Chapter 375: Conviction
Ground Dog thought for a moment, then still said, "Now it's my turn... to make the first move."
Su Shan knew that Ground Dog had no other choice.
He slowly took out a lot stick, seemingly choosing a direction. After thinking for a long time, he finally aimed at Qin Dingdong.
"This 'Catastrophe' is called—'Wildfire.'"
He slowly inserted the lot stick into the hole in front of Qin Dingdong.
"What?!"
Qin Dingdong was horrified. She stretched out a hand, about to curse at Ground Dog, when several small pipes extended from the ceiling. Before she could speak, several tongues of flame shot out instantly.
Fortunately, her body was drenched in water, so the falling flames didn't hurt her, but they forced her to retreat into the water.
Qin Dingdong covered her mouth and nose in the water, her eyes shut in pain.
"Please, the first person, 'draw the lot.'"
Su Shan was already prepared. Before the 'neutral lot' in front of her fully materialized, she immediately pulled it out, tossed it aside, and accurately inserted 'Four Seas Without Idle Fields.'
Zhang Chenze waited anxiously. Ground Dog took several seconds before slowly saying, "Please, the second person, 'draw the lot.'"
"Damn it! Stop stalling!" Su Shan slapped the glass. "I thought you were an honorable person, but now you're using such a despicable trick..."
While watching Ground Dog, Su Shan kept glancing at Qin Dingdong.
Because she had entered the water so hastily, she hadn't had time to take a full breath of oxygen. The situation was now worse than imagined.
In her room, the bottom was filled with icy water, while the top was scorching fire. The glass walls, made of some unknown material, didn't even show a single crack under these harsh conditions.
Qin Dingdong, submerged in the water, felt the temperature rising around her. Moreover, her lungs, which had been damaged by the poison gas earlier, hadn't recovered. Now, holding her breath made her entire chest burn with pain.
In the coming moments... would she be boiled alive, or drown?
Zhang Chenze quickly shoved aside the floating suit jacket in front of her and pressed down the rising 'At noon they weed with hoes' lot. But Ground Dog fell silent for a few seconds again.
She and Lin Qin had also noticed the anomaly and were now pounding on the glass.
This time, Su Shan's plan had been completely correct. If the 'Flood' had been lifted just now, Qin Dingdong's room would only have had a small amount of crushed ice, and the flames falling from the ceiling would have already burned her to death.
It seemed that the rules Ground Dog set prevented him from stalling indefinitely. But he delayed for about five seconds each time—this might be the 'maximum time' he could control.
He should also know that 'Torrential Rain Pours Down' was in Zhang Chenze's hands, so 'Wildfire' had no effect in autumn; at most ten seconds later, summer would save her.
And 'Spring' and 'Summer' were even less of a concern. Those two seasons would act quickly from the start. Once they had used their 'lots,' even if they died, it wouldn't matter—Ground Dog would still lose the game.
After weighing all factors, Ground Dog could only place 'Wildfire' in Qin Dingdong's room.
Then he resorted to the ugliest trick—stalling for time.
Of the four people, Qin Dingdong's room was the only one where enduring 'Wildfire' with a delay wouldn't result in being burned to death. The only hope now was that she could hold out.
"The second person's 'wish' is complete... Please, the third person, 'draw the lot'..."
"Motherfucker..." Zhang Chenze clenched her fists in frustration and slammed the glass hard. "This is unfair!! We've given it our all! You wouldn't die even if you lost, so why do you have to stall?!"
Lin Qin was already waiting by the hole. As soon as the 'Grain Fragrance Announces a Bumper Harvest' lot floated up, she immediately pressed it down.
Now everyone's attention was focused on Qin Dingdong. She was frowning tightly, kicking her legs continuously in the water, clearly on the verge of suffocation.
"Hang in there..." Su Shan's palms were drenched with sweat. "Dingdong... you're our only hope..."
But faint hope always leads to despair.
Qin Dingdong was covering her mouth and nose in the water, but everyone clearly saw a gush of blood burst from between her fingers. Because the water temperature was rising, the blood didn't disperse like ink strokes; instead, it spread like a flame, dyeing a large area.
She was reaching her limit.
"The third person's 'wish' is complete... Now, please, the fourth person, 'draw the lot'..."
The 'lot' in Qin Dingdong's room slowly rose, but she couldn't open her eyes. With both hands pressed hard over her mouth and nose, after spitting out that mouthful of blood, the moment she let go, she would inhale a huge amount of water.
"Not good..." Su Shan's heart was in her throat. She knew that once that 'lot' floated to the surface, it would be caught between the raging fire and the cold water, and it would be much harder for Qin Dingdong to grab it.
At that moment, all the girls in the room held their breath along with Qin Dingdong. All they could hear was the sound of their own heartbeats.
Slowly, Qin Dingdong opened one eye. The murky, freezing water stung her eyes.
She couldn't hear the broadcast at all. Lowering her head, she happened to see that the table below had changed.
The 'lot' had arrived?
"But I..." Qin Dingdong gritted her teeth and let her body sink slowly. However, her vision began to darken, and her whole body was in excruciating pain.
For her now, there was only one last resort: when she let go of her mouth and nose, she had to press down that 'lot' as quickly as possible. Even if she choked on water, it would end the game.
Diving to the table, Qin Dingdong located the 'lot' and reached out to grab it. But misfortune struck again: at that very moment, the 'lot' detached from the table and floated rapidly toward the surface.
She inhaled a large mouthful of water, feeling an immediate sharp pain in her mouth and nose, but she steeled herself and reached out. Closing her eyes, she aimed for the hole she remembered, grabbed, and shoved the 'lot' down hard.
This time, she could only bet her entire luck on her 'conviction.'
The others stared wide-eyed at Qin Dingdong. They clearly saw the 'lot' already floating to the surface, yet Qin Dingdong had still inserted a 'lot' into the table.
Would they win?
Qin Dingdong had completely lost consciousness now. Her body stretched out in the water, like another 'lot,' quietly drifting toward the surface.
Those few seconds of waiting felt like an eternity.
Finally, a lamp above Ground Dog's head went out, and cheerful music suddenly exploded.
Another year of abundance and contentment—this time, the 'Nian Beast' was completely driven away.
The doors to all five rooms opened.
The game was over.
The accumulated water in Qin Dingdong's room gushed out instantly. Carried by the current, she slammed against the glass walls several times before collapsing to the floor.
Su Shan rushed over to her. Lin Qin, though also worried, had completely lost feeling in her right leg and could only support herself against the wall, moving step by step out of the room.
Zhang Chenze violently shoved the animated suit jacket aside, stepped out, immediately turned back to close the door, and then frantically shook her body, showering the ground with locusts.