Chapter 164: Knife Card

Starting from the second round, the game becomes increasingly difficult.

Zichen’s “regret” has slightly diluted his “confusion.” If Su Shan can still play the “knife” this round, the opponent might take action.

Although it wouldn’t kill Dr. Zhao, it would be enough to injure him.

Meanwhile, Qi Xia’s top priority is to exhaust all the “ropes” in his hand; otherwise, the situation will become passive.

“Please draw your cards,” said Earth Rooster.

Without hesitation, Su Shan drew a new card and added it to her hand.

Qi Xia followed suit and picked up his own card.

“Stone.”

“Troublesome…” Qi Xia felt slightly irritated but still tucked the “stone” away.

Even if Dr. Zhao used a “knife” against Zichen’s “rope,” he might not be able to kill him. Worse still, Qi Xia hadn’t drawn a single “knife” so far.

“You said your name is Qi Xia, right?” Su Shan asked.

“Yes.”

“Why did you play ‘rope’ earlier?”

Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t we just discussing a ‘tie’? So I had to play a non-lethal card.”

Su Shan paused before asking again, “What about this time? Still ‘rope’?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia replied. “Still ‘rope.'”

With that, he placed a card face down on the table.

“Su Shan, this card represents my willingness to ‘cooperate.'”

“Is that so?”

Su Shan hesitated, pondered for a moment, and then also placed a card down.

Dr. Zhao and Zichen watched them nervously, unsure of their intentions.

“Reveal your cards,” Earth Rooster signaled.

The two flipped their cards—Qi Xia had played another “rope,” while Su Shan had a “stone.”

Dr. Zhao, still some distance from the table, couldn’t see Qi Xia’s card. Nevertheless, he immediately returned to the window, waiting for his “tool.”

When another old, frayed rope was thrown down, Dr. Zhao gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Qi Xia… Are you really trying to get me killed?!”

He picked up the rope and turned around to see his opponent holding a brick.

“Damn it!!” Dr. Zhao quickly retreated to the corner, his face filled with terror.

Once again, an awkward standoff ensued as time ticked away.

Zichen knew he couldn’t let Su Shan down this time. Gritting his teeth, he took a few steps forward and hurled the brick at Dr. Zhao with the force of a baseball pitch.

Crouched in the corner, Dr. Zhao shielded his head with his arms and curled one leg protectively over his vitals.

Amid his panicked screams, the brick struck his thigh.

It hurt, but it wasn’t a serious injury.

Dr. Zhao let out a pained cry as the brick clattered to the floor.

“Time’s up. ‘Combatants,’ cease action and return your tools through the window.”

Zichen, who had just mustered his courage, deflated instantly at these words.

Embarrassed, he bowed slightly to Dr. Zhao before bending down to pick up the brick.

At that moment, Dr. Zhao’s expression turned cold.

He tightened his grip on the rope—a bold thought crossed his mind: *Could I strangle him right here?*

This was the only way a “rope” could kill.

But what about the “rules”?

In the end, he didn’t act.

Both men retreated awkwardly, tossing their tools back into the window.

Qi Xia watched the tall man, a faint smile playing on his lips as he silently recited: *”One burst of energy, then decline, then exhaustion.”*

Dr. Zhao rubbed his bruised thigh, pressing it a few times to check. The bone was fine—just a bruise. Relieved, he glared at his opponent.

“Big guy… Are you really going to do this?” Dr. Zhao asked.

“Brother… I’m sorry… But I can’t die, and I can’t let Su Shan die either…”

“You—” Dr. Zhao clenched his teeth, muttering curses under his breath.

Outside the glass room, the scene was entirely different.

Qi Xia and Su Shan sat quietly, staring at each other, their eyes filled with hidden malice.

“I offered ‘sincerity’ twice, but all I got was a ‘knife’ and a ‘stone,'” Qi Xia said. “I’m disappointed.”

“Sincerity? Really?” Su Shan stroked her chin. “Let me guess, Qi Xia—could there be another possibility?”

Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “I’m all ears.”

“Could it be that you started with too many ‘ropes,’ forcing you to play them for two rounds in a row?”

At this, Qi Xia’s pupils contracted slightly.

“Because you had to play ‘ropes,’ you came up with a plan—proposing ‘cooperation’ to me. If I agreed, you could safely exhaust your ‘ropes’ and then find a way to kill me later. If I refused, you could still use the ‘sincerity’ argument to influence my next move.” Su Shan lifted her bright eyes to meet his. “Am I being too presumptuous? Does this embarrass you?”

“Not at all,” Qi Xia replied, his face lighting up with delight. He tapped his temple. “I love playing against smart opponents. If I don’t die, I grow stronger.”

“Thanks for calling me smart,” Su Shan said with a faint smile. “Let’s continue.”

She reached for a card, glanced at it, and added it to her hand.

Qi Xia couldn’t decipher anything from her expression, so he lowered his head and drew his own card.

*”Please, give me a ‘knife,'”* he silently prayed.

He slowly lifted the card, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly.

*”Knife!”*

Su Shan, watching his expression, smirked.

*This man just slipped up.*

Qi Xia steadied himself, carefully adding the card to his hand and studying it for a long moment.

Now that he had a knife, he needed to rethink his strategy.

He looked up and asked, “Su Shan, I’m asking you one last time—are you sure you won’t cooperate?”

“No,” she replied firmly. “The ‘rules’ never mentioned teams working together. Besides, I can’t fully trust you.”

“In that case, don’t regret it.” Qi Xia slammed a card onto the table.

“Hah, we’ll see who regrets it.”

Without hesitation, Su Shan placed a card face down as well. “I’ve made my choice.”

Earth Rooster stepped forward. “Reveal your cards.”

They flipped their cards.

Su Shan’s card was a “shield.”

A cold smile crossed her lips as she looked at Qi Xia. “You wanted a fight, but I’ll leave you empty-handed.”

Qi Xia nodded and flipped his own card.

Another rope.