Song Qi’s words hit the Earth Rabbit’s weak spot right where it hurt.
The rules clearly stated that the Earth Rabbit could only hunt participants if they were in the same room. Now that the two were in separate rooms, all it could do was intimidate—actually attacking was out of the question.
“Right now, it looks like you’ve got me by the throat… but aren’t you the one who’s more helpless?” Song Qi slowly raised his right hand. “This punch won’t kill you… but it’ll leave you hurting for days…”
Seeing the fist, faintly radiating danger, closing in on him, the Earth Rabbit panicked. Sure, the punch wouldn’t kill him, and Song Qi wouldn’t break any rules—but who wanted unnecessary wounds?
Before Song Qi could land the blow, the Earth Rabbit’s thick arm jerked violently, hurling him against the wall with a crash. The impact sent dust raining from the ceiling.
“Cough!”
Song Qi spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.
“You’re alive not because you’re lucky, but because I showed mercy,” the Earth Rabbit sneered. “Killing you would break the rules, but I can still cripple you. What makes you think your fragile body can go toe-to-toe with me?”
Every bone in Song Qi’s body felt shattered. He could only lie there, coughing up blood. From the start, this fight had been like a stray dog facing an elephant—no matter how many bites he landed, one stomp was all it took to crush him.
The Earth Rabbit glanced back at Song Qi with each step, making sure he couldn’t get up before moving to the far side of the room to wait.
Minutes passed with no movement. Finally, the Earth Rabbit lifted its head and barked toward the corner, “Can’t you see? He can’t move! Start the next round already!”
With great effort, Song Qi raised his head to watch. The corner of the ceiling only had a speaker, yet the Earth Rabbit spoke as if addressing a surveillance camera.
Was someone else here?
Or… was there someone above the Earth Rabbit?
A few seconds later, static crackled from the speaker.
**”The ‘Participant’s’ turn has ended. The ‘Zodiac’ may now act.”**
The Earth Rabbit snorted, opened the unlocked door, and stepped through without hesitation. It turned right, heading for the next door—but no sound followed.
“Damn it…” Song Qi dragged himself forward with difficulty. “The rabbit’s gone… Guys… gotta run…”
Darkness pulsed at the edges of his vision. His throat burned, and another mouthful of blood hit the floor.
“Damn… any bone but my spine… If that’s broken, I’ll just be dead weight…”
The Earth Rabbit must’ve spent all its movement points—its turn ended in under ten seconds.
Song Qi tried to stand, desperate to regroup with his teammates, but his body refused to cooperate.
**”The ‘Participant’s’ turn has begun… I have to move now—”**
*Click.*
The door behind him creaked open softly. Light footsteps approached, and a strong hand slid under his arm, lifting him steadily to his feet.
His expression shifted in confusion as he turned—only to see Cui Shisi emerging from the room where he’d thrown their artifact. She pressed a finger to her lips and gave him a meaningful look.
Though bewildered, Song Qi knew better than to speak. Any sound would betray his teammate’s position.
Without a word, Cui Shisi shoved the artifact into his hands and pushed him toward the door she’d come from. The speaker crackled again.
The game’s pace had quickened at some point—both the “Zodiac” and “Participants” were moving rapidly now. Far away, the Earth Rabbit frowned.
“What’s going on…?” Something felt off. Even if everyone else could act instantly, there was no way the severely injured Song Qi could move this fast.
Then it hit him—since they assumed Song Qi was incapacitated, were they skipping his turns entirely?
The Earth Rabbit approached the next door. Last turn, it had been locked, forcing him to spend two movement points to **”Unlock”** it this turn, followed by one more to **”Open.”**
He completed the actions smoothly. Everything was going as planned. From his position on the edge, every room he entered had only three doors. Unfortunately, the far door had been locked at some point. To reach **”Room 16,”** he’d need two more turns.
Next turn, he’d enter **”Room 12″** and unlock the door. The turn after, he’d **”Open”** and **”Move,”** finally stepping inside. As long as he controlled this critical point, no one could escape the game.
Whether it was the boy who’d lost his head or Song Qi, barely clinging to life—even if they mustered their last strength to reach **”Room 16,”** they’d still fall into his hands.
The Earth Rabbit tilted its head, listening. A dull ringing filled its ears, muting distant sounds—but faint rustling still reached him. Close.
Since he was faster, the others must be rushing toward him. He pieced together the situation: his fight with Song Qi had lasted one turn at most. The others would’ve had to detour to **”Room 14″** for the artifact before circling back to **”Room 16.”** He’d get there first.
Steadying himself, the Earth Rabbit waited for the speaker to announce the next turn swap.
Song Qi had regrouped with the others. To his shock, everyone—even Jiang Shi, now with his head reattached—was waiting in this cramped room.
No one dared speak. They simply nodded at each other. Song Qi still hadn’t gotten his bearings.
He watched as Chen Junnan led them through a door that was already open. The walls of both rooms bore the same message:
**”Absolute Silence.”**
The group stopped at the final door. Song Qi knew this was it—they and the Earth Rabbit were converging on this room.
Now, it came down to which path had fewer locked doors. That alone would decide who reached the end first.
Chen Junnan took a deep breath, unlocked the door, then turned and signaled for everyone to **”Stop.”**
Though they could open the door this turn, they couldn’t all enter **”Room 16″** yet—unlocking had cost two movement points, leaving none for advancing.
**”The ‘Participant’s’ turn has ended. The ‘Zodiac’ may now act.”**
The Earth Rabbit smirked. His plan had succeeded perfectly. He and the “Participants” should be in diagonal rooms now—yet he’d heard no doors opening from their side.
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