Chapter 31: The Rat Game

The few people outside the room were, after all, participating in the game actively for the first time, and everyone was a bit nervous.

“Qi Xia,” Lin Qin called out.

“What?”

“You once said that different animals represent different types of games, right?”

“Probably.”

Lin Qin glanced at the Rat in front of them and then asked quietly, “What kind of game do you think a ‘Rat Game’ is?”

Qi Xia was also considering this question. If they didn’t figure out the game type beforehand, Tian Tian would be at a disadvantage.

But what was associated with a “rat”?

“It looks like the current game fits the characteristics of a ‘rat’—searching for a target among a pile of clutter,” Qi Xia murmured. “Could ‘Rat’ games be ‘searching’ games?”

……

Inside the room, Tian Tian first scanned the space and noticed many shelves.

Each shelf was stacked with paper boxes of varying sizes, at least a hundred in total.

She picked up one at random and saw it was filled with miscellaneous items.

She quickly calculated—if she spent the next five minutes opening each box and rummaging through them, there was no way she’d find the “Dao” in time. There were simply too many.

She then looked up and noticed that the small warehouse had only one incandescent light, and the switch was on the wall beside her.

After a few seconds of thought, an idea struck her.

Summoning her strength, she pushed over an entire shelf, creating a loud crash.

The people outside immediately panicked at the noise.

“Hey! You alright, pretty girl?” Qiao Jiajin shouted.

“I’m fine,” Tian Tian called back. “I just thought of a way.”

Qi Xia pondered for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, that’s actually a good idea.”

“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin was stunned. “You knew that? Do you two have some kind of ‘telepathic whisper’ like in martial arts novels?”

Inside, the noise grew louder as Tian Tian toppled all the shelves, scattering boxes and their contents across the floor.

A flood of miscellaneous items spilled out.

Some boxes held plastic plates and bowls, others had old clothes, and still others were filled with scrap paper.

She then walked over to the remaining intact boxes and stomped on them forcefully. In no time, the once-neat warehouse was in complete disarray.

Panting, she surveyed the mess and decided the time was right. She walked to the wall and turned off the light.

The room plunged into darkness, leaving only the sound of her breathing.

“This…” Tian Tian frowned as she looked around.

In her mind, the “Dao” was supposed to emit a faint glow. With everything scattered, she thought she’d easily spot it in the dark.

But the moment the lights went out, the entire room was pitch-black. Not a single trace of light remained.

Refusing to give up, she cautiously stepped forward, kicking boxes around to widen her search area.

A glowing ball—why would it disappear completely in the dark?

After a while, she felt she had opened every box, yet still found nothing luminous.

Just then, the Rat knocked on the door from outside. “Ten seconds left.”

Tian Tian sighed in frustration and turned the light back on.

Under the sudden brightness, she realized she was standing amidst a pile of spilled canned goods.

She picked one up and read the label—beans.

She shook it, and sure enough, there was a rustling sound inside.

“I’m such an idiot…” She gritted her teeth. “Is it inside these cans?!”

*Creak—*

The Rat twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. “Time’s up. Challenge failed.”

Startled, Tian Tian looked up, meeting the Rat’s eerie face.

The three outside immediately stepped forward. “So, pretty girl, did you find it?” Qiao Jiajin asked.

“No…” Tian Tian tossed the can aside, standing up with a dejected expression. “I think the ‘Dao’ is hidden inside these cans. But trying to open dozens of them barehanded in five minutes… isn’t exactly easy.”

Qi Xia glanced down. The cans were all broad bean ones—hiding a “Dao” inside made sense.

But something still felt off.

Tian Tian stepped out of the room, casting a nervous glance at the Rat.

Yet the Rat did nothing else. She simply closed the door and resumed her post outside.

“So it really was just losing a ‘Dao’?” Tian Tian muttered. “She wasn’t going to take my life…”

The Rat chuckled. “When did I ever say I’d take your life?”

Qiao Jiajin, seeing this, nodded in realization. “I see… hey, Scammer, does this mean we can try again?”

“Try again?” Qi Xia frowned.

“We already know the ‘Dao’ is probably in those cans. This time, we can just focus on opening them. She won’t kill us anyway.”

Qi Xia checked his pocket—only one “Dao” remained.

The “Human Dragon” had once said these “Dao” were both their rewards and their “chips.”

If they spent too many here, they wouldn’t have enough for future games.

“Pretty girl, are you sure you checked all the other boxes?” Qiao Jiajin confirmed.

“I didn’t go through them one by one, but I opened everything and turned off the light,” Tian Tian admitted. “I didn’t see any glow, so… the ‘Dao’ must be sealed in something.”

“Got it. Then I’ll go in and try!” Qiao Jiajin declared.

But just then, Qi Xia suddenly held out an arm to stop him.

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

Qi Xia looked at the Rat. “Can I hear the rules one more time?”

“Of course!”

The Rat smiled and reopened the door.

To their shock, the room was now perfectly restored—shelves upright, boxes neatly arranged.

“What the—?!” Qiao Jiajin was stunned.

Lin Qin and Tian Tian gasped in disbelief.

The Rat stepped inside, scanning the room. “Well? Isn’t my ‘game’ amazing?”

Qi Xia nodded slowly.

The Rat continued, “My game is called ‘Seek the Dao.’ The entry fee is one ‘Dao.’ Inside this room is a ‘Dao.’ If you can find it within five minutes, it’s yours.”

She grinned warmly.

After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded again.

“I’ll play again,” he said.

“Sure, no problem,” the Rat agreed. “You can play as many times as you want.”

“This time,” Qi Xia said calmly, “I’m betting my life.”