Chapter 37: Team Division

“Here it comes!” Little Glasses cheered excitedly. “Finally, it’s here!”

The towering man slowly approached. Standing at about 1.9 meters tall with a buzz cut, he yawned while patting his pockets before asking the Minotaur, “How much?”

“One ‘Dao’ per ticket.”

The burly man pulled a small sphere from his pocket and flicked it with his thumb toward the Minotaur, who caught it effortlessly.

“Had enough sleep… let’s begin.” The man stretched lazily, cracking his neck before muttering, “Let’s see what kind of nonsense you’ve cooked up this time.”

Qi Xia and the other three eyed the intimidating man, sensing he was no pushover.

Qiao Jiajin barely spared him a glance—he’d seen plenty like him on the streets.

These types relied on brute strength to bully others, and Qiao Jiajin had personally reduced a few to tears.

The question was—was this man just another paper tiger?

Once the group reached twenty, they began stepping forward one by one to pay their “tickets.”

After a moment’s thought, Qi Xia took out four ‘Dao.’

It wasn’t a small amount for them—handing these over left them with just one remaining.

“Are we really doing this?” Qiao Jiajin asked. “What about our strategy?”

“I’m torn too,” Qi Xia admitted. “It’s risky, but a game with twenty participants isn’t easy to come by. Worth a gamble.”

With the others’ agreement, Qi Xia dropped the four ‘Dao’ into the Minotaur’s box.

“Good.” The Minotaur nodded, turning to open the door, revealing a descending staircase leading underground.

“All participants, enter.”

He turned and slowly descended the stairs, the participants following cautiously behind, their expressions wary as they ventured deeper.

“This place is huge… nothing like the ‘Rat’ game,” Tian Tian whispered.

“Stay alert,” Qi Xia replied. “I’ve got a bad feeling.”

The middle-aged man’s earlier claim that this game would “kill” weighed heavily on him.

But what Qi Xia feared wasn’t death—it was being trapped forever in this bizarre place.

As a conman, he’d gambled with his life countless times, yet always survived.

This time was no different—just another tightrope walk over a blade.

Soon, they reached the bottom of the stairs.

A dimly lit, musty room awaited them, its center lined with twenty chairs.

Two doors stood on opposite walls, painted yellow and green.

“Take your seats,” the Minotaur instructed. “No need to worry—the game hasn’t started yet.”

The group sat hesitantly, Qi Xia and his team settling side by side.

They then noticed small lights on the armrests—one yellow, one green.

“Since this is a team game, to ensure fairness, we’ll now conduct ‘random team assignments.’ Stay seated—any movement will trigger immediate ‘sanctions.'”

Unease rippled through the crowd.

Little Glasses and the middle-aged man reacted most strongly. “What?! Team assignments?!”

Qi Xia stroked his chin, realizing this setup favored the organizers.

If this was a gambling game, the house would rig it to minimize the players’ odds—splitting teams was the perfect way.

The Minotaur walked to a corner, found a button, then turned to give the group a knowing look. “The game begins now.”

With that, he pressed it.

The lights on every chair flickered wildly, yellow and green flashing in the dim space like some eerie spectacle.

Qi Xia watched his armrest light, tension creeping in.

If “Ox” truly represented a strength-based game, it was outside his expertise—he’d have to rely on Qiao Jiajin’s brute force.

But if he could think that, so could others.

Like Little Glasses and the pudgy man, who’d brought their own muscle.

Yet the Minotaur seemed to anticipate this, countering it with “random teams.”

Qi Xia knew if luck turned against him—if he and Qiao Jiajin ended up on opposite sides—their chances would plummet.

Before he could strategize, the lights stopped flashing.

Some chairs glowed yellow, others green.

Teams were set.

Qi Xia scanned their group—relief and concern warring within.

He and Qiao Jiajin were both yellow, teamed up. But the girls were green, on the opposing side. If this was a strength game, they’d be at a severe disadvantage.

Murmurs of discontent spread—clearly, others weren’t happy with their assignments either.

“Rules,” the Minotaur rumbled. “Teams play separately in their own arenas, unconnected. Survive ten minutes without elimination, and you pass. Each survivor earns ‘Dao’ equal to the number of survivors.”

The crowd erupted.

“Hey!” The middle-aged man shot to his feet. “That’s no damn explanation! What kind of game is this? What are we facing?!”

The group fell silent, expecting clarification, but the Minotaur merely glanced at him and said, “Yellow team, follow me.”

“You—!” The man clenched his teeth, swallowing his fury.

Already seething from being separated from his allies, the vague rules pushed him to the edge. Little Glasses tugged at his sleeve, trying to calm him.

Qi Xia turned to Tian Tian and Lin Qin. “Whatever’s behind that door, stay cautious. Survival first.”

The girls nodded nervously.

“Let’s go.” Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin stepped forward.

Their “teammates” didn’t inspire confidence—six of the ten were women. If this was a strength-based team game, they were in for a brutal fight.

Besides them, their only male allies were Little Glasses and the middle-aged man. The opposing team, meanwhile, had only Tian Tian and Lin Qin as female members.

“Dammit…” Qiao Jiajin muttered, eyeing their scrawny and overweight teammates.

“Enough,” Qi Xia said. “We’ll have to carry this ourselves.”

The yellow team lined up at their door, the green team at theirs.

With a metallic groan, the doors swung open, revealing yet another downward staircase.

Qiao Jiajin strode in without hesitation, the others quickening their pace behind him.

The stairs were short but steep, leading to a cavernous space roughly half a basketball court in size. At its center sat a circular iron plate, table-sized.

Qi Xia scanned the area—high walls on all sides, a massive iron gate ahead, and above it, a digital countdown timer frozen at ten minutes.