Chapter 33

The human-rat, still in shock, nervously glanced at Zhuque, as if seeking his approval.

"Is something wrong? Do you need me to help you up?" Zhuque asked with a smile.

"No, no need..." The human-rat shakily stood up.

After a long pause, she finally said to Qixia, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Qixia shook her head, "You don't need to thank me, I just..."

"Chuckle."

Before she could finish, Qixia saw a hand emerge from the human-rat's abdomen.

Her body stiffened, and her voice cut off abruptly.

Warm, sticky blood splattered all over Qixia.

Zhuque slowly embraced the human-rat from behind, as if holding a lover.

"This child is very polite," Zhuque said with his eyes closed, pressing his face against the human-rat's, as if sniffing her scent. "Saying 'thank you' is a good habit, but you violated the rules by attempting to escape. He let you go, but I won't."

With that, Zhuque extended his other hand, removed the human-rat's mask, and threw it to the ground.

Qixia and the human-rat faced each other, and she could see clearly now.

This "human-rat" was clearly just a teenage girl.

Her face still bore the remnants of youth, her eyes filled with fear and despair, and she was coughing up blood.

"It... it hurts..." The human-rat spat out a large mouthful of blood.

"Be good... it won't hurt much longer..." Zhuque nuzzled the human-rat's hair, "You'll die soon, don't worry... don't worry... it will all be over when you die..."

"What kind of pervert are you?!" Qiao Jiajin couldn't bear to watch any longer, "She's just a child! I'll damn your mother... let her go!"

Zhuque sneered, pulled out his blood-soaked hand, and pushed the human-rat forward.

Qixia instinctively caught the girl, her expression full of shock.

Yes, this is

</di>

"Life Gambling."

If I win, the other person dies.

Even if I don't want to take her life, she will die anyway.

This little girl, the human-rat, was forced to this death by Qixia.

He thought he was only gambling with his own life, but never imagined the other party would place the same bet.

But aren't they one of the organizers of the game?

Are these animal masks also some kind of "participants"?

"Qixia, why are you here?" Zhuque shook the blood off his hand and asked coldly.

"What..." Qixia was taken aback, lifting her head to look at him, "You know my name?"

The corners of Zhuque's mouth twitched slightly, then he pointed at the four of them, calling out their names one by one: "Qixia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin'e, Zhang Lijuan. Why are you here?"

Tiantian was also stunned, "Zhang Lijuan" was her real name, but she hadn't used it since she was fourteen.

"What do you mean 'why are we here?'" Lin'e asked, "If we're not here, where should we be?"

Zhuque's face always carried a meaningful smile, but now he slowly shook his head and said, "It seems you really don't know why you're here. How tragic."

"Speak your mind, what's the point of being so secretive?" Qixia, holding the dying human-rat, had an especially cold gaze, "Do you think being mysterious makes you look deep?"

Hearing this, Zhuque's eyes gradually turned cold, and the smile on his face disappeared.

"Qixia, I knew we wouldn't get along," Zhuque looked at him with disdain, "You'll never escape, just rot here."

"Oh?" At this point, Qixia had nothing to fear, and he pressed on, "Let me rot here? Are you going to kill me now?"

Zhuque flashed to Qixia's side, his feather cloak fluttering behind him.

He grabbed Qixia's collar and said viciously, "If not for the rules, I would tear you apart here!"

"In other words... according to the 'rules,' you can't kill me," Qixia replied.

"Ha ha..." Zhuque finally smiled again, "I won't kill you, but you'll die here anyway."

Under the wary gazes of the others, Zhuque slowly floated into the air, like a deity.

"Why do you think I'll die here?" Qixia looked up and asked.

"Because you are Qixia, you are destined to die here," Zhuque snorted, then disappeared into the air.

He didn't fly away like a sage in a TV drama, nor did he emit a glow like a magic spell; he simply vanished in the air.

This sudden change left everyone bewildered. 🄲

"Because I am Qixia... I will die here?"

"Cough..." The human-rat lying in Qixia's arms coughed.

Qixia lowered his head and looked at her. This girl's face was very clean, unlike anyone from this world.

His feelings were complex. If he hadn't chosen to gamble, this girl might not have met such a fate.

Thinking about it, she had never been hostile to Qixia from the beginning.

One "Dao" for another "Dao."

Perhaps, as she said, Qixia would never find such a simple and safe game again.

The human-rat reached into her pocket and slowly took out three "Dao," then said with difficulty, "What a pity... I've been waiting here for a long time. You are the first participants, I thought I could earn some 'Dao'... "

She handed the "Dao" to Qixia and said brokenly, "This one is your ticket, the other three are my 'Dao.' They are all yours now..."

The four people looked at the girl, but none knew what to say.

By their positions, they should have been enemies. But the girl's helplessness and despair resonated deeply within them, creating an indescribable sense of empathy.

"Are you also a participant?" Qixia asked coldly.

The human-rat laughed at this, more blood flowing from her mouth, "Who here isn't a 'participant'... to be honest... I would rather be like you, never wearing the 'rat' mask... even though we can't leave..."

Her head slowly tilted to one side, and her arm fell to the ground.

The two girls sighed, and even Qiao Jiajin looked sad.

But Qixia's expression remained cold.

He laid the girl flat on the ground and slowly stood up, no one knew what he was thinking.

"Qixia... are you okay?" Lin'e asked.

"Me?" Qixia was slightly taken aback, "Do I look... like something is wrong?"

"Because your face shows no emotion... that's not normal."

"I..."

Before he could finish, Qixia suddenly felt an excruciating headache, he let out a sharp cry and clutched his head, crouching down.

"Hey! Cheat!" Qiao Jiajin sensed something was wrong with Qixia. This morning, when Han Yimo died, Qixia also experienced a headache.

Qixia felt his head as if it were splitting open, something pulsating deep in his brain.