Chapter 70: New Teammates

If roles were reversed, Zhang Chenze knew she would never sacrifice her own hand to save someone else’s life.

But Officer Li really did it.

His initial idea was simple—if he could dislocate his own wrist, it would be easy to slip out of the handcuffs.

But he made a mistake.

Qi Xia remembered when Officer Li had saved Han Yimo from the “harpoon” before—the situation had been just as urgent, yet he hadn’t faltered.

Perhaps this time, he was truly rattled.

While striking his hand with a wooden stick, he accidentally hit the handcuff instead.

And that was the nature of handcuffs—if force was applied from the outside, they would only tighten further.

He realized that even if he shattered every bone in his hand, he wouldn’t be able to free himself.

Seeing the water in the fish tank rising past Lawyer Zhang’s neck, Officer Li made a split-second decision—he abandoned his plan to break his hand and turned to his forearm instead.

This time, the force he used was even greater, so much so that he nearly passed out from the pain.

Lawyer Zhang could only tilt her head back, desperately gasping for air at the water’s surface.

Just as her consciousness was fading, the man arrived.

He immediately shut off the water valve and smashed the fish tank with the wooden stick.

Then, using his remaining left hand, he freed Lawyer Zhang from the wire binding her.

In those brief one or two minutes, Officer Li’s severed right arm was already bleeding profusely.

Zhang Chenze quickly snapped off a piece of wire and tightly bound his arm to stem the bleeding.

Only then did the two of them manage to escape that hellish place.

Lawyer Zhang looked sorrowfully at Officer Li’s body and said, “Just as he said… he was a policeman, so he couldn’t stand by and watch someone die.”

“No…” Qi Xia slowly shook his head. “Perhaps he was just trying to atone for a past mistake.”

“A past mistake?” The others looked at Qi Xia in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Qi Xia hesitated. Officer Li’s earlier confession wasn’t something he wanted widely known. Now that he was dead, perhaps it was best to let that secret be buried with him.

Lin Qin took off her coat and draped it over Lawyer Zhang’s shoulders.

“Lawyer Zhang, you’re soaked. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Old Lü, standing awkwardly nearby, felt out of place. After fidgeting for a while, he finally brought over the aluminum pot and said to Lawyer Zhang, “Hey, miss… my condolences. Want something to eat?”

Lawyer Zhang blinked in surprise. “And you are…?”

“I’m Lü… just call me Old Lü.” He gave a simple, honest smile. “A man is iron, food is steel—if you skip a meal, you’ll feel it.”

“He’s someone we met during the game,” Lin Qin explained. “Lawyer Zhang, you must be starving. Qi Xia specifically brought this pot of meat to find you.”

“Meat…”

Lawyer Zhang was indeed famished.

From the moment she arrived here, she hadn’t eaten anything in two full days.

She quickly took the pot and began devouring the cold, greasy chunks of meat inside.

Seeing her drenched, disheveled, and wolfing down food like this, no one would have guessed she was once a haughty lawyer.

After swallowing a few pieces, she mumbled through a full mouth, “Qi Xia… thank you.”

Qi Xia said nothing.

After all, the pot of meat had been meant for Officer Li. Now that he was gone, giving it to Lawyer Zhang wasn’t inappropriate.

At the very least, she seemed more reliable than Xiao Ran or Dr. Zhao.

“Qi Xia, I had some reservations about you before,” Lawyer Zhang continued. “But not only did you bring us food, you even brought Officer Li cigarettes. You’re very thoughtful.”

She pointed at the cigarette still dangling from Officer Li’s lips. “He searched for so long just to find two moldy cigarettes…”

Qi Xia frowned slightly, then stepped forward and plucked the cigarette from Officer Li’s mouth.

He had never seen this brand before. On the filter, four characters were printed: **”Dong Chong Xia Cao” (Cordyceps)**. Bringing it to his nose, he caught a strong scent of milk and medicinal herbs.

“That’s right. This is the cigarette I brought.” Qi Xia’s expression darkened. “It’s just a shame Officer Li never got to smoke it before he died.”

Lin Qin was puzzled. She had been by Qi Xia’s side the whole time, yet she didn’t recall him finding any cigarettes.

Qi Xia then picked up the metal lighter from Officer Li’s hand. “This lighter was also something I wanted to give him. Now, I suppose I’ll have to use it myself.”

No one objected, though Lin Qin still seemed confused.

Qi Xia stepped aside, examining the lighter and cigarette with a frown.

Something about this felt deeply unsettling. Could it all be connected to that bell?

He bent down and picked up the old cigarette box, inspecting it closely—but there were no hidden mechanisms.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qin approached and asked softly. “Is something off?”

Qi Xia’s brow furrowed. How could he explain it?

That Officer Li had pulled a cigarette from a pack?

Or that he had taken a lighter from his own pocket?

None of these things sounded unusual, yet they left Qi Xia utterly bewildered.

“Maybe I just misremembered.” He tucked the cigarette and lighter back into the box and turned around. “How’s Lawyer Zhang?”

“Her emotions have stabilized. What should we do now?”

Qi Xia nodded. “Our goal has always been the same, hasn’t it?”

With that, he walked up to Lawyer Zhang. “I’ll be blunt… can I borrow a ‘Tao’ from you?”

“Borrow… a ‘Tao’?” Lawyer Zhang raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right.” Qi Xia nodded. “To be honest, our ‘Tao’ was burned. We don’t have a single one left.”

Lawyer Zhang lowered her head, deep in thought.

“Qi Xia… I can give you all my ‘Tao.'” She looked up, her expression serious. “Let’s team up.”

Qi Xia pressed his lips together. “It’s not that I don’t want to team up with you… but being around me seems dangerous…”

He briefly recounted what had happened to Qiao Jiajin and Sweet Pea, then added, “I’m being targeted. They’ll kill the people around me to stop me.”

“Did Qiao Jiajin and Sweet Pea’s deaths affect you?” Lawyer Zhang asked.

“Well…”

“You weren’t affected at all.” She stated. “Which means killing those close to you won’t work as a threat.”

“Theoretically, yes.”

“Then I’ll be safe.” Lawyer Zhang slowly stood up. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you all my ‘Tao,’ and I’ll help you going forward. In exchange, you help me escape.”