Chapter 197: The Killer's Heart
According to Old Lyu, he had teamed up with Yun Yao today to take on a Human-level game.
When they passed by a "Human Rabbit" game venue, Yun Yao froze.
Because she clearly remembered this spot. Word had it that someone had gambled to death that rabbit yesterday.
But that "Zodiac" was standing at the entrance of the building, looking as if nothing had happened.
"What's going on?" Yun Yao felt completely baffled. "How could a 'Zodiac' that died from gambling come back to life?"
Old Lyu approached the Human Rabbit game together with her to ask about it. That Human Rabbit's voice was extremely unpleasant.
Based on the Human Rabbit's description, Yun Yao found that the game rules hadn't changed—everything was exactly as she had heard—only the "Zodiac" had been resurrected.
Old Lyu said he had no idea why Yun Yao was so shocked. They were just a bunch of madmen who had killed countless people anyway; whether they lived or died, you should avoid provoking them. But Yun Yao was like a woman possessed, refusing to leave.
"What happened next?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"Then she insisted on joining that game…" Old Lyu said, somewhat flustered. "But from what I could tell, that game had no way out at all!"
"What?" Qi Xia frowned at this point. "You're saying she just stayed there by herself?"
"Yeah…" Old Lyu nodded. "I was tied up in a fish tank, but I managed to escape… She couldn't escape!"
Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked, "Was she handcuffed to something nearby?"
"That's right!"
"And the handcuff key?" Qi Xia asked.
"That's the whole problem!" Old Lyu was nearly in tears. "There was no key for the handcuffs in the room! Yun Yao was incredibly lucky—she kept throwing wooden sticks at the fish tank, and each time the stick bounced back into her hand. She shattered the tank that way… I could escape, but she couldn't!"
"Hmm?" Qi Xia's brow was practically twisted into a knot. No matter how he looked at it, this whole thing was bizarre. "And that 'Zodiac' just let you leave like that?"
"Yeah!" Old Lyu nodded. "That 'Zodiac' said since I had escaped, I could go… But what about that girl Yun Yao?!"
Qi Xia was about to ask more when Chu Tianqiu slowly interjected, "I understand. Go get some rest first."
"Rest… rest?" Old Lyu was stunned. "What does that mean? You're not going to save her?"
"I'll make arrangements." Chu Tianqiu reached out and patted Old Lyu on the shoulder. "Go back now. Leave the rest to me."
Old Lyu looked suspiciously at Chu Tianqiu, then at Qi Xia. "Don't you dare leave her to die just because you think you're smart."
"Don't worry." Chu Tianqiu gave a refined smile. "Yun Yao is one of us. We'll do our best."
Old Lyu nodded doubtfully, sized Chu Tianqiu up one more time, and then finally left the classroom.
"Qi Xia…" Chu Tianqiu said, "There's actually something I've been keeping from you."
"What?"
"Yesterday morning, the 'Human Rabbit' mask your teammate brought back was stolen." Chu Tianqiu replied.
Qi Xia felt a surge of anger upon hearing this.
"Xu Liunian, you're really not fit to be a leader," Qi Xia said bluntly. "You don't say a word about what should be said, but you talk endlessly about what shouldn't be."
Why had Yun Yao been so determined to investigate the "Human Rabbit" game?
Why had she been like a woman possessed?
All because she had inherited the false will of "Heaven's Mouth."
She genuinely wanted to gamble every "Zodiac" to death. But now a "Zodiac" had come back to life right before her eyes. If she didn't get to the bottom of this, her faith would completely collapse.
Qi Xia turned and was about to push the door open.
"Where are you going?!" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"I'm going to save her."
"There's no need!" Chu Tianqiu said. "You should know this too, right? That Human Rabbit is an impostor from our own ranks. It's probably someone who has a personal grudge against Yun Yao and resorted to this desperate measure. How are you going to resolve a personal vendetta like this? Even if you bring them both back, it won't solve anything."
Qi Xia paused slightly, then turned back and said, "Xu Liunian, if you don't want Yun Yao, I do. Even if human lives are just 'chess pieces,' you can't just move them however you please in this game."
He pushed the door open and walked out, leaving Chu Tianqiu standing alone in the room.
"Calling me unfit to be a leader…?" Chu Tianqiu's eyes slowly darkened. "These orders were clearly arranged by Chu Tianqiu…"
A thought kept swirling in Xu Liunian's mind.
Was Chu Tianqiu wrong?
By disregarding the lives of teammates like this… could they really escape?
Qi Xia ran into Old Lyu, who was pacing back and forth in the corridor.
"Old Lyu, come with me," Qi Xia called.
"Huh?" Old Lyu jogged over to follow him. "Kid Qi, do you have a plan?"
"Yeah. You're coming with me to save her."
As he spoke, Qi Xia walked into the classroom reserved for the injured. He pushed open the door and checked the situation inside. "Dr. Zhao, are you done treating them?"
"Almost." Dr. Zhao wiped the sweat off his forehead. "What's the matter?"
"Come outside with me for a minute." Qi Xia then turned to look at Zhang Shan. "Zhang Shan, you come too."
Qiao Jiajin, who was lying nearby, sensed something was off. He sat up and asked, "What's wrong, Liar Boy? Did something happen?"
"You rest and recover," Qi Xia said. "It's nothing serious. I'll handle it."
Qi Xia knew he couldn't bring Qiao Jiajin this time—otherwise he might stop him.
Dr. Zhao and Zhang Shan exchanged glances, then had no choice but to follow Qi Xia out.
The three of them walked quickly out of the school.
"What's going on?" Dr. Zhao asked, puzzled. "Are we going to join a game?"
"No…" Qi Xia shook his head and asked, "Dr. Zhao, I want to ask you a question."
"What?"
"In your heart, what is Xiao Ran?" Qi Xia asked.
The question caught Dr. Zhao off guard.
"What… what do you mean by that?"
"In this cycle, you've been very protective of Xiao Ran from the start. I want to know why," Qi Xia said. "Do you like her?"
"I…" Dr. Zhao lowered his head, looking troubled. In a low voice, he said, "Qi Xia, I feel like I owe her."
"Owe her?"
"Yes…" Dr. Zhao nodded. "Last time, even though you tried to stop me, in the following days I still… did 'that' with Xiao Ran."
"Mm, I can imagine."
Dr. Zhao's expression was extremely grim. "That feeling… hell, I can't even describe how awful it is. I felt like I was using Xiao Ran as a tool, a stepping stone—borrowing her to gain strength for myself… Do you understand that feeling?"
Qi Xia slowly rubbed his chin and said, "But Xiao Ran agreed to it, didn't she?"
"Huh?" Dr. Zhao was taken aback.
"Judging from the way you two were, she didn't seem forced. She was getting something out of it too."
"Yes…" Dr. Zhao nodded. "Xiao Ran once said, 'Brother Zhao, I've liked brain surgeons since I was a kid. If we get out, remember to keep in touch'… She did want something, but for me…"
"I understand." Qi Xia sighed. "I just wanted to know where you stand."
"But why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
Qi Xia stopped walking, turned around, and stared into Dr. Zhao's eyes. He replied, "Xiao Ran can't stay. I'm going to get rid of her."