Chapter 170: See You Next Time
Su Shan was silent for a moment. She felt she couldn't calm her mind no matter what.
Yes, if she thought about it carefully, she could understand.
Why was the "Life Card" written as "JOKER," while the "Death Card" was written as "Death Card"?
She picked up the cards she had just drawn and looked at them.
Rope, rope, rope, all rope.
Aside from a single "Stone," Su Shan's hand was filled with nothing but rope.
Was there still hope for victory like this?
Seeing this, Qi Xia flipped over the cards he had set aside earlier and looked. They were also rope.
"Let's just play this." Qi Xia played the rope face-up, tossing it in front of Su Shan.
"You..." Su Shan blinked. A bead of cold sweat slid down her forehead. "I think I understand your plan now... I've already lost..."
"Correct." Qi Xia nodded. "Right now, you still have one chance to gamble your life, and that's to play the 'Stone.'"
Su Shan silently picked up the "Stone" in her hand. Although she didn't want to follow Qi Xia's plan, she truly had no other choice at the moment.
To kill the opponent's "Fighter," this "Stone" was the last hope.
After all, the probability of "Rope" killing someone within ten seconds was almost zero. If time dragged on any longer, Zichen would die from blood loss anyway.
She slowly put the "Stone" back down, a trace of despair in her eyes.
"Qi Xia, why are you all able to kill people without hesitation?" Su Shan asked, her voice trembling.
"Someday, you'll be just like me." Qi Xia said coldly.
Su Shan couldn't understand, nor did she want to. She simply couldn't bring herself to cold-bloodedly kill a stranger.
"I believe in Zichen." Su Shan placed the stone on the table.
Qi Xia felt it was hard to say, but after thinking it over, he still spoke: "That teammate of yours will end up hurting you. To survive here, you don't need to keep looking after the weak."
Earth Chicken waved his hand with a smile, and the two players' items fell.
Doctor Zhao raised his hand high and grabbed the rope before it hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Zichen, enduring the excruciating pain in his leg, caught the brick mid-air.
Knowing his foot injury hindered his movement, he could only grip the brick in a defensive stance. But to his surprise, Doctor Zhao didn't attack with the rope; instead, he turned and threw the rope out the window behind him.
"Huh?" Zichen paused for a moment, only to see Doctor Zhao turn and run, putting distance between them and staying out of Zichen's attack range.
"What are you doing...?" Zichen gritted his teeth. "Are you planning to just run away for the rest of the time?"
"Exactly." Doctor Zhao wiped the blood from his nose. "You've been cut; you'll bleed to death sooner or later. There's no need for me to get myself killed too."
"So cutting my leg was all part of your plan from the start..." Zichen's anger surged. Clutching his injured leg, he limped towards Doctor Zhao.
Doctor Zhao turned and ran a few more steps away.
"Don't be stupid! Just give up!" Doctor Zhao shouted. "You won't have a chance to catch me for the rest of the time."
Zichen chased after Doctor Zhao for a while, until the blood from his thigh had soaked into his shoes.
"You... you..." Zichen knew time was running out. If he didn't do something now, the opponent would truly get what he wanted.
Su Shan immediately stood up and shouted, "Zichen, no!!"
In that instant, Zichen weighed the brick in his hand and hurled it fiercely at Doctor Zhao.
Qi Xia sighed, looking at the stunned girl before him. "It's over, Su Shan."
Doctor Zhao sidestepped the brick, then immediately picked it up from the ground, tucked it into his arms, and lay down on the floor.
"What...?" Zichen blinked in confusion. "What are you doing with my brick?"
"Zichen!!" Su Shan rushed to the glass wall, slapping it with her hands and shouting, "Get the brick back!! He's trying to kill you!!"
Earth Chicken let out a cold, silent laugh and spoke: "Ten seconds are up. Both sides, please discard your items."
Hearing this, Zichen felt his blood run cold.
A feeling of intense dread began to spread through his heart.
"Hey... give me back the brick!!" He limped forward, reaching out to pull at Doctor Zhao.
But Doctor Zhao curled up on the ground, keeping the brick safely tucked against his chest.
He was silent and motionless.
"Damn it!" Zichen's voice shook uncontrollably. "Give it to me now! If you don't, I'm going to die!!"
Doctor Zhao closed his eyes tightly, burying his head deep in his arms, enduring Zichen's punches and kicks.
"I'll say it one more time." Earth Chicken sneered. "Discard your item immediately."
"Hey!!!" Zichen cried out with a sob. "Give it to me!!"
Su Shan trembled uncontrollably. She had never imagined she would die in this strange place.
"Su Shan, find a comfortable position to wait for death." Qi Xia deliberately added. "And try not to splash blood on my face."
Su Shan looked at Qi Xia with desperate eyes. Her own death was now counting down.
She still had so many things to do. How could she die here?
But who could save her?
At that thought, a string in Su Shan's mind snapped with a loud *crack*.
*DONG!!*
A massive bell toll echoed in the distance.
Qi Xia slowly revealed a satisfied smile.
"Sorry about all the scary things I said earlier. That wasn't what I really meant." Qi Xia stood up and said slowly, "Su Shan, remember this. West side, school, Heavenly Mouth. My name is Qi Xia."
Before Su Shan could react, Earth Chicken had already walked into the glass room and continued coldly, "Discard your item immediately."
"You... wait a minute!" Zichen waved his hands frantically. "Give me a little more time! I, I'll do it right away!"
"Last five seconds." Earth Chicken slowly closed his eyes.
"Hey! Bro! Big brother!" Zichen stopped hitting Doctor Zhao, instead dropping to his knees with a sob. "Please, give it back to me... I don't want to die..."
"I'm sorry..." Doctor Zhao whispered, clutching the brick. "I don't want to die either."
Five seconds passed in a flash. Earth Chicken's hand shot out with incredible speed, piercing straight through Zichen's heart.
"Blue team violated the rules. Receiving 'Judgment.'" Earth Fighter smiled, flicking the blood from his hand, and dropped an unidentified piece of flesh onto the floor.
Su Shan's collar also began to flash blue. The blue light blinked faster and faster, as if entering a countdown.
"Su Shan, do you remember what I said?" Qi Xia turned to look at the girl.
Su Shan stared into Qi Xia's eyes for a few seconds, as if she had suddenly figured something out.
So that was it?!
"West side of the city, school, Heavenly Mouth." Su Shan said. "Qi Xia, I remember."
"See you next time." Qi Xia said.
"See you next time." Su Shan smiled bitterly.