The man and the rat were still in shock, glancing nervously at Vermilion Bird as if seeking his approval.
“What? Need me to help you up?” Vermilion Bird asked with a smirk.
“N-no, I’m fine…” The rat-man trembled as he staggered to his feet.
After a long pause, she finally turned to Qi Xia and stammered, “Thank you! Thank you!”
Qi Xia shook his head. “You don’t have to thank me. I just—”
*Squelch.*
Before he could finish, Qi Xia watched in horror as a hand burst through the rat-girl’s abdomen.
Her body stiffened, her voice cutting off abruptly.
Warm, sticky blood splattered all over Qi Xia.
Vermilion Bird slowly embraced the rat-girl from behind, as if holding a lover.
“This one’s quite polite,” he murmured, pressing his face against hers, inhaling her scent. “Saying ‘thank you’ is a good habit. But you broke the rules—daring to run away. He spared you, but I won’t.”
With that, he reached out with his other hand, tore off the rat-girl’s mask, and tossed it aside.
Now face to face, Qi Xia saw her clearly for the first time.
The “rat” was just a teenage girl.
Her face still held traces of youthful innocence, her tear-filled eyes brimming with terror and despair. Blood trickled from her lips.
“It… hurts…” she choked out, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
“Shh… the pain will be over soon,” Vermilion Bird whispered, nuzzling her hair. “You’ll die in a moment, don’t worry… it’ll all be over…”
“What kind of sick freak are you?!” Qiao Jiajin couldn’t take it anymore. “She’s just a kid! Rot in hell—let her go!”
Vermilion Bird sneered, yanking his blood-soaked hand free and shoving the girl forward.
Instinctively, Qi Xia caught her in his arms, his expression frozen in shock.
Yes, this was “betting with your life.”
If he won, she would die.
Even if he didn’t want her dead, she would still die.
This little girl called “Rat” had been pushed to her death by Qi Xia himself.
He had thought he was only gambling with his own life—never imagining she’d stake the same price.
But weren’t they supposed to be the game’s organizers?
Were these animal masks also some kind of “participants”?
“Qi Xia,” Vermilion Bird said coldly, shaking the blood from his hand, “why are you here?”
“Wh—?” Qi Xia stiffened, staring up at him. “You know my name?”
Vermilion Bird smirked, then pointed at each of the four in turn. “Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, Zhang Lijuan. Why are you here?”
Even Tian Tian froze—”Zhang Lijuan” was her real name, one she hadn’t used since she was fourteen.
“What do you mean, ‘why are we here’?” Lin Qin demanded. “If not here, where else should we be?”
Vermilion Bird’s smile deepened, eerie and knowing. He slowly shook his head. “So you really don’t know. How tragic.”
“If you’ve got something to say, say it outright,” Qi Xia snapped, cradling the dying rat-girl, his voice icy. “Do you think being cryptic makes you profound?”
At that, Vermilion Bird’s expression darkened, his smirk vanishing.
“Qi Xia,” he sneered, “I really can’t stand you. You’ll never escape. Rot here forever.”
“Oh?” By now, Qi Xia had nothing left to fear. He pressed on, relentless. “Rot here? Are you going to kill me now?”
In a flash, Vermilion Bird lunged forward, his feathered cape billowing behind him.
He seized Qi Xia by the collar, snarling, “If not for the rules, I’d tear you apart right now!”
“So… according to the ‘rules,’ you can’t kill me,” Qi Xia countered.
Vermilion Bird chuckled. “Even if I don’t kill you, you’ll die here.”
Under the wary gazes of the others, Vermilion Bird slowly levitated into the air like some divine being.
“Why do you think I’ll die here?” Qi Xia asked, looking up.
“Because you’re Qi Xia,” Vermilion Bird replied coldly. “That’s why you’re destined to die here.”
With a final sneer, he vanished into thin air—no flashy exit, no magical glow, just gone in an instant.
The abrupt disappearance left everyone stunned.
“Because I’m Qi Xia… I’ll die here?”
The rat-girl in Qi Xia’s arms coughed weakly.
He looked down at her. Her face was clean, untouched—out of place in this world.
Guilt twisted in his chest. If he hadn’t chosen to bet his life, maybe she wouldn’t be dying now.
Looking back, she had never truly threatened him.
One “token” for another.
Maybe she was right—he’d never find a simpler, safer game than this.
With trembling hands, the rat-girl reached into her pocket and pulled out three “tokens.”
“Such a shame…” she whispered weakly. “I waited so long… You were the first players… I thought I could earn some tokens…”
She pressed them into Qi Xia’s palm. “One was your entrance fee… The other three were mine… Now they’re yours…”
The four of them stared at her, speechless.
By all logic, they should’ve been enemies. Yet her helplessness, her despair, resonated deep within them—a strange, unspoken understanding.
“Were you… a participant too?” Qi Xia asked, his tone cold.
The rat-girl actually laughed, blood bubbling from her lips. “Who here isn’t a ‘participant’…? Honestly… I’d rather be like you—never having worn this ‘Rat’ mask… Even if none of us can escape…”
Her head lolled to the side, her arm dropping limply to the ground.
The two girls sighed heavily. Even Qiao Jiajin looked grief-stricken.
But Qi Xia’s expression remained unreadable.
Gently, he laid her down and stood up slowly, his thoughts a mystery.
“Qi Xia… are you okay?” Lin Qin asked.
“Me?” He blinked. “Do I… look like I’m not?”
“You’re not showing any emotion… That’s not normal.”
“I—”
Before he could finish, a searing pain exploded in his skull. He let out a piercing scream, clutching his head as he crumpled to the ground.
“Oi! Liar!” Qiao Jiajin rushed to him, recognizing the signs—just like when Han Yimo died that morning.
Qi Xia felt his head splitting open, something pulsing deep within his brain.
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