Qi Xia pulled Yu Nian’an aside to sit down, then glanced at the “Tenth Man.”
He was a pale, disheveled young man, still wearing a faint smile on his face.
If it weren’t for Yu Nian’an’s sudden appearance, Qi Xia might have wanted to talk with him properly.
But not this time.
Qi Xia had a new plan.
He leaned close to Yu Nian’an and began turning the table with her, while the others gradually joined in.
The next game wasn’t particularly difficult, but it wasn’t easy either.
After all, there were ten people in the room.
Precisely allocating escape resources for nine people would inevitably leave things stretched thin.
Fortunately, by the time the Serpent arrived, everyone had survived.
Qi Xia and Yu Nian’an were now hanging in mid-air, gripping the same rope.
“It’s been a while, everyone,” the Serpent said as he slowly opened the door and stepped inside. “I am the Serpent—”
Before he could finish, he froze.
There were clearly ten people dangling from the ceiling!
What kind of bizarre situation was this?
Every room in the entire corridor was supposed to have only nine survivors. How had ten people made it out alive?!
“Instead of standing there shocked, why not just ask your question?” Qi Xia said coldly. “We don’t want to hang here forever.”
It took the Serpent a long moment to compose himself before he finally spoke. “A-alright… I have an interesting riddle for you. If you can answer it within three attempts, I’ll pull the lever and let you nine—no, ten—descend safely.”
No one responded.
The Serpent wasted no more time. “There were two brothers who loved racing and always drove their cars recklessly. Their father was worried but couldn’t stop them. One day, he came up with an idea. He challenged them to one last race, but with a twist: whoever arrived at the finish line *later* would win and inherit his entire fortune. He thought this would force them to slow down, but on the day of the race, they still drove as fast as ever. Why?”
After hearing the question, everyone instinctively looked at Qi Xia.
But Qi Xia seemed completely oblivious, one hand gripping the rope and the other holding Yu Nian’an close as he whispered, “Don’t be afraid, An. It’ll be over soon.”
“Mm.” Yu Nian’an nodded softly.
Lin Qin and Detective Li exchanged glances.
In the end, the hardest challenge in this “interview” room wasn’t the previous three trials—it was the Serpent’s fourth question.
For some reason, he always posed a new riddle.
And his riddles were the key to their survival.
Seeing that Qi Xia showed no intention of answering, Detective Li decided to take a guess.
After all, Qi Xia had no obligation to keep helping them.
“Detective Li…” Lin Qin whispered. “Do you have an answer?”
“I don’t know if it counts, but I’ll try a detective’s approach.”
He shared his thoughts with Lin Qin.
Lawyer Zhang and Han Yimo, overhearing, also found the reasoning plausible.
“Since you all agree, I’ll take the first guess…” Detective Li took a deep breath and called out, “Serpent, I have an answer.”
“Go ahead.”
Detective Li paused, organizing his words. “I think the inheritance is tainted—possibly illegal wealth. If they inherit it, they risk arrest. So, the brothers deliberately tried to lose, each wanting to pin the fortune on the other.”
The Serpent stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Is that so…?”
His uncertain reaction puzzled the group.
After a moment, the Serpent shook his head. “No, that doesn’t quite fit. It’s too forced. Try again.”
“Dang it!” Qiao Jiajin couldn’t hold back. “What do you mean, ‘doesn’t quite fit’? I think it *does* fit! Maybe *you* should reconsider!”
“Uh…” The Serpent actually lowered his head, deep in thought.
Lin Qin frowned at Qiao Jiajin. It almost felt like a fool’s luck was countering a master’s skill.
But would it really work?
After a long pause, the Serpent raised his head again. “I’ve reconsidered, but no, it’s still too forced. The riddle never mentions the inheritance being illegal. Besides, an ‘inheritance’ is supposed to be a fortune. So, it’s still wrong.”
“Ugh…” Now it was Qiao Jiajin’s turn to be stumped. “You slippery snake… Not even fooled by that?”
The group fell into another dilemma.
Qi Xia was still whispering to Yu Nian’an, completely ignoring their struggle. Whether he was deliberately avoiding the question or genuinely uninterested, no one could tell.
“Maybe they sabotaged each other’s cars?” Tian Tian suddenly spoke up softly. “If they modified the other’s brakes to act like accelerators, they could still race recklessly while ensuring the other arrived first—forcing them to win the inheritance.”
“Huh?” Detective Li blinked, considering the idea. “That makes sense… If one car can’t stop, the other would always win, no matter how fast they drove…”
Han Yimo and Lawyer Zhang still felt something was off, but they couldn’t think of a better answer.
“Let’s try it,” the group agreed, relaying the new guess to the Serpent.
“Is that it…?” The Serpent inhaled slowly. “It sounds logical… but something still feels odd.”
“Stop overthinking it!” Qiao Jiajin shouted. “I’ve decided this answer is right! If you don’t pull the lever now, you’re cheating!”
“Ah…” The Serpent looked deeply conflicted.
Their arms were burning from hanging for nearly five minutes. If the Serpent kept hesitating, they’d all fall to their deaths.
“I still think it’s wrong,” the Serpent finally said. “Unless you have another answer, I’ll have to leave.”
The group was at a complete loss.
“Qi Xia, are you just going to watch us die?” Lin Qin snapped, turning to him. “You know the answer, don’t you?!”
Only then did Qi Xia slowly lift his head, his eyes filled with quiet despair.
“Tell me,” he asked softly, “if one day I’m gone… how will you survive?”
The chilling question silenced them all.
What did he mean—*gone*?!
Qi Xia then turned to the Serpent. “I’ll answer.”
The Serpent perked up instantly. “Excellent!”
“Given that both brothers love racing, both want the inheritance, and the rule states that the *slower* car wins, the simplest solution is for them to *swap cars*. By driving each other’s vehicles, they can race as fast as they want while ensuring the faster driver inherits the fortune.”
The Serpent’s eyes widened. He pulled out a small notebook and scribbled furiously. “So that’s it…? Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”
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