Chapter 436: Begging for Mercy

"Huh?!" Zhou Liu was momentarily stunned. "Are you sure about your speculation?"

"I only make the worst-case assumptions," Qi Xia said, "but my assumptions are usually accurate."

"Tsk, so according to you, Wang Ba is finished? What do we do next...?" Zhou Liu asked, furrowing her brow.

"I need to contact Luo Shi Yi," Qi Xia said. "We have to know the movements of 'Mao'."

Hearing this, Zhou Liu quickly nodded in agreement and mentally called out to Luo Shi Yi. She felt like she had overused her telepathic ability, and now she was a bit dizzy.

Qi Xia had no visibility inside the "Shu Wu," so he could only wait quietly, while Qiu Shi Liu stood silently nearby, not daring to speak.

After a few dozen seconds, Zhou Liu's anxious voice came through: "Qi Xia! Tsk, just as you said! The ground rat is wandering between doors four and five! It looks like it's about to make a choice—what should we do?!"

"This..." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, and within a second, he had an answer. "Alright, have Wang Ba speak up to reveal his position, then make a bet with the ground rat."

"Proactively expose?"

"Yes, do it."

Zhou Liu hesitated for a moment: "Okay, I understand."

Another few dozen seconds passed before Zhou Liu's voice came again: "Tsk, it seems we've stopped the ground rat, but Wang Ba's position is exposed now. The ground rat knows he's in room five and is standing at the door... Is this really going to work?"

"The ground rat would figure it out eventually, so might as well expose it proactively," Qi Xia said.

"Tsk, so what kind of bet should he make? Can it stop the ground rat?"

"Have Wang Ba tell the ground rat, 'If I can guess the number of fruits in the third room, you'll let me go, how about that?'"

"Ah?" Zhou Liu was stunned. "Just like that? Tsk, this seems a bit too frivolous..."

"Relay the exact words," Qi Xia commanded. "Don't change a single word."

Zhou Liu fell silent, apparently going to relay the message to Wang Ba. This time it took longer—about a minute—before Qi Xia heard Zhou Liu's voice again.

"Tsk... that ground rat really doesn't play by the rules..." Zhou Liu said. "This is getting to be big trouble..."

"What did he say?" Qi Xia asked.

"Tsk, he said, 'Leader, you're really joking around. If that lets you go, how could I be a Di Ji? How about a different bet—you guess what fruit is in the third room, and if you're right, I won't catch you.'" Zhou Liu said with some worry. "We haven't even been to the third room, so how are we supposed to..."

"Just as I expected," Qi Xia said. "That bet was just a way to draw him out, to make the ground rat raise the stakes and fall into my rhythm."

"Ah?!" Zhou Liu felt like she had been shocked by Qi Xia's words several times already. "I, I don't really understand... Tsk, you planned this? But guessing something we've never seen is just too..."

"Have Wang Ba agree to it," Qi Xia said. "I'll do the guessing."

Zhou Liu fell silent again, apparently having Wang Ba stall the ground rat.

"Okay..." Zhou Liu said hesitantly. "You, go ahead and guess, I'll tell him..."

Qi Xia stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then looked up with a serious expression: "Papaya."

Zhou Liu thought Qi Xia must be crazy.

"Tsk... what on earth are you doing?" she asked urgently. "Are you just guessing randomly, or do you have some basis? The fruits we've seen so far are all common ones, but 'papaya'—that's something people rarely encounter..."

"The answer is papaya," Qi Xia said. "The probability of being right is over ninety percent. Just have Wang Ba relay it."

Zhou Liu hesitated for a while, then fell silent again. Qi Xia found a chair and sat down slowly, waiting for the final outcome.

Soon after, heavy footsteps echoed outside the "Shu Wu," as if someone was approaching step by step.

Qi Xia stroked his chin, then stood up and went to the door to wait.

Knock knock knock.

A faint knocking sound came through.

Qi Xia stepped forward, leaned close to the wooden door, and slowly uttered one word: "Speak."

"Leader." The ground rat's voice came from the other side of the door. "That fatty really shouldn't have guessed that answer."

"Hard to say," Qi Xia replied. "My team has no dead weight."

"You're really joking..." The ground rat chuckled bitterly. "I admit I wasn't very respectful before, so now I'll apologize to you."

"Oh?" Qi Xia's mouth curved up. "So, what do you want?"

"This is just a rundown shack; continuing this clumsy game would be beneath you. Could you consider worshiping at a different temple?" The ground rat said. "What I mean is, for the next rounds, I'll open all the doors and stop catching rats. We can mutually benefit and end this game together—who knows if you'd be interested in cooperating?"

The ground rat's words left Qiu Shi Liu, who was also in the room, completely baffled.

Though every word from this zodiac was polite, there had been a tone of mockery from the start. Now, it was like he was a different person entirely.

Was he... begging for mercy?

After hearing this, Qi Xia scratched his head and said softly through the door: "But I'm really sorry—my plan doesn't include 'safely getting through the game.' You're putting me in a tough spot."

The two stood on either side of the door, their expressions equally complex, as if every word they spoke was part of a game of strategy.

"Leader, that's not right on your part," the ground rat said. "You're a big shot; you shouldn't hold a grudge against someone like me. This feels a bit bullying, doesn't it?"

"No need to be so formal," Qi Xia said. "Let me restate my view."

"You speak, you speak."

"This game is just too ridiculous for me," Qi Xia said. "It's the first time I've found a game where I can kill a zodiac without risking my life. You've shown such a huge flaw, so you should have been prepared for this."

"Yes, yes, you're right."

"So, I only give you two choices," Qi Xia said.

"May I ask what they are?"

"First, get blown up by that huge collar around your neck."

"Heh... If I really die, you wouldn't just stand by, would you, Leader?" The ground rat laughed dryly. "We've chatted this long; we've got some rapport. You could watch me die? Right?"

Qi Xia didn't respond, making the ground rat's heart chill.

"Leader, so what's the second option?"

"The second is 'rebellion'," Qi Xia finally said. "You'll survive today, then die gloriously in the fight against Tian Long."

The ground rat stood outside the door, his hands clenched, but he still smiled and said: "Leader... you're not joking, are you? So from the moment I met you, I was done for?"