Chapter 497: Lost Direction
Earth Rabbit once again mustered all his strength and lunged at Song Qi, who had to force himself to stay alert and respond.
This time, Song Qi had clearly changed his tactics. Instead of throwing rubble at Earth Rabbit's body, he pinched a piece of gravel between his thumb and index finger, aimed at Earth Rabbit's ear, and flicked it.
He knew his "ammunition" was running low and killing Earth Rabbit would be extremely difficult. All he could do now was try to damage Earth Rabbit's senses.
Whether it was the ears or the eyes, destroying just one would give his teammates a crucial advantage.
Earth Rabbit hadn't expected that this time the rubble wouldn't target his bulky body but instead aim for the top of his head. Caught off guard, he could only try to press his rabbit ears down to the side.
But in his haste, his massive palm accidentally touched the small stone. The moment it made contact, the stone exploded, practically detonating right next to Earth Rabbit's sensitive ears.
*BOOM!!*
"Aah!!"
This time, Earth Rabbit could no longer stay calm. He clutched his ears and screamed in agony, feeling as though both his ears were ringing, all sense of hearing slipping away from him.
Song Qi didn't hesitate. He pulled out all the remaining gravel and wood shavings from his pockets, took a few deep breaths, and hurled them at Earth Rabbit like a barrage of missiles.
Deafening explosions echoed continuously within the small room. Earth Rabbit was blasted to the ground, his shirt almost completely shredded.
He was now covered in wounds, though none were severe.
Song Qi took a deep breath, sensing this was his only chance. He couldn't afford to be merciful enough to let Earth Rabbit get back up. Suppressing his physical exhaustion, he waved away the thick smoke and hurried forward a few steps.
Looking closely, he saw that Earth Rabbit's shirt had been largely burned away, revealing the singed white fur on his chest and the Dharma artifact hanging around his neck—something resembling a small bamboo flute.
Song Qi narrowed his eyes. Standing beside Earth Rabbit, he reached out and grabbed the bamboo artifact, securing it firmly in his hand. Everything happened within seconds, and Song Qi had made all the right choices in that brief moment.
"Got it..."
Before Song Qi could even process his success, Earth Rabbit had already awakened from the intense pain.
He extended his powerful, clamp-like hand and seized Song Qi's wrist. The strength was beyond human imagination, rendering Song Qi completely immobile.
"You've got some nerve, kid... daring to come this close?"
Feeling the immense pressure around his wrist, sweat clearly dripped from Song Qi's forehead.
"Do you really think those little firecrackers could kill me?"
Earth Rabbit slowly stood up, still gripping Song Qi's wrist with his right hand, lifting him off the ground until his feet dangled in the air, as if he were holding an ordinary shopping bag.
"No more ammunition... What are you going to do now?" Earth Rabbit sneered again. "Let me make an example of you... 'Detonation.'"
Hearing Earth Rabbit's cold laugh, Song Qi slowly curled the corners of his mouth.
A dangerous aura emanated from Song Qi, and Earth Rabbit’s expression changed instantly. A sense of dread rose in his heart—this man seemed to have planned this all along... His real target wasn't the bamboo on his chest.
"Who says I need explosives to make things blow up?"
Song Qi smiled, extended his other hand, clenched it into a fist, and punched Earth Rabbit right on the bridge of his nose.
Since they were so close, and Earth Rabbit's one hand was still gripping Song Qi's wrist, there was simply no room to dodge that punch.
*BOOM!!*
The moment Song Qi's fist made contact with Earth Rabbit's nose, sparks burst forth, followed by a moderate-sized explosion.
Both Song Qi and Earth Rabbit let out muffled groans.
Earth Rabbit's grip on Song Qi's hand loosened. Song Qi gritted his teeth against the searing pain, used his last ounce of strength to yank the necklace from Earth Rabbit's chest, and then let the shockwave of the explosion throw him to the floor at a distance.
The flute-shaped Dharma artifact was now firmly in his hand.
"Ah... cough... dammit..." Earth Rabbit cursed while coughing up blood. This blow had clearly hurt his nose and mouth. Even if one could train their body, facial organs wouldn't become stronger just from physical enhancement.
Suffering an explosion at such close range, Earth Rabbit felt his nasal cavity and mouth flooded with blood, aching unbearably.
Song Qi wasn't having an easy time either. His left hand, which had thrown the punch, was now completely blackened and charred. His fingers were bent at grotesque angles. He lay on the ground, clenching his teeth tightly, sweating profusely from the pain.
The smell of burnt flesh wafted from both Earth Rabbit and Song Qi. Neither of them was in good shape; it was just a matter of who could hold out longer.
"You're not half bad, kid..." Earth Rabbit climbed to his feet, reached up to touch his chest, and realized the Dharma artifact required to pass was gone.
Song Qi gritted his teeth and tried to get up, but the pain in his left hand was excruciating. Burns, scalds, lacerations, and fractures all occurred on the same hand, making his head spin.
Earth Rabbit staggered over to Song Qi, raised his thick leg, and stomped down hard. Song Qi quickly rolled on the ground several times to dodge, then forced himself to stand up, gritting his teeth.
"Earth Rabbit... if you mess with me again, I'll give you another punch," Song Qi said through clenched teeth.
"In that state you're in?" Earth Rabbit touched the blood flowing from his three-part lip, leaving a terrifying crimson mask across his face. "Won't your subconscious resist another attack? Hasn't your 'conviction' wavered? Is your brain willing to let you feel that bone-deep pain again?"
They stared each other down for a few seconds, both panting heavily. Earth Rabbit seemed a little flustered, too. He hadn't expected this man to resort to mutual destruction, and for the moment, he dared not get close.
Now Song Qi was in a difficult position. He had obtained the last Dharma artifact, but how could he pass it to his teammates?
His nearest teammates should be Chen Junnan and Jiang Shi in the adjacent room, but they had locked the door.
Song Qi looked around. All the doors in this room were closed. Could he throw the flute out?
"Wait... a small flute?"
Song Qi stared at the wooden stick, slightly thinner than a finger, and an idea struck him. If this didn't work, he'd have to accept defeat.
Before Earth Rabbit could react, Song Qi rolled the flute Dharma artifact toward one of the doors. The low gap under the door was just wide enough for the flute to pass through.
"You...!" Earth Rabbit's eyes bulged as he stared at that room, his eyes turning bloodshot.
The flute rolled quickly across the floor until it disappeared into the other room. The room's broadcast sounded again.
"'Participant' action concluded. 'Zodiac' action begins."
Earth Rabbit glanced at Song Qi, realizing that this man was at least a desperate outlaw. Deciding not to waste more time with him, he turned to head into the next room to retrieve the Dharma artifact.
But Song Qi reached out and grabbed Earth Rabbit's foot.
"Sorry, I'm still alive. You're not going anywhere," Song Qi said with a smile. "The only person who can reach that room is my teammate."
"You're asking for death..."
Song Qi lay on the ground, a relieved look spreading across his face. "Hey... did you hear that? I threw it out! Go get the artifact and escape this damn place!"
Then Jiang Shi's voice came from one side: "But... which room did you throw it into?"
Hearing this, Song Qi slowly opened his eyes, propped himself up, and looked at the direction he had thrown the flute—bewildered.
(Brothers, the special "Ten Days of Finality" event has officially begun! Open the Tomato Reading Circle and check the pinned post to participate. Can anyone collect 3,600 "Dao" in the ten-day event? When 100 participants have gathered 500 "Dao," I will descend for a "Mass Release Moment.")