Chapter 83 Herald of Concession
Regardless of how one interpreted it, this power known as {Reverberation} had already surpassed normal comprehension.
In this bizarre realm, not only were there god-like figures but also countless lunatics at every turn. Numerous participants are being slaughtered without consequence, and now it seems one could even gain superpowers…
If this weren’t a dream, who would ever believe it?
"Qi Xia…" Zhang Chenze looked at Qi Xia's wounds, concern etched on her face. "You didn’t manage to deceive Jiang Ruoxue. What should we do next?"
"Deceive?" Qi Xia shook his head, pressing his hand against his injury. "I wasn’t lying; I genuinely intend to give up."
"Huh?" The two women were momentarily taken aback. "Are you truly considering giving up?"
"Yes," Qi Xia replied, his voice calm, eyes reflecting the depth of a still pond. "Given the severity of this wound, I cannot possibly continue."
"Don’t be so hasty," Lin Qin urged, trying to keep her tone steady. "I know how to dress a wound. Let’s find a place to stem the bleeding first—there’s still time. You don’t have to give up just yet."
‘Stem the bleeding…’ Qi Xia lifted his gaze to the darkening sky. The day had stretched on endlessly, and now, night had only just begun to fall.
"I agree. Qi Xia…" Zhang Chenze chimed in, "You have a better chance than us of gathering all three thousand six hundred {Dào}. If you give up, we won’t know what to do."
The three found refuge in a dilapidated massage parlor.
Zhang Chenze reasoned that a massage parlor, with its private rooms and beds, would at least provide Qi Xia with a proper place to recover.
Like other buildings, this massage parlor was nearly in ruins, but fortunately, some fabric drapes could still be salvaged.
Lin Qin tore the drapes into thin strips, preparing to bandage the wound.
Zhang Chenze cleared off a single-seater sofa, and together, they helped Qi Xia sit down, gingerly removing his shirt.
The fabric, saturated with blood, felt unnervingly heavy in their hands; even the slightest twist sent rivulets of crimson dripping onto the floor.
In that moment, the gravity of Qi Xia’s condition hit them hard—his earlier words weren’t an exaggeration. His injuries were far too severe for him to press on. Even remaining upright was an effort that sapped every ounce of his strength.
Lin Qin inspected the wound, but her expression betrayed anything but confidence.
When the bald hoodlum had plunged the dagger into Qi Xia's shoulder, he twisted the blade, transforming what should have been a clean cut into a grotesque blossom of crimson flesh. This not only tore the skin but likely damaged the underlying muscle tissue as well.
"We aren’t able to stitch the wound," Lin Qin said, "Just hold on; I'll bandage it."
"Simply bandaging won't suffice," Qi Xia replied, pulling out the old metal lighter from his pocket. "Find a dry piece of wood. Ignite it and staunch the bleeding."
"It—" Lin Qin hesitated, taking the lighter. "It might hurt a lot…"
"It’s fine…" Qi Xia began, but then he suddenly heard faint noises nearby.
The sound resembled something rhythmically thudding against the wall.
"Shh!" Qi Xia raised a hand, motioning for silence as he strained to listen. "There's someone in this building."
"What!?" The two quickly hushed their voices and listened intently; indeed, something was stirring inside.
"Likely an indigenous inhabitant…" Qi Xia murmured, rising slowly despite the pain. "It could be dangerous. We should relocate."
"Stop right there! Your condition won’t allow you to move freely," Zhang Chenze interjected, determined. "I'll check it out. We've been here long enough—if there were danger, we'd already be dead."
"No—" Qi Xia reached out to stop her, but Zhang Chenze, ever quick in her resolve, had already slipped out the door. With mounting frustration, Qi Xia turned to Lin Qin. "Hurry, go after her! There is no need to take unnecessary risks."
Lin Qin nodded and hurried after her.
The massage parlor was small, consisting of just four rooms lining a narrow, dimly lit hallway. It didn’t take long for Zhang Chenze to pinpoint the source of the noise. She hesitated for a split second, then decisively knocked on the door.
"Chenze!" Lin Qin whispered urgently, "Be careful of the {indigenous inhabitants}!"
"The indigenous inhabitants wouldn’t harm us." Zhang Chenze said, pushing the door open despite the lack of response.
As soon as the door creaked open, a wave of putrid stench hit them, causing both to instinctively step back.
Inside, a gaunt man faced away from the door, diligently massaging the back of a {customer} lying on the bed.
Upon seeing the scene, the two women both gasped in horror.
Indeed, the {indigenous inhabitants} might not be violent, but their actions sent chills down the spine. The figure sprawled on the bed was nothing more than a corpse, and the emaciated man continued to press his hands against its lifeless back.
The man appeared to have been at his task for an unsettling amount of time; the corpse’s back was entirely flattened, with a putrid liquid oozing across the bed.
"Sir... is this amount of pressure alright? ...Sir... is this amount of pressure alright?" The gaunt man’s hollow voice droned on, as his hands pressed down with increasing force.
Each push drove his hands through the corpse, colliding with the bed frame beneath, creating a dull thud that resonated in the room.
The two women stood paralyzed, shock rooting them in place.
Qi Xia approached them quietly, slipping through the gap between their stiffened forms. Extending a hand, he gently closed the door. "Don’t let it get to you," he said calmly.
Without sparing another thought at the scene, Qi Xia found a relatively clean cubicle nearby. He sat on the bed before instructing, "Find a piece of dry wood."
Lin Qin snapped back to reality, realizing that stopping Qi Xia's bleeding was the top priority, and quickly turned to search for dry wood.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chenze pondered over the scene from earlier and after a few seconds, asked, "Qi Xia, do you think these people… were once like us?"
Qi Xia didn’t answer directly. Instead, he replied, "Lawyer Zhang, you shouldn’t act so impulsive anymore. What if the room wasn’t occupied by an indigenous inhabitant but by a group of desperate criminals like that bald hoodlum? What would you do?"
Zhang Chenze lowered her head slowly and admitted, "I allowed my {anxiety to undermine my composure}. If we cannot find a place to rest, your injuries will only deteriorate further."
"Anxiety undermined your composure?" Qi Xia felt a hint of discomfort at her words. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "Lawyer Zhang, it’s important to recognize that I saved you from that microwave because it was the only way to secure a victory in the game. It doesn’t mean I harbor any special concern for you."
"I understand…" Zhang Chenze nodded. "Perhaps I might be still preoccupied with Officer Li’s incident… witnessing such an upstanding person perish before my very eyes. I fear you might meet the same fate."
"An upstanding person…?" Qi Xia paused, his thoughts deepening.
Memories of the tale Officer Li had shared in his dying breaths resurfaced. Could Officer Li truly be called an {upstanding person}?"