Chapter 72 Identity Cards
After a brief moment of gathering themselves, the group followed Ole Lu towards the game’s location.
Perhaps it was just as Ole Lu had claimed—due to his years of setting up stalls along the street, he had an uncanny familiarity with the city's intricate alleys and hidden paths.
The group weaved through various narrow passageways, and there were several moments where Qi Xia felt utterly disoriented, unsure of their direction. Yet, Ole Lu strolled as if he were taking a leisurely walk, confidently navigating through countless turns and twists.
Along the way, Qi Xia noticed several of the {numbers} Ole Lu had mentioned. In addition to the previously spotted {52}, he now glimpsed numbers like {19} and {34} etched onto walls and corners.
He surmised that Ole Lu might be correct—these {numbers} were likely markers someone had left to help navigate through this maze of streets.
After about twenty minutes, they arrived at a dilapidated hotel.
A {dog} stood at the entrance, seemingly engaged in conversation with several individuals.
As Qi Xia and the rest of the collective approached, their expressions immediately shifted.
“It’s {Terrestrial Dog}…” Qi Xia froze for a moment.
Zhang Chenze blinked, slightly confused, and asked, “What does {Terrestrial Dog} mean? Isn’t it {Mortal Dog}?”
“{Terrestrial Dog} is a level above {Mortal Dog},” Qi Xia mused as he stroked his chin. “People can die in {Terrestrial}-grade games.”
“People can die…” Zhang Chenze froze, “So, should we still participate?”
Qi Xia furrowed his brow in thought. Even if it were a {Terrestrial-grade} game, it is still classified as {cooperative}. Provided the four of them united in purpose, Qi Xia was confident in their potential for victory.
With that in mind, he turned back and carefully studied Zhang Chenze and Ole Lu before asking, “Can you both promise to follow my lead?”
“I can,” Zhang Chenze nodded.
“Yes,” Ole Lu agreed.
Hearing their responses, Qi Xia's worries eased.
“Great! More participants!” a shout came from the direction of Terrestrial Dog. “Now we can start, right?”
Qi Xia turned to see that the young people next to Terrestrial Dog were all looking in their direction.
“What’s going on? Isn’t this supposed to be a cooperative game of four?” Qi Xia asked Ole Lu, puzzled.
“I don’t know either. That dog told me this morning that a team of four is required to participate.”
Qi Xia stepped forward to take a closer look at the four individuals.
Three men and one woman.
They appeared to be in their twenties, a young man and woman entwined in each other's arms, clearly a couple in affection. Their disheveled appearances, characterized by hair dyed in an array of vibrant colors, left Qi Xia with a decidedly unfavorable first impression.
If Qiao Jiajin projected the image of a formidable hired hoodlum among the hoodlumish elite, then these young individuals resembled mere lackeys, scraping the bottom of the criminal barrel.
“Want to partake in my game?” Terrestrial Dog’s deep voice suddenly rang out. “The entry fee is a {Dào} per participant, with life and death resting solely on fate. The losing team will face complete elimination, while the victorious will be rewarded with five {Dào} each, in addition to all the spoils claimed from the eliminated team.”
“Complete elimination?!” Everyone was taken aback.
“What are the rules of the game?” Qi Xia inquired coolly.
“Pay the entrance fee and know the rules.”
‘Not this again…’ Qi Xia shook his head in exasperation. Previously, during the Terrestrial Ox's game, they had also been completely unaware of the challenges awaiting them until after paying the admission fee.
"Hey, are y’all in or not?" a hoodlum with green-dyed hair snapped, clearly impatient. "The game hasn’t even begun, and you’re already trembling in fear?"
Ignoring the green-haired hoodlum, Qi Xia pondered for a moment and then asked, “Terrestrial Dog, will your game involve {random team assignments}?”
“Random team assignments…” Ole Lu and Lin Qin appeared to have an epiphany.
This indeed posed a dilemma; if Terrestrial Dog emulated the tactics of Terrestrial Ox and disrupted the team formations after the admission fees were paid, the outcome would become utterly unpredictable.
“Not at all,” Terrestrial Dog said. “You all will always remain in your current teams, and all your efforts will be for the benefit of your group.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia slowly relaxed.
It appeared to be a quintessential {team collaboration} game, albeit with two teams present on-site, likely engaging in direct competition.
Noticing Qi Xia's hesitation, Ole Lu quickly pulled out four {Dào} and handed them over.
“Ole Lu…” Qi Xia furrowed his brows. “What are you doing?”
“I’m treating this time,” Ole Lu said with a sly grin. “If we win, make sure to give me a bigger share.”
“No,” Qi Xia replied. “The {Dào} we win will be evenly distributed among everyone, or I’m leaving right now.”
Ole Lu sighed, then, with a hint of discontent, nodded reluctantly. "Ai, fine, fine... You really are one stingy punk."
Both teams paid their entrance fees.
To everyone’s astonishment, upon receiving the admission, Terrestrial Dog’s demeanor underwent a complete transformation. He leaped with exuberance, gesturing animatedly in celebration, as he warmly welcomed the eight participants into the building, treating them as though they were esteemed guests.
“Please come in, everyone!” Terrestrial Dog laughed. “Welcome to my game venue!”
Though the group was puzzled, they had no choice but to follow along.
Once inside, Qi Xia looked around the dilapidated hotel.
The interior was quite simple, boasting long corridors flanking either side, each adorned with a series of rooms.
"Do any of you have a penchant for spy movies?" Terrestrial Dog inquired, rubbing his hands together with enthusiasm.
Qi Xia noticed that the back of Terrestrial Dog's hands was furry, as if he were wearing very realistic gloves.
"Spy movies? Who watches that shit?" a blond hoodlum shook his head. "Stop wasting time and tell us what we’re playing."
"Impatient, aren’t we…" Terrestrial Dog pulled two stacks of cards from the drawer at the front desk and handed them over, saying, "Although you all are a team of four, each person has their own identity card. Please draw your identities now."
Qi Xia cast a glance at the stack of identity cards, reminiscent of those he had seen during his initial encounter with the Mortal Goat. Much like those, the reverse side of each card also featured the inscription {Game of Nüwa}.
Lin Qin, positioned at the forefront of the group, picked up the four cards and turned to inquire, "Who wishes to draw first?"
"Doesn't matter; just deal the cards," Zhang Chenze said.
Lin Qin nodded and turned the cards over, shuffling them before distributing them.
When Qi Xia received his {identity card}, confusion washed over his face.
It read {Correspondent}.
"Do we need to keep our identities a secret?" Ole Lu asked cautiously, holding the card close to his chest.
Everyone turned to look at Terrestrial Dog.
"No need," Terrestrial Dog kindly replied. "Team members can look at each other's identities. If you like, you can even swap identities."
Upon hearing this, everyone gravitated toward Qi Xia, forming a small circle. One by one, they flipped their cards, unveiling a diverse array of identities for each individual.
Qi Xia's identity was {Correspondent}.
Lin Qin's identity was {Recipient}.
Zhang Chenze's identity was {Hostage}.
"What about you?" Qi Xia asked Ole Lu, noticing he was reluctant to reveal his card.
"I... well, how should I put this..."
At this point, Qi Xia no longer pressed for answers. He firmly grasped Ole Lu's wrist and forced the card to be revealed.
It read {Infiltrator}.