Chapter 363: Earthquake

Su Shan took a step to the side, moving closer to the edge of the glass room, and reached out to pat her own wall.

Although she didn't make any sound, Zhang Chenze still noticed her action, so before the "drawing signs," she turned to look at her.

Su Shan paused, pointed to her own glass house, then to Zhang Chenze's glass house, held up four fingers, and said twice:

"Four seasons."

In this environment where communication was impossible, this was the full extent of what she could express.

Fortunately, she knew that Zhang Chenze, as a lawyer, had a very meticulous mind and should understand what she meant.

Zhang Chenze lightly scratched her hair, pondering Su Shan's lip movements.

"Four...?" she muttered to herself with a furrowed brow.

"Four what?"

Now, Zhang Chenze felt a bit uneasy. As a "newcomer," she was equally unclear about what the "Dog" game represented, and from her perspective, Su Shan might be trying to deceive her.

"But four... what does it mean?" Zhang Chenze glanced at her own green glass house, then muttered a few possibilities related to "four," and quickly came up with the answer.

"Four seasons...?"

She looked at the colors of the remaining players' rooms, and although the idea seemed bold, it actually made some sense.

Each person was playing a season, and everything they did could only correspond to the season they were playing.

Zhang Chenze thought for a moment, looked down at the two signs in her hand—one was "Heavy Rain Pouring Down" and the other was "Blazing Sun Warming the Earth"—these seemed to be things that could only happen in "summer."

"So I'm 'summer'..." Although she had figured out the rules, Zhang Chenze still felt confused.

Since she was "summer," that meant she wouldn't encounter the "Nian Shou" at all and couldn't cause any harm to the "Nian Shou." So, what should she do next?

Just wait for the others to make their moves? Or...

Should she summon the "heavy rain" and "blazing sun"?

Before she could figure it out, a new "sign" floated up on the table.

"Ping sign."

This was a "sign" without any arrows, and the words on it simply said "ping sign," with no hints at all.

Zhang Chenze knew this "sign" had no effect, just like a "try again" in a lottery—completely ordinary, since she had already played one in the previous round.

"If every 'sign' from the 'four seasons' and 'Nian Shou' takes effect, that means all 'signs' must have their own purposes... so I absolutely can't play it carelessly."

Zhang Chenze decided to stick to her usual approach—without enough information, don't make any judgments.

After all, she had seen the scenes in Lin Qin's and Qin Dingdong's rooms and, after careful reasoning, realized that Lin Qin's strong wind came from Qin Dingdong, Qin Dingdong's "sandstorm" came from Di Gou, and the "sign" that resolved Di Gou's "sandstorm" could only come from Su Shan.

In other words, every "sign" had its own use and could only affect other players' rooms.

If she played the "heavy rain" or "blazing sun" now, it might leave her unable to stop other disasters later.

So, she decisively took out the "ping sign" and inserted it into the hole on the table.

Then, following Su Shan's example, she conveyed the idea of "four seasons" to Lin Qin, who represented "autumn."

Lin Qin quickly understood what Zhang Chenze meant, but she was just as helpless.

She looked at the "signs" in her hand—all three were "ping signs."

"What on earth is the point of this game...?"

Since Lin Qin's previous "sign" was also a "ping sign," it had no effect on any room.

Though using up a "ping sign" was a good thing, from her perspective, she was completely baffled by the game.

Having drawn "ping signs" for four rounds in a row, she couldn't help but think that everyone could only draw "ping signs."

If that were true, how could they win the game, or how could they harm the "Nian Shou"?

Was there a difference between "ping signs"?

"What are you all even playing...?" Lin Qin looked at the three "signs" in her hand, her expression growing more puzzled. "If we're all just getting these kinds of 'signs,' what's the difference if we're the 'four seasons'...?"

Su Shan keenly noticed Lin Qin's expression and was surprised that, even in the second round, Lin Qin still looked bewildered. Had she not understood the meaning of "four seasons" yet?

Lin Qin fell silent for a long time and could only take out a "ping sign" and insert it into the hole, which again had no effect.

Just as it was about to be Qin Dingdong's turn, Di Gou's broadcast suddenly sounded.

"Everyone, be careful—this round's 'disaster' is called 'earthquake.'"

Di Gou aimed the "disaster sign" at Lin Qin.

"Earthquake...?"

Su Shan was slightly startled. What surprised her wasn't the word "earthquake," but how they would simulate an "earthquake" in this confined glass room.

Everyone's eyes focused on Lin Qin. Logically, the chances of dying from an "earthquake" were much higher than from a "sandstorm," and their faces showed worry.

After all, Lin Qin was "autumn."

If "autumn" died, it would affect all kinds of plans for the rest of the year.

Amid everyone's tense gazes, Lin Qin noticed that the iron grate under her feet was slowly rising like an elevator. It bypassed the table in the room and lifted her toward the ceiling.

Lin Qin felt her palms sweating. She looked up and saw herself getting closer and closer to the ceiling. If the iron grate didn't stop, she might be crushed into a pulp.

Among all the ways she had experienced death, this was probably the most painful.

To protect herself, Lin Qin quickly squatted down, praying that the iron grate would stop rising.

Just as the top of her head touched the ceiling, the rising iron grate finally halted. Before Lin Qin could catch her breath, the grate dropped rapidly at an invisible speed, returning straight to its original position.

Since Lin Qin had been squatting on the grate, the sudden drop left her unable to keep her balance, and she fell hard from a height of two or three meters, smashing her knee and breaking the skin.

"Urgh!"

She grunted in pain, feeling both legs go numb and unable to stand.

"Is this... an earthquake?"

Lin Qin quickly thought of a strategy. She knew she couldn't let her guard down, as the "disaster" wouldn't stop until it was resolved.

The only person who could save her right now... should be Qin Dingdong.

As Lin Qin looked up at Qin Dingdong, their eyes hadn't even met when the iron grate under her feet rose again. She could only grip it tightly, hoping not to be thrown off when it dropped.

But she had underestimated the speed of the drop.

When the grate reached its highest point and plummeted again, her hands slipped off instantly, tearing a fingernail on her index finger in the process. A second later, she slammed hard onto the iron surface.

This time, she didn't know what she had hit, but she lay on the ground wailing in pain, unable to get up for a long time.