Chapter 31: The Rat Game

The people outside the room were actually participating in the game for the first time, and everyone was a bit nervous.

"Qi Xia," Lin Geng called.

"What's wrong?"

"You once said that different animals represent different types of games, right?"

"Probably."

After hearing this, Lin Geng looked at the Ren Shu in front of them and whispered, "What do you think a 'Shu Lei You Xi' is?"

Qi Xia was also pondering this. If they didn't know the game type in advance, Tian Tian's situation would be quite passive.

But what was related to "Shu"?

"It seems the game we're playing now fits the characteristics of 'Shu'—searching for a target among a bunch of clutter," Qi Xia said quietly. "Could 'Shu' mean a 'searching' type of game?"

...

Inside the room, Tian Tian first scanned the room and noticed many shelves.

Each shelf was stacked with boxes of various sizes, and at a glance, there were at least a hundred of them.

Tian Tian casually picked up a box and looked inside, finding it full of miscellaneous items.

She calculated in her mind that if she tried to open all the boxes and search through their contents within five minutes, it would be impossible to find the "Dao," given the sheer number of boxes.

She looked up and saw that this small warehouse had only one incandescent lamp, with the switch on the wall nearby.

Tian Tian thought for a few seconds, and suddenly an idea struck her.

She gathered her strength and pushed over a shelf, creating a loud crash.

The people outside heard it and immediately panicked.

"Hey! Girl, are you okay?" Qiao Jia Jin shouted.

"I'm fine," Tian Tian called back loudly. "I just thought of a plan."

Qi Xia pondered for a moment and nodded. "Yes, that's a good plan."

"Huh?" Qiao Jia Jin was stunned. "How did you know? Do you two have some kind of 'telepathic communication' like in wuxia novels?"

The sounds from inside the room grew louder as Tian Tian pushed over all the shelves, scattering the boxes everywhere.

Various items spilled out all at once.

Some boxes contained plastic plates and bowls, others old clothes, and still others waste paper.

She then went to the few intact boxes and stomped on them hard. In no time, the once tidy warehouse was a complete mess.

Breathing heavily, Tian Tian looked around and decided the time was right. She walked to the wall and turned off the incandescent lamp.

The room instantly plunged into darkness, with only Tian Tian's breathing audible.

"This..." Tian Tian glanced around, slowly furrowing her brow.

In her memory, the "Dao" ball emitted a faint glow. With all the clutter scattered on the floor, there was a high chance she could spot it in the dark.

But the moment she turned off the light, the entire room was enveloped in total darkness, without a trace of light.

Not believing it, Tian Tian boldly stepped forward and started kicking the boxes with her feet to expand her search area.

Why would a glowing ball completely vanish in a dark room?

After kicking for a while, Tian Tian felt she had opened all the boxes, yet she still hadn't found anything glowing.

At that moment, Ren Shu knocked on the door from outside and said, "Ten seconds left."

Tian Tian shook her head helplessly and turned on the light.

With the sudden light, she noticed a box of canned goods under her feet. The cans had spilled out of the box.

She reached down, picked up a can, and read the label, discovering it contained "beans."

Tian Tian shook the can, and sure enough, it made a rustling sound.

"I feel like such a fool..." Tian Tian gritted her teeth. "Could the 'Dao' be inside these cans?!"

The door creaked open as Ren Shu turned the handle from outside and pushed it in. "Time's up. Challenge failed."

Tian Tian was startled and looked up, meeting Ren Shu's eerie face.

The three outside rushed forward, and Qiao Jia Jin asked, "How did it go, girl? Did you find it?"

"No..." Tian Tian threw the can aside and stood up sadly. "I suspect the 'Dao' is inside these cans, but opening dozens of them by hand in five minutes isn't easy at all."

Qi Xia glanced down at the cans; they were all broad bean cans, and it made sense to hide a "Dao" in them.

But he still felt something was off.

Tian Tian reluctantly left the room, glancing at Ren Shu with some fear.

Ren Shu didn't make any other moves; she just closed the door and stood by it again.

"So it really is just losing one 'Dao'?" Tian Tian whispered. "She's not going to take my life..."

Ren Shu smiled and asked, "When did I ever say I would take your life?"

Seeing this, Qiao Jia Jin finally understood. "I say... you tricky one, in that case... can we try again?"

"Try again?" Qi Xia frowned.

"We pretty much know the 'Dao' is likely in those cans. This time, we can just go in and open the cans directly. Anyway, she won't kill us."

Qi Xia looked at his pocket, where only one "Dao" remained.

Back when "Ren Long" said it, these "Dao" were both their rewards and their "chips."

It seemed that participating in these games required paying a certain "Dao" as a stake, like gambling against the opponent. If they used up too many "Dao" here, they wouldn't be able to play future games.

"Girl, are you sure you checked all the other boxes?" Qiao Jia Jin confirmed with her.

"I didn't search them carefully; I just opened all the boxes and turned off the light." Tian Tian shook her head. "But I didn't see anything glowing, so... the 'Dao' must be in a sealed container."

"Great, then I'll give it another try!" Qiao Jia Jin nodded.

But at that moment, Qi Xia suddenly reached out and stopped him.

"Hold on."

"Hmm?"

Qi Xia looked at Ren Shu and asked, "Can I hear the game rules again?"

"Of course!"

Ren Shu smiled, turned, and opened the door.

Only then did the group realize the room inside was spotlessly restored, with all the shelves back in place and the boxes rearranged.

"Damn!" Qiao Jia Jin exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Geng and Tian Tian were also shocked.

Ren Shu slowly walked in, looked around, and asked, "How about it? Isn't my 'You Xi' amazing?"

Qi Xia nodded.

Ren Shu continued, "My 'You Xi' is called 'Xun Dao,' and the entry fee is one 'Dao.' Right now, there's a 'Dao' in this room. As long as you find it within five minutes, it belongs to you."

After saying this, she smiled warmly again.

Qi Xia listened and slowly nodded.

"I want to play again," he said.

"Good, no problem." Ren Shu nodded. "You can play as many times as you want."

"This time, I'm betting my life," Qi Xia said.