Chapter 55: The Insect's Chirp

Lin Jian was startled by Qi Xia's actions and quickly stepped forward to hold him back:"Qi Xia... calm down..."She couldn't understand why Qi Xia, who was usually so steady, had suddenly become so irritable.

Qi Xia still didn't let go; he gripped Zhao Yisheng's collar tightly and said through gritted teeth: "How am I supposed to calm down? Do you know how many people I've seen die right in front of me today?!"

After hearing this, Lin Jian silently lowered her head.Indeed, from the beginning with the Ren Shu, to the end with Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian, they had experienced far too many brushes with death.

"No wonder..." Qi Xia continued, "No wonder your first reaction when you heard someone come in was to hit them with a wooden board... You knew that Li Jingguan and Zhang Lüshi weren't coming back, didn't you?"

A hint of panic showed on Zhao Yisheng's face: "No... Qi Xia, listen to me, I had no choice. They really wanted to go and throw their lives away..."

"Throw their lives away?" Qi Xia snorted coldly. "You've never stepped out of this room, so you have no idea what's out there. Li Jingguan must have talked to Niu Tou across the way. He realized that the games here won't kill you and might even lead to Dao, so he took Zhang Lüshi with him."

"Huh?" Zhao Yisheng looked utterly confused, as if he were hearing this for the first time. "Won't kill you? How... how could that be?"

Xiao Ran got up from the ground at that moment, wiped the dirt from her face, and turned back angrily: "Zhao Haibo! What are you standing there for?! They've come right to our doorstep!"

"But... but I..." Zhao Yisheng's expression clearly wasn't good.

"Loser!" Xiao Ran exclaimed in frustration. "How can you be such a loser?!"

Qi Xia glanced at Xiao Ran, then at Zhao Yisheng, and suddenly felt a deep sense of disillusionment.He didn't have time to get tangled up with these two anymore.

With that thought, he quietly released his grip.Now, Qi Xia was completely at a loss.Where had Li Jingguan and Zhang Lüshi gone?Had they encountered a Sheng Xiao starting with Di?Had they participated in the life-or-death games?Were they still alive?

Rustle, rustle, rustle.The chirping of insects outside the door grew even louder, as if a cricket was perched right there, making it impossible to think clearly.

"Qi Xia, what should we do?" Lin Jian asked sadly.

Qi Xia looked up and asked Zhao Yisheng: "Did those two say where they were going?"He held onto a last glimmer of hope.Li Jingguan was cautious; if he was really leaving, he should have left some clue.

"No..." Zhao Yisheng shook his head. "But I saw them head right along the street after finishing the Niu Tou game over there..."

"Right?" Qi Xia glanced at the pitch-black sky outside and began calculating silently.Li Jingguan probably wouldn't have gone far; he just wanted to get away from these two.After all, he had told Qi Xia that one day he hoped they could meet again and exchange information.So, he was likely still active nearby. Besides the restaurant across the street, he could be in the closest game room.

Once he had a general direction in mind, Qi Xia felt more grounded.Although it was dark out, he didn't want to stay in the same place as these two any longer.He picked up a wooden stick from inside the room and slowly walked over to Han Yimo's body, saying softly: "Brother, even in death, you don't get peace. I'm sorry for this."

"What are you up to now?" Xiao Ran asked irritably.

Qi Xia didn't answer. He tore a piece of cloth from Han Yimo's clothing and wrapped it around the top of the stick, then smeared some dry dirt on it from the ground.After that, he went over to the firelight inside the room and lit the side with the cloth, creating a simple torch.

"Lin Jian, I'm going out to look for them," Qi Xia said. "I don't know if it's dangerous outside, but I don't want to stay here. Do you want to wait until dawn? No matter if I find them or not, I'll come back for you then."

Lin Jian turned to look at Xiao Ran and the others, then shook her head: "No, I'll go with you."With that, she picked up the pot containing the bear meat and stood beside Qi Xia.

"What's that..." Zhao Yisheng finally noticed the old aluminum pot, his eyes lighting up.

"This is..." Lin Jian hesitated, then shook her head. "Nothing."

"Is it food?!" Zhao Yisheng stepped forward eagerly. "Did you find food?"

Xiao Ran's expression changed slightly: "Something to eat?"Their eyes turned almost bestial, like starving wild animals.

Qi Xia pulled Lin Jian behind him, positioning himself between her and the others, and said slowly: "Sorry, this isn't for you."

"Qi... Qi Xia..." Zhao Yisheng stammered, "Bro... Brother Xia... We were a bit out of line earlier, don't take it to heart."

"Yeah..." Xiao Ran forced a smile. "Who doesn't have arguments in life... And you're a grown man—surely you wouldn't stay mad at a woman like me? It was all just a joke..."

"That's right..." Zhao Yisheng chimed in with Xiao Ran. "There's plenty in that pot; we could just have a little, not eat it all..."

Qi Xia's face darkened again as he said: "The stuff in this pot is what Qiao Jiajin risked his life to get. You can ask him if he's okay with it, and if he is, I won't object."

Xiao Ran hesitated at those words, her expression shifting, then she lunged straight for the pot.Qi Xia had anticipated this and sighed helplessly as he blocked her.

"So, from 'deception' to 'robbery' now?" Qi Xia said mockingly. "There's no place outside the law in this world. I suggest you think carefully—your group used to have a police officer, after all."

"You..."

Qi Xia snorted coldly, pushed Xiao Ran away, and walked out the door with the torch, Lin Jian following close behind.Xiao Ran and Zhao Yisheng were left realizing what it meant to have "a cooked duck fly away."That pot with its faint aroma was right there, yet they couldn't even touch it.

"Don't go!" Xiao Ran shouted and rushed out after Qi Xia.Outside, the world was pitch-black except for the dim torchlight and the insect chirps.But to Xiao Ran's surprise, Qi Xia and Lin Jian were standing just three steps from the door, their backs to her, completely still.

"Hmm?"

A few seconds later, she saw them slowly step back.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Xiao Ran asked.

Lin Jian turned her head stiffly, like a robot, her eyes filled with fear. She put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

"Are you crazy?" Xiao Ran snapped. "If you're leaving, fine! Just leave the pot!"As she spoke, Xiao Ran sensed something was off.The torch in Qi Xia's hand illuminated a small area, and in that faint light, something seemed to be moving.The next second, Xiao Ran saw what it was, and her eyes widened in terror.

Right in front of Qi Xia stood a emaciated, pale naked man, barely human in form.He was on all fours, his legs propped behind him, crawling along the ground in an unnatural pose.On his shriveled face, empty eye sockets gaped, and his mouth puckered as he made sounds:"Rustle—""Rustle—"