“Bullshit!” Brother Wang roared. “I thought you had a decent idea! There are six of us here, and you’re planning to let four of us die?!”
Qi Xia found the group up ahead quite amusing. He walked over to an old wooden crate and sat down, silently watching them.
Since the Earth Ox had her back turned, she hadn’t noticed his arrival. The men in the distance simply regarded Qi Xia as another ordinary “participant” observing from the sidelines, paying him no mind.
“Brother Wang, think about it!” the bespectacled chubby man explained. “Each of us has limited strength, and we’ve already used up most of it. If we try killing one person at a time, we’ll run out of energy before we even take down this ox!”
“You…” Brother Wang hesitated at these words.
“Instead of exhausting ourselves with multiple failed attempts, why not disable all four of her limbs at once? That way, we’re guaranteed victory!” the chubby man pressed. “Would you rather gamble on a slim chance or secure a 100% win?!”
Except for the bespectacled man, the other five looked uneasy.
Six people, with four destined to die—what had seemed like a simple tug-of-war game had turned into a deadly gamble with a 66.6% mortality rate.
“What’s there to hesitate about?!” the chubby man continued. “If we win this game, each of us gets ten ‘Dao’! Do you know what ten ‘Dao’ quadrupled means?! Ten multiplied by two, four times—that’s 160 ‘Dao’ per person!”
“Huh?” Brother Wang blinked. “Is that how it works? I thought it was only forty per person…”
The group turned to the Earth Ox, who smiled and nodded. “He’s right. Each survivor gets 160 ‘Dao.’ How do you want to decide this?”
“But there’s another issue… That number sounds huge, but what about the dead? Do they get nothing?” Brother Wang asked.
“Normally, yes,” the Earth Ox replied. “But since I’ve just opened for business, I’ll offer a ‘grand opening bonus.’ Everyone who participates, alive or dead, earns ‘Dao.’ The dead’s share will go to the survivors. How you split it is up to you.”
“Damn it…” Brother Wang gritted his teeth, his voice low. “Six people, 160 ‘Dao’ each… That’s a total of 960 ‘Dao.’ That’s insane.”
“I think it’s solid,” the chubby man said. “This woman doesn’t seem like the other ‘Zodiacs.’ She even told us how to solve the ‘Heavenly Snake Moment,’ so she can’t be all bad, right?”
Qi Xia, sitting nearby, stroked his chin. He found the game quite intriguing. If his guess was right, none of these six would make it out alive.
The Earth Ox had helped them break the “Heavenly Snake Moment” for her own “performance metrics.” She couldn’t let these “participants” who’d wandered into her hands end up as the “Heavenly Snake’s” prey.
After all, the “Heavenly Snake” didn’t need these six heads—but the Earth Ox did.
“Tug-of-war…” Qi Xia mused.
If he were to participate in a strength-based game like this, what would his best strategy be?
It took him only three seconds to decide: the best tactic was not to participate in strength-based games at all.
As Sun Tzu said: “The skillful warrior ensures he cannot be defeated.”
By avoiding strength-based games, the opponent could never win.
Brother Wang gathered the group, whispering for a long while before turning back. “Hey! Earth Ox!”
“Hmm?”
“If you don’t use your limbs, how are we supposed to tug-of-war?”
The Earth Ox pondered for a moment. “I’ll tie the rope around my waist, curl up, and lie on the ground. Without moving my limbs, if you drag me away, you win.”
“Brother Wang, you hear that?!” The chubby man tugged his sleeve. “Her hands and feet are immobilized! She can’t exert force!”
“This is…” Brother Wang scratched his head frantically, overwhelmed by the temptation.
Even if they suspected a trap, they couldn’t figure out where it might be.
How could they fail to drag away someone curled up, unable to move, with the rope tied around her waist?
Moreover, the Earth Ox was clearly a woman—slender and soft-spoken. It was hard to imagine her body weighing a thousand pounds.
And let’s not forget, they still had two strong men in their group. If they put their backs into it, they could pull even a small car, let alone a woman of average build.
The most crucial point was… the Earth Ox couldn’t win!
With her limbs immobilized, the best she could do was resist being dragged. Actually winning the tug-of-war was impossible.
“Let’s… draw lots,” Brother Wang suggested. “The fairest way. No one escapes. Two will survive, and they can keep an eye on each other, hide the ‘Dao,’ and retrieve it together later. Since we all know each other’s rooms, no one can cheat. How’s that?”
Qi Xia smirked as he watched them finalize their decision. Yes, none of them would escape.
Even if they survived the game, the hidden ‘Dao’ would be found by the “ants” scavenging at night. The survivors would be left with no way to clear their names.
The rift between the two rooms would deepen, trust would erode, and allies would turn into enemies.
Such was the horror of this land.
The group pooled six ‘Dao’ from their pockets, marking two with scratches from a small stone. Their eyes then settled on Qi Xia.
Noticing their gaze, the Earth Ox finally turned and saw Qi Xia sitting behind her.
She stared at him silently, her expression unreadable.
Brother Wang approached with the six ‘Dao.’ “Hey, buddy! Do us a favor!”
“Go on,” Qi Xia said.
“Hold onto these six ‘Dao’ for us. We’ll take turns drawing,” Brother Wang explained after a pause. “Each time, pick two—one in each hand—and just let us choose left or right.”
“I’m a complete stranger,” Qi Xia sighed, glancing at the beads overhead. “And yet, you’re entrusting your lives to me.”
“That’s exactly why. No one can argue if a stranger decides.”
With that, Brother Wang handed over the six ‘Dao,’ and Qi Xia tucked them behind his back before drawing two into his hands.
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