It wasn’t question time, but Xu Qian still received a call from Chen Junnan.
“Qian-jie!” Chen Junnan called out enthusiastically. “Well? Did you hear it?”
Xu Qian’s voice gradually darkened. “You… can really control the timing of the killings?”
“Pretty much.” Chen Junnan nodded. “I said I’d make sure you saw someone die within three rounds, and this is the second one.”
Xu Qian sensed that the man on the other end of the line wasn’t as carefree as he seemed. He felt… dangerous.
“You’re just killing people like that… Aren’t you afraid someone will come for you later?”
“Huh? Qian-jie, what kind of tough talk is this?” Chen Junnan asked, puzzled. “Whether someone comes for me later has nothing to do with you… I just wanted your help calling the Earth Serpent. Why is this so difficult?”
Only then did Xu Qian realize that Chen Junnan’s goal from the start had been to summon the Earth Serpent—it was only because she refused to cooperate that things had escalated into threats.
“My bad…” Xu Qian said. “I… I’ll call the Earth Serpent now.”
“That’s more like it.” Chen Junnan nodded. “I’m counting on you, Qian-jie.”
Just as Xu Qian was about to hang up, Chen Junnan stopped her.
“Don’t hang up.”
“Huh?”
“Keep the phone on. That’s the only way I can keep you safe.”
“This…”
Xu Qian slowly stood up, holding the phone as she walked to her door and knocked.
“Referee! Earth Serpent!” she shouted. “Come here! I need to talk to you!”
The Earth Serpent paused, glancing at Xu Qian’s door.
“Hurry up!” Xu Qian yelled again.
“Oh…?” The Earth Serpent sneered, then hunched over as he shuffled toward the door. “This one’s calling for help awfully early.”
A few steps later, he stood outside the door and spoke through it. “What’s wrong, little girl? Scared already?”
Even with just a door between them, Xu Qian could already smell the foul stench emanating from the Earth Serpent.
She turned her head and whispered into the phone, “Hey! The old creep is right outside my door. What do I say now?”
“Tell him to open the door,” Chen Junnan said.
“O-Open the door?” Xu Qian swallowed hard. “Are you sure he won’t kill me the second he does?”
“He won’t.” Chen Junnan shook his head. “That would break the rules. In this game, he can’t just slaughter participants at will.”
“O-Okay… I’ll try.” Xu Qian took a deep breath and spoke up. “Earth Serpent… can you open the door?”
“Oh…?” The Earth Serpent pressed against the door, his slimy voice oozing through. “Little girl, can’t wait, huh?”
Those few words sent shivers down Xu Qian’s spine. His greasy tone made her skin crawl.
*Can’t wait?*
She’d rather see him *rot in hell*.
“J-Just open the door,” Xu Qian forced herself to say. “I have something to tell you.”
The Earth Serpent pressed his wrinkled face against the door and hissed, “Listen, little girl. If you try anything funny, even if I don’t kill you… I’ll make sure you regret it. Understood?”
“I-I understand…” Xu Qian agreed, then immediately lowered her voice into the phone. “Hey, I feel like I’m walking to my death here… Are you *sure* this’ll work?”
“Of course.” Chen Junnan chuckled. “I’d never mess with a lady. Just get him to open the door.”
Xu Qian knew there was no turning back now. The Earth Serpent was dangerous, but wasn’t Chen Junnan just as dangerous?
He had figured out the game’s rules—he could control the timing of deaths. Whether she cooperated or not, she was already in deep trouble.
If she had to choose between the Earth Serpent and Chen Junnan… she’d pick Chen Junnan. Normally, the “referees” were more rule-abiding than the “participants,” but the Earth Serpent was an exception. He was *disgusting*.
He was like those sleazy old men in the workplace—the kind who thought they were respectable, leering with their beady eyes, spewing “comforting” words, and abusing their authority to satisfy their own sick desires.
“Earth Serpent… just open the door,” Xu Qian forced a bitter smile. “You’re an ‘Earth-level.’ I wouldn’t dare try anything…”
“Heh heh… Good girl.” The Earth Serpent turned the doorknob from the outside, unlocking it before slowly pulling it open.
The sight inside was… confusing.
The woman was still holding a phone.
“You…” The Earth Serpent’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”
“Oh my god…” Xu Qian shuddered at the close proximity, frozen as she held the phone. “What’s your plan…?”
“Let him hear the phone,” Chen Junnan said.
“Huh?” Xu Qian’s eyes widened.
“Let. Him. Hear.”
Xu Qian hesitantly extended the phone, muttering, “It’s for you…”
The Earth Serpent eyed the phone warily.
“Who’s on the line?” he demanded.
“You…” Xu Qian sighed. “I can only receive calls from the person above me.”
“Above you…?” He glanced at the door to her right—if he remembered correctly, that was the room of that *troublemaker*.
The Earth Serpent’s yellow eyes darted between Xu Qian and the phone. “If he has something to say to me… why did *you* call me here?”
“I don’t know,” Xu Qian answered honestly. “I was threatened, so I had no choice.”
“Oh no—!” The Earth Serpent’s eyes bulged. He immediately reached to slam the door shut—
But then, two words came through the phone.
“**Gamble your life.**”
The Earth Serpent’s hand froze mid-air. His entire body locked up.
Chen Junnan smirked and added, “…I mean, *you and me*.”
Hearing this cunningly inverted phrasing, the Earth Serpent began trembling uncontrollably.
What kind of gamble was this?!
He’d had someone else deliver the life-or-death challenge *right to his face*—there was no way to silence him now!
What was he supposed to do?!
*Die?!*
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” The Earth Serpent suddenly clutched his head and wailed. “Too scary! Too scary!”
Why would anyone *actually* gamble their life against him?!
He was supposed to be living in paradise here!
Who gave *him* the right to ruin everything?!
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” The Earth Serpent screeched like he’d seen a ghost, clawing at his own face.
“*Dang it!*” Chen Junnan exclaimed through the phone. “What’s wrong with the old guy? Qian-jie, bear witness—I didn’t touch him! Don’t let him pin this on me!”
Xu Qian was stunned by the Earth Serpent’s reaction—but even more stunned by Chen Junnan’s actions.
“You said you’d keep me safe… *This* was your plan?” she asked, voice shaking. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Killed?” Chen Junnan chuckled. “Nah, nah. I might not die here—but I *might* just take down an Earth-level. A little reunion gift for Old Qi after seven long years.”
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