Chapter 982: The Commander

After listening, Officer Li sighed deeply and then placed the heart back into his pocket.

“Xiao Su… I know you’re trying to comfort me…” He shook his head and continued, “But it’s alright… I just want to rely on my own strength to get everyone out of here…”

“But many of them are criminals,” Su Shan said. “Captain Li, as law enforcement officers, do you really think these criminals deserve to be saved?”

“Yes,” Officer Li replied without hesitation. “Even if they’ve committed crimes, I must get them out so they can face proper legal judgment.”

Seeing Officer Li’s unwavering stance, Su Shan realized she had misunderstood him.

“Xiao Su, our duty as law enforcement is to uphold and enforce the law,” Officer Li said. “I can’t tolerate the existence of a place like this… It turns everyone who fights for justice into a joke and makes righteousness and kindness seem like luxuries in this world.”

Su Shan sighed. Even she had once considered killing her teammates during Di Gou’s game.

She didn’t share Officer Li’s unshakable conviction, but she had to admit he was right.

“Though I’ve made mistakes myself…” Officer Li gave a bitter smile. “After coming here, I realized I can’t keep making them. I need to confront everything in my life—only then can I turn back and sleep peacefully.”

As the two spoke, they noticed several figures passing by outside the door. Upon closer look, it was Qi Xia, Chen Junnan, and Qiao Jiajin, followed by a woman in white.

“Qi Xia…?” Officer Li called out.

Hearing the voice, Qi Xia turned and locked eyes with the two inside the room.

Both of them frowned slightly—there was something unsettling about Qi Xia’s gaze. His grayish-white eyes held a trace of darkness, as if madness mingled with something even more disturbing.

“Officer Li, Su Shan,” Qi Xia nodded.

Then he glanced at the bloodstains on Officer Li’s clothes and the bulge in his pocket. After a few seconds, he smiled faintly. “Officer Li… I didn’t expect you to do well too.”

“Did… something happen to you?” Officer Li asked.

“Something good, in any case,” Qi Xia replied before looking into the distance. “You don’t need to train anymore. Go meet up with the ‘Cat’ now.”

“Meet the ‘Cat’…?” Officer Li was confused. “But Qian Wu is already…”

“Just go,” Qi Xia said. “Everyone’s alive. You’re the only one missing.”

“What…?” Officer Li’s eyes flickered in disbelief as he looked down at the heart in his hand. “How…? Even this heart…”

“Trust me. Go.” Qi Xia then turned to Su Shan and said softly, “I heard from Qin Dingdong that you have ‘Spiritual Sight.'”

“Yes…” Su Shan nodded.

“You should go too,” Qi Xia mused for a moment. “You’ll be needed there.”

“But… what exactly is the ‘Cat’…? I…” Su Shan hesitated.

“Officer Li can explain on the way,” Qi Xia said.

—

After bidding farewell to Officer Li and Su Shan, Qi Xia and the other three continued down the street. Unlike Qi Xia, the others quickly noticed that the streets had grown more crowded.

People were emerging from buildings under the “morning sun,” stretching and moving about.

Yan Zhichun seemed distracted, lost in thought about the “Extreme Path.”

Whether today’s Earth Dragon game succeeded or failed, the fate of the “Extreme Path” would be sealed.

What puzzled her was the attitude of the three men beside her. The upcoming game was the most difficult among all “Earth-level” challenges—yet they looked utterly calm, as if they were heading out for leisure.

“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan finally spoke up after walking for a while. “Shouldn’t we wait for Xiao Chu? He doesn’t have a map. How will he know where the ‘Earth Dragon’ is?”

“He’ll find it,” Qi Xia said. “Chu Tianqiu has a deal with the ‘Earth Dragon.’ He knows better than I do where to go.”

Sure enough, when the four arrived at the marked location on the map, Chu Tianqiu, Jin Yuanxun, and Wen Qiaoyun were already waiting.

The three of them seemed to have been there for a while, standing quietly in the empty street.

Strangely, despite standing at the designated spot, there was no sign of the “Earth Dragon.” The street had no buildings, let alone a game venue.

“Hey, Xiao Chu,” Chen Junnan called out. “Why so early? Couldn’t sleep?”

Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly and nodded at the four of them, his expression as composed as Qi Xia’s.

“Is this really the place…?” Yan Zhichun glanced around doubtfully. “I’ve been here many times, but I don’t recall any game venue.”

“Tsk…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Not only that, there’s not even a proper courtyard here… I heard the ‘Dragon’s’ game is seriously messed up—some don’t even have a fixed location.”

The mood among the group was tense, each lost in their own thoughts. As Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu locked eyes, a strange light flickered between them, gradually expanding into a circular portal in midair.

From it stepped a petite female Earth Dragon—her face three parts human, seven parts lizard, resembling a half-human, half-beast creature.

She wore a grayish-white suit, her frame delicate.

Everyone turned to look, their nerves tightening.

No matter how small she appeared, she represented the pinnacle of the “Zodiacs”—the “Dragon.”

“Everyone, long time no see. I am the ‘Earth Dragon,'” she said calmly. “I’ve been ordered to escort you to ‘Cang Jie’s Chess.’ Are you ready?”

Chen Junnan stared at her and the portal behind her before asking, “What do you mean by ‘escort’?”

“My game venue can only be accessed through this portal,” the Earth Dragon explained. “My game is a ‘team battle.’ If you’re prepared, the ‘commanders’ from each side will enter first. The rest will wait here.”

Then she lifted her sorrowful eyes and gazed silently at Qi Xia. He returned the look without a word.

Seeing the portal, Qiao Jiajin was reminded of the Human Dragon game—”Seesaw.”

That eerie game had transported them to a bizarre space, where Tian Tian, Officer Li, Lawyer Zhang, and others had perished.

But almost no one remembered it now.

“Chu Tianqiu,” Qi Xia called softly. “Are you ready?”

Chu Tianqiu adjusted the heavy coat draped over his shoulders.

“Everything that needs to be prepared is ready.”