Chapter 51: Xiao Xiao

They ate a small portion of the bear meat and then finished off the broth.

Admittedly, the broth tasted better than the bear meat itself.

Or perhaps it was because they were so thirsty that anything would have tasted delicious.

“Let’s leave the rest of the bear meat here,” Qi Xia said, stretching his limbs before addressing the group. “If we make it back tonight, we can have another meal.”

Xiao Xiao suddenly spoke up, “I want another bowl.”

With that, she picked up her bowl and scooped in more bear meat.

“Suit yourself.” Qi Xia slowly stood up and glanced at the sky—it was still afternoon.

“We need to hurry,” Qi Xia said. “The four of us have only earned ninety-five ‘Daos.’ At this rate, we’re far from our goal. Today’s target is three hundred and sixty.”

“Fair point,” Qiao Jiajin said, also rising to his feet. “Let’s go.”

Tiantian and Lin Qin packed up their things and dusted themselves off. When they turned around, they saw Xiao Xiao still sitting, seemingly oblivious as she continued eating from her bowl.

“Xiao Xiao, aren’t you coming?” Tiantian asked.

Xiao Xiao tossed a large, greasy chunk of meat into her mouth, licked her fingers, but didn’t respond.

“Don’t bother with her,” Qi Xia said, sensing that this woman had ulterior motives. It was better for them to part ways sooner rather than later. “Let’s go.”

Qiao Jiajin nodded and turned to follow Qi Xia.

Just then, a deep, resonant bell tolled in the distance.

**”DONG!!!”**

Confusion flickered across everyone’s faces.

Before Qi Xia could speak, he saw a “wall” flying toward him.

“What the—?”

Before he could react, he slammed face-first into it.

Several seconds passed before he realized what had happened.

It wasn’t a “flying wall”—he had fallen flat on the ground.

He had never experienced such a bizarre sensation before—as if all his senses had been scrambled.

With difficulty, Qi Xia turned his head and saw Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Tiantian sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

“What is this…?”

The situation felt surreal. Qi Xia shook his head in disbelief. He tried to lift his left hand, but his right moved instead.

He tried to stand but only collapsed again.

It felt like being drunk, yet his mind was oddly clear.

Xiao Xiao remained seated, devouring the leftover meat as if nothing had happened.

“What… did you do?” Qi Xia glared at her. “Did you poison us?”

Even as he asked, doubt crept into his mind.

Xiao Xiao had eaten more bear meat than anyone else. If it had been poisoned, why was she unaffected?

“Qi Xia, listen,” Xiao Xiao said calmly. “The bell has rung.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means… I want to make a deal with you.” She set down her empty bowl and stood up.

“A deal…?” Qi Xia stared at the slightly plump woman in disbelief. He had assumed she was just scheming, but now she seemed far more dangerous than he’d imagined.

She had complete control now. He had no choice but to listen.

“What kind of deal?” he asked.

“Stop collecting ‘Daos,'” Xiao Xiao said. “Just live here peacefully.”

“What…?”

Qi Xia had considered many possibilities, but this was not one of them.

She wasn’t after their ‘Daos’?

“You want me to live here peacefully?!” Qi Xia tried to get up but found his limbs unresponsive. He could only snarl from the ground, “Why the hell would I want to live here?!”

Xiao Xiao wiped the grease from her hands onto her pants, then walked over and took the ‘Daos’ from each of their belts.

Finally, she crouched beside Qi Xia and said expressionlessly, “Because you’re too strong. You might actually gather enough ‘Daos.'”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Qi Xia gritted his teeth. “I’ll solve the mystery of this damn place and get everyone out.”

“No. I can’t let that happen.” She shook her head coldly. “I won’t allow anyone to succeed. I must protect this place. If you keep pushing, you’ll regret it.”

“So that’s it…” Qi Xia scoffed. “You seem normal, but you’re actually insane. You want me to live here forever, like those mindless husks? Has no one told you this hellhole only has ten days left? It’s going to collapse!”

“It’s going to collapse?” Xiao Xiao nodded, unsurprised. “Then let me rephrase—I want you to quietly wait for the collapse. No more collecting ‘Daos.'”

“You… lunatic…” Qi Xia muttered. “What if I refuse? Will you kill me?”

“Maybe.”

“You won’t.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Because you could kill me right now.” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes. “You had the chance but chose to ‘negotiate.’ Why?”

Xiao Xiao frowned, then turned and moved the pot aside before tossing all the ‘Daos’ into the fire.

“Hey!!” Qi Xia roared. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

As the flames crackled, the ‘Daos’ they had risked their lives for turned to ash.

Xiao Xiao turned back, her expression sorrowful. “I’m sparing you because I hope you’ll join us one day.”

Qi Xia felt like he was talking to a brick wall. “Are you deaf? There are only ten days left! Everything here will vanish. What do you mean ‘join us one day’?”

He paused, then asked, “And who the hell is ‘us’?”

“Qi Xia,” Xiao Xiao said, “in ten days, you’ll understand everything—this place, these people…”

She pointed at the three unconscious figures on the ground. “They don’t matter. Their lives are worthless. But you—you must stay here.”

“Bullshit.” Qi Xia snarled. “How would you know what they mean to me?”

“I…” Xiao Xiao hesitated, then said, “I can prove to you how little their lives matter.”

“What are you—?”

Without another word, Xiao Xiao pulled off her shirt, revealing a sports bra beneath.

Only then did Qi Xia realize—she wasn’t “slightly plump” at all. Her muscle definition surpassed even Qiao Jiajin’s. Her abs were sharply defined, her arms like stone pillars.

Her broad shoulders and imposing frame had initially made her seem overweight.

Though her face was slender, no one could have guessed that beneath that baggy T-shirt lay a powerhouse of muscle.