The speed of the room’s ascent surged once more.
Qi Xia pressed against the dark window and peered out. The opposing room, like an elevator with severed cables, was plummeting relentlessly toward the flames.
A bitter feeling churned in his chest.
Was the other room also occupied by a team?
Were there four of them too?
And now, they were about to die without even knowing why.
Just as the room was on the verge of plunging into the fire, its descent suddenly slowed.
Qi Xia frowned, realizing the other team must have tossed out all their stools as well.
Seemed they had a strong member among them too.
Now, the weights of both rooms were nearly balanced again—possibly even reverting to the initial state.
Qi Xia pondered briefly before swiftly stripping off his shirt, rolling it into a bundle, and hurling it out through the dark window.
He turned back, about to speak, only to find Qiao Jiajin already pulling off his own shirt.
“Throw mine out too!” he said, then immediately began unbuttoning his pants.
“Hey, you—” Yun Yao covered her eyes awkwardly. “What are you—”
“Don’t worry! I won’t strip completely!”
“Then… what about us?” Tian Tian asked hesitantly.
“You two don’t bother,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Your clothes don’t weigh enough. It’s pointless.”
He took Qiao Jiajin’s shirt and jeans without another word and shoved them out.
Next, he kicked off his own and Qiao Jiajin’s shoes and tossed them out as well.
Yun Yao and Tian Tian followed suit, removing their shoes, slicing them apart with the knife, and discarding the pieces.
Now stripped down to their underwear, the two men rushed to the wall and peered out anxiously.
Sure enough, the balance was disrupted again.
The opposing room had barely begun to rise before it started sinking once more.
There was indeed a clever strategist on the other side—but they were always one step behind Qi Xia.
In a life-or-death game like this, even a single moment’s hesitation could mean hell.
This time, the other room was doomed to fall into the fire.
But as Qi Xia watched the distant room accelerate downward, his expression twisted in sudden realization.
“Wait!” He spun around and shouted at the others, “Grab the iron mesh on the floor—now!”
“Huh?”
The three froze for a split second before mimicking Qi Xia, crouching and gripping the iron mesh tightly.
Through the gaps in the floor, they could see the distant room below.
With a thunderous impact, it crashed into the flames, sending fiery sparks erupting in all directions, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
The next instant, the room rebounded violently from the collision, like a seesaw flung upward.
The metal beam connecting the two rooms groaned under the strain.
Their own room mirrored the motion—lurching upward before plummeting back down. Had they not been holding onto the mesh, they would’ve been thrown across the room and injured.
Faint, distorted screams echoed from the distant room, barely audible.
But everyone knew—whether burned or battered, the other team had suffered grievously.
Even that brief exposure to the flames would’ve been enough to scorch their clothes and hair.
“Damn it…” Qi Xia gritted his teeth, slamming a fist against the floor. “Why…?”
He shut his eyes, unable to bear the sight or the sounds any longer.
But the expected screams never came.
“Oi… Scammer… Something’s not right…” Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia urgently. “Look!”
Qi Xia opened his eyes—their room was slowly descending, while the opposing one, wreathed in flames, rose steadily like a burning sun.
“What the hell?”
The recoil from the impact might’ve caused a brief rise, but sustained ascent was impossible…
Had they devised another strategy?
Was there something else to discard that Qi Xia hadn’t considered?
“What is it?”
He frantically scanned their surroundings—they’d already stripped themselves of every extraneous item.
So why was the other room still rising?
Tian Tian suddenly raised a trembling hand toward Qiao Jiajin.
“What’re you doing?” he demanded.
“My hands are small… They could be thrown out,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“I said no!” Qiao Jiajin shook his head vehemently. “There’s another way! We’ll think of something!”
“There’s no time!” Tian Tian screamed. “In less than a minute, we’ll be in the fire! I’d rather die in pain than burn alive!”
“No, no, no…” Qiao Jiajin refused. “Scammer’s here—he’ll figure it out!”
“If you won’t do it, I will!” she snapped. “Give me the knife!”
“I said NO!”
Their shouting clawed at Qi Xia’s mind, amplifying his headache.
He couldn’t let Tian Tian mutilate herself—but what other option was there?
Would cutting off one hand—or both—be enough?
Or…
Qi Xia’s face twisted in self-disgust. He slapped himself hard.
“Qi Xia, what the hell are you thinking?” he muttered. “Don’t do this to her. Calm down… Think! Use your knowledge!”
Yun Yao glanced at him. He looked utterly tormented, his despair deeper than ever.
“Lenssen’s Principle? No… Disaster Fallacy? Not that either…” He clawed at his hair, muttering incoherently.
The room continued its slow descent. Scorching heat seeped in, drenching them in sweat. Every second stretched into an eternity.
Unable to bear it, Qiao Jiajin grabbed the knife and strode to a corner. Without a word, he began hacking at the iron mesh on the floor.
“What are you doing?” Yun Yao wiped her brow.
“Trying to help Scammer,” he said flatly. “I’m stupid—this is all I can think of. Cutting part of the mesh away.”
“Cut the… mesh?” Both Yun Yao and Qi Xia froze.
“Yeah. Only thing I got.”
“That’s it!” Qi Xia scrambled to his feet, his expression wild. “That’s brilliant!”
He stumbled over to Qiao Jiajin, watching as he struck the mesh.
But the metal was stubborn. Despite Qiao Jiajin’s strength, each blow only chipped away at it. At this rate, they’d burn before making progress.
Yun Yao sank to her knees, covering her face in despair. It was over.
Yet Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin refused to give up. Abandoning the knife, they gripped the partially severed mesh and wrenched at it with all their might.
A metallic screech echoed—but the mesh held firm. Their weight remained unchanged.
“Qiao Jiajin, strike here again!” Qi Xia pointed at a joint in the mesh.
“Got it!”
He turned to grab the knife—only to find it missing.
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