Chapter 104 The Adolescent
Xiao Ran's expression momentarily faltered before she regained her smile and stepped closer to Qi Xia, her warmth constantly brushing against his arm. "Qi gē, you're so smart; you can definitely lead us out of here, right? Can’t you please take me with you?"
Tian Tian watched Xiao Ran with a helpless expression, feeling that the girl seemed more professional than her colleagues. No…In truth, none of them truly enjoyed their jobs; they were all forced into it by circumstances, so none would display such behavior.
"We don’t see eye to eye." Qi Xia replied coolly, fixing an icy gaze on Xiao Ran. "You should join another team."
A flicker of coldness crossed Xiao Ran's eyes, but she quickly masked it. From the performances in the previous games, she understood that Qi Xia was an exceptionally clever individual; if she didn't stick with him, her chances of survival were slim.
"Qi gē..." Xiao Ran pouted in a feigned show of hurt. "Do you really dislike me that much?"
"Yes, I dislike you extremely," Qi Xia reiterated as he shook off Xiao Ran and stepped back. "Is there anyone else who wants to join me? If not, we’ll part ways here." His gaze fell on Han Yimo and Officer Li, carrying a hint of hope. Qi Xia hoped they would willingly engage in those games, for it was only through such participation that they could forge themselves into trustworthy allies.
"Qi Xia," Officer Li suddenly called out.
At this, Qi Xia slowly lowered his head, his eyes fixating on the ground. This question was loaded with double meanings, making it difficult to answer. If Officer Li could return to the real world, he would be deemed a murderer. Even if luck were on his side, allowing him to go back to a day before the killing, he would still be a corrupt cop complicit in fraud.
Such a dilemma was akin to two sharp blades pressing against his throat and heart, leaving him unable to move forward at all. No wonder Officer Li had been hesitant; he truly had no reason to escape.
After a moment of contemplation, Qi Xia solemnly asked, "Do you have any ties that you care about?"
"Ties…" A chubby, cheerful face appeared in Officer Li's mind. It was Xuanxuan.
"Of course I have ties... but how can I face her?"
"I will help you," Qi Xia interrupted Officer Li. "Whether it’s about {escape} or the {situation} you’re in, I’ll lend you a hand."
Officer Li was momentarily taken aback, looking at Qi Xia in disbelief, but he quickly understood the implication of his words. Yet, both of them held back, hesitant to openly discuss their concerns.
Had Qi Xia already formulated a way to deal with Zhang Huanan?
Upon reflection, Qi Xia and Zhang Huanan operated on entirely different levels; if he was willing to strategize, he could surely find a way to escape that scoundrel. For Zhang Huanan, conventional reasoning no longer applied; now, it could only be {evil countered with evil}.
"Alright, I trust you," Officer Li said. "I’ll join as well."
Qi Xia nodded and then turned to Han Yimo. But the latter said nothing, merely staring back at him.
This time, unlike the last, the only variable was Han Yimo. Officer Li had not yet triggered his {Reverberation}, making Han Yimo the sole {Reverberatee} in the team.
Given this situation... with both sides having a {Reverberatee}, perhaps they have a chance when confronting the people of {Judgment’s Domain}?
"Can I... refuse?" Han Yimo asked.
"You can," Qi Xia nodded. "But I’d like to know why."
"I..." Han Yimo raised his head, visibly troubled. "Qi Xia, even though you just saved me and I want to repay you, but I can't handle these games with my current state of mind—I will have a mental breakdown..."
He provided a very honest reason—so honest that Qi Xia didn't know how to refute it. Han Yimo's biggest issue was his {timidity}, and as he had mentioned, he suffered from severe claustrophobia, making many games potentially lethal for him.
But Qi Xia reconsidered: according to Jiang Ruoxue, individuals with extreme emotions were more likely to trigger their {Reverberation}, which might explain why Han Yimo awakened this ability first.
"What if you didn’t need to participate in the games?" Qi Xia asked.
"No need to participate?" Han Yimo found his words hard to comprehend. "Then wouldn’t I have even less reason to join your team?"
Qi Xia too found this request a bit far-fetched, but there was no better way to persuade Han Yimo to join. "It’s fine; just come along and help us strategize," Qi Xia said. "If we really manage to win {Dào}, you’ll also be given a share."
After a moment of contemplation, Han Yimo also decided to join the team.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the group, Lawyer Zhang, who had been observing for a while, stated with a perplexed expression, "You all seem so confident despite having no information."
Xiao Ran moved to Qi Xia’s side and naturally linked her arm with his. "With Qi gē here, what more information do we need?"
"Let go," Qi Xia warned, putting an end to Xiao Ran's behavior.
Lawyer Zhang made a valid point; everything he was doing seemed too suspicious. Now, except for Lawyer Zhang and Doctor Zhao, nearly everyone else had sided with Qi Xia.
This resulted in a highly unbalanced team of seven against two.
Doctor Zhao assessed the current dynamics of the team and stepped forward, proposing, "May I offer a suggestion? Given that everyone has aligned with the officer, it seems unnecessary for us to {split up}. Wouldn't it be safer for us to operate as a cohesive unit?"
"Right, right!" Xiao Ran quickly chimed in. "Sticking together is definitely safer."
As events gradually unfolded in an unusual direction, Qi Xia felt a strong urge to intervene, yet he found himself lacking a compelling rationale. Forcing everyone to divide into two teams at this juncture would only serve to raise further suspicion.
Seeing this, Officer Li nodded in agreement. "It seems we really don’t need to split. Let’s all go together."
Qi Xia understood that he was the only one who had seen Xiao Ran's true nature during their last instance. Although Officer Li had minor friction with Xiao Ran, they were not outright enemies. As for Han Yimo, he had perished on the very first night, completely unaware of the events that transpired afterward.
Only Qi Xia understood that this woman might be capable of undermining the entire team from within. But how could he find a legitimate reason to kick her out?
"Everyone…though I don't want to interrupt you all," Lin Qin suddenly spoke up from the side, "there’s something I’ve been quite concerned about…"
"What’s that?" Qiao Jiajin turned to ask.
Lin Qin pointed into the distance, where an adolescent was standing. "It appears someone has been observing us for a while."
The adolescent, aware of their gaze, approached without hesitation.
As he drew near, Qi Xia found himself momentarily stunned. With his braided hair, the adolescent bowed politely and greeted them, "Hello, everyone. I saw you were having a conversation, so I didn’t want to interrupt nayang. Are you all done now?"