As the group hesitated, the sound of chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed from the basketball court’s entrance—someone was approaching.
They turned to look and saw Saturday arriving at the door with Wang Ba, Luo Shiyi, and Qiu Shiliu. Standing beside them was an expressionless man—none other than Qi Xia, whom Qian Wu had specifically valued this time.
“Tch, I thought something serious was happening…” Saturday glanced at the disheveled members of the “Cat” team sprawled on the ground and raised an eyebrow. “Are you playing ball?”
“Playing ball…?” Bai Jiu let out a bitter laugh. “Sis Six, have you ever played with balls flying at 80 kilometers per hour?”
“Tch, kidding me.” Saturday scoffed. “Baseballs can reach 120 kilometers per hour. If you got hurt, there’s only one reason.”
Qiao Jiajin looked at her. “What reason?”
With a sudden motion, Saturday swung her metal baseball bat high into the air and tossed it toward Qiao Jiajin.
“You didn’t have a bat.”
Qiao Jiajin caught it, then exchanged a glance with Qi Xia.
Qi Xia seemed to have nothing to say, nodding slightly before swiftly scanning the various equipment in the room.
The massive ice rink was now littered with two types of balls—iron and stone—along with scattered black-and-white fragments.
“So that’s how it is…” Qi Xia stroked his chin, mentally reconstructing the earlier situation. Though no one had explained the game rules to him, he had already pieced together most of it.
Seeing Qi Xia’s gesture, Qiao Jiajin hurriedly touched his own chin.
Chins were indeed mysterious. Qiao Jiajin decided he’d better avoid touching his too often in the future.
Seated at the starting point, Di Ma’s face flashed with irritation as she watched the group swagger into her arena. “Hey… who let you in?”
“Tch, what’s the problem?” Saturday shot back defiantly. “You left the door open for business, and now you’re banning visitors?”
“You…” Di Ma sensed hostility from them, her anger flaring. “What gives you the right to interfere with the game?”
Saturday grew even angrier at that. “Tch, what?! How are we interfering? Did your ‘rules’ ever say no one could provide a bat?”
Di Ma clenched her teeth, realizing she had no explicit rule against it. “Fine, I’ll let the bat slide… but if any of you step into the game area, don’t expect mercy. I’m sure Zhu Que will understand…”
Qiao Jiajin swung the bat experimentally, finding it perfectly balanced. “Got it. You don’t need to intervene.”
Ning Shiba and the others turned to him hesitantly. “Bro Qiao… are you sure about this?”
“I’m way more confident now.” He spun the bat in his grip. “Before, I had to strategize for every ball. Now? I just smash them. Easy.”
Meanwhile, Qi Xia moved cautiously along the sidelines, studying the restless mechanisms.
Wooden contraptions that locked onto the central cart the whole time?
Hard to believe they had infrared tracking… so how *were* they tracking?
He quickly pieced together a theory and spotted a faint, almost illusory “way out.” But testing it would mean enduring another attack.
After familiarizing himself with the bat’s range, Qiao Jiajin called out, “Hang in there, team. Our allies are watching. Let’s not embarrass ourselves now.”
Ning Shiba tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through her ribs.
“Astro-girl, stay down,” Qiao Jiajin said. “Rest away from the field. The rest of you, with me.”
“Okay… Bro Qiao, I’ll just—”
“No need,” Qi Xia cut in. “Injured players stay put. Fists, keep pushing the cart.”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin grinned. “Liar, that familiar vibe’s back. Having you here is reassuring.”
Trusting Qi Xia unconditionally, he signaled the others, and they strained to push the cart forward.
Qi Xia seized the chance to read the inscriptions on the mechanisms.
*Left three, right four…* Paired with characters, it clearly referenced the *Big Dipper*. But the Zodiacs might be using misdirection.
As the cart advanced, the mechanisms whirred to life, adjusting their angles as if preparing to strike.
“Oh…?” Qi Xia frowned at the cart, more convinced his theory was correct.
Moments later, the mechanisms launched another volley of stone balls—but not simultaneously. They came in a staggered sequence.
Bat in hand, Qiao Jiajin dashed forward, weaving through the onslaught.
The bat made all the difference. Moving with martial precision, he shattered three stones midair.
The others, now slightly seasoned, mimicked his earlier sidestepping tactics. After Saturday’s comment about 120 km/h baseballs, the stones seemed less intimidating.
But how many people would dare catch a speeding baseball barehanded?
“Everyone, try to catch them!” Ning Shiba shouted from the ground. “Those balls have rewards!”
“Rewards?” Qi Xia paused. “What rewards?”
Ning Shiba winced as she turned. “Supposedly, they help us move better on ice… if we catch them…”
“Unnecessary,” Qi Xia stated.
“Huh?” Both Bai Jiu and Ning Shiba blinked.
“Just push the cart,” he said. “The ‘reward’ is a distraction. Is your win condition really ‘catching balls’?”
Ning Shiba hesitated, then nodded weakly. “We win by ‘getting everyone through a round trip.’”
“Then don’t waste effort,” Qi Xia said. “If you know the path to victory, never gamble on shortcuts.”
“So that’s it…?”
Even Qiao Jiajin, mid-swing, found Qi Xia’s logic flawless.
If they obsessed over catching balls now, casualties would doom the next round.
“I was holding back…” He gritted his teeth. “Fine. Let’s wreck these things, like Liar says!”
“No need for that either,” Qi Xia interjected again. “From now on, everyone follows my lead.”
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