A wager of lives

Those words shocked everyone.

Even Human Rat froze for a moment.

"You want to... wager your life?" Human Rat asked to confirm.

"That's right." Qi Xia nodded. "I'm wagering my life."

Human Rat's throat bobbed as she swallowed, then said, "Th-there's no need for that, is there?"

Her reaction went beyond anything Qi Xia had expected.

He had thought these people in animal masks would welcome him staking his life, so why was she panicking?

"M-mine is just a very simple 'search' game. W-wagering your life is going too far... Besides, my entry fee is only one 'Dao.' There's no need to wager your life..."

Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin were equally puzzled.

"You can... wager your life in this game?" Qiao Jiajin asked with a frown. "But why would you do that, swindler? Are we short on 'Dao'?"

"I remembered what that shriveled old man said, so I wanted to try it here," Qi Xia said quietly. "Judging by her reaction, she seems terrified of me 'wagering my life.'"

"I know you really want to win," Lin Qin cut in. "But you're staking your life on opening cans. What if something goes wrong? What if the 'Dao' isn't inside?"

"I'll win." Qi Xia looked up at Human Rat. "I've placed my wager. Can we begin?"

Human Rat remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a trembling voice, "If you really want to wager your life, don't regret it... The game begins now."

Qi Xia entered the room.

Human Rat was about to leave and close the door when Qi Xia grabbed her.

The movement made her entire body stiffen.

Expressionless, Qi Xia reached out and slowly took a "Dao" from the pocket of Human Rat's shirt.

"I found it."

All three people at the doorway gaped.

Was that allowed?

Finding the "Dao" on the referee the instant the game began.

Did that really not break the "rules"?

Human Rat trembled nonstop, looking utterly terrified.

"If I'm not mistaken, once you close the door, there can't possibly be a 'Dao' left in this room. Is that right?" Qi Xia pressed her.

"How did you know...?"

"It's simple," Qi Xia said softly. "Every time you explain the rules, you make sure to stand inside the room and tell us there's a 'Dao' in here 'right now.' That statement is true, but unfortunately, it's an enormous trap."

When Human Rat failed to answer, Qi Xia continued, "There really is a 'Dao' in the room 'right now.' Unfortunately, it's about to disappear."

Human Rat's eyes darted wildly beneath her mask. After struggling for a long time, she finally asked, "You wagered your life on that bold assumption alone?"

"An assumption? Of course not," Qi Xia continued. "What really convinced me was when you announced that Tiantian had 'failed the game.'"

"What?!"

"The door was closed at the time. None of us should have known what was happening inside, but the instant you opened it, you told Tiantian she'd failed." Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. "How did you know she hadn't found it?"

"I..."

"The answer is obvious. You knew there couldn't possibly be a 'Dao' in the room."

A slight shudder ran through Human Rat.

"And the 'rodent' game was another trap. We all assumed rodents hide during the day and come out at night, searching for their targets in the dark. That was the direction Tiantian's thinking took, too, and by all rights, she wasn't wrong. But there are other rodents in this world that hide important things in their mouths, aren't there?"

Human Rat stared at Qi Xia for a long time, knowing she had truly lost.

She paused, then suddenly shoved Qi Xia down with all her strength, turned, and ran.

"Holy shit!" Qiao Jiajin immediately reached out to grab Human Rat, but she twisted away like a real rat.

She ran fast, disappearing down the street.

They were all at a loss. It had never occurred to them that these people in animal masks would actually run away.

"What's going on... swindler?" Qiao Jiajin helped Qi Xia up from the ground, his face full of confusion. "Why did she run?"

"I don't know either." Qi Xia shook his head, though his expression suggested something had occurred to him.

Could 'wagering your life' mean...

He looked in the direction Human Rat had fled, hoping to confirm his suspicion, only for his eyes to widen.

"What is it?"

Qi Xia raised his hand and pointed shakily into the distance.

The other three turned to look and froze on the spot.

A figure had appeared, floating in midair, blocking Human Rat's path.

"Holy shit... Is that the Terminator...?" Qiao Jiajin's voice trembled slightly. The sight before him was beyond anything he could have imagined.

The figure in the air gave a gentle wave of his hand, and Human Rat collapsed into a sitting position, as though all strength had left her body.

Then the two vanished from the distance and reappeared before Qi Xia and the others a second later.

The sight, like a god descending to earth, left all four of their minds blank.

Floating in midair was a tall, slender man. His naked body was draped in a cloak made of blood-red feathers, and several more feathers were tucked into his disheveled long hair. His entire body bobbed up and down in the air like a bird in flight.

The four were badly frightened by the sight before them, and none dared speak.

Human Rat trembled even harder, and muffled sobs seemed to come from beneath her mask.

"Human Rat, what are you doing?" the man asked softly. "Were you trying to run away just now?"

"I... I..." Human Rat trembled nonstop, her voice sounding distorted.

"You can't run away." The man slowly landed and reached out to stroke Human Rat's head gently. "You need to behave. A 'wager of lives' is a 'wager of lives.'"

"Lord Vermilion Bird...!" Human Rat wailed. "Please spare me...!"

"I can't do that." The man called Vermilion Bird extended his slender fingers, tracing them over Human Rat's mask. "If you agree to a wager, you must accept the loss. He was the one who wanted to wager lives with you. There's nothing I can do."

A sense of foreboding stirred in Qi Xia's heart. Summoning his courage, he addressed the man. "I... I don't want her life. I only wagered my own life to get more 'Dao.'"

"Oh?" Vermilion Bird lifted his eyes to look at Qi Xia, but his hand slowly slid down to Human Rat's pale neck, gripping her as though she were an actual rat.

Human Rat trembled stiffly, not daring to say a word.

"Is this necessary?" Qi Xia frowned. "I'm the one who initiated the 'wager of lives.' Now I don't want her life. I only want 'Dao.' Killing her does me no good."

Hearing that Qi Xia seemed to be pleading for her, Human Rat slowly raised her head to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

At Qi Xia's words, Vermilion Bird slowly withdrew his hand and let out a chuckle.

"How interesting... Human Rat, get up... He's spared you." He patted Human Rat on the back.