Chapter 78: Meeting the Jidao Again
The so-called Caesar cipher is currently the simplest and most widely known encryption method.
In short, it involves shifting every letter in the alphabet by a fixed number, such as turning "A" into "B," "B" into "C," and so on.
For example, the common English word "CAN," when encrypted using the Caesar cipher with a shift of one letter, becomes "DBO."
This appears to be a string of gibberish, but after decryption, it can turn into accurate words.
"Now the only thing I need to confirm... is how many times the letters have been shifted?"
After all, Qi Xia wasn't an expert in code-breaking. Even though he had a general direction, the remaining problem could only be solved using the most clumsy and direct method—
Trial and error.
He first assumed each letter was shifted by one, but after spending a few minutes decrypting, he still ended up with a jumble of gibberish.
So he tried a shift of two.
This seemingly simple step left Qi Xia silent for a long time.
"MLGDRZDQVXL."
Without paper or pen, he could only rely on mental calculations. Translating each letter in this long string by shifting them twice—turning "M" into "K," "L" into "J"—was truly no easy task.
"It's still wrong..."
After a few more minutes, Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow.
He had already tried two shifts, yet the code remained unbroken. Could his thought process be wrong?
All letters could be shifted up to twenty-five times. In other words, "A" could be any letter except "A" itself. If he had to calculate each one mentally, the workload would be unimaginably large.
"Is this your method?" Jiang Ruoxue asked from where she leaned against the doorframe.
Qi Xia didn't reply. Instead, he steadied his mind and began a third shift.
Starting now, he would try shifting each letter forward by three.
Turning "M" into "J," "L" into "I."
But this time, after testing only five letters, Qi Xia's expression turned heavy.
Jiang Ruoxue watched him with interest. "Oh? Have you cracked it?"
Qi Xia's lips moved slightly as he read out his answer: "JI... DAO... WAN... SUI?"
"That's right, that's right!" Jiang Ruoxue clapped her hands in delight. "After decryption, it really is 'Jidao Wansui,' huh? I thought it might not have worked."
At the mention of these four words, a rare panic crept into Qi Xia's expression.
He slumped onto the seat, staring at Jiang Ruoxue with a hint of fear, muttering to himself, "What exactly are you trying to do...?"
"Nothing much," Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "I'm going to die anyway, so I thought I'd say hello this time."
"Say hello..." Qi Xia gritted his teeth. "Last time you 'said hello' to me, you killed two of my companions..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Jiang Ruoxue paused, slightly taken aback. "So Xiaoxiao made a move? She never mentioned that to us. But whatever, it doesn't matter. You'll have to bear with it—Xiaoxiao has always been like that, but she's not a bad person."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting..." Qi Xia slowly stood up. "'Not a bad person'? Right now, I want to tear her apart limb by limb..."
"You really seem angry..." Jiang Ruoxue stepped forward and patted Qi Xia on the shoulder. "How about this: after this game, I'll die. A life for a life. Will that cool you down?"
Qi Xia didn't answer that question. He only felt that Jiang Ruoxue before him was very strange.
Or rather, all members of "Jidao" were strange.
He paused, turned back, picked up the letter on the table, and asked, "What about the original password? If you changed the password, won't you end up killing my teammates again?"
"What are you talking about? This is the 'password,'" Jiang Ruoxue said, looking at him in confusion. "Isn't this the letter your teammate sent?"
"You..." Qi Xia was equally confused. "You're saying 'Jidao Wansui' is the password? Are you working with the 'Earth Dog'?"
"Not at all. We have nothing to do with the 'Zodiacs,'" Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "Qi Xia, you need to understand a logical relationship here. Since the Earth Dog said 'the letter is the password,' and 'the letter is Jidao Wansui,' then 'Jidao Wansui' is the password."
"What...?"
Qi Xia felt this was a very twisted logic.
Jiang Ruoxue didn't seem like a completely irrational lunatic, but her words were still hard to understand.
Slowly walking to the cabinet, Qi Xia hesitantly wrote four Chinese characters on the touchscreen: "Jidao Wansui."
Jiang Ruoxue smiled when she saw this. "Seeing these four characters written by your hand... it's really kind of unbelievable."
A soft "click" sounded, and the cabinet door opened.
Zhang Chenze was inside, trembling. She looked up and met Qi Xia's gaze.
Before Qi Xia could say anything, Zhang Chenze immediately rushed out and hugged him.
"Qi Xia!!"
"I..." Qi Xia’s expression was awkward, his hands not knowing where to place.
"Thank goodness... I was so scared..." Zhang Chenze's whole body trembled, whether from fear or cold. "I thought I would be roasted alive in there..."
"Zhang, Lawyer Zhang, I recall you don’t like being touched," Qi Xia said awkwardly.
"Oh..." Zhang Chenze quickly let go and wiped her tear-streaked face. "Sorry... I didn't trouble you, did I?"
"It wasn't trouble, just startled me," Qi Xia shook his head. "I don't like things beyond my expectations. In my impression, you're not the type to do this."
"S-sorry." Zhang Chenze slowly lowered her head, returning to her usual demeanor.
As the two fell silent, the broadcast in the room sounded again.
"A team has successfully rescued a teammate. The game is over."
The entire building immediately buzzed with noise.
There were those who rejoiced and those who sorrowed.
Qi Xia heard a heavy rush of footsteps, as if someone was running toward his room.
Sensing something wrong, he immediately stepped out to look.
There, Old Lyu, with a bruised and swollen face, was running toward him as if fleeing for his life.
"Qi kid... help!!"
Qi Xia frowned and noticed a green-haired person behind Old Lyu, chasing and beating him like a mad dog.
"Old dog! Didn't I tell you?! If I die, I'm taking you with me!!" The green-haired man, as if bloodshot, was hot on Old Lyu's heels.
"Isn't that your boyfriend?" Qi Xia turned to ask. "Are all 'Jidao' members this crazy?"
"He's not 'Jidao,'" Jiang Ruoxue said, crossing her arms. "My role-playing game ends here. Playing a love-struck woman is really exhausting."
"So you're saying you won't interfere with whatever happens next?" Qi Xia said.
"That's right. I'll wait to die." Jiang Ruoxue walked into the room, sat down, and began to close her eyes in rest.
Qi Xia nodded, picked up the iron box from the table, and left.