Chapter 446: A-King's Realization

Di Ma felt that these people in uniform clothing were different from the usual participants.

"You... what kind of organization are you?" Di Ma slowly pushed away Bai Jiu's hand, then looked around at the group. "Are you here specifically to conquer the game?"

"Not at all." Bai Jiu shook her head, and her twin ponytails swayed with the movement. "It's a good thing you don't know us. If we ever show up here with a purpose one day... things could get really bad."

"Playing mysterious." Di Ma stepped aside, extended his left hand, and with a slight effort, dragged the entire Mu Niu Liu Ma contraption into motion. He then walked step by step toward the group.

"Huh?" Qiao Jia Jin was first surprised by the other's strength, but quickly noticed something was off. "Hey, you're making us test it here? Isn't it supposed to be on the ice?"

"What's wrong with that?" Di Ma set the cart forward. "This is my game, and I make the rules. You'll test it wherever I say."

"But there's no ice here," Qiao Jia Jin said. "Big Horse Lady, aren't you being a bit unreasonable?"

"Forget it, Qiao Ge..." Bai Jiu tugged at Qiao Jia Jin's sleeve. "This is basically a free opportunity for us. Let's just make the most of it."

"Ah..." Qiao Jia Jin nodded helplessly after hearing that. "Alright, then."

"Who's going to sit?"

"No need to sit." Qiao Jia Jin walked to the side, picked up a moderately sized discarded stone with ease, and placed it on the seat. "Our main goal isn't practicing riding; it's practicing pushing the cart."

"Wow..." Bai Jiu looked at the stone, which was about as heavy as a person, and felt a bit surprised. "Qiao Ge, you look so slim, but you're this strong?"

"Yes, I've got the goods." Qiao Jia Jin nodded. "Let's treat this as if there's a person on the cart and practice pushing in groups of six. This basketball court looks about twenty meters long, so we'll try pushing for around twenty steps."

"Okay, Qiao Ge."

Everyone agreed with Qiao Jia Jin's suggestion and tested the strange handcart on the flat ground.

Soon, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the handcart was made entirely of wood, its mortise-and-tenon structure was extremely sturdy. It was not only appropriately weighted but also had excellent balance.

What was even more impressive was the wheel at the bottom.

By replacing the ordinary wheels with a freely rotating ball, the handcart could move straight forward or backward, and even slide sideways. As long as it stayed stable, it could shift in any direction without tipping over.

Everyone set the handcart down and discussed their strategy in general, but Qiao Jia Jin mostly just listened and didn't offer any constructive ideas.

"We need to transport seven people over seven rounds..." Bai Jiu said. "So, we should start with the weakest person on the cart."

"Oh?" Qiao Jia Jin thought for a moment and nodded. "Does that mean I'll go last?"

"Yes, Qiao Ge." Bai Jiu nodded. "We've sparred with you before, and even with over ten people surrounding you, we couldn't take you down. Your physical strength and fighting skills must be top-notch."

"Ah... you're talking about that 'Tian Tang Kou Quan Jian Zhan'..." Qiao Jia Jin scratched his head a bit sheepishly. "Actually, that time wasn't just me; Pian Ren Zi helped out too."

"This is what I think." Bai Jiu continued without addressing Qiao Jia Jin's comment. "Since we'll be going straight onto the ice soon, the first few rounds will be the hardest to adapt to. At that point, we should use the strongest people to push the cart and quickly figure out the tricks and methods. Then, for each subsequent round, have one person ride, so that in the group of six pushers, at least five will have pushed for two rounds in a row. That way, everyone will be in a more experienced state."

"Bringing along the newbies, huh." Qiu Er Shi nodded lazily. "Sounds good, Jiu Jie. I agree."

After listening, Qiao Jia Jin mimicked Qi Xia's habit and stroked his chin. Qi Xia always did that and seemed to gain some new insights.

And indeed, he did have an insight.

Qiao Jia Jin felt that his chin was quite remarkable—after just three or four days without shaving, it already felt a bit rough.

"What do you think, Qiao Ge?"

"I..." Qiao Jia Jin snapped back to attention, then furrowed his brow. "Honestly, I'm not as smart as you all... The issues I think of might not even be real issues. Don't laugh at me if I say something dumb."

"Go ahead."

"What if someone dies?" Qiao Jia Jin blinked and asked.

"What?"

Qiao Jia Jin lowered his head, organized his thoughts, and then asked seriously, "You said the game has seven rounds total... but what if we don't need that many?"

After he spoke, everyone instantly understood what Qiao Jia Jin meant.

"If one person dies... we could finish in six rounds. If two die..." Qiao Jia Jin felt like he was shaking everyone's confidence, so he changed his wording. "I've been in Di Ji games before, and I've heard Pian Ren Zi talk about some experiences. These Sheng Xiao Fen Chang don't play by the rules. The rules say that 'the person sitting on the chair gets eliminated if hit by the ball,' but what if it doesn't attack the person on the chair at all?"

"Ah?" Bai Jiu was stunned. "You—you mean..."

"What if it only targets the 'pushers'..." Qiao Jia Jin sighed. "Then what do we do?"

Everyone fell silent after hearing this. The strategy they had just discussed was based solely on the rules.

But who said the "rules" were what the Sheng Xiao really wanted?

Their goal had always been to kill.

In other words, Di Ma had two ways to claim lives. One was to keep attacking the person on the chair, forcing repeated failures until everyone was punished after seven rounds.

The second way was simpler and more direct: smash all the "pushers" with the iron balls, making the "rider" meaningless and leaving them to die.

"I get your concern, Qiao Ge." Bai Jiu nodded. "But she probably won't just wipe us out completely. I heard Wu Ge say that every game has a 'way out,' and the entire Zhong Yan Zhi Di doesn't have any unavoidable death traps."

"If that's the case..." Qiao Jia Jin nodded. "Then she might use a combination of both methods. In that light, your strategy should still work."

"Um." Bai Jiu said, "We don't have a better option right now."

Di Ma watched the group from the side, her expression growing increasingly impatient.

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost." Qiao Jia Jin said, "Di Lady, I want to confirm one more thing with you."

"Confirm what?"

"If I catch those 'balls'... will we really get a reward?"

"Yes." Di Ma nodded. "We 'Ma' aren't allowed to lie in the rules, so everything I've said is true."

"Do all the 'balls' have rewards?"

"Unfortunately not." Di Ma smirked. "Not every 'ball' has a reward written on it. You might risk your life catching them and end up with something like 'broken bone.' Only a few have actual rewards."