If circumstances permitted, Qi Xia would eagerly pursue Mortal Goat for clarification. Why did his card contain such a cryptic message?
However, if Mortal Goat continues to exist, the {participants} in this game will be deemed the losers. This meant he would never truly understand Mortal Goat's intentions, nor did he know if Officer Li had received a similar card.
While the rest were anxiously absorbed in their hopes of regaining their footing, Qi Xia stayed troubled by a separate question: ‘What important information is Mortal Goat trying to convey?’
Wait, Mortal Goat was capable of deception. Could he have conveyed misleading information? Qi Xia struggled to determine whether he should trust him. Now that the {Liar} game was over, would revealing his possession of the upcoming {game strategy} cause any issues?
For the sake of caution, Qi Xia opted to comply with Mortal Goat's intentions for the time being, since it held no cost for him. Even if he kept everything to himself, he could still lead everyone out of this room.
He aimed to replicate his previous approach, guiding the group to discover the writing beneath Mortal Goat's mask. This time, however, Qi Xia was also determined to gather clues he had missed previously.
As the group examined Mortal Goat's mask, he and Officer Li approached the fallen figure together.
Officer Li gave a meaningful glance, opening his mouth but choosing not to speak. Qi Xia too was silent; they seemed to possess an implicit agreement as they commenced their joint search of Mortal Goat's corpse.
To Qi Xia's astonishment, Mortal Goat didn't possess a single {Dào}.
He felt even more certain that Officer Li was fully aware of everything, as the handgun Mortal Goat used to take his own life was visibly placed nearby, but Officer Li didn’t even spare it a glance.
“What’s this?” Officer Li pulled a sheet of paper from Mortal Goat's pocket. After a quick glance, he passed it directly to Qi Xia. Qi Xia took it without hesitation, examined it closely, and was soon marked by a look of perplexity.
This was a signed contract, with the title {Earthly Branches Ascension Wagering Contract} prominently displayed at the top of the document.
“Just put it away for now,” Officer Li said, patting Qi Xia's hand. “We can review it once we’re out.”
Understanding the urgency of the moment, Qi Xia folded the contract neatly and tucked it into his pocket. It seemed he had truly obtained something significant; the fact that Mortal Goat possessed this contract but no {Dào} indicated a fundamental difference between him and the other Earthly Branches.
Once the harpoons are unleashed, all items in the room will be destroyed. Previously, Qi Xia had been absorbed in planning his escape and overlooked these details.
“What does ‘countless bamboo shoots after rain’ mean?”
“‘Circle in the direction of home a hundred times,’ what?”
Not far off, the rest of the group were filled with a cacophony of questions. What Qi Xia needed at this moment was stellar acting, enabling him to discreetly guide everyone to safety, as he had done in the past.
"If you're feeling overwhelmed, I can provide the answers for the next games," Officer Li whispered.
"It’s not that I don’t trust you, but you're not equipped to handle those {master manipulators},” Qi Xia replied quietly. "Without any liabilities, I'm in a better position to confront them."
Qi Xia walked toward the table and gradually stood beside Qiao Jiajin. “Boss Qiao, I need your assistance,” he said.
“{Boss Qiao}...?” Taken by surprise, Qiao Jiajin quickly broke into a proud grin. “Leng-zai, you have quite the way with words! From now on, I’ve got your back. What help do you need?"
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt an unexpected sense of reassurance. "When the time comes, give it your all and help everyone stay alive."
At that moment, the onlookers noticed the walls around them reshaping like malleable clay, revealing rows of holes. revealing rows of openings. Just as they were about to get closer, Qi Xia intervened, “Everyone, don’t worry about the walls for now. I’ve found the answer: ‘circle in the direction of home a hundred times’ signifies the act of rotating an object to the right one hundred times."
“Right?” The collective glanced at him, puzzled. “Why right?”
Qi Xia picked up a sheet of white paper and quickly sketched a simple diagram, then patiently explained his reasoning to everyone.
“Ah, I see! You’re very intelligent,” Lin Qin nodded. “But what exactly are we supposed to rotate a hundred times?”
“Could it be ourselves?” Tian Tian blinked and asked. “Are we supposed to turn our bodies to the right a hundred times?” Qi Xia shook his head. “Everyone, let’s look around this room. What can we rotate besides ourselves?”
Han Yimo was the first to notice that the table in front of them could actually be rotated. He quickly shared this discovery with the group. Under Qi Xia's guidance, everyone began to methodically rotate the tabletop to the right, and at present, all seemed to be under control.
This time, Qiao Jiajin exerted himself particularly fervently, rallying the group as they rotated the table.
After the completion of one hundred rotations, the tabletop was once again segmented into nine sections by the laser; the participants managed to obtain the tabletop shields approximately five minutes sooner than their previous attempt.
"I will now explain the latter portion of the hint, {countless bamboo shoots after rain},” he informed them, asking everyone to grasp the tabletop. Qi Xia then elaborated on how to create a conical shape, informed by his previous experience to caution that no gaps should form between the tablets, regardless of what occurred.
Qi Xia still felt some concern, especially since the last harpoon incident had indirectly led to Han Yimo's death. If possible, he wanted to do everything he could to ensure this person's safety.
As the group admired Qi Xia's intelligence, they couldn't help but harbor some doubts. Why does this person seem so exceptionally methodical? Not only has he deciphered the game’s intricacies, but he also seems to have a premonition of what will happen next, making it appear as though he designed this game himself.
“Why are we setting up the shield in this way?” Qiao Jiajin asked. “Is it really going to rain soon?”
“Well, not exactly. Once we arrange the table in this manner, it’ll—” Before he could finish, Qi Xia casually glanced at Han Yimo and noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead, while his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Han Yimo, are you… alright?”
Han Yimo smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine... I’m just a bit scared.”
Qi Xia furrowed his brow and asked, “What are you afraid of?”
Before Han Yimo could respond, a loud toll echoed from a distance.
Qi Xia's eyes widened in disbelief; the familiarity of this entire experience was overwhelming. Han Yimo had triggered his Reverberation. He grasped Han Yimo's shoulders tightly, his voice low yet urgent as he implored, "Han Yimo, I’ve already laid out all the circumstances to everyone in advance—what is it that you’re so afraid of?"
“Speak up!” Qi Xia pressed, his anxiety mounting, accompanied by a chilling sense of foreboding.
“I’m afraid of those harpoons…” Han Yimo's expression was one of profound fear, cold sweat sliding down his brow. "I have a terrible feeling that those harpoons will impale me..."
Hearing this, Qi Xia's countenance slowly hardened. "Han Yimo... when did I ever claim that the objects emerging from those holes are harpoons?"