Chapter 568: Initiative

Qi Xia turned around and looked ahead through the car window. He noticed that Tian Ma Shi Ke seemed about to end, and the numerous black lines on the street had begun to stagnate.

"No matter what schemes you plan to use on me, I'll make sure you lose completely."

Qi Xia's face also showed a hint of a manic smile. "In the entire Zhong Yan Zhi Di, the only thing I can believe in is that 'I am the strongest'. In the next cycle, there won't be a Wen Qiao Yun stronger than me; there will only be a me stronger than myself. Is that enough?!"

This brief statement left Qing Long and Xu Liunian stunned in place.

Qi Xia reached out and opened the car door, stepping out onto the empty street.

He looked up at the sky, as if speaking to Qing Long, or perhaps to Tian Long.

"Even if lives are pawns, you can't play this game carelessly."

"This game can only be played by me, Qi Xia."

The sky was utterly quiet, with only the sun hanging there silently.

"An, I'll break everything here and rescue you." Qi Xia said.

The earth-yellow sun seemed to respond to Qi Xia's words, suddenly contracting slightly.

Qing Long blinked lightly, his body already detaching from the car and standing in front of Qi Xia.

Looking at Qi Xia's manic expression, Qing Long couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

He was glad he had activated Jian Mo in advance; otherwise, the situation would have spiraled out of control.

"Qi Xia... are you sure you can defeat Tian Long?" Qing Long asked in a calm tone.

"I'll give it everything I have."

After hearing this, Qing Long nodded slightly, then glanced back at Xu Liunian. After thinking for a few seconds, his expression turned manic again.

"Ha..." It was as if he had thought of something extremely amusing, and he burst into laughter, covering his face.

From inside the car, Xu Liunian saw Qing Long and Qi Xia standing back to back, emanating completely different auras.

"Qi Xia, I want to play a game with you." Qing Long said, staring at Xu Liunian.

Hearing this, Qi Xia paused slightly and asked, "Why does even Qing Long have games?"

"It's not that formal." Qing Long replied. "It's just a game between you and me. Though it's neither Sheng Xiao nor Shi Ke, it's more deadly than any other game. Do you dare?"

"Deadly...?" Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes. "You should know that in your Tao Yuan, 'deadly' isn't enough to threaten me."

"Of course." Qing Long nodded. "So the 'deadly' I'm talking about is truly something that can threaten you."

"You..."

"Qi Xia, take a look at this map." Qing Long flicked his hand, and a piece of paper flew toward Qi Xia, hovering steadily in front of him.

It was an exceptionally detailed city map, with markings like Zi Chou Yin Mao and the twelve earthly branches at various intersections and buildings, and some of the text was in red.

"Is this a Sheng Xiao map?" Qi Xia frowned and asked. "Are the red characters Di Ji?"

"No, all the text is Di Ji." Qing Long said. "The red ones are the 'targets'."

"'Targets'...?" Qi Xia sensed that something was off.

"In four days, I want you to kill all eight Di Ji that I've marked." Qing Long laughed. "These eight Sheng Xiao are arranged in the order of the twelve earthly branches, corresponding to the eight teammates in your interview room."

"What...?"

"Starting from your left side..." Qing Long continued meaningfully, "For every Sheng Xiao I mark that you let go, I'll 'eliminate' one of your teammates in the order of the earthly branches."

"'Eliminate'...?" Qi Xia pondered the word carefully.

"Qi Xia, do you dare to bet with me?" Qing Long laughed. "If I strip away their sanity and then strike them down... do you have a hundred percent chance of saving them? Even if you're Sheng Sheng Bu Xi, do you dare to bet?"

"You..."

Qi Xia's eyes narrowed slowly as he carefully considered the feasibility of this gamble.

Killing eight Di Ji in a row within four days was something no one in the entire Zhong Yan Zhi Di had ever done.

"But this 'game' offers me no benefits." Qi Xia said. "What's the difference between this and threatening me? Since you can't shake me directly, you resort to targeting my teammates, which just makes you look like a deranged thug."

"Ha..." Qing Long laughed in anger. "So even if I 'eliminate' your teammates, you wouldn't care?"

Qi Xia furrowed his brow, slowly turned around, and stared at Qing Long's back. "Do you think I'd risk everything for strangers?"

"You will." Qing Long laughed. "Qi Xia, you absolutely will."

Watching the two converse so calmly, Xu Liunian's heart raced with anxiety.

She didn't dare interrupt, only listening quietly from the side.

"You don't understand me..." Qi Xia said.

"I understand you very well." Qing Long turned around to meet Qi Xia's gaze. "Qi Xia, let me rephrase it—don't see this as a threat; it's just a form of cooperation."

"Cooperation...?"

"That's right." Qing Long adjusted his sleeves and clasped his hands behind his back. "The eight Sheng Xiao on my map are all people Tian Long trusts the most. If you kill them all, Tian Long will be left isolated, giving you a bigger advantage."

"Nonsense." Qi Xia interrupted. "Even if I killed every Di Ji in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di, Tian Long would still have eleven Tian by his side. Why bother lying to me so poorly?"

"I need an excuse to turn you into a 'pawn', don't I?" Qing Long waved his hand again, summoning the map back in front of Qi Xia. "Why not go and meet them?"

Qi Xia pondered Qing Long's words carefully, sensing that his intentions weren't straightforward.

With Jian Mo still active, what exactly was he hiding?

"Meet them...?" Qi Xia stroked his chin, thinking deeply about Qing Long's motives.

By now, Tian Ma Shi Ke was nearly over, and most people in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di were already dead. If he really had to kill eight Di Ji in succession, it would be nearly impossible without help from others.

Would Qiao Jia Jin and Chen Jun Nan survive?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Qi Xia interrupted it, closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and slowly said, "They're stronger than me; they'll be fine."

"Ha... interesting... very clever thinking. So, does that mean you've agreed?" Qing Long said.

Qi Xia reached out, grabbed the map, rolled it into a tube, and tucked it into his pocket.

"Qing Long, I'll go and meet them, but don't get any ideas." Qi Xia replied. "You might not realize who holds the initiative here."

"Oh?" Qing Long smiled, and the aura around them suddenly fluctuated. "Qi Xia, you're not about to say that the initiative is in your hands right now, are you?"