# Chapter 74: The Lawyer's Choice
"Earth Dog, what about the remaining rules?" Qi Xia asked. "What exactly is this game about?"
"Please follow me, everyone. I'll explain as we walk."
As Earth Dog spoke, he led the group into a corridor of the hotel and said, "This hotel has two parallel corridors, both arranged identically. Each team occupies one corridor to play the game. Whichever team completes their task first will be declared the winner."
With that, he pushed open the first door in the corridor. On the door was written "Sender".
"This is the Sender's room," Earth Dog said. "After the game starts, the two 'Senders' can only stay in their respective rooms and cannot go outside. Your task is to deliver a letter containing a password."
The empty room contained only a table, and the items on it were clear at a glance: a letter, an iron box, a golden key, and a golden lock.
Lin Qin thought for a moment and asked, "Since we can't leave this room, how are we supposed to deliver the 'letter'?"
"Very simple. Give the letter to the 'Spy'," Earth Dog said. "Please follow me."
He led everyone out of the room and back into the corridor.
"The corridor is the activity area for all 'Spies'. You shuttle through your respective corridors to deliver letters."
"Let the 'Spy' deliver the letter?!" Everyone was taken aback.
"Has everyone seen spy thrillers?" Earth Dog continued with a smile. "Sometimes, even when you know the messenger is a spy, you still have no choice but to send the letter."
Everyone didn't know what to say. Most of the people present were young, and how many of them had studied spy thrillers?
"What's this?" Lin Qin pointed to a small machine in the corridor.
The machine looked like an electric heater, with a palm-sized hole on top.
"This is a shredder," Earth Dog said. "The 'Spy' can throw anything into the shredder at their whim, including letters, keys, and locks. But it's worth noting that due to size limitations, the 'iron box' cannot be thrown in."
"So we can have the 'Spy' deliver anything?!" Lin Qin asked. "Even just the key by itself?"
"Correct. As long as you're willing, you can have the Spy make multiple trips through the corridor."
Everyone vaguely sensed that this game was not simple, and the situations to come were completely unpredictable.
"That's all for the first part of the rules," Earth Dog said with a smile. "Please have the 'Senders' return to their rooms. The remaining rules don't require your participation."
Lin Qin glanced at Qi Xia, then slowly walked toward the room.
The blonde-haired man from the opposing team also went to the other corridor and entered a room.
Qi Xia looked at the shredder in the corridor and suddenly felt some regret.
It seemed that the 'Spy' was the most variable role in this game.
"Both 'Spies', whatever you receive, you must deliver it within three minutes, unless you have destroyed it." Earth Dog pointed to an electronic clock on the corridor wall, which had a three-minute countdown. "If the time reaches zero and the item hasn't been processed, you will be penalized."
Old Lyu and the female contestant were startled. "Didn't you say our role was the safest?"
"Of course, as long as you deliver or destroy the item, you'll be safe," Earth Dog said with a smile. "This rule is to prevent anyone from stalling for time."
Seeing that no one spoke further, Earth Dog added, "Please have the 'Spies' stay here. The rest of you, follow me."
Old Lyu and the girl remained.
Earth Dog led the remaining people forward.
At this point, both sides had only the 'Receiver' and the 'Hostage'.
At the end of the corridor was another room, with the words "Receiver" written on the door.
Earth Dog pushed open the door. Inside, there was still a table, but this time it held only a silver key and a silver lock.
In the corner of the room was a large device that looked like a refrigerator.
"This is the 'Receiver's' activity space," Earth Dog said. "Apart from the 'Spy', you cannot communicate with anyone."
He then walked over to the large device and said, "This cabinet is where the 'Hostage' needs to stay. Once the game starts, you will be trapped inside."
Qi Xia was the first to go up and inspect the cabinet. The cabinet door had an electronic display that currently read "Unlocked".
The interior structure of the cabinet was also quite strange. The walls were made of metal, with many holes in them. It looked like...
"This is a custom-made large microwave oven," Earth Dog said. "After thirty minutes, if no one opens the cabinet door, the person inside will become meat."
The big bald man next to him gasped sharply. He was the 'Hostage' from the opposing team.
"A microwave?! What the hell?!" he shouted, stepping back. "I'm not getting in there!"
"Hey!" The blonde-haired man grabbed him. "Don't make a scene. If you back out here, Amu will kill you when we get out."
At those words, the bald man was visibly frightened.
"Then... I still can't get into a microwave..."
"Relax, how could these people be a match for Amu?" The blonde-haired man grabbed the bald man's shoulder. "Trust his methods."
The bald man pondered for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.
"As for the 'Receiver,' your rules are no different from the 'Sender's'," Earth Dog continued. "The only thing to note is that if you successfully receive the letter, open it immediately, decipher the door-opening password in it, and rescue your teammate. The team that rescues their teammate first wins."
Qi Xia noticed that Zhang Chenze beside him had been silent the whole time, so he spoke up calmly, "Do you trust me?"
Zhang Chenze hesitated for a moment, then said, "Qi Xia, I trust you. But this game has too many variables. In this room, you can't communicate with anyone else, let alone discuss tactics. Even if I trust you, that doesn't mean you can definitely save me."
"Well..." Qi Xia was momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing the two talking, Earth Dog very inappropriately approached and said with a smile, "Even now, if you want to swap roles, I won't object."
Hearing this, Qi Xia was startled. He pulled out his own "Receiver" card and looked at it.
Zhang Chenze had just escaped from the fish tank, and now she was about to enter a microwave. Wasn't this too cruel for her?
"Lawyer Zhang, logically speaking, I really should swap with you..." Qi Xia said with some difficulty. "Making you the hostage twice in a row is too much for you..."
"It's fine," Zhang Chenze said. "Qi Xia, from a perspective of maximizing benefits, you should keep this 'Receiver' card. Standing at the center of the entire game, you'll be better able to control the overall situation. Compared to others, I feel more at ease letting you open the lock."
"Don't you think it's cruel for you?" Qi Xia asked.
"Cruel?" Zhang Chenze forced a smile. "As long as it's the right thing to do, I should carry it out unconditionally. Besides, my clothes are still wet. Consider it a chance to dry off."