Chapter 372: Betting Their Lives?
Lin Qin kept flexing her fingers, trying to restore sensation as quickly as possible.
She looked at the four "signs" on her table: "Peace Sign," "Peace Sign," "Great Wind Sweeps Fallen Leaves," and "Spring Blossoms Day."
"One of these 'signs' isn't mine at all…"
She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, then picked up the "Great Wind Sweeps Fallen Leaves" from the table.
Lin Qin never remembered drawing this sign. Looking closely, this "sign" was truly strange.
It felt unreal.
Even though Lin Qin was certain she had this "sign" in her hand—she could feel it and clearly see every word on it—it still felt unreal to her.
This sensation was like touching her left hand with her right. She knew it was a hand, but it always felt distinctly different from touching someone else's.
"Old Qin… have you made your move?"
Lin Qin turned her head to look at Qin Dingdong's room. Yellow-green smoke was continuously falling there, and Qin Dingdong's face was now somewhat purple. All the blood vessels on her face looked significantly darker, clear signs of poisoning.
Lin Qin knew this extra "sign" had come from Qin Dingdong, but it was a "counterfeit."
This was one of Qin Dingdong's usual tricks, originally her means of swindling others, but now it had become a problem placed before Lin Qin—
Could the Earth Dog's game recognize counterfeits?
She had once been deceived by Qin Dingdong and used a "counterfeit" item in another game. That time, it was considered a violation by everyone, and they were all punished by the Earth Monkey.
If there was any difference between that time and this…
It was that this time, it wasn't the Earth Dog himself identifying the "signs," but a machine.
"But Su Shan…" Lin Qin looked up at Su Shan, whose face was covered with bloodstains. "Why did we choose to save people this round…?"
From Lin Qin's perspective, the optimal strategy this round would have been to quickly play "Hoeing at Noon" to extinguish the Earth Dog's last lamp, thus saving everyone.
But Su Shan had abandoned that strategy, choosing instead to spend a round freeing everyone from the "calamity."
"Do you think 'saving people' this round was a necessity…?"
Since Su Shan's strategy had been decided, this round required using this "counterfeit" sign in hand. Otherwise, no one could save Qin Dingdong, "Winter would disappear," and the game would be lost.
Since "no Winter" meant certain death, and "using a counterfeit" had a chance of death, the choice was obvious.
"Su Shan, you sure know how to gamble." Lin Qin smiled bitterly as she placed that "counterfeit" into the opening. "If none of my 'signs' could save people, what would you have done?"
Watching the "sign" slowly being swallowed by the hole, Lin Qin's expression shifted between uncertainty and relief. Fortunately, the sign was accepted into the table.
Qin Dingdong's room underwent a change. The iron mesh on the floor revealed gaps, and a strong wind suddenly blew from the ceiling, sweeping through the room in an instant.
Due to the fierce wind, Qin Dingdong was blown to the ground. Several "signs" in the room flew about chaotically, looking even more dangerous than the poisonous gas.
Fortunately, the wind lasted only a short time. The yellow toxic gas in the room was completely blown away, and the situation inside became clearly visible.
But Qin Dingdong didn't get up from the ground for a long time.
"No… no way…" Su Shan's eyes widened again as she stared hard at Qin Dingdong. Her "radiance" hadn't disappeared yet; she should still be alive. "You absolutely cannot die… you're our final piece…"
The Earth Dog glanced in Qin Dingdong's direction and said coldly, "Third person's 'wish' is complete. The fourth person, draw a 'sign.'"
After his words, silence filled the room.
Qin Dingdong finally stirred slightly after more than ten seconds. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she pushed herself up from the floor.
Lin Qin could see that her face was still pale tinged with purple, capillaries clearly visible. It was impossible to say she was fine, but at least she had survived.
"I…"
Just as Qin Dingdong was about to speak, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Blood filled her windpipe, making her already labored breathing even more painful.
With every cough, she felt as if her internal organs were aching, on the verge of exploding.
"Dog schoolmate…" Qin Dingdong steadied her breathing, spat out some bloody saliva, and looked at the Earth Dog. "You really have lived long enough… I've picked up plenty of bad habits from that bastard Chen Junnan, and you dare to mess with me?"
The Earth Dog looked at Qin Dingdong with interest, as if anticipating her next move.
Qin Dingdong reached out and patted the glass. "Earth Dog, let's bet our lives, big sister style."
But what Qin Dingdong hadn't expected was that after her words, the Earth Dog still looked at her with that infuriatingly earnest face, as if nothing had happened.
"Hey!!" Qin Dingdong felt a surge of anger and patted the glass harder. "I'm challenging you to a life-or-death duel! Can you hear me?"
The Earth Dog watched her lip movements, then lowered his head to tidy up the three scattered "signs" on his table. His deep voice came through the broadcast: "I'm terribly sorry, but I might be getting on in years. I can't hear a word you're saying."
"What…?"
Qin Dingdong frowned, looking at the Earth Dog's smug face, as if she had spotted the problem.
This damn game was designed with cunning. During the game, "participants" couldn't actually bet their lives with the Earth Dog, because in this sealed glass room, the lazy dog couldn't hear a word the "participants" said.
He had only left a loudspeaker in the room, no microphone.
"What the hell…" Qin Dingdong coughed a few more times and muttered to herself, "So if you want to 'bet your life' in his game… you have to decide that from the start?"
But then another thought struck Qin Dingdong—the Earth Dog had ducked into the glass room immediately after stating all the rules.
On the surface, it seemed he was leaving all the "participants" to discuss among themselves, but in reality, he was afraid they would come up with a plan and immediately challenge him to a life-or-death duel.
"Dog schoolmate, you really are a dog…" Qin Dingdong stared at those dog eyes, growing angrier the longer she looked. "Just you wait… until big sister recovers her strength…"
Now, the "calamities" in each of their rooms had been alleviated to varying degrees. In the next three rounds, as long as they could stabilize, counter each disaster as it came, and end the game by the eighth round, it would be fine.
"Sixth round begins. The first person shall draw a 'sign.'"
Su Shan looked at the "Peace Sign" floating in the hole and, without a second thought, pressed it back down.
She knew that this time, the Earth Dog's target could only be her.
Now, Summer, Autumn, and Winter had all suffered "calamities." Only she, "Spring," was still healthy. If she were the Earth Dog, she would definitely apply the "calamity" to "Spring."