“Heh…” Han Yimo gave a bitter smile. “Dr. Zhao, you’re overthinking it. As a novelist, the last thing I want to talk about is my own work… If I have free time, I’d rather forget everything about my stories and just relax.”
“Then let’s talk about something else!” Dr. Zhao was slowly stitching the wound, but since it was circular, it was more complicated than usual. He steadied himself and asked, “Tell me, how do you usually relax aside from writing?”
“I… play games.”
Dr. Zhao nodded. “That’s great! I play games after work too. What do you play?”
Han Yimo, weakened from blood loss, responded slowly after a long pause. “League of Legends… There’s a female ninja called ‘Akali’ in it. I really like that character.”
“Oh?” Dr. Zhao chuckled. “What a coincidence. I play League too, and I also like Akali.”
Though his tone was calm, everyone noticed his hands trembling slightly. After years as a doctor, this was the first time he had stitched a wound without anesthesia while the patient was fully conscious. It was unclear whether he genuinely liked the character or was just humoring Han Yimo.
“Dr. Zhao, you like Akali too?” Han Yimo weakly nodded. “I’m fascinated by everything about her… This female ninja called ‘the Fist of Shadow’—I feel her backstory is also…”
Dr. Zhao paused briefly before gently touching Han Yimo’s face. “Han Yimo, can you see me?”
“Huh?” Han Yimo didn’t understand why the doctor suddenly asked that but replied, “I can see you…”
“Who am I?”
“You’re Dr. Zhao…”
Dr. Zhao nodded. “Han Yimo, you’re hallucinating now. You need to stay awake.”
“Hallucinating?” Han Yimo felt relatively normal and didn’t understand. “Aren’t we having a normal conversation? How could I be hallucinating…?”
“It must be the blood loss. Your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen. The character you mentioned, Akali—her title is ‘the Rogue Assassin,’ not ‘the Fist of Shadow.'”
“Rogue Assassin?” Han Yimo squinted, confused. He had never heard that name before. Was this also part of the hallucination?
Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia and asked, “Hey, swindler, what are they talking about?”
“No idea,” Qi Xia shook his head. “I don’t play games. I don’t get it.”
“I’ve played arcade games,” Qiao Jiajin pursed his lips. “But I’ve never heard of this one. Is this hero battle game more fun than ‘Fatal Fury’…?”
Qi Xia didn’t want to engage and walked away, sitting on a clean stone nearby.
He was deep in thought about something else.
The conversation between Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao fell silent, likely because Han Yimo’s hallucinations made it impossible to continue.
The atmosphere among the group grew quiet.
Lin Qin, realizing she couldn’t help much, sat beside Qi Xia.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
Qi Xia turned to her with a cold expression.
“This is the second time you’ve asked me that,” he said. “Do you always ask your patients so bluntly during therapy?”
“But you’re not my patient,” Lin Qin shook her head. “We don’t even call them ‘patients’—it’s impolite. I’m just genuinely curious. What goes on in the mind of someone as clever as you?”
“My wife,” Qi Xia murmured wistfully.
“Your wife?” Lin Qin nodded quietly. “Earlier, you mentioned someone waiting for you outside. Is that your wife?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia confirmed.
Lin Qin smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect that answer. So you’re married?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Qi Xia sensed something implied in her words.
“I didn’t mean to offend. But you’re a swindler—what kind of person is your wife?”
“You—” Qi Xia, unusually angered, slowly stood up, his eyes icy. “What do you mean? Because I’m a swindler, the only person who’d marry me must be some lowlife, is that it?”
“Huh? I—” Lin Qin was taken aback by his intensity. “I really didn’t mean to offend. I was just curious…”
“I suggest you stop being curious about me,” Qi Xia said coldly. “I’m a swindler. Nothing I say is the truth.”
Their conversation ended unhappily, but Lin Qin didn’t seem bothered.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zhao finally finished stitching the wound.
“That should do it…” he said, wiping blood from his hands. “We’ve done all we can for now. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get infected.”
“Thank you…” Han Yimo whispered weakly, his lips pale.
Seeing that everything had settled, Qi Xia stood up and announced to the group, “Everyone, it’s time to say goodbye.”
The other eight looked at him in confusion.
Goodbye?
“Where are you going?” Qiao Jiajin asked.
“That’s none of your concern,” Qi Xia replied, gazing thoughtfully at the restaurant across the street.
“You’re not actually going after ‘Dao,’ are you?!” Officer Li was stunned.
“What? Do you have something to say?” Qi Xia seemed to tacitly confirm it.
“Forgive my bluntness, but you’re walking to your death,” Officer Li shook his head helplessly. “Three thousand six hundred ‘Dao’! Do you realize what that means?! If you could earn one ‘Dao’ each time, you’d have to survive three thousand six hundred near-death games like the one we just went through!”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “The odds sound slim, but there’s still hope.”
“Hope?” Officer Li sighed. “Ten days. Three thousand six hundred games. That’s three hundred sixty a day. Even if you did nothing but play games nonstop, there’s no way. And you could die at any moment in those games—whereas if you do nothing, you’d only die after ten days.”
He paused before adding, “And that’s assuming ‘Ren Long’ was telling the truth. For all we know, we might not even die after ten days, and this place might not be destroyed. Even if you collect all three thousand six hundred ‘Dao,’ he might not let you leave.”
“I understand all that,” Qi Xia cut him off. “But I refuse to wait here. Even if I just wander around outside, it’s better than staying.”
“But you—” Before Officer Li could argue further, the door to the employee break room creaked open again.
Everyone turned to see the female shop assistant step out.
She was completely naked, her mouth smeared with grease, clutching something in her hand. Her emaciated body looked like little more than a skeleton.
Zhang Chenze frowned slightly, took off her blazer, and draped it over the girl.
She glared at the men, visibly angry. “What exactly did you men do in that room? Where are her clothes?”
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. “It’s a long story. I suggest you just leave her alone.”
“You’re so kind,” the shop assistant said blankly, glancing at the jacket on her shoulders and then at Zhang Chenze. “Too bad you’re not a man. Otherwise, I’d definitely sleep with you.”
“Sleep with me?” Zhang Chenze was taken aback. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“If we can’t sleep together, then eat this instead…”
She opened her grimy hand, revealing a boiled, rotting baby’s arm.
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