After a quick cleanup, everyone followed Old Lü to the game venue.
Perhaps, as Old Lü himself had said, because he had spent years running street stalls, he was particularly familiar with the city’s labyrinthine alleyways.
The group trailed behind him as he navigated through countless narrow lanes. Qi Xia lost his sense of direction several times along the way.
Yet Old Lü moved with leisurely ease, turning left and right without hesitation.
During the journey, Qi Xia spotted the “numbers” Old Lü had mentioned multiple times. Aside from the previously seen “52,” he also came across “19” and “34.”
He guessed Old Lü might be right—these numbers were likely just markings left by someone to navigate the maze-like streets.
After about twenty minutes, the group arrived in front of a dilapidated hotel.
“Dog” was standing at the entrance, seemingly in conversation with a few people.
As Qi Xia and his three companions approached, their expressions instantly darkened.
The “Dog” mask before them was eerily lifelike—a large bulldog’s face. His pitch-black suit gleamed, and his fitted shirt was immaculate.
“It’s… ‘Earth Dog’…” Qi Xia froze for a moment.
Zhang Chenze blinked slightly and asked, “What does ‘Earth Dog’ mean? Isn’t it supposed to be ‘Human Dog’?”
“Earth Dog is a rank above Human Dog…” Qi Xia stroked his chin. “In ‘Earth’-level games… people die.”
“Die…?” Zhang Chenze stiffened. “Then… should we still participate?”
“This…”
Qi Xia frowned in thought. Even if it was an “Earth”-level game, it was still a “cooperative” one. As long as the four of them worked together, he was confident they could win.
With that in mind, he turned back and gave Zhang Chenze and Old Lü a serious look. “Can you guarantee you’ll follow my lead?”
“Of course,” Zhang Chenze nodded.
“Sure,” Old Lü echoed.
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt somewhat reassured.
“Great, more people have arrived!” A shout came from Earth Dog’s direction. “Now we can finally start, right?”
Qi Xia glanced over and saw the group of young men beside Earth Dog staring their way.
“What’s going on? I thought it was a four-person team?” Qi Xia asked Old Lü in confusion.
“I don’t know either. This morning, that dog told me we needed a four-person team to participate.”
Qi Xia stepped forward and sized up the other four.
Three men and one woman.
They all looked to be in their twenties. One man and woman had their arms around each other—clearly a couple.
Their demeanor was rough, their hair dyed in garish colors, and Qi Xia’s first impression of them was far from favorable.
If Qiao Jiajin gave the impression of a notorious street brawler, these youngsters seemed like the lowest-tier thugs of the underworld.
“Ready to join my game?” Earth Dog’s deep voice suddenly rang out. “One ‘Dao’ per person. Life and death are up to fate. The losing team will be completely eliminated, while the surviving team will receive five ‘Dao’ per member—plus all the spoils from the defeated team.”
“Completely eliminated?!” The group was stunned.
“What are the rules?” Qi Xia asked coldly.
“Pay the entrance fee, learn the rules.”
“Again with this…”
Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. It was just like Earth Ox’s game—without paying, they wouldn’t even know what they were getting into.
“Hey, you guys in or not?” A green-haired punk sneered impatiently. “Scared before even playing?”
Ignoring the green-haired guy, Qi Xia pondered for a moment before asking, “Earth Dog, will your game have ‘random team assignments’?”
“Random team assignments…” Old Lü and Lin Qin seemed to realize something.
This was indeed a problem. If Earth Dog followed Earth Ox’s approach and scrambled teams after collecting the entrance fee, the outcome would be unpredictable.
“No,” Earth Dog replied. “You will remain in your current teams. Every effort you make will be for the benefit of your own group.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia finally relaxed slightly.
It seemed this was purely a “team cooperation” game—except there were two teams present, which likely meant competition.
Seeing Qi Xia hesitate, Old Lü hastily pulled out four ‘Dao’ and handed them over.
“Old Lü…” Qi Xia frowned. “What are you doing?”
“This one’s on me,” Old Lü grinned slyly. “If we win, just give me a bigger cut.”
“I don’t want to give you more,” Qi Xia said flatly. “Winnings are split evenly among everyone. Otherwise, I’m leaving right now.”
“This…”
Old Lü sighed, then reluctantly nodded. “Fine, fine… you’re really stingy, kid.”
Both teams paid the entrance fee.
To everyone’s surprise, the moment the fee was paid, Earth Dog’s demeanor did a complete 180. He began hopping excitedly, ushering the eight inside like honored guests.
“Come in, come in!” Earth Dog beamed. “Welcome to my game venue!”
Though baffled, the group could only follow in reluctant silence.
Once inside, Qi Xia surveyed the rundown hotel.
The layout was simple—two long corridors branched left and right, each lined with several rooms.
“Any fans of spy dramas here?” Earth Dog rubbed his hands together.
Qi Xia noticed Earth Dog’s hands were covered in fur, as if wearing hyper-realistic gloves.
“Spy dramas? Who watches that crap?” a blond punk scoffed. “Quit wasting time. Just tell us what we’re playing.”
“So impatient…” Earth Dog pulled two stacks of cards from the front desk drawer and slid them forward. “Though you’re grouped in teams of four, each of you will have a unique role. Now, draw your identities.”
Qi Xia studied the cards—they resembled the ones from his first encounter with Human Sheep, each bearing the words “Nuwa Game” on the back.
Lin Qin, standing at the front, took the four cards and turned back. “Who draws first?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just deal them,” Zhang Chenze said.
Nodding, Lin Qin shuffled the cards facedown and distributed them one by one.
Qi Xia took his “identity card” and frowned in confusion.
It read: “Sender.”
“Do we keep this secret?” Old Lü pressed the card to his chest, whispering cautiously.
The group looked to Earth Dog.
“No need,” Earth Dog chuckled. “Teammates can share roles. If you prefer, you can even swap identities.”
Hearing this, the four huddled around Qi Xia in a circle.
They flipped their cards one by one—each bore a different role.
Qi Xia: “Sender.”
Lin Qin: “Recipient.”
Zhang Chenze: “Hostage.”
“What’s yours?” Qi Xia turned to Old Lü, who stubbornly refused to reveal his card.
“I… uh… how do I put this…”
Done waiting, Qi Xia grabbed Old Lü’s wrist and forcibly exposed the card.
It read: “Traitor.”
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