Chapter 164: Knife and Shield
Starting from the second round, this game would become increasingly difficult.
Zi Chen's "regret" had already diluted some of his "confusion." If Su Shan were to play a "knife" again in this round, the opponent might take action.
While it wouldn't kill Doctor Zhao, it would be enough to injure him.
Qi Xia's top priority right now was to get rid of all the "rope" cards in his hand. Otherwise, the situation would become passive.
"Please draw your cards," Earth Chicken said.
Su Shan didn't stand on ceremony. Without a word, she drew a new card and added it to her hand.
Qi Xia took his card right after her.
"Stone."
"Troublesome..." Qi Xia felt a bit irritated inside, but he still put the "stone" away.
Even if he let Doctor Zhao use a "knife" against Zi Chen's "rope," it wasn't guaranteed to kill the other man. Not to mention that Qi Xia hadn't drawn a single "knife" so far.
"You said your name is Qi Xia, right?" Su Shan asked.
"Yes."
"Why did you play 'rope' just now?"
Qi Xia raised an eyebrow and said, "Weren't we discussing a 'draw'? So I could only play a card that has no lethal power."
Su Shan paused, then asked, "And this time? Still 'rope'?"
"Yes," Qi Xia said. "I'm still playing 'rope.'"
With that, Qi Xia placed a card face down.
"Su Shan, this card represents my intention to 'cooperate.'"
"Is that so?"
Su Shan paused, thought for a moment, and then placed a card down as well.
Doctor Zhao and Zi Chen tensely watched the two again, unsure of what they were planning.
"Please reveal your cards," Earth Chicken gestured.
The two flipped their cards. Qi Xia had indeed played "rope," but Su Shan had played "stone."
Doctor Zhao was still some distance from the table and had no idea what Qi Xia had played, but he immediately returned to the window to wait for his "item."
When he saw another worn hemp rope thrown down, Doctor Zhao gritted his teeth in anger.
"Qi Xia... are you really trying to get me killed?!"
He picked up the rope and turned around to see that his opponent now had a brick in hand.
"Damn it!" Doctor Zhao quickly retreated to the corner, staring at the other man with terror.
They fell into another awkward stalemate as time flew by.
Zi Chen knew he couldn't disappoint Su Shan's trust this time. So, gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, he took a few steps forward and threw the brick at Doctor Zhao with the force of a baseball pitch.
Doctor Zhao curled up in the corner, shielding his head with one arm and protecting his vitals with his other leg.
Amid his terrified screams, the brick smashed into his thigh.
It hurt, but it wasn't a serious injury.
Doctor Zhao let out a howl as the brick fell to the ground.
"Time's up. 'Fighters,' please stop your actions and throw your items back into the window."
Zi Chen had just mustered up some fighting spirit, but at those words, he seemed to deflate.
He awkwardly bowed his head to Doctor Zhao, then walked over to pick up the brick from the ground.
At that moment, Doctor Zhao's expression turned cold.
He slowly tightened his grip on the rope, a bold idea spreading through his mind: Could he strangle the other man right here?
That was the only way to kill with a "rope."
But if he did that, what about the "rules"?
In the end, he held back.
Both men retreated sulkily to their corners, picked up their items, and tossed them back through the window.
Qi Xia watched the tall man and slowly curled his lips into a smile, muttering to himself: "At the first drum, raise morale; at the second, it wanes; at the third, it's exhausted."
Doctor Zhao rubbed his aching thigh, pressing it a few times to check for damage. Finding no broken bones, just a bruise at most, he relaxed and looked up at the other man with fury.
"Big guy... are you really going through with this?" Doctor Zhao asked.
"Brother... I'm sorry... but I can't die, and I can't let Su Shan die either..."
"You..." Doctor Zhao gritted his teeth, muttering curses under his breath.
Outside the glass room, a different scene unfolded.
Qi Xia and Su Shan sat quietly in place, staring at each other, murderous intent lurking in both their eyes.
"I offered my 'sincerity' twice, and I got a 'knife' and a 'stone' in return," Qi Xia said. "I'm disappointed."
"Sincerity? Is that right?" Su Shan rubbed her chin and said, "Let me guess, Qi Xia. Could there be another possibility?"
Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "I'm all ears."
"What if your starting five cards had a lot of 'ropes,' forcing you to play 'rope' for two consecutive rounds?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia's pupils contracted slightly.
"Because you had to play 'rope,' you came up with a plan. You conveniently proposed 'cooperation.' If I agreed, you could safely dispose of your 'ropes' and then find an opportunity to kill me later. If I didn't agree, you could use the excuse of 'offering sincerity' to influence my next move." Su Shan lifted her clear eyes to look at Qi Xia and asked, "I wonder if my guess is a bit presumptuous, making you uncomfortable?"
"Not at all." Qi Xia showed a pleased expression, then tapped his temple with his finger. "I enjoy playing mind games with intelligent people. If I don't die, I'll only get stronger."
"Thank you for calling me intelligent." Su Shan forced a faint smile. "Let's continue."
With that, she reached out and drew a card, glanced at it, and added it to her hand.
Qi Xia couldn't glean any useful information from her expression, so he simply lowered his head and drew a card as well.
"Please, give me a 'knife,'" Qi Xia thought to himself.
He slowly lifted the card to look at it, and a near-imperceptible twitch flickered across his brow.
"Knife"!
Su Shan caught the slight change in Qi Xia's expression and couldn't help but curl her lips.
That man had shown a crack in his composure.
Qi Xia steadied himself, slowly adding the card to his hand, staring at it for a long time.
Now that he had drawn a knife, he needed to recalibrate his tactics.
Qi Xia slowly raised his head and asked, "Su Shan, I'm asking you one last time very seriously—are you really not willing to cooperate with me?"
"No cooperation," Su Shan said. "The 'rules' never said two teams could cooperate. Besides, it's impossible for me to fully trust you."
"If that's the case, don't regret it." Qi Xia slapped a card firmly onto the table.
"Hah, we'll see who regrets it."
Su Shan didn't hesitate. She picked up a card and placed it face-down on the table. "I've chosen."
Earth Chicken stepped forward. "Please reveal your cards."
The two flipped their cards.
In front of Su Shan lay a "shield."
A cold sneer crossed her face as she looked at Qi Xia. "You wanted to go all out, but I made sure you'd hit nothing but air."
Qi Xia nodded and flipped his card.
Another rope.