Chapter 263: The Plan Begins
"So you're monopolizing it?" Song Qi also broke into a grin. "Then you really hit the jackpot."
"Huh?"
"Let's be friends. I'll trade you one 'Sadness' and one 'Happiness' for one 'Anger,'" Song Qi said. "Deal?"
Qi Xia was completely taken aback by this turn of events.
"You still have a 'Sadness'?"
"That's right."
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh. "Brother, you're not messing with me, are you?"
"What's wrong, pal?"
"Do you know what the situation is right now?" Qi Xia asked. "A 'Sadness' right now is worth at least ten 'Daos.' Why would you want to trade with me?"
"Of course I know." Song Qi nodded. "Brother, but I'm not after 'Daos.' I just wanted to experience that 'life-or-death thrill,' but this game doesn't seem to be for me."
"Oh?" Qi Xia furrowed his brow. He felt like this guy was here looking for an 'Echo.'
"Here, it's either escape or die outright," Song Qi shook his head. "There's no real 'life-or-death line' to experience. I'm getting out of here."
"Just like that?"
"That's right." Song Qi nodded, then glanced up at the time. "Time's running out. If you make it out alive... we'll talk again outside."
Qi Xia paused slightly. "Okay."
He pulled out his 'Anger' and exchanged it for the other two fans.
This man's actions were decisive—no hesitation at all. He clearly had his own agenda.
Qi Xia watched as Song Qi and another person in a black leather jacket both escaped together.
The situation couldn't be more perfect.
This man named Song Qi, all by himself, had reduced the number of 'Sadness' fans on the 'market' by two.
Counting them out, there were at most eleven 'Sadness' fans left on the 'market.'
And yet there were still twenty participants left.
That meant that of the thirty people who had already escaped, the fans they took out could include at most one 'Sadness.' Otherwise, if fewer than ten 'Sadness' fans remained, some among these twenty would be unable to escape.
But was that even possible?
Assuming each person took out one extra fan, and each fan had a one-in-four chance of being 'Sadness,' those thirty people would have already taken out 7.5 'Sadness' fans.
Subtract 7.5 from eleven, and theoretically there were only three or four 'Sadness' fans left on the field.
If luck was on their side, there might not be a single one left.
If not now... when?
Qi Xia nodded, immediately packed up his stall, wiped the writing off the ground, and took his 'Happiness' and 'Joy' fans over to Di Yang's stall.
Since Di Yang had made it clear from the start that it was "two for one," he hadn't made a single sale yet.
"I want to exchange for a fan," Qi Xia said.
Di Yang frowned, sensing trouble.
"What's the matter?" Qi Xia said. "As such an impartial and strict 'referee,' you're not going to trade with a 'participant'?"
His voice was firm and clear, carrying across to everyone present.
Those words not only pressed a moral knife to Di Yang's throat, but also gave Qi Xia a free pass to immunity.
If someone coming to trade got killed here... would there be any other customers?
Di Yang pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Please... take your pick."
Qi Xia snorted coldly, tossed Di Yang a 'Joy' and a 'Happiness,' and picked up the 'Sadness' from the table.
If nothing unexpected happened, this was probably the last 'Sadness' on the field that wasn't under Qi Xia's control.
The market monopoly was now complete. Qi Xia stood alone at the top.
The rest of the crowd was still stuck at the 'disaster bias' step.
What they didn't realize was that trading two fans for one 'Sadness' was already the best option available. Since Qi Xia had been sticking to a "one-for-one" policy, it naturally led everyone to subconsciously think fans weren't that expensive.
So for the past half hour, no one had been willing to offer two fans for a 'Sadness.' They were all waiting for a 'chance' to appear at Qi Xia's stall.
With the last 'Sadness' safely in his pocket, Qi Xia let out a satisfied sigh.
Now all he had to do was wait for the final restock. If nothing went wrong, it would be harvest time.
Time quickly ticked to ninety minutes—the moment for the last fan replenishment.
Di Yang set aside the three unwanted fans and pulled out a small pouch, from which he took four more fans.
Once again, one each of 'Joy,' 'Anger,' 'Sadness,' and 'Happiness.'
Now there were seven fans on the table: two 'Joy,' two 'Anger,' one 'Sadness,' and two 'Happiness.'
Di Yang picked up the small blackboard, pulled a half piece of chalk from his pocket, and began thinking carefully about what to write.
At this point, a two-for-one exchange was no longer realistic. This man in front of him was clearly monopolizing 'Sadness.' So how could he turn the situation around?
Di Yang thought for a moment, then wrote: "One-for-one exchange for each. 'Sadness' price negotiable in person."
It was the best he could come up with.
Seeing this, Qi Xia smirked. Di Yang's mistake was only restocking every half hour. Now he was completely on the defensive.
"Everyone!" Qi Xia called out, turning around.
The shout made everyone stop in their tracks.
"I'd like to ask—who here has already formed a team?" Qi Xia asked loudly.
The crowd had no idea what this man was up to, so naturally no one answered.
"Here's the thing..." Qi Xia slowly pulled out a 'Sadness' and showed it to the group. "I accidentally bought an extra 'Sadness.' Anyone want it?"
The expressions of many changed instantly.
"I'm only giving it to participants who have already formed a team," Qi Xia continued. "That way, I hand you the fan, and you can leave right away. Don't bother me if you're alone."
The crowd began to murmur, people seemingly forming 'temporary teams' on the spot.
Since this 'Sadness' would only go to those who had teamed up, who would want to be left out?
In just a minute or two, everyone had paired up.
"Brother! We've formed a team!" one pair said. "Give it to us!"
"No way!" another pair countered. "We're teamed up too! We're just one 'Sadness' short of getting out."
Several teams started bickering. Qi Xia glanced at them impassively, then put on a troubled expression.
"So many people want the 'Sadness'...?" he said hesitantly. "Who should I give it to?"
"How about... this way..." A young woman pulled out a fan and said, "The two of us can trade with you."
"Oh?" Qi Xia looked at the fan in her hand, still wearing a troubled look.
This expression made everyone uneasy. If it weren't for the knife in this man's hand, that fan would probably have been snatched away by now.
"How about this..." another elderly man said. "We'll give you two in exchange!"