The Pig-Man didn’t speak but instead quietly stared at Qi Xia, saying, “Even if you’ve seen through all of this, you still have to draw the black piece within a 49% probability.”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia replied, continuing to fumble in the bowl. “When all science fails, I’ll resort to metaphysics too.”
“And what’s your metaphysical theory?”
“That I *must* get out.” Qi Xia said firmly. “I believe I can leave this godforsaken place with 100% certainty, so I *will* draw the black piece here.”
With that, he grabbed two pieces from the bowl and clenched them in his palm.
Then, he raised them to the Pig-Man’s face and flipped his hand to reveal them.
The Pig-Man’s expression instantly changed. His eyes beneath the mask trembled violently—he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Both pieces were black!
The two glossy black pieces lay in Qi Xia’s palm like hollow eyes, staring silently at the Pig-Man, sending chills down his spine.
After a pause, seeing the Pig-Man still speechless, Qi Xia smirked again, tossed one black piece back, and kept the other.
“I’ve made my choice.”
A few seconds later, the Pig-Man finally snapped out of it. “Y-you… you’re messing with me?!”
He slammed the table and stood up, ready to explode, but upon reflection, Qi Xia hadn’t done anything wrong.
He had merely held the pieces up for him to see.
The Pig-Man had miscalculated.
When Qi Xia showed him the two black pieces, he should have said *something*—whether a taunt, a jest, or even just urging him to choose faster.
But his mistake was staying silent.
Because in that scenario, only *both* being black could make someone speechless.
He thought Qi Xia had left everything to “luck,” but in the final moment, Qi Xia was still playing mind games.
The Pig-Man had been puzzled—why would the man in front of him pull out *two* black pieces at once?
Was his “luck” that strong?
Now, he realized Qi Xia hadn’t known the color of the pieces he drew.
He had been *watching the Pig-Man’s reaction*.
He would base his next move on the Pig-Man’s response—or lack thereof.
Defeated, the Pig-Man slowly sat back down. “I have to admit, not only are you meticulous, but your ‘luck’ is terrifyingly strong.”
Qi Xia placed the piece on the table and slowly removed his blindfold. “Thanks.”
Old Lü leaped up, unleashing the excitement he’d been suppressing.
“You’re a damn genius!” he exclaimed, hugging Qi Xia. “Kid, all our past grudges are wiped clean! Hahahaha!”
Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “Do I have to thank you for that?”
Lin Qin was also happy for them. Though they hadn’t earned any “tokens” this time, *winning* itself was enough to bring joy.
Grudgingly, the Pig-Man walked to a nearby box, retrieved ten “tokens,” and handed them to Old Lü.
Old Lü grinned, pocketing the tokens before turning to Qi Xia. “Kid, it’s not that I don’t wanna share, but I fronted the ‘entry fee.’ Hope you understand.”
Qi Xia didn’t mind, nodding as he stood. “The tokens don’t matter. I need to know where those two are now.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Old Lü said. “I may be stingy, but I’m fair. Follow me—I saw them outside a game room this morning.”
“Perfect.” Both Qi Xia and Lin Qin nodded, rising to leave.
“Hey…” The Pig-Man called out.
The three turned back, puzzled. “What?”
“What’s your name?” the Pig-Man asked, staring intently at Qi Xia.
“Qi Xia.”
“Qi Xia…” The Pig-Man repeated, then slowly sat at the table, deep in thought.
After a long silence, the Pig-Man still hadn’t spoken, leaving everyone confused.
“Did we win so much we broke the damn pig?” Old Lü muttered. “Bet he doesn’t even make ten tokens in a whole day.”
“Break him?” Lin Qin scoffed. “They were already broken to begin with…”
Just as they were about to leave, the Pig-Man finally spoke.
“Qi Xia.”
Hearing his name, Qi Xia turned back, visibly impatient now. “What *is* it?”
“I want to gamble with you again. This time, we bet our lives.” The Pig-Man’s voice was eerily calm.
The three froze, as if unable to process his words.
“Wh-what?!” Old Lü stumbled back in shock. “You insane pig, have you lost it?!”
Lin Qin grabbed Qi Xia’s arm urgently. “Ignore him…”
Qi Xia frowned. “I refuse.”
“Refuse?” The Pig-Man crossed his arms. “You’re refusing?”
“That’s right.” Qi Xia nodded. “I won’t bet my life on a 50% chance. It’s meaningless to me.”
Old Lü gave Qi Xia a sidelong glance. “Kid… what the hell are you saying…?”
“What?” Qi Xia turned to him. “You think I *should* gamble my life?”
“This isn’t about *should* or *shouldn’t*!” Old Lü stomped in frustration. “In this damned place, if someone proposes a ‘life gamble,’ the other *has* to accept!”
Qi Xia stiffened, realization dawning.
Back when he’d challenged the “Rat-Woman” to a life gamble, she’d reluctantly agreed despite the odds.
Now it made sense—it was a forced rule.
Her game had been simple. If someone dared to bet their life, they’d likely cracked it.
Under such disadvantage, *why* would she agree?
But she had.
Because here, once a “life gamble” is proposed, it *must* be honored.
Breaking that rule would summon enforcers like *Zhu Que* to deliver punishment.
Qi Xia’s expression turned icy. Zhu Que would *leap* at the chance to kill him—if he ran now, the consequences would be dire.
Even worse, every trick Qi Xia had just used would fail if repeated, drastically increasing his odds of losing.
“Don’t be scared,” the Pig-Man said, as if reading his mind. “I’m not *that* unreasonable. Let’s play something more… interesting.”
He pulled two pairs of glasses from a nearby box and set them on the table.
“Borrowed these from Brother Goat. Top-tier stuff…”
On closer look, the glasses appeared ordinary, except for a small device on the bridge—its purpose unclear.
“Gentlemen, I need a favor from you,” the Pig-Man said with a grin.
“A *favor*?” Old Lü sneered. “Help *you*? No way.”
“Refuse, and I’ll declare a life gamble with *all* of you,” the Pig-Man said in a singsong voice.
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