Chapter 431: The Swindler Leader
"Then who will be the 'commander' next?" Saturday asked.
Qi Xia turned sideways, his gaze sweeping across the others before landing on Qiu Shiliu.
"Qiu Shiliu, how about you?" Qi Xia asked in a slightly commanding tone.
Qiu Shiliu frowned and glanced at Qi Xia. "Me...?"
"Yes, please."
"But I feel like..." Qiu Shiliu said with a furrowed brow, "The person arranged to be the 'commander'... should be the most useless one, right? Do you think I can't go steal the 'fruit'?"
"Oh?" Qi Xia gave a slight smile. "That's my fault. I don't know each of your abilities. So, other than yourself, who do you think could be the 'commander'?"
Qiu Shiliu felt like Qi Xia's words had backed him into a strange corner. No matter whose name he brought up, it didn't seem right.
But on second thought, there was indeed one annoying character in the room.
"Turtle..." Qiu Shiliu said. "Let Turtle do it. He's definitely more suited for it than I am."
"What?!" Turtle, still fuming from Qi Xia's earlier provocation, was even more incensed by Qiu Shiliu's words. "Shiliu, are you calling me useless?!"
"I'm an athlete, after all," Qiu Shiliu said. "If the 'cat' chooses to 'patrol,' there's a chance I could escape. But you can't."
"I..." Turtle's expression turned sour. "I, I think you guys should wait a moment..."
"What?" Everyone looked at him.
"Do you all really think this plan from this guy named Qi Xia is feasible?" Turtle asked. "Why are you all willing to follow his plan? What if, what if something goes wrong?"
"Brother Five said Qi Xia is very clever," Saturday said. "I can understand you not trusting him, but Brother Five has never lied to us."
"But..." Turtle was so anxious that sweat beads formed on his forehead.
Saturday let out a cold laugh. "Besides, every strategy you've come up with requires me to kiss you. I really don't want to do that."
After thinking for a few seconds, he sighed. "Fine... I trust Brother Five..."
"But I don't trust you," Qi Xia interrupted Turtle immediately, pointing at him as he spoke to the others. "Everyone... this might sound harsh, but although I need a 'control center,' this kind of person really won't cut it."
He sighed and continued, "Everyone, if we want to survive this game, I need someone capable, not a waste. A waste just won't do."
Turtle's expression darkened visibly, and his glare at Qi Xia grew even more furious.
"Tch, no need to argue. Let Shiliu go first," Saturday said. "According to this tactic, we should all take turns being the 'commander.' Everyone gets a chance."
Turtle pressed his lips together and shot a look at Saturday, then turned back to Qi Xia. "Since Sister Six trusts you... I'll give you that face. But don't think this is over."
Qi Xia still acted as if he hadn't heard, turning around and patting Qiu Shiliu on the shoulder. "Then it's up to you."
"I..." Qiu Shiliu looked at Qi Xia's serious eyes and finally nodded. "Alright."
After finalizing the strategy, they happened to hear the iron door next to them click open with a snap.
"Let's go," Qi Xia said.
With mixed feelings, the group pushed open the wooden door and walked out of the "Rat Room."
Outside, aside from the absence of the "cat," everything looked exactly the same as before they entered. The corridor showed no signs of change.
Besides the "Rat Room" and the "Cat Room," five color-coded doors stood before them. The dim lighting, combined with the faint scent of fruit drifting in the air, created an especially eerie atmosphere.
"Choose your rooms," Qi Xia said. "From now on, don't announce your choices publicly. Try to communicate with your eyes."
"Why?" Luo Shiyi asked.
"I don't know. It just feels off," Qi Xia replied. "The 'cat' only said the two rooms have good soundproofing and that neither side can hear the other's conversation. It didn't mention anything about the corridor. So let's be careful."
"You really think of everything," Luo Shiyi said with a nod. The look in his eyes toward Qi Xia had already shifted slightly.
"Enough talk. Choose your rooms." Qi Xia signaled the others with his eyes. They understood and split up, each standing in front of one of the first four doors.
Seeing their movements, Qi Xia frowned and shook his head. Then he signaled with his eyes to Saturday, who was standing in front of the third door.
"What is it?" Saturday asked.
"That one won't work," Qi Xia said, standing in front of the fourth door. "Pick another."
Although Saturday looked confused, he still nodded and switched to the last door.
Now, except for the third door, all four others were occupied.
Qi Xia nodded to the group again. According to his reasoning, the third door in the middle should be the most dangerous. Since there were two symmetrical doors on each side, people in doubt would tend to choose the most neutral middle one. So theoretically, the third door was absolutely not the priority.
After confirming their positions, each of them opened their doors and walked inside.
Qi Xia turned back and left his door slightly ajar, then walked a few steps forward to the offering table.
On the table sat a plate with four peaches, a beautiful mix of pink and green, looking especially fine.
But according to the rules, he couldn't just grab the peaches and flee immediately; he had to wait for the night to end in this room.
On the wall beside the offering table was a button labeled "Search."
Qi Xia walked toward the button and pressed it. Instantly, the door clicked shut and locked.
"No red light..." Qi Xia nodded to himself. "That means the 'cat' didn't use a mousetrap this round. It should be choosing 'Search'..."
Qi Xia rubbed his chin, a faint smile creeping onto his lips.
"This is perfect..." he muttered under his breath. "'Search' is just right..."
In the fifth room next door, Saturday paced restlessly back and forth. He wasn't entirely sure if Qi Xia's plan would work. Having someone stand directly in the corridor—was that really a strategy a normal participant would come up with?
By now, all the rooms should have been locked. But since each room had excellent soundproofing, they couldn't hear what was happening outside. Except for Qi Xia, everyone else was anxiously waiting in their own rooms for the "cat" to arrive.
Ten minutes later, all the room locks clicked open. Everyone waited cautiously for a few seconds, and only after confirming no one had opened their doors did they step forward and push theirs open.
The "cat" was not there.
"Tch, first round's over...?" Saturday frowned and looked around. He noticed the others were also poking their heads out.
"Don't wait," Qi Xia said. "Take the fruit."
Saturday was about to agree but suddenly felt something was off.
Qiu Shiliu, who had been standing in the corridor earlier, was nowhere to be seen.