“This…” Dr. Zhao took a slow step back at the sight. “Qi Xia, this thing looks terrifying. Let’s pick another one…”
“Oh?” Qi Xia turned his head. “It’s just a chicken. Among the twelve zodiacs, ‘chicken’ sounds like the safest animal. What are you afraid of?”
“But… but where in the world would you find a rooster this big?” Dr. Zhao shook his head like a rattle-drum. “Anyway, it looks creepy. Let’s just choose a different—”
“I’ve already decided.” Qi Xia cut him off. “Dr. Zhao, our goal is to escape this place. Whether it’s collecting three thousand six hundred ‘tokens’ or clearing all the games, we *have* to take down ‘Earth Chicken,’ right?”
“But… Qi Xia, you—” Dr. Zhao took another step back.
Qi Xia suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Dr. Zhao, even if I have to knock you out, I *will* drag you into signing up for ‘Earth Chicken’s’ game. By then, you might not even know how you died.”
“You— Qi Xia, have you lost your mind?” Dr. Zhao’s eyes turned cold as he shoved Qi Xia away. “What the hell is your goal?”
“My goal is to escape this place,” Qi Xia replied. “If you can be of use to me, I’ll take you with me.”
Dr. Zhao’s expression hardened. He glanced at Qi Xia, then at the distant Earth Chicken.
“But are you sure you can pull it off?” he asked.
“I can’t say for certain, but I’ll do my best,” Qi Xia answered.
Seeing Qi Xia’s resolute expression, Dr. Zhao stroked his chin in thought.
The gesture made Qi Xia smirk.
*Just as I thought. Everyone lies.*
*Dr. Zhao… what’s your true face?*
“If you really want to join a ‘chicken’ game, I suggest finding a more worn-out mask.”
“No, this one.” Qi Xia insisted. “Dr. Zhao, I’ll give you one last chance to reconsider.”
“Dammit…” Dr. Zhao cursed. “Why won’t you listen?! Do you even know what this hyper-realistic ‘chicken’ represents?!”
“This isn’t about listening or not.” Qi Xia’s expression turned eerie. “Dr. Zhao, I want to forge a deep bond with you. And for that, we *must* go through life and death together.”
“A deep bond…?” Dr. Zhao blinked. “Are you serious?”
“More or less.” Qi Xia shrugged ambiguously.
Dr. Zhao lowered his head, silent for a long while, lost in thought.
“Qi Xia, does this game require a lot of participants?”
“Probably.”
“Will there be any girls?”
“Girls…?”
Qi Xia frowned. The question struck him as bizarre.
“How would I know?” he replied. “That’s not something I can control.”
After a long pause, Dr. Zhao looked up at the empty distance ahead and finally said, “Fine. Let’s give it a shot.”
Qi Xia sighed internally. He and Dr. Zhao clearly weren’t on the same wavelength—he couldn’t even begin to guess what the other was thinking.
The two slowly approached Earth Chicken.
“You two! Hurry up and join!!” Earth Chicken suddenly shouted, startling them. Despite his masculine build, his voice was unnervingly high-pitched. “We’ve been waiting for you!!”
“Oh? Are there others already?” Qi Xia asked. “How do we participate?”
“Five ‘tokens’ per person!! Win, and you get fifteen each!!” Earth Chicken bellowed. “Teams of two can join!!”
“Pretty steep…” Qi Xia glanced at Dr. Zhao. “Let’s take the gamble.”
“Whatever.” Dr. Zhao sighed in resignation.
Qi Xia pulled out all ten of his ‘tokens’ and handed them to Earth Chicken before turning back. “Dr. Zhao, what kind of game is ‘chicken’?”
“‘Chicken’…” Dr. Zhao hesitated. “How should I know?!”
“I’m a *conflict*-type game!!” Earth Chicken suddenly interjected. “A small number of players engage in thrilling *combat* every time!!”
Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “Then this time—”
“Two versus two!!” Earth Chicken roared.
He seemed extremely impatient, always cutting straight to the answer.
“Perfect, isn’t it?” Qi Xia patted Dr. Zhao’s shoulder. “Let’s see how well we can work together.”
“Don’t regret it if you die.”
“Noted.”
The two followed Earth Chicken into the room.
It was a remodeled game parlor, lavishly decorated.
The only furniture was an ornate square table at the center, with a stack of cards placed in the middle.
Three walls were paneled with vintage birchwood, but the fourth was bizarre—
To the left of the table stood a wall made entirely of transparent glass.
It resembled a recording studio. From the table, they could clearly see what lay beyond the glass.
“Earth Chicken, didn’t you say we were the last ones needed? Where are our opponents?” Qi Xia asked.
“They’re not here yet!!” Earth Chicken fumed. “As long as *you* showed up, it’s fine! One team at a time! We’ll wait slowly!!”
Qi Xia sighed inwardly. This guy was *anything* but patient.
Despite saying they’d “wait slowly,” Earth Chicken kept pacing, darting outside to check for the next team.
“We’ve already paid the entry fee. Can you at least explain the rules first?” Qi Xia pressed.
“Too complicated!!” Earth Chicken howled. “My rules are *way* too complicated! I can only explain them *once*—when everyone’s here!”
Qi Xia nodded slightly, then eyed the cards on the table.
“If you won’t explain the rules, can we at least inspect the props?”
“No! You’re cheating!!” Earth Chicken roared. “I’ll *kill* you!!”
Qi Xia swallowed hard.
No matter how deranged he seemed, Earth Chicken was still an *Earth-level* entity.
A monster like that could crush them with a flick of his fingers.
Since Earth Chicken refused to reveal the rules, Qi Xia could only make rough guesses.
The table had a deck of cards in the center. Was this a four-player card game?
But if so… how did “conflict” factor in?
And what was the glass room for?
After racking his brain, Qi Xia still couldn’t fathom what kind of game this lunatic had devised. He shook his head helplessly and closed his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zhao kept nervously scanning the room, his expression a mix of anticipation and dread.
After about half an hour, the second team finally arrived.
Earth Chicken, pumped with adrenaline, coaxed and cajoled the man and woman into the room.
The man was towering—close to six-foot-three—while the girl seemed quiet, her gaze unusually profound.
They walked in, eyeing Qi Xia and Dr. Zhao warily before taking their seats at the table.
“Uh… hi,” the man greeted.
Neither Qi Xia nor Dr. Zhao responded, staring coldly instead.
If this was a *conflict* game, pleasantries were pointless.
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