Chapter 45 Toppling the Enemy by Seizing Their Leader
Terrestrial Ox remained silent, his eyes scanning the group of survivors. With a slight tinge of displeasure, he stated, "Nineteen {Dào} per person, the game has concluded. Please come forward, one at a time, to receive your {Dào}."
Specs couldn't tear his gaze away from the gruesome wound on Zhang Shan's chest. Cold sweat formed on his brow as he stammered, "Zhang Shan... are you really okay?"
Zhang Shan gave a reassuring smile and lightly patted Specs on the head. "Lǎozi[1] is completely fine. How was it on your side? I see you and Ole Lu are both in good spirits."
"Ah!.." Specs suddenly cried out, "Zhang Shan, speaking of Ole Lu, I need to speak with you about something..."
Ole Lu, looking just as anxious, rushed over to Zhang Shan, gesticulating wildly. "Yes, yes! You have to help us settle this!"
"Settle what? What happened?"
Qi Xia’s face darkened at the sight of the three huddled together, whispering intensely. He turned to Lin Qin and asked, "What exactly happened on your side?"
Lin Qin took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting the harrowing memories. "To be honest, I thought we were done for..."
"And then?" Qiao Jiajin prompted.
"Well..." Lin Qin began, her brows furrowing as she recalled the sequence of events. "All I remember is Zhang Shan shouting {Get out of the way!} Before we knew it, he had lifted the iron plate and charged straight at the black bear."
"What?!" Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin simultaneously exclaimed.
"We didn't dare to watch..." Lin Qin continued, her voice trembling slightly. "It was so brutal. Zhang Shan knocked the black bear down with the iron plate, and then—riding on top of it—he pinned the bear to the ground and kept hammering its head. The entire area was soaked in blood..."
Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth in a mix of awe and unease. "Damn... this guy’s like the Terminator... He’s seriously something else."
"He seemed to know the black bear's vulnerabilities. Before the game concluded, the bear had been battered beyond recognition—its nose shattered, and many of its teeth knocked out..." Lin Qin recounted.
Tian Tian also added, "But Zhang Shan himself wasn’t having an easy time. At the brink of death, the black bear retaliated fiercely. It lifted the iron plate and clawed at him non-stop, leaving him drenched in blood. Fortunately, the bear collapsed in under a minute. Thanks to him, the rest of us were all safe..."
Qi Xia furrowed his brows as he listened. No wonder Tian Tian and Lin Qin doubted their chances of surviving this game on their own.
It turned out that in their venue, no one employed a strategy similar to his own. Instead, someone used the heavy iron plate as a weapon and engaged the black bear directly.
"If that’s the case... why did it take so long for you gals to come back?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "It was four minutes after the game ended before any of you returned. Swindler Lad and I were almost preparing for your funeral."
"That’s the more frightening part..." Lin Qin said, lowering her head and pursing her lips. "After that man defeated the bear, he remarked, {I haven't eaten for several days; bear paws are a delicacy}. He then ordered us to use the iron plate to dismember the black bear’s limbs..."
"So those two bear arms..." Qiao Jiajin began to ask, but he was interrupted when he noticed the towering man, Specs, and Ole Lu approaching them.
The three of them had small cloth bags hanging from their waists, indicating that they had received their {Dào}.
The towering man in the lead wore a cold, detached expression, and his gaze was fixed intently on Qi Xia, as if he harbored ill intentions.
"Oh..." Qiao Jiajin suddenly recalled the {deal} between Qi Xia and Specs, realizing that the current situation was far from reassuring. "Swindler Lad, what's the plan?"
"Matthew Effect..." Qi Xia muttered to himself, "For to all those who have, more be given, and they will have an abundance; but for those who have nothing, even what they have taken away."
"Huh, what did you say?"
Qi Xia did not respond right away, instead surveying the surroundings with a measured gaze. He dragged a chair to position himself at a safe distance from the approaching trio.
Among the three chairs nearby, one was strategically placed within easy reach, its leg nearly broken—a potential weapon.
The ox-headed figure was still a good ten steps away, unable to intervene immediately. Qi Xia assessed that, given the right opportunity, he could effectively incapacitate Zhang Shan.
"It's not a major issue," Qi Xia said, his gaze icy as he fixed it on Zhang Shan. "He may have bested a bear, but unfortunately for him, I’m not a bear."
Lin Qin, apprehensive, asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Qiao Jiajin, his expression serious, glanced at the three approaching figures and cracked his neck slightly.
The atmosphere grew tense, charged with the scent of impending conflict.
If this imposing figure had indeed come to {support} the others in reneging on their agreement, a fierce confrontation was inevitable.
Zhang Shan approached Qi Xia, scrutinizing him with a contemplative gaze.
Qi Xia met his gaze steadily, noting the man's imposing height of 1.9 meters.
"I heard," Zhang Shan began, his tone measured. "There was an incident involving you and my pals."
"Indeed," Qi Xia replied, "That middle aged man bargained his {Dào} for his life with me."
"Fuck...who do you think you are..." Zhang Shan said, extending his pinky to scratch his ear, his voice laced with disdain. "Do you think you’re King Yama[2], using other people’s lives as leverage?"
"I can be." Qi Xia replied, advancing a step closer to the chair, his tone resolute. "I am capable of both saving others’ lives and taking them away."
Zhang Shan frowned, his irritation palpable. "What’s your problem? Can’t you talk properly?"
"Whether I speak properly or not depends largely on whether you'll hand over their {Dào} to me," Qi Xia said.
"You’re quite a nuisance," Zhang Shan remarked, his brow furrowing. "And if I refuse?"
Specs, taken aback, quickly interjected in a hurried whisper, "Zhang Shan! This isn't what we agreed upon!"
"Don't meddle," Zhang Shan whispered back to Specs. "I have my own arrangements."
"If you don’t hand it over, I will take it myself."
"What!? Are you tired of living, punk?"
Before Zhang Shan could react, Qi Xia swiftly kicked the chair lying at his feet, causing it to collide with Zhang Shan's knee.
Zhang Shan winced in pain and staggered back a few steps.
Seizing the moment, Qi Xia dashed forward, picked up the fallen chair, and gripped its leg. Knowing Zhang Shan was currently injured, Qi Xia recognized this as his best chance to gain the upper hand.
‘Thirty-Six Stratagems[3]: To Topple the Enemy, Seize Their Leader[4].’ Qi Xia recalled to himself as he swung the chair upward.
Zhang Shan saw that the situation was not good, so he immediately hunched down and stretched out his arms to protect his head.
In the next moment, the chair shattered against his arms.
Though painful, the blow spared his vital areas.
‘If the enemy's forces are formidable but bound to their leader, strike at the commander. Once the leader falls, the entire army will scatter[4].’ Qi Xia continued to recite in his mind.
Zhang Shan's rage flared. "You seriously want to do this, punk?"
Before he could finish his tirade, Zhang Shan noticed Qi Xia gripping a broken chair leg in his hand.
Qi Xia twisted his body and, using the built-up momentum, swung the chair leg at Zhang Shan’s head.
Zhang Shan was obviously not an inept person. He quickly turned his head, allowing the wooden stick to collide with his hard forehead.
The chair leg split in half on impact, leaving a red mark across Zhang Shan’s forehead.
"Interesting..." Zhang Shan said through gritted teeth, "You bastard, you really just go for the vital areas... Then I won't hold back either!"