Chapter 34 My Strategy
Qi Xia clutched his hair tightly, enduring the pain with gritted teeth. After what felt like an eternity, the excruciating headache began to subside. He took deep breaths, calming his racing heart. Finally, after about half a minute, he released his grip on his hair, lowered his hands, and rose to his feet.
His face bore no trace of the agony he had just endured, as if nothing had happened at all.
The headache was like a gust of wind, fiercely passing through but always dissipating after a while. Qi Xia took a moment to steady himself, his composure returning.
Lin Qin glanced at him and asked, "Are you alright? Do you often experience these headaches?"
"No, this is only the second time that I can recall," Qi Xia sighed, "It's likely connected to this accursed place."
Lin Qin wanted to ask more, but it was clear that Qi Xia didn’t wish to dwell on the issue.
"We're running out of time. Even if I have a worm in my brain, this isn't the place to get it diagnosed," Qi Xia remarked, glancing up at the ominous dark red sky. "Thanks to this girl, we've learned a lot of valuable information."
"Really?" Tian Tian questioned, her gaze fixed on Mortal Mouse's lifeless body, her expression still tinged with sadness. "I feel like the only useful information was about the rules of {staking lives}. This child lost her life because of it."
"{Rules and regulations}...?"
"Exactly," Qi Xia nodded. "The man called {Vermilion Bird} should be one of the supervisors here."
"Supervisor? Are you talking about that {birdman}?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Yes, he showed up to ensure that the {rules and regulations} were not broken."
"But why wasn't the supervisor wearing clothes..." Tian Tian added, puzzled. "He was wearing nothing but a cloak. It's such a strange look."
"Compared to his various bizarre behaviors, {wearing nothing} is actually the most normal one," Qi Xia remarked after a pause. "This is merely the visible clue. There may well be individuals above the {supervisor}."
Lin Qin seemed to recall something. "Oh! That man, Vermilion Bird, mentioned something like, {if it weren't for the rules, I would have torn you to shreds}."
Qiao Jiajin nodded in agreement. "To be able to restrain such a madman with supernatural powers, the people above him must be even more terrifying."
"Supernatural power?" Qi Xia's brow furrowed. "I haven’t encountered that term in quite some time."
"Isn’t it supernatural power? Just like the Terminator," Qiao Jiajin explained, gesturing as he spoke. "That person was levitating in the sky!"
The three of them fell silent at his words.
"What does {Terminator} mean?" Lin Qin inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"I thought you were quite hip from your outfit, but you are actually a hillbilly?" Qiao Jiajin laughed, "Have you not even seen The Terminator?"
"H–Hip?" Lin Qin replied, her expression awkward. The term was typically used by the older generation, making it sound quite outdated in her ears.
But now, she found herself the object of such a person’s condescension.
Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia with his elbow and asked, "Swindler Lad, you must have seen it, right? Arnold Schwarzenegger is just too handsome!"
"Arnold Schwarzenegger...?" Lin Qin’s expression was one of vague recognition, yet she appeared uncertain.
"I don't concern myself with the {Terminator} or Schwarzenegger, nor do I care about how extraordinary that birdman is." Qi Xia said, pausing thoughtfully. "What matters now is understanding the extent and scope of these {rules and regulations} and how they govern this place."
The three people exchanged puzzled glances, unable to grasp the full meaning of Qi Xia's words.
"What do you intend to do, Swindler Lad?"
Qi Xia extended his hand slowly, placing it gently on his neck, and then said to them, "I want to ascertain if the concept of {killing others for Dào} is viable."
The moment Qi Xia's words left his lips, Lin Qin and Tian Tian instinctively took a step back, their faces etched with unease.
Only Qiao Jiajin remained rooted in place.
"Killing others for Dào?" Qiao Jiajin's frown deepened. "Are you suggesting that if you don't collect three thousand six hundred Dào within ten days, you'll resort to taking them from others?"
"Yes, this is the most effective strategy I can devise," Qi Xia responded. "Now that we are a team, achieving such a monumental goal requires your cooperation. I’m sharing the strategy to gather your input."
"I won't help you with that," Qiao Jiajin replied firmly, shaking his head. "Even if the sky were to collapse in this place, I will not resort to injustice. Those with {Dào} are probably just like us, having survived countless hardships. What reason do we have to take their lives?"
"Really?..." Qi Xia's expression turned complex as he nodded. "But if we want to escape this wretched place, this may be our only option. Three thousand six hundred {Dào} is a massive amount. Are you all truly unwilling to consider this approach?"
"I refuse as well," Lin Qin added, "I don't believe this is the right path. Even if we manage to escape, taking lives to achieve our goal would mean we could never return to our previous lives."
Tian Tian pondered deeply before finally stating, "Yes, if it comes to killing someone, I'd rather die first."
Qi Xia met the eyes of the three people, his gaze thoughtful. After a moment, he let a faint smile touch his lips.
"Very good, now I can share my true strategy with peace of mind."
"What...?" Qiao Jiajin was taken aback. "Damn it, Swindler Lad, were you testing us?!"
Qi Xia nodded and said, "If you three were willing to accept a plan involving {killing others for Dào}, it would reveal our fundamental differences, and I would be prepared to abandon you at any moment."
"You..." Qiao Jiajin was nearly infuriated. "I thought you were really considering killing people!"
"Logically speaking, the {rules and regulations} should prevent situations like {killing others for Dào} from occurring," Qi Xia explained. "Although I don't fully understand the rules here, it seems there is a form of {strange fairness} being maintained. The supervisors appear to act as {umpires}. If they truly are {umpires}, they would certainly ensure the participants' safety."
He paused, then continued, "In other words... they prefer us to perish within the game rather than turn on each other."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing Qi Xia’s words.
After a moment, Lin Qin regained her composure and asked, "So, what is your true plan?"
"My plan is not complicated." Qi Xia replied, "Since these games do not actually threaten our lives, we will {probe} each game systematically. Your task will be to decipher the rules and gather clues along the way. Once we have a clear understanding... I will {stake my life}. We will then distribute all the {Dào} we acquire equally. This strategy will continue to be employed until we reach the required three thousand six hundred {Dào}."