Chapter 170: See You Next Time

Su Shan fell silent for a moment, feeling an unshakable restlessness within her.

Yes, if she thought about it carefully, the answer was obvious.

Why was the “Life Card” labeled “JOKER,” while the “Death Card” simply read “Death Card”?

She picked up the card she had just drawn and examined it.

Rope, rope, rope—every single one was a rope.

Apart from one “Rock,” every card in Su Shan’s hand was a rope.

Was there still any hope of victory?

Seeing this, Qi Xia flipped over the card he had previously set aside—another rope.

“Let’s play this one,” Qi Xia declared, openly placing the rope card in front of Su Shan.

“You…” Su Shan blinked, a bead of cold sweat sliding down her forehead. “I think I understand your plan now… I’m already about to lose…”

“Exactly,” Qi Xia nodded. “Right now, you have one last life-or-death gamble—playing the ‘Rock.'”

Su Shan silently picked up the “Rock” in her hand. Though she didn’t want to follow Qi Xia’s scheme, she truly had no other choice.

If she wanted to kill the opponent’s “Fighter,” this “Rock” was her final hope.

After all, the probability of a “Rope” killing someone within ten seconds was practically zero. If time dragged on, Zi Chen would die from blood loss anyway.

She slowly lowered the “Rock,” her eyes filled with despair.

“Qi Xia… why do you all kill without hesitation?” Su Shan asked, her voice trembling.

“One day, you’ll be just like me,” Qi Xia replied coldly.

Su Shan couldn’t understand—nor did she want to. No matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to ruthlessly murder a stranger.

“I believe in Zi Chen,” she said, placing the “Rock” on the table.

Qi Xia hesitated, struggling for words before finally speaking. “That teammate of yours will be your downfall. To survive here, you don’t need to keep protecting the weak.”

With a faint smile, Di Ji waved his hand, and the two players’ tools fell to the ground.

Dr. Zhao raised his hand high, catching the rope before it could hit the floor.

Meanwhile, Zi Chen gritted his teeth against the searing pain in his leg and snatched the brick midair.

Knowing his injured leg limited his mobility, he could only clutch the brick defensively. But to his surprise, Dr. Zhao didn’t attack with the rope—instead, he turned and flung it out the window behind him.

“Huh?” Zi Chen froze for a split second before watching Dr. Zhao sprint away, putting distance between them.

“What the hell are you doing?” Zi Chen snarled through clenched teeth. “Are you just gonna run the whole time?”

“Exactly,” Dr. Zhao wiped the blood from his nose. “You’re already wounded—you’ll bleed out sooner or later. No point in dragging myself down with you.”

“So you planned this from the start…” Rage surged through Zi Chen as he clutched his injured leg, limping toward Dr. Zhao.

Dr. Zhao turned and dashed even farther away.

“Give it up! You’re done!” Dr. Zhao shouted. “You’ll never catch me now.”

Zi Chen chased him relentlessly until blood from his thigh soaked into his shoe.

“You… you…” Panic set in—if he didn’t act now, Dr. Zhao would win by default.

Su Shan leapt to her feet, screaming, “Zi Chen! Don’t!!”

But it was too late. Zi Chen weighed the brick in his hand and hurled it at Dr. Zhao with all his might.

Qi Xia sighed, locking eyes with the stunned girl before him. “It’s over, Su Shan.”

Dr. Zhao sidestepped the brick, scooped it up, and immediately tucked it against his chest before dropping to the ground.

“What…?” Zi Chen blinked in confusion. “Why’d you take my brick?”

“Zi Chen!!” Su Shan rushed to the glass wall, pounding on it. “Get it back!! He’s trying to kill you!!”

Di Ji smirked faintly and announced, “Ten seconds are up. Both sides must discard their tools.”

At those words, Zi Chen’s blood ran cold.

A wave of dread crashed over him.

“Hey—give it back!!” He hobbled forward, grabbing at Dr. Zhao.

But Dr. Zhao curled into a ball, shielding the brick tightly against his chest.

He stayed silent, unmoving.

“Damn it!” Zi Chen’s voice shook. “Give it to me! If you don’t, I’ll die!!”

Dr. Zhao shut his eyes, burying his face in his arms as Zi Chen rained blows on him.

“Final warning,” Di Ji said coldly. “Discard your tools immediately.”

“Hey!!!” Zi Chen wailed. “Just give it to me!!”

Su Shan trembled uncontrollably—never in her worst nightmares had she imagined dying in this twisted place.

“Su Shan, find a comfortable position and wait for death,” Qi Xia taunted. “Oh, and try not to splatter blood on my face.”

Su Shan lifted her despair-filled eyes to Qi Xia. Her death countdown had begun.

She still had so much to do—how could she die here?

But who could save her now?

At that thought, something inside her snapped.

**DONG!!**

A deep, resonant bell tolled in the distance.

Qi Xia’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“Sorry for all those terrifying things I said earlier—none of it was true,” he stood up, speaking slowly. “Su Shan, remember this: West side, school, Paradise Gate. My name is Qi Xia.”

Before Su Shan could react, Di Ji stepped into the glass room and repeated icily, “Discard your tools immediately.”

“W-Wait!” Zi Chen flailed his arms desperately. “Just a little more time—I’m almost done!”

“Five seconds left,” Di Ji closed his eyes.

“Hey! Bro! Please!” Zi Chen stopped attacking Dr. Zhao, dropping to his knees with a sob. “Give it back… I don’t want to die…”

“Sorry…” Dr. Zhao murmured, clutching the brick. “I don’t want to die either.”

The five seconds vanished in a flash.

Di Ji’s hand shot forward like lightning, piercing straight through Zi Chen’s heart.

“Blue team violated the rules. Penalty: Execution.” Di Ji flicked the blood from his fingers, dropping a shapeless lump of flesh to the floor.

Su Shan’s collar began flashing blue—the pulses quickening, signaling her final moments.

“Su Shan, did you remember what I said?” Qi Xia turned to face her.

She stared into his eyes for a few seconds—then suddenly, realization struck.

So that’s it?!

“West side, school, Paradise Gate,” she repeated. “Qi Xia. I remember.”

“See you next time,” he said.

“See you next time,” Su Shan replied with a bitter smile.