Chapter 532: According to the Plan

"Let's not talk about that… When does 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' start…?" Qi Xia snapped back to attention and asked.

"It's still morning now, so it's probably going to start around noon," Qian Wu replied. "We need to pack our bags and wait at the gate, because when 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' arrives, most of us will scatter and flee, and no one knows where we'll end up."

"I see…" Qi Xia rubbed his forehead and slowly got out of bed. Although he looked like he'd slept through the night, he appeared utterly exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Chen Jun Nan frowned and asked. "Old Qi… any of us can die, but not you. It would be a real mess if you did."

"I'll try my best not to die…" Qi Xia shook his head and said. "But lately, my brain has been feeling really strange."

"Don't think about it," Qian Wu said. "Everyone, I'll go organize all the 'Mao' team members to gather. We'll stick to the original plan: I'll try to get everyone together to take down 'Tian Ma' first. If I fail, don't come back—just escape and save yourselves. We'll meet again in five days."

After hearing that, Qi Xia felt his mind gradually clearing, as if he could think straight again.

"Qian Wu… something doesn't feel right…" Qi Xia clutched his hair, enduring the headache as he spoke. "I keep feeling that the plan to kill 'Tian Ma' is off somehow…"

"No one's ever tried it before, after all," Qian Wu sighed. "I've been in 'Zhong Yuan Zhi Di' for so many years, and this is the first time I've felt this uncertain about the future. I don't know which way to go next, or if I'll even get another cycle."

"Why don't you just escape too…" Qi Xia said. "I think we need to think this through more carefully…"

"I've been running long enough," Qian Wu replied. "Now that all you powerful folks are gathered, it's time for me to make the real decisions for the 'Mao' team. We'll start by going after 'Tian Ma', no matter the outcome. Next up will be 'Xuan Wu'."

Qi Xia stood up and grabbed Qian Wu's arm.

"That's not right… Qian Wu," Qi Xia said, clutching his hair. "According to the rules of 'Zhong Yuan Zhi Di', 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' is 'Tian Ma's game. If you're trying to kill the referee in the middle of the game, 'Xuan Wu' will show up right away."

"Then I'm already dead," Qian Wu said. "It's like when I killed the centaur in the initial room. The killer is gone, so even if the enforcer appears, there's nothing they can do. A dead person should be the safest."

Though Qian Wu's words seemed flawless, Qi Xia still felt uneasy.

Would a rare 'Tian Ji' level be treated the same as a 'Ren Ji' level?

Everyone packed their bags, each slinging on a tattered backpack, and gathered on the prison grounds. Qian Wu gave a few instructions to each person. Fortunately, most of the 'Mao' team members who hadn't "Hui Xiang" yesterday had gained it in the solitary cells. Only 'Ye Hua' Bai Jiu and a few interns were still in their ordinary human state.

But according to Qian Wu, Bai Jiu's "Hui Xiang trigger" was "complete physical and mental exhaustion," so even if he hadn't gained it yet, there was a high chance he'd awaken during the exhausting escape of 'Tian Ma Shi Ke'.

After finishing his instructions, Qian Wu told everyone to hide in the concealed spots on the grounds to avoid 'Tian Ma' spotting them prepared and causing accidents during the kill.

Qi Xia looked up at the sun and saw it was about to reach its zenith.

"'Tian Ma Shi Ke' activates at noon…" Qi Xia pondered in his mind and came to a simple conclusion. "Since it's the 'Wu Ma', it probably refers to 'Wu Shi', which is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a full two hours."

After reaching that conclusion, Qi Xia felt a sense of danger.

From Chen Jun Nan and Qian Wu's earlier conversation, they'd also mentioned that 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' lasted about one or two hours, so his guess seemed reasonable.

For normal people to run continuously for one or two hours without stopping—or die— the mortality rate for participants would be extremely high.

It was already noon on the fifth day, and most participants had no idea 'Tian Ma Shi Ke' was coming. Even if they could run for two hours straight, they'd likely end up dehydrated or exhausted and unable to move.

What's more, a significant number were probably still in the 'You Xi Chang Di' playing games, and they'd die on the spot, with no escape.

"What an unreasonable 'Shi Chen'," Qi Xia said.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two figures turned the corner in the distance—one old, one young. From afar, it was clearly 'Tian Ma' and 'Tian Hu'.

'Tian Ma' shuffled along with a feeble, unsteady gait, yet each step covered four or five meters, pulling the short 'Tian Hu' along as they sped toward the prison.

"It's here," Qi Xia said.

Qian Wu nodded and glanced back at everyone once more: "Everyone, see you in five days."

All the 'Mao' team members saluted Qian Wu at that moment, watching as he stepped out of the prison one step at a time.

Luo Shi Yi and Qiu Er Shi exchanged a look, each tucking a dagger into their waistband.

"Everyone, goodbye," Luo Shi Yi said softly to the group, then followed Qian Wu out of the prison.

"Hey… 'No Pain' guy, what's with you two…?" Qiao Jia Jin was stunned.

"We've got a mission, so we can't join in the fun run this time," Qiu Er Shi said with a smile. "Qiao Ge, if fate brings us together again, see you then."

Qiu Er Shi nodded to the group and walked out after Luo Shi Yi.

"Good luck!" Qiao Jia Jin said. "'No Pain' and 'Deceiver', you two will be fine for sure."

After three steps, Luo Shi Yi stopped, turned back, and looked at Qiao Jia Jin: "Hey, you said you'd remember me. Who am I?"

Qiao Jia Jin realized he'd misspoke and quickly apologized: "Sorry, you're not 'No Pain', you're 'Wang You'."

"That's right." Luo Shi Yi waved goodbye to the group, then resolutely walked out the gate with Qiu Er Shi.

At that moment, Qi Xia's heart started racing. The way Luo Shi Yi and the man named Qiu Er Shi looked, they seemed like capable team members. If he guessed correctly, their mission this time wasn't to kill 'Tian Ma', but to find a way to kill Qian Wu.

Whether they succeeded or not, they definitely wouldn't be coming back.

After all, 'Tian Ma' had 'Tian Hu' by his side.

Even though the kid looked no more than four or five years old, with the title 'Tian Hu', he was no ordinary opponent.