Chapter 419: Please Listen to the Question
"You mean..." Heavenly Snake's expression flickered with unease, then he furrowed his brow. "That old woman actually dared to bluff me...?"
Seeing his expression, Qi Xia breathed a quiet sigh of relief inside.
Even a "Heavenly-level" had weaknesses.
They weren't all that different from "participants."
Before meeting these Heavenly-level beings, Qi Xia's greatest fear had been that they were united—that he would have no way to deal with such a formidable ironclad team.
But now it seemed that every "Heavenly" had their own independent thoughts, and their relationships were far from harmonious.
This was incredibly good news.
"But I feel..." Heavenly Snake slowly frowned, "that what you just said sounds so familiar...? Like... like someone once said it to me..."
He slowly approached Qi Xia, his shrewd eyes behind the thick glasses constantly searching for the direction of Qi Xia's pupils.
"You're very deep..." Heavenly Snake murmured. "Have we... met before?"
"We..." Qi Xia took a deep breath and directly locked eyes with Heavenly Snake's pupils. "I suppose... we haven't met, right?"
The moment their pupils met, the information flooding into Heavenly Snake was too overwhelming—like a bomb detonating in his mind, making him instantly shut his eyes.
"What... what is that...?" Heavenly Snake frowned, stepping back two paces and slowly covering his eyes. "Such chaotic thoughts... just how many things are you thinking about?"
"I'm just an ordinary participant..." Qi Xia took another deep breath, shifting his gaze away and fixing it on Heavenly Snake's nose instead. "Every thought I have is about how to survive. It's just that I've been driven half-mad by this place."
"An ordinary participant...?" Heavenly Snake lifted his eyes to look at Qi Xia. That pair of pupils had given him explosive information in an instant, but it was like threads drifting in the air—he couldn't catch a single one in his panic. "I—I don't believe an ordinary participant could have this kind of mindset..."
"Well, maybe... I've read a few more books than others?" Qi Xia said.
"Read more books...?" This sentence seemed to ignite a strange competitive spirit in Heavenly Snake. "Are you very learned?"
"That depends on who I'm compared to," Qi Xia replied.
"Compared to me?"
"I can't say for sure," Qi Xia shook his head. "Without testing it, I can't judge how much knowledge you have."
"Then that's easy enough..." Heavenly Snake smiled. "Please, listen to the question."
"Hey!" Qian Wu stepped forward, reaching out to touch Heavenly Snake, but the latter dodged. "What gives you the right to quiz my man? Have you asked for my permission?"
"Heh..." Heavenly Snake chuckled. "Just a friendly exchange of knowledge, a friendly exchange!"
"Listen to the question...?" Qi Xia found this interesting too. "What kind of question are you going to ask?"
Heavenly Snake stepped around Qian Wu and slowly looked at Qi Xia. "May I ask: what is the 'bamboo principle'?"
Hearing this question, Qi Xia's lips slowly curled into a smile. So this was the "Snake" who loved Q&A so much?
"What are you going to bet with me?" Qi Xia asked.
"What...?"
This time, it was Qi Xia who pressed forward step by step. "The question you just posed looks a lot like a 'game.' Since it's a 'game,' why don't we make a proper bet? If I answer correctly, what price are you willing to pay?"
"Price...?"
The brief question made Heavenly Snake frown instantly.
This man seemed different from the others.
Every time he had asked a question before, all the "participants" would frantically search for an answer—yet this man's first thought was to demand a "wager"?
"What do you want to bet...?" Heavenly Snake probed.
"If I answer correctly, you die. How about that?" Qi Xia asked.
Heavenly Snake listened and slowly broke into a grin. "Heh, heh heh... What are you thinking? This isn't 'Heavenly Snake Time'—it's just a minor test from me from a 'recruitment' perspective... a special privilege granted by 'Heavenly Dragon.' You think I'd launch a game that easily?"
"Then where's the fun in that?" Qi Xia pressed on. "What benefit do I get if I answer such a simple question?"
"So you mean you're very knowledgeable...?" Heavenly Snake laughed. "How about becoming my assistant? We could master the most cutting-edge technology of the entire 'Land of the End'..."
"No interest," Qi Xia answered. "How about this: if I can answer your question, you tell me that method you mentioned earlier—the one to make 'natives' trigger 'Echo.' How about that?"
"Hiss..." Heavenly Snake's eyes darted around as he rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "That would be too cheap for you. Three questions. If you can answer all three, I'll share that method with you."
Qi Xia smiled slightly. "Then I should warn you first—the questions you ask must have answers."
"Don't worry... I don't cheat."
"Good."
As soon as those words left Qi Xia's mouth, Heavenly Snake felt he might have underestimated his opponent. But many people in this world loved to bluff—maybe he was just putting on a show.
"If you can't answer those three questions..."
"I die," Qi Xia said.
Heavenly Snake nodded expressionlessly.
Qi Xia thought for a second and answered, "The bamboo principle states that a bamboo shoot spends four years growing only three centimeters. But from the fifth year onward, it grows thirty centimeters a day, and within six weeks, it can shoot up to fifteen meters. That's because during the first four years, the bamboo's roots have already spread over hundreds of square meters underground. It's a common principle encouraging people to accumulate deeply before bursting forth."
"You..." Heavenly Snake seemed about to say something but suppressed it. "Second question. Listen."
"Go ahead."
"Ogilvy's Law?"
"If everyone you recruit into a team is stronger than yourself, that team will be invincible." Qi Xia answered without hesitation. "That's Ogilvy's Law."
With two questions in a row solved by Qi Xia, Heavenly Snake's expression changed noticeably.
He had lived far longer than ordinary people and had painstakingly learned knowledge from books—yet this man answered in a second. This was something he had never encountered during his travels in the "Land of the End."
"Ask the third," Qi Xia said in a commanding tone. "The winner will soon be decided. Don't waste time."
"I..." Heavenly Snake slowly frowned. Although he liked learned people, he liked winning even more.
He had met many people in the "Land of the End," but none as erudite as the man before him.
Amid his mental turmoil, the figure of Zhang Chenze gradually surfaced in his mind.
Three questions as well... but that woman had managed to beat him at the last moment?
"Yes... I shouldn't stick to the old routine..." Heavenly Snake slowly revealed a smile. "This question... will make you understand clearly how you die."
"Say it."
"Back when I was still in the real world... every day before work, I would go to the breakfast stall downstairs and eat my favorite breakfast. No matter the season, I loved to eat it—because for me, it was really convenient. So tell me: what did I eat?"
Hearing this question, Qi Xia's expression gradually showed a hint of contempt.
"Heavenly Snake... you've made me lose respect for you," Qi Xia said. "Pulling out a question like this—does it prove you're smarter than me?"