Chapter 435: The Road to Victory

"Whether it's Di Long or Tian Long, they are both my most respected leaders," Di Shu said with a blank expression.

Qi Xia knew that if Di Shu was truly surviving under the pressure of Di Long, he must have some leverage, and his stance wouldn't change until Di Long was dealt with.

"That'll be it for now," Qi Xia said. "Proceed with the plan. Qiu Shiliu, come back with me. Luo Shiyi, stay here."

He paid no more attention to Di Shu and Luo Shiyi. After giving Qiu Shiliu a signal with his eyes, he headed straight out the door and went directly to the Shu Wu. According to the rules, this rescue had been successful.

As soon as the two entered the room, Qi Xia heard a voice in his ear.

"Tsk, how's it going over there?" Zhou Liu asked. "The bell just rang— is Shiliu still alive?"

"Alive," Qi Xia replied. "I've brought him back."

"But... tsk, I'll just say it straight, things aren't great here," Zhou Liu grumbled. "My room's lit up red."

"A Bu Shu Jia?" Qi Xia nodded after hearing this. "Ask about Wang Ba's situation."

"I already did, tsk, he's fine over there," Zhou Liu said with some reluctance. "For now, it looks like I'm the one in the most danger..."

"No," Qi Xia shook his head. "Getting caught in a Bu Shu Jia isn't dangerous. I observed it earlier— from the outside, you can't tell if a room has caught a mouse."

"Tsk, so what do you mean...?"

"Di Shu said they want to simulate the real Bu Shu Jia effect," Qi Xia explained. "Thinking about it that way, not only can't the Shu see if there's a trap in the room, but even the Mao has to check personally to know if they've caught a Lao Shu."

"Tsk, I still don't get it," Zhou Liu said. "Even if the Mao needs to check, what difference does it make? I'm still trapped, aren't I?"

"But your chances of being caught stay the same," Qi Xia said. "Because the Mao has no idea if the Bu Shu Jia is active, they're not likely to waste a 'search' opportunity by opening a room with a trap."

"I think I'm starting to understand..."

"That's right," Qi Xia nodded. "The biggest role of the Bu Shu Jia isn't catching mice, but wasting a round for the mice. In a game with only six rounds total, wasting one round is incredibly valuable for the cat."

"Tsk, but according to you... am I done for?" Zhou Liu said with some confusion. "I've already wasted a round getting caught— if someone comes to save me, won't that waste another round?"

"No, no..." Qi Xia shook his head. "Haven't you noticed? These five rooms we need to 'search' don't even have a 'rescue' button?"

"So what you're saying is..."

"I think as long as the door can be opened, you can escape," Qi Xia said. "Next, we just need another mouse to 'search' your room, and you can slip out when the door opens."

Only then did Zhou Liu breathe a sigh of relief: "I see... got it. Next round, there'll be more people— if the Mao doesn't come for me, you all can let me out."

"No... next round, we'll have even fewer people," Qi Xia said. "Whether things go according to my script depends mainly on the Mao's move this round."

"Even fewer people next round?"

"That's right. This time, Luo Shiyi stayed in the Shu Wu, and you're caught, so we're down two people."

Zhou Liu knew Qi Xia was thinking further ahead than he was, so he said nothing more and just waited quietly in the room for the Mao's action.

"Zhou Liu..." Qi Xia said, looking at the identical peaches on the table. "Do me a favor."

"Tsk, what is it?"

"I forgot to check earlier," Qi Xia said. "Is there anything odd about the plate on the altar?"

"The plate?" Zhou Liu paused slightly. "Tsk, you mean the one holding the fruit?"

"Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "Is it...?"

Qi Xia lowered his head and mimed the sensation with his hands, not sure how to put it into words.

"Tsk, it just looks like a regular plate," Zhou Liu said. "What do you suspect is wrong...?"

"I..." Qi Xia thought for a few seconds, organizing his thoughts before finally coming up with the word. "Does it have an issue with pressure?"

"Pressure?"

"Could that plate work like a scale?" Qi Xia confirmed. "Does it have a spring at the bottom, or can it be pressed down?"

Zhou Liu realized Qi Xia had raised a point she'd never considered. She moved the last pitaya on the plate slightly, then reached out and gently pressed down on it.

"Tsk..." Zhou Liu's brows furrowed instantly. "It's very subtle, but the plate can be pressed down."

"Then I get it," Qi Xia smiled. "This Di Shu is smarter than I thought— the game is even more unpredictable now."

"What do you mean...?" Zhou Liu asked. "Tsk, the more I hear, the more confused I get. What does the plate being pressable mean?"

"It means we can not only take the fruit, but also place fruit," Qi Xia said, glancing out from the Shu Wu at the colors of the five doors and thinking back to the fruit everyone had taken in the previous round. He felt he had found the answer.

But where did this "answer" lead?

The first room had a dark green door with pitayas.

The second room had a deep yellow door with peaches.

The third room had a dark blue door with unknown fruit.

The fourth room had a dark red door with pomegranates.

The fifth room had a brown door with small oranges.

The issue now was probably with the "small oranges." These fruits on the table were of excellent quality, round and bright yellow... how could they just be called small oranges?

Click.

Before Qi Xia could figure it out, the door to the Shu Wu closed.

It seemed the "night" phase of the second round had ended, and now it was the Mao's daytime.

"Zhou Liu!" Qi Xia called. "This round, we absolutely can't lose Wang Ba, or the Shu Wu will only have me and Qiu Shiliu left, and our chances of losing the game will be too high."

"I... will we lose Wang Ba?" Zhou Liu said. "Tsk, the Mao has a one-in-five chance of finding him... probably not..."

"No..." Qi Xia's eyes turned cold. "One-in-five is way too optimistic. I suspect the Mao set up a Bu Shu Jia in Room One. He knows I'm no ordinary player and should have guessed I'd figure that out, so he expects I won't send anyone to Rooms One and Two at the same time. Now, Room Three is uncharted territory, so I still won't send anyone there... that leaves Rooms Four and Five. The Mao hasn't used 'patrol' yet— if he patrols between Rooms Four and Five this round, the chances of Wang Ba getting caught are one hundred percent."