Chapter 198: Digging One's Own Grave

When Qi Xia, Zhao Yisheng, Lao Lv, and Zhang Shan arrived at the Ren Tu's venue, the rabbit was pacing outside the door.

She was wearing an ill-fitting suit and a swollen mask, looking quite strange.

Seeing the four of them appear at once, she clearly froze for a moment.

"Yun Yao?" Qi Xia asked.

The rabbit paused, then asked, "Who is Yun Yao?"

Her voice was extremely unpleasant, and if he guessed right, this person was deliberately lowering her tone to sound like someone else.

Lao Lv couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Don't play dumb with me! What about that girl who came with me?"

"She hasn't passed my game yet." The rabbit slowly moved toward the door behind her. "Don't do anything rash."

Qi Xia looked her up and down, a hint of regret on his face.

"You've made a big mistake," Qi Xia said. "Xiao Ran, you're only harming yourself."

The rabbit froze all over and stammered, "Wh-what Xiao Ran? I'm not Xiao Ran..."

This statement left Zhang Shan and Lao Lv baffled, but it made Zhao Yisheng show a strange expression.

"Xiao Ran?!" He examined the rabbit in front of him and noticed that her height seemed shorter now, her build very much like Xiao Ran's. "Why are you wearing the rabbit mask?!"

"I told you, I'm not Xiao Ran!!!" the rabbit yelled. "I... I'm the Ren Tu..."

Everyone stared at her intently, as if she were a clown.

"Alright, Ren Tu," Qi Xia nodded. "I want to join your game."

"What...?" The rabbit was stunned. "Now? It's not possible right now..."

"Step aside," Qi Xia said. "You're done for anyway. There's no need to drag Yun Yao down with you."

"What a joke... I'm done for?!" The rabbit sneered. "I'm the game referee here! I'm the rabbit! How could I be done for?"

Seeing her stubbornness, Qi Xia sighed helplessly.

If this woman had shown even a shred of sincerity over such a long time, her fate wouldn't have been like this.

Lao Lv had been standing by for a while and finally figured it out.

"Qi, kid... are you saying this girl in front of us is a fake?!" he asked in disbelief.

"That's right," Qi Xia nodded. "No need to hold back anymore. Pull her aside, and we'll go save Yun Yao."

Without another word, Lao Lv rushed forward, grabbed the rabbit's arm, and yanked her to the side. "You little troublemaker, why can't you just behave?!"

"Ah! What are you doing? Who said you could touch me?!" the rabbit yelled. "Don't do anything rash!"

Qi Xia took a deep breath and stepped forward to push the door, but it didn't budge.

He peered through the glass window in the door.

The interior setup matched the descriptions he had heard before: a shattered fish tank nearby, and Yun Yao was chained to an iron pillar, unable to move.

What was alarming was that water was still leaking from the broken fish tank.

The room was completely sealed, and the water had already filled it up to Yun Yao's neck.

Chained as she was, she couldn't straighten up, and it wouldn't be long before she drowned.

"Hey!!" The rabbit ran over, her eyes full of panic. "The game isn't over yet. Are you trying to disrupt it midway?"

Disrupt the game...?

Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow.

Although Xiao Ran was bluffing, she had reminded him of something.

With that mask on, did she count as a "Sheng Xiao"?

And was the game she designed really a game?

If simply putting on a mask could make someone a "Sheng Xiao," then Qi Xia couldn't rashly rescue Yun Yao.

He would be breaking the rules, forcibly interrupting the game, and attracting the higher-ups.

But could Yun Yao wait that long?

Qi Xia looked into the rabbit's eyes, silent for a long time, then said, "We surrender."

"S-surrender?" The rabbit seemed unprepared for that answer and didn't know what to do.

"Yes, we surrender," Qi Xia nodded. "You're the Ren Tu, right? In a 'Ren-level' game, losing means losing 'Dao.' How much 'Dao' do you want? I'll give it to you right now."

The rabbit thought for a moment and said, "Aren't you supposed to be clever? I don't accept a surrender. Figure out how to save her yourself. If you can't, just wait for her to die."

Qi Xia glanced again at the situation inside the room and asked, "Then if you won't let me in, how am I supposed to save her?"

"What? Someone as clever as you can't save her from outside? Go ahead and try from out here!" the Ren Tu mocked.

Everyone was at a loss, exchanging glances as they pondered a solution.

But Qi Xia seemed confident. He said to the rabbit, "Actually, I already figured it out. The key isn't inside the room; it's outside, right?"

"Outside..." The rabbit held back her sarcasm and asked, "Where outside?"

"Simple. There's a withered bush nearby." Qi Xia pointed to the dried-up bush by the road. "The key is there."

"Pfft..." The rabbit was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching her stomach. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Qi Xia, how ugly! You're so full of yourself with that wrong answer—it's pathetic!"

"Ugly?" Qi Xia asked expressionlessly. "How is it ugly?"

"What 'key outside,' what 'bush'—it's hilarious!" She clutched her stomach and said, "Qi Xia, look at you now... I already broke the key and threw it away!! Just watch Yun Yao die!"

Hearing this, everyone looked troubled, but Qi Xia's lips curved into a slight smile.

"Xiao Ran, you've broken the rules."

As soon as he spoke, a tall figure suddenly appeared in midair.

He was naked, with pale skin, draped in a cloak made of feathers.

The sight startled everyone.

"I must say..." the tall figure spoke slowly, "so your designed 'game' has no way out?"

Gazing at this man floating like a god, Xiao Ran collapsed to the ground with a thud.

His eyes didn't resemble those of a police officer or a thug.

He was like a supreme deity.

"Who... who are you?"

"I am Zhu Que." The man smiled as he landed on the ground behind Xiao Ran, gently lifting her up and wrapping his arms around her from behind. "I must say... I've been watching you. I thought I'd found a decent rabbit, but how could you not leave a way out for the 'participants'?"

Xiao Ran felt the man beside her was ice-cold, emanating a scent of decay.

"If word gets out that 'games are always fatal'... who would participate anymore? What about the 'Sheng Xiao's' reputation?" Zhu Que slowly sniffed the scent on Xiao Ran and said, "Xiao Ran, you've missed your chance to 'become a god.' What a shame... such a shame..."

Zhu Que slowly reached out, removed Xiao Ran's mask, and tossed it to the ground. Standing behind her, he pressed his face against hers and said to the four men in front of them,

"Be a good girl and say goodbye to them. Otherwise, you won't get the chance."

Xiao Ran suddenly looked terrified, turning to the man and asking in a trembling voice, "Bro... do you need a woman? I can do anything..."