very few things ever exceeded his expectations. He was used to controlling everything with meticulous planning. But ever since coming here, he had felt helpless many times. Nothing here seemed to develop according to his plans.
At first, Qi Xia formulated a strategy to obtain "Dao" through "Betting Life," but then he encountered the "Earth Ox," who could die in the game. Later, Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian died right before Qi Xia's eyes. As unwilling as he was, he was utterly powerless to stop it.
Now, he had come to team up with Officer Li to discuss the next step, but Officer Li was dead too. He was forced to team up with Lawyer Zhang instead. But what kind of person was Lawyer Zhang, really?
"Not being able to plan and control everything really makes me uncomfortable," Qi Xia muttered to himself. "Lawyer Zhang, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Ask me a few questions?" Lawyer Zhang thought for a moment. "Alright, as long as they don't involve privacy, go ahead."
"What's your reason for having to get out?"
"I..." Lawyer Zhang found the question interesting. "Even if I had no reason to get out, I wouldn't be willing to stay here, would I?"
Qi Xia nodded and asked again, "Do you think 'killing to steal Dao' is feasible?"
"Killing to steal 'Dao'..." Lawyer Zhang cupped her chin, carefully considered the question, then answered cautiously, "I think the method is feasible, but I don't want to do it. It's against the law."
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, one last question... Have you ever made a mistake?"
"A mistake?" Lawyer Zhang was startled. "Do you mean committing a crime?"
"Not related to 'the law,'" Qi Xia said. "I mean the kind of mistake that changes the entire trajectory of your life, one that makes you regret deeply, remorseful to the core, a 'mistake' that you spend the rest of your life repaying."
Lawyer Zhang's gaze suddenly turned cold. She stared straight at Qi Xia and asked, "What do you mean? What does this question have to do with us teaming up?"
She didn't answer, but Qi Xia already knew the answer. It seemed the root cause lay in the first game. Everyone had lied.
"Alright, I understand. Let's move together." Qi Xia nodded and extended his hand to Lawyer Zhang.
Lawyer Zhang looked at him somewhat suspiciously, then slowly reached out and shook his hand.
Seeing the group's reaction, Old Lyu felt like an outsider again. He realized it would take some effort to integrate into this small team. He knew Qi Xia was no ordinary person; teaming up with him would greatly increase the chances of obtaining "Dao."
With that thought, Old Lyu stepped forward, let out a naive laugh, and said to Qi Xia, "Since you've found who you were looking for, I guess I should be going now?"
Qi Xia nodded expressionlessly and said indifferently, "No need to see you off."
"Huh?" Old Lyu was slightly taken aback. "Kid Qi, aren't you going to try to keep me?"
"No need for that." Qi Xia turned around and slowly sat down, continuing to examine the lighter in his hand.
Old Lyu stood there awkwardly. He had planned to put on a touching act of "everyone reluctant, forced to stay," but this young man wasn't buying it at all. What should he do now?
He turned to look at Lin Qin, his eyes brimming with hope. But Lin Qin knew Qi Xia too well; he wouldn't keep a stranger around. After all, the fate of Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian was caused by that stranger named Xiaoxiao. So Lin Qin ignored him.
Seeing Lin Qin not responding for a long time, Old Lyu had to turn to Zhang Chenze. He thought this woman looked kind-hearted and wouldn't be so ruthless. So he leaned over to Lawyer Zhang, helped wrap her clothes a bit tighter, and said, "Little girl, I'm going now. Take care of yourself."
To his surprise, Zhang Chenze was even colder than Lin Qin.
"Uncle, don't bother yourself," Zhang Chenze said coldly. "Also, let me make it clear: unless it's an emergency or a medical situation, please don't touch me."
"You..." Old Lyu was furious but had nothing to say. After all, he was the one who proposed leaving. He had only ever seen people giving themselves an out, never someone putting themselves up on a cliff with a single step.
This time it was Old Lyu who was reluctant to leave. He walked toward the door, looking back every few steps, and found that indeed no one was trying to stop him. So he could only slink out the door.
Just as he was about to leave, Old Lyu suddenly thought of something. He hurried back and said to everyone, "I found a game this morning that requires a four-person team to participate... Are you all interested?"
Upon 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 Lyu plopped himself down.
"Heh heh, it's 'Dog'!" Old Lyu said. "This game will test our team's coordination. It'll be no problem!"
"Dog?" Qi Xia was taken aback and pondered for a moment.
'Dog' was a game focused on "team coordination." Lin Qin and Zhang Chenze were not stupid, and they would follow his orders, so cooperation wouldn't be an issue. The only variable was this Old Lyu in front of him. Qi Xia stared at Old Lyu with a complicated expression, as if weighing the feasibility of a team game.
"Kid Qi, what's wrong? Don't you trust me?" Old Lyu grew a bit anxious. "I told you, the more critical the moment, the smarter I get!"
"Old Lyu, can you agree to one request of mine?" Qi Xia asked.
"Sure! Name it!"
"When we play the game, you must follow all my commands."
Old Lyu's eyes darted for a moment, then he nodded. "Alright, what else?"
"That's it. Just that one request."
"Ha, I thought it was something serious!" Old Lyu waved his hand with a laugh. "Don't worry, Kid Qi. I'll listen to you then."
Qi Xia still felt uneasy and added, "I might make decisions that seem very odd, but if you want to win the game, you have to listen to me."
"Hey, I got it!" Old Lyu nodded seriously.
Seeing Old Lyu's stern expression, Qi Xia didn't press further. He turned to Lawyer Zhang and asked, "Are you full?"
"Yeah." Zhang Chenze picked up a relatively clean piece of waste paper from the ground and carefully wiped the grease off her hands.
"It might not be the best suggestion, but do you want to change into Officer Li's clothes?" Qi Xia said.
Lawyer Zhang was taken aback. She looked at her own soaking wet clothes, then at Officer Li's bloodstained T-shirt. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
"I have a cleanliness complex. I'll just wear what I have on."