Chapter 141: Seesaw

“Teamwork?!” Qi Xia was taken aback. “You mean… the four of us as a group, working together to play the game?”

“Exactly.”

Qi Xia took a deep breath, feeling that “teamwork” sounded much more reliable than “intellectual quizzes.”

In other words, he could use his own strength to protect Qiao Jiajin and Sweetie as much as possible.

“What are the specific rules?” Qi Xia asked again.

“Enter the room, and you’ll know.”

Qi Xia glanced at the room behind the Dragon. It was an extremely small space, no bigger than a public restroom.

Given that, the game inside this room definitely wouldn’t be too complicated. Even in the worst-case scenario, it would probably just be a team escape challenge.

“Will there be a ‘traitor’ in this game?” Qi Xia asked.

“Of course not,” the Dragon shook his head. “As long as the four of you remain united and work together, you’ll surely win.”

“Is there any chance we’ll turn on each other?” Qi Xia pressed.

“I promise you, absolutely not,” the Dragon replied firmly.

Hearing this, Qi Xia knew it was worth taking the gamble.

“In that case, let’s go together.”

The Dragon slowly smiled.

“Good, very good.” He nodded and stepped aside, revealing the door behind him. He didn’t enter but simply made way for Qi Xia and the others.

Qi Xia exchanged a glance with Yun Yao before stepping forward cautiously.

Qiao Jiajin and Sweetie followed closely behind, and the four of them entered the room.

Once inside, they realized the room was barely three or four square meters, with metal walls and a floor made of iron mesh.

In the corner sat an old wooden stool, on which lay a gleaming long knife.

On the left wall hung a digital countdown timer, frozen at ten minutes.

In this cramped, transparent “little toilet,” what kind of game were they supposed to play?

*Click.*

A sharp sound echoed as the door behind them predictably slammed shut.

Qi Xia turned around to find the entrance had transformed into a solid metal wall.

“Dang it…” Qiao Jiajin cursed under his breath. “That bastard didn’t even explain the rules. Did he forget?”

“No,” Qi Xia replied calmly. “Let’s wait and see.”

No sooner had he spoken than all four noticed something bizarre.

The iron mesh beneath their feet was still there, but the ground below was rapidly descending. The four of them stood on the mesh floor, now seemingly suspended in midair.

Yun Yao gripped the metal wall nervously, her instincts sharp. After a moment, she realized the truth: “Our room… is rising? Like an elevator?”

Yes, compared to a “toilet,” this place did resemble an “elevator” more.

But why was the floor made of mesh?

The room was clearly moving fast, yet they couldn’t see anything outside—only darkness through the gaps in the mesh.

At least the mesh was sturdy enough that they wouldn’t fall to their deaths.

“Be careful,” Qiao Jiajin said as he picked up the knife from the stool, holding it securely. “With all this shaking, watch your step so you don’t trip onto the blade.”

Time passed indeterminably before the room jolted to a stop—but the situation was far from stable.

It felt as if the room was tethered to a bungee cord, swaying violently up and down.

Looking down, they saw flames erupting a dozen meters below them. The fire blazed directly beneath, sending wisps of smoke curling up into the “elevator.”

“What’s this for?” Qiao Jiajin crouched, peering through the mesh. “Making barbecue? But the fire’s way too far down.”

Qi Xia knew the Dragon wouldn’t do anything meaningless. But what did the “fire” signify?

“Welcome, everyone, to my game arena,” the Dragon’s voice suddenly echoed eerily from all directions.

“Hey! Where are you, you bastard?!” Qiao Jiajin took a step forward—only for the entire room to sway dangerously, forcing him to brace against the wall.

“Don’t move!” Qi Xia’s instincts screamed. “We’re hanging from something unstable!”

The others quickly realized he was right.

The Dragon’s laughter reverberated before he announced loudly:

“This game is called ‘Seesaw.’ As long as you aren’t eliminated, each of you will earn ten ‘tokens.’ The game begins now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the ten-minute countdown started ticking.

“What?!” Yun Yao gasped. “It’s starting already? What about the rules?!”

“No…” Qi Xia muttered in dread. “The name ‘Seesaw’ *is* the rule…”

He cautiously moved a few steps and felt along the walls until he found a hidden window—no larger than a tennis ball, about five or six centimeters in diameter.

With a gentle push, the small window slid open.

Qi Xia swallowed hard and peered outside. Instantly, every hair on his body stood on end.

Dragons were still dragons, after all.

Could such a structure even exist?

His pupils flickered wildly as he staggered back.

The others, seeing his reaction, rushed to the window—only for their hearts to freeze in terror.

Outside, stretching into the distance, was a massive metal beam dozens of meters long.

At one end was their “elevator.” At the other, another identical room.

Someone in that room had also discovered the window and was staring back—but the distance was too great, the window too small, for either side to make out details.

The enormous metal beam resembled a seesaw, fixed at the center with two rooms hanging at either end, swaying ever so slightly.

“Damn it… a seesaw…” Qi Xia cursed under his breath. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Oi, trickster… what the hell is this…?” Qiao Jiajin blinked rapidly, sweat dripping as he glanced at the flames far below.

A seesaw was inherently unstable. Sooner or later, the slightest weight difference would send one side plummeting.

And beneath them was fire.

If they sank, everyone in the room would burn alive.

“We have to get lighter…” Qi Xia muttered. “Our room needs to be lighter to survive…”

Before he could finish, the room lurched downward—they were heavier than the other side.

“Shit…”

Everyone except Sweetie reacted instantly, rushing toward the side closest to the beam.

“Sweetie, come here!” Qiao Jiajin called.

She nodded and hurried to join them.

By the principles of leverage, standing near the edge would amplify their weight. The other team must’ve realized this too—meaning they were no pushovers.

……

Chu Tianqiu finished humming a tune, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Let me guess,” he said, opening his eyes. “You want to protect your teammates with your own strength, so you agreed to the Dragon’s game, didn’t you?”

He straightened up and studied the chessboard.

On the right: four “pawns.” On the left: a “king,” “queen,” “knight,” and “bishop.”

These eight pieces were converging from both sides, surrounding a monstrous figure.

“Sometimes, overconfidence is its own terminal illness.”

Chu Tianqiu pondered for a moment before reaching out and removing the monster from the center of the board.

Now the formation looked odd.

Eight pieces stood divided, poised for battle—but they no longer seemed focused on the monster.

Instead, they appeared ready to turn on each other.