Song Qi lowered his head in Room “Two,” waiting quietly for a long time.
According to his calculations, everyone should have reached Room “Sixteen” in just five rounds, and by now, they should have been able to exit.
But this was already the sixth round.
The turn for the “Participants” had passed so long ago… Were they still moving?
“Something’s not right…” Song Qi turned around in the room, gazing through the wall in the direction of Room “Sixteen.” “But what exactly happened?”
He lowered his head again, running a hand through his hair, and quickly pieced together the situation.
Reaching the end without the game concluding… meant they hadn’t exited. Either some trap in one of the rooms had stalled them, or the exit door couldn’t be opened.
“Seems the ‘Gatekeeper’ is really crucial after all…”
Song Qi combed his slightly tousled hair back with both hands, then tied it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck with the rubber band on his wrist, exposing his broad forehead. He rolled up the sleeves of his leather jacket and loosened the zipper at his chest, fully preparing for battle.
Though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he had a strong feeling that his confrontation with the Earth Rabbit wasn’t far off.
“Take as long as you need, explore as much as you want… Leave the rest to me.”
“Participants’ turn has ended. The ‘Zodiac’ may now act.”
Two seconds later, the door in front of Song Qi opened. The Earth Rabbit stood on the other side, a cold smirk on its face. The two locked eyes, unmoving.
“Still don’t get it?” the Earth Rabbit asked. “You’ve kept me locked in here, and the game can’t end no matter what.”
“Is that so?” Song Qi nodded, bending down to pick up a small stone from the ground. “I have no idea what’s happening to them. I just follow the leader’s orders. If he tells me to close the door, I close it. If he tells me to open it, I open it. And if he tells me to fight you, then I fight you.”
As he spoke, he rubbed the small stone between his thumb and fingers.
“Stubborn,” the Earth Rabbit sneered. “Now do you see how ridiculous your ‘Gatekeeper’ tactic is? You actually thought you could beat me in my own ‘Penglai’ game with such a crude strategy… Even if someone does escape in the end, you’ll suffer heavy casualties. That’s the nature of the Rabbit’s ‘Escape Game.'”
“We suffer heavy casualties… and what about you?”
“What?”
Song Qi smirked and flicked the small stone upward, sending it lightly arcing through the doorway.
Seeing the man’s confident throw, the Earth Rabbit knew something was amiss. It hastily took a large step back, crossing its arms defensively over its chest.
What would happen next?
An offensive “Echo”?
Blazing flames? A raging storm? Or perhaps weightlessness?
The tiny stone simply fell to the ground, bouncing a few times before lying still. Nothing happened.
“Sorry,” Song Qi shook his head. “Just wanted to tease you a little. Your reaction was a bit over the top.”
“You…” The Earth Rabbit slowly furrowed its brow. “You were bluffing?”
“Just a warning,” Song Qi replied with a cold laugh. “Though I am curious… Why did you suddenly take such a big step back?”
“I—”
“You seem cautious, but I think you just showed a weakness.” Song Qi walked to the side and picked up another small stone. “What are you afraid of? Is it because I mentioned earlier that I’d ‘rip off one of your arms’? Is that why you’re so careful?”
Only now did the Earth Rabbit realize that this team wasn’t made up of ordinary people. It had assumed the two left behind to “close the door” would be dead weight, but instead, one was fearless, and the other was sharp.
“But that was supposed to be a private discussion… How did you know?” Song Qi pressed, his tone aggressive. “You wouldn’t be cheating, would you?”
“At this point… there’s no need to pretend anymore.” The Earth Rabbit’s ears twitched as it spoke. “Do you know how many times better a rabbit’s hearing is than a human’s? Even if you’re separated by a room, as long as they speak in what you call Room ‘Sixteen,’ I can hear every move they make.”
“Oh…?” Song Qi’s brows furrowed slightly. He had considered the possibility of the Earth Rabbit eavesdropping, but he hadn’t expected its hearing range to be so vast.
And this wasn’t just eavesdropping—it was outright surveillance.
“You thought your clever little tactics could outsmart me and escape my slaughter… How laughable.” The Earth Rabbit, seeing Song Qi’s battle-ready stance, undid the cuffs of its suit jacket. “It won’t be long before you’re forced to let me out. The killing will begin then.”
“Fine.” Song Qi nodded. “When the time comes, I hope you’ll show me just how strong a ‘Zodiac’ like you can be.”
Despite his bravado, unease gnawed at Song Qi.
If the Earth Rabbit’s hearing was this terrifying, then any strategy they devised would be known to it. That meant “tactics” were useless here. The only path left was an open confrontation with the “Zodiac.”
The Earth Rabbit’s turn ended, and Song Qi reached out to close the door, locking it once more.
The following rounds played out much like the previous ones. The “Participants” took an unusually long time each turn, and Song Qi grew concerned about what they were planning.
But the Earth Rabbit didn’t open the door again—likely because it had gone to Jiang Shi’s side.
About half an hour later, a distant “bell toll” echoed through the building. It seemed the other teams were also deep in their own games, and many “Echoers” were awakening.
Four rounds later, the sound of a door opening came from Song Qi’s room. He initially thought it was the Earth Rabbit, but instead, the door to his left—Room “Six”—swung open.
“Huh…?”
All his teammates were standing in Room “Six.” Chen Junnan had opened the door on his side, while Cui Shisi had opened Jiang Shi’s.
“Well, well!!” Chen Junnan theatrically raised his eyebrows upon seeing Song Qi. “If it isn’t Little Song! What a coincidence—playing games here?”
“You…” Song Qi frowned, raising a finger to his lips and giving them a meaningful look. “What are you all doing here?”
“Why the wink?” Chen Junnan blinked back. “Come here, Little Song. We’ve got a new strategy for you.”
Then he turned toward Jiang Shi’s direction. “Hey, kid, come closer too. Time for new orders.”
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