Lin Qiang picked up the “Bountiful Harvest Year” and, despite her injuries, took a moment to think.
As the “Autumn” season, she had unexpectedly achieved a “harvest” at this point. This meant that the preceding “Spring” and “Summer” must have employed their seasonal strategies, allowing her—the battered “Autumn”—to obtain this “stick.”
“Two bell chimes just rang earlier…” Lin Qiang murmured to herself. “You really didn’t disappoint me…”
She glanced up and met Su Shan’s gaze, only to freeze in shock.
Su Shan’s eyes had turned as radiant as diamonds, yet two trails of crimson blood were now streaming down her cheeks, making for a harrowing sight.
“Su Shan…”
Lin Qiang hesitated no longer. She decisively took hold of the “Bountiful Harvest Year.” As “Autumn,” her duty now was to safely deliver the season’s bounty to “Winter.”
But before she could insert the “stick,” the broadcast from Di Gou crackled to life.
“Wait.”
Lin Qiang stiffened, looking up at Di Gou, who had turned to face her, a “stick” in his hand.
“What?” Lin Qiang didn’t understand his intent.
“The ‘stick’ I hold is ‘Cold Snap,'” Di Gou explained. “If you dare use that ‘stick’ of yours, I will unleash ‘Cold Snap’ in your room. It will drop the temperature to minus thirty degrees Celsius in seconds. You’re not dressed for it—you’ll freeze to death.”
Lin Qiang slowly withdrew her hand, frowning.
Since each room had only a speaker and no microphone, she couldn’t respond—only listen.
“You might wonder why I don’t just use this ‘stick’ outright and instead threaten you, right?” Di Gou continued. “The reason is simple: it’s late. If you die here, I’ll have to clean up, and that means waking up early tomorrow. That’s painful. So I’d rather have you back down willingly.”
Lin Qiang studied Di Gou, analyzing his words from a psychological standpoint. When people spoke at length, their micro-expressions often betrayed deception.
But Di Gou’s face was that of a hound—impossible to read.
“If you discard a ‘useless stick’ this round, I promise not to kill anyone afterward,” Di Gou added. “You must’ve noticed—when explaining the rules earlier, I never lied. That’s my ‘sincerity’ to you all. Lose the game, leave behind a few ‘tokens,’ and you can walk away unharmed.”
True. Lin Qiang’s lips curled faintly. Di Gou hadn’t lied once before the game. Most rules had been laid out clearly—he was an honest man.
Which was precisely why she couldn’t trust him now.
Smiling, Lin Qiang placed the “stick” at the hole and, locking eyes with Di Gou, pushed it in decisively. His gaze was icy.
“Di Gou… If I recall correctly, you also said something before the game: ‘I will use every means to kill you all.'” Lin Qiang shrugged apologetically. “I trust the you from before the game—not the you in it.”
Di Gou couldn’t hear her, but his expression darkened.
“Lying is hard… No wonder ‘sheep’ are so rare…” He shook his head in resignation. “Die, then.”
This year’s “calamity” had arrived—and its target was Lin Qiang.
She stood, unflinching as she faced Di Gou. Her injuries were severe enough; a “Cold Snap” wouldn’t make much difference.
Besides, minus thirty degrees wouldn’t kill her instantly. There was still a sliver of hope.
A loud mechanical whirring sounded above her. Something was brewing. Seconds later, an arctic gale blasted down, chilling her to the bone.
Within moments, she realized the danger. A static minus thirty degrees was survivable, but a constant wind at that temperature? That was certain death.
The moving air would leach her body heat endlessly. The cramped room left no space for exercise to stay warm. The situation was dire.
But from another angle, their chances of winning were high—provided Qin Dingdong didn’t save her.
If Qin broke her “calamity” this round, four years of effort would be wasted.
With trembling fingers, Lin Qiang scrawled three frost-covered words on the wall:
**”Don’t save me.”**
“Third player’s ‘Wish’ concluded. Fourth player, ‘Draw.'”
Without hesitation, Qin Dingdong grabbed a “stick”—”Year of Plenty.”
Time was critical. Lin Qiang’s room was under a “Cold Snap.” If they didn’t act fast, she’d freeze solid.
Which “stick” should she use?
Her three options seemed invaluable: “Gale Sweeps Fallen Leaves,” “Water Vanishes Without Trace,” and “Year of Plenty.”
Judging by their names, her original two “sticks” couldn’t counter “Cold Snap.”
“It has to be left for ‘next year’…” Qin Dingdong muttered, brow furrowed. “Hold on a little longer, Lin.”
She aimed the “stick” at the hole. “Damn dog, we’ve slaved for four years. Let us have one good New Year, huh?”
The “stick” dropped in.
Instantly, festive music blared from Di Gou’s room.
It had been so long since they’d heard such joy. If not for the dank, foul room, they might’ve imagined themselves back in the real world—gathered with family for a warm New Year’s feast.
But they couldn’t leave.
Here, they lived, died, and lived again.
Even corpses couldn’t be removed.
Di Gou rose slowly, face grim. He glanced at his second extinguished lantern, then at the ceiling, where the broken speaker now played celebratory tunes.
The cheerful melody clashed violently with his icy demeanor.
He’d overseen this game many times. Rarely did a team fulfill every season’s duty within a single year.
“Your team isn’t completely useless,” he said, scanning the group. “Round Five begins. This time, I act first.”
Su Shan had been about to “Draw” but froze at his words.
Di Gou was taking the first move?
As the end of Round Four and the start of Round Five, he was acting twice in a row—was he pulling out all the stops?
“This round’s ‘Calamity’ is—’Poisonous Miasma.'” He pulled out a “stick” and tossed it toward Qin Dingdong.
Seconds later, a sickly yellow-green gas seeped from Qin’s ceiling. She hastily covered her nose and mouth.
Trouble. The “stick” most likely to counter “Poisonous Miasma” was “Gale Sweeps Fallen Leaves”—but it was in her hand.
Worse, it bore a leftward arrow.
Meaning only Lin Qiang could activate it to clear the miasma.
Thus, everyone would have to keep “gifting” it around, wasting an entire round.
It was already Round Five. Did they have time to save anyone?
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