Chapter 81: Give Up?

Pain.

Qi Xia held his head, trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Qin stood beside him, watching with a troubled expression.

Though she had witnessed this scene more than once, Qi Xia’s reaction always unsettled her.

Kneeling on the ground, Qi Xia wailed in agony—the pain in his mind far surpassing the stab wound on his shoulder.

Jiang Ruoxue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and remarked, “Your leader seems… odd. Is he always like this?”

“Apparently, he gets a headache every time someone dies.”

“Then why doesn’t it hurt when he kills people?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.

“Well…”

Lin Qin had no idea how Qi Xia’s headaches worked, but from what she remembered, they only flared up after someone’s death.

“He looks like he’s been hypnotized,” Jiang Ruoxue continued. “Every time he’s supposed to feel grief, his brain numbs it with pain instead.”

Lin Qin’s eyes widened as if struck by sudden insight.

“Hypnosis?!”

“Oh? You know about hypnosis?” Jiang Ruoxue turned to her.

Lin Qin didn’t answer immediately, lost in thought. “That makes sense… If it’s hypnosis, it could explain this effect… But it would require an incredibly skilled hypnotist and Qi Xia’s complete cooperation… No one in the country should be capable of that…”

Her confusion only deepened.

If no one domestically could achieve it, international hypnotists were even less likely.

Unlike other psychological methods, hypnosis demanded the subject’s native language—otherwise, the mind would resist, preventing the subconscious from unlocking.

“So, you’re a psychiatrist?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.

“A psychological counselor,” Lin Qin corrected. “Jiang Ruoxue, do you understand hypnosis?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “But I’ve been hypnotized before. The hypnotist once gave me an example—under certain conditions, a person could ‘seal away’ their emotions through hypnosis. Qi Xia seems like a textbook case.”

“Exactly… That kind of technique is purely theoretical. Practically no one could pull it off…”

As they spoke, heavy footsteps echoed—Earth Dog had arrived.

“Tsk… What a mess…” He glanced at the corpses—the bald man, the blond, and Old Lü—with a troubled expression. “You players really don’t know how to hold back…”

Without another word, he strode toward the barely breathing A Mu and crushed his skull underfoot.

Brains and emerald-green hair sprayed like fireworks across the ground.

Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin turned away. Though they’d seen death many times, the slaughter of human lives like livestock still sickened them.

“I suppose it’s my turn,” Jiang Ruoxue said, smiling at the approaching Earth Dog. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Let’s catch up later.”

Earth Dog, recognizing her willingness to die, seemed to grasp something.

Without hesitation, he reached for her neck.

“Wait…” Qi Xia slowly stood up, his expression no longer pained.

“What now?” Earth Dog turned to him.

“We’re keeping this ‘traitor,'” Qi Xia said, clutching his shoulder. “From now on, she’s part of our team. You can’t kill her.”

Everyone froze—even Jiang Ruoxue was stunned.

“What are you doing…? I never helped you.”

“Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t break the rules, right?” Qi Xia locked eyes with Earth Dog.

After a moment’s thought, Earth Dog nodded. “Fair enough. As long as you discard your own ‘traitor,’ you can take in a new one.”

He withdrew his hand and pulled out a filthy cloth pouch.

“Twenty ‘Dao’—along with all the corpses here—are your prize.” He tossed the pouch and walked away.

“Corpses as a prize…” Qi Xia’s gaze darkened. “I’m starting to hate this damn place.”

“You just don’t appreciate their value,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “Corpses are a treasure. Many survivors rely on them to stay alive.”

“Eat corpses…?” Lin Qin blinked. “Seriously?”

“What else do you expect to find here?”

Before Lin Qin could reply, Lawyer Zhang suddenly spoke up: “Article 302 of the Criminal Law: Desecration of a corpse. Theft, insult, or intentional destruction of a corpse, skeletal remains, or ashes is punishable by up to three years in prison, detention, or surveillance.”

“Are you okay?” Jiang Ruoxue frowned. “Do laws even apply here?”

Lawyer Zhang seemed dazed, staring at her bloodstained hands. “Article 232: Intentional homicide is punishable by death, life imprisonment, or a minimum of ten years…”

Jiang Ruoxue and Lin Qin exchanged glances and shook their heads.

“It was self-defense,” Qi Xia said. “I saw that man throw himself into the glass. It wasn’t your fault.”

Zhang Chenze snapped out of it, hurrying to Qi Xia’s side to examine his wound.

It reminded her of Han Yimo.

Han Yimo had died soon after an injury to his left shoulder—would Qi Xia be next?

“Everyone, split the twenty ‘Dao’… and whatever’s on the bodies,” Qi Xia said, pushing the pouch forward.

“We take it all? What about you?” Lawyer Zhang asked.

“My wound won’t stop bleeding,” Qi Xia muttered. “Even if I bandage it, I’ll be immobilized for days. I’ve lost this game.”

“What are you saying…?” Lin Qin panicked. “If you give up now, what was all that effort for?”

“Right, it’s too soon… Let’s go back to Dr. Zhao!” Lawyer Zhang pleaded, voice trembling.

“Pointless.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Even if Dr. Zhao helps, he can only bandage the wound. He can’t make it heal faster.”

Gritting his teeth, Qi Xia stood and looked at them, defeated.

“I didn’t want to quit. My wife is waiting for me at home… But I can’t go on. The rest is up to you.” After a pause, he added, “If you don’t want to keep playing, I won’t blame you. Everyone’s life is their own.”

Jiang Ruoxue crossed her arms and smirked. “Qi Xia, are you putting on a show for me?”