Chapter 198: Digging One's Own Grave
When Qi Xia, Dr. Zhao, Old Lü, and Zhang Shan arrived at the "Human Rabbit's" venue, the rabbit was pacing outside the door.
She wore an ill-fitting suit jacket and a bloated mask, looking somewhat odd.
Seeing the four of them appear together, she was clearly taken aback for a moment.
"Where's Yun Yao?" Qi Xia asked.
The rabbit hesitated, then asked, "Who's Yun Yao?"
Her voice was terribly grating. If his guess was correct, she was deliberately lowering her pitch to sound like someone else.
Old Lü couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Don't you play dumb with me, damn it! Where's the girl who came with me?"
"She hasn't passed my game yet." The rabbit slowly moved closer to the door behind her. "Don't do anything rash."
Qi Xia looked her up and down, a hint of pity showing on his face.
"You've messed up," Qi Xia said. "Xiao Ran, you're digging your own grave."
The rabbit froze, then blurted out, "Wh-what Xiao Ran? I'm not Xiao Ran..."
This left Zhang Shan and Old Lü completely baffled, but Dr. Zhao's expression shifted oddly.
"Xiao Ran?!" He looked the rabbit up and down, noticing that her height did seem shorter now. Her figure resembled Xiao Ran's. "How—how did you end up wearing the rabbit mask?!"
"I told you, I'm NOT Xiao Ran!!!" the rabbit screamed. "I... I'm the 'Human Rabbit'..."
Everyone stared straight at her, like they were watching a clown.
"Fine, Human Rabbit." Qi Xia nodded. "I want to participate in your game."
"What...?" The rabbit was stunned. "Now? Not now..."
"Move aside," Qi Xia said. "You're already finished. No need to take Yun Yao down with you."
"Ridiculous... I'm finished?!" The rabbit sneered. "I'm the game referee here now! I'm a rabbit! How could I possibly be finished?"
Seeing her stubborn refusal to see reason, Qi Xia let out a helpless sigh.
If this woman had shown even a shred of sincerity in all this time, her fate wouldn't have been like this.
Old Lü had been standing there for a while, and finally caught on.
"Kid Qi... are you saying this girl... is an impostor?!" he asked incredulously.
"That's right." Qi Xia nodded. "No need to hold back anymore. Drag her aside, and we'll go save Yun Yao."
Without a second word, Old Lü charged forward, grabbed the rabbit's arm, and pulled her to the side. "You little girl, why don't you learn to behave?!"
"Ah! What are you doing?! Who told you to touch me?!" the rabbit shrieked. "Don't you dare do anything!"
Qi Xia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and tried to push open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
He peered through the glass window in the door.
The scene inside was no different from what he'd heard described. On one side was a shattered fish tank; on the other, Yun Yao was handcuffed to an iron pillar, unable to move.
What made his heart clench was that the broken fish tank was still leaking water.
The room was completely sealed. The accumulated water had already filled the entire space, now rising past Yun Yao's neck.
And since she was cuffed, she couldn't straighten up. It wouldn't be long before she drowned.
"Hey!!" The rabbit ran over now, panic in her eyes. "The game isn't over yet! Are you going to disrupt the game midway?"
Disrupt the game...?
Qi Xia frowned slowly.
Even though Xiao Ran was bluffing, she had a point.
With that mask on, did she really count as a "Zodiac"?
Did the game she designed actually count as a game?
If simply putting on a mask could make someone a "Zodiac," then Qi Xia couldn't risk rescuing Yun Yao rashly. He would break the rules and forcibly interrupt the game, attracting the attention of the higher-ups.
But could Yun Yao afford to wait?
Qi Xia looked into the rabbit's eyes, was silent for a long moment, then spoke: "We concede."
"Con-concede?" The rabbit seemed not to have expected that answer from Qi Xia. For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
"Yes, we concede." Qi Xia nodded. "Aren't you the 'Human Rabbit'? Losing a 'Human-level' game costs you some 'Dao.' How much 'Dao' do you want? I'll give it to you right now."
The rabbit thought for a moment, then said, "Aren't you supposed to be smart? I don't accept 'conceding.' You figure out how to save her. If you can't, then just wait for her to die."
Qi Xia glanced at the situation inside again, then turned and asked, "Then if you won't let me in, how am I supposed to save her?"
"What? A smart guy like you can't save someone without going inside? Save her from out here!" the Human Rabbit taunted.
Everyone was at a loss. They exchanged glances, trying to think of a solution.
But Qi Xia seemed confident. He said to the rabbit, "Actually, I already guessed it. The key isn't inside the room—it's outside, isn't it?"
"Outside..." The rabbit held back her sneer. "Where outside?"
"Simple. There's a withered bush nearby." Qi Xia pointed to the dried-up shrub beside the path. "The key is hidden there."
"Pfft..." The rabbit froze for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she doubled over. "Hahahahaha! Qi Xia, how ugly! The way you declared a wrong answer so confidently—it's really ugly!"
"Ugly?" Qi Xia asked expressionlessly. "What's so ugly about it?"
"'The key is outside,' 'the bush'—you're killing me!" She held her stomach and said, "Qi Xia, even you have your day... I broke the key and threw it away long ago!! Just watch Yun Yao die!!"
Hearing this, everyone's faces fell. But Qi Xia's lips curled up slightly.
"Xiao Ran, you've 'broken the rules.'"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a tall figure suddenly appeared in midair.
He was naked, his skin pale, draped in a cloak made of feathers.
The figure startled everyone.
"I say..." The tall figure spoke slowly. "So the 'game' you designed has no solution?"
Staring at this man who floated like a god in the air, Xiao Ran collapsed to the ground with a thud.
This man's gaze was neither like a cop's nor like a thug's.
It was like a god high above.
"Who... who are you?"
"I am 'Vermilion Bird.'" The man smiled, landed behind Xiao Ran, gently helped her up, and then embraced her softly from behind. "I say... I've been watching you all along. I thought I'd found a decent rabbit. But how could you leave the 'participants' no way out?"
Xiao Ran felt the man's body ice cold, exuding a rotting stench.
"If word gets out that 'the game is certain death'... who will still participate? What about the reputation of us 'Zodiacs'?" Vermilion Bird slowly sniffed the scent on Xiao Ran's body and said, "Xiao Ran, you missed your chance to 'become a god.' Such a pity... a pity..."
Vermilion Bird slowly reached out, pulled off Xiao Ran's mask, and tossed it to the ground. Then he stood behind her, pressing his face against hers, and said to the four men in front of him.
"Now, say goodbye to these four. Otherwise, you won't get another chance."
Xiao Ran's face suddenly twisted with terror. She turned her head to look at the man behind her, her voice trembling as she asked, "Bro... do you, do you need a woman? I can do anything..."