The sound of the bell gradually faded away, leaving the collective outside in utter silence.
Luo Eleven, Zhou Six, Qiu Sixteen, and Wang Eight—once so noisy and quarrelsome before the game began—were now completely at a loss for words.
After a long pause, Luo Eleven finally spoke. “Wa–Was this all part of your plan?”
“No,” Qi Xia replied cooly. “It was a spur-of-the-moment idea.”
But this time, none of the four believed him.
The four objectives Qi Xia had once mentioned during the game—all of them had now been fulfilled. They had not only won the game and obtained fresh fruits, but every one of them had gained their {Reverberation}. They had witnessed Qi Xia’s true capability, and even Terrestrial Mouse had been subdued by him.
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“Ju–Just what are you...” Wang Eight asked, his tone tinged with reluctant respect. “Were you once part of {Cats} too?”
“I’m not sure,” Qi Xia replied. “If I remember correctly, I’ve never been a part of {Cats}.”
“Tsk!” Zhou Six suddenly interjected. “Then why does Five ge trust you so much? He seems to have already known you were capable.”
“Perhaps,” Qi Xia began, “everyone in this world hopes to find something to rely on. You found your support in Qian Five, and Qian Five’s support is me.”
Had it not been for this experience, they would surely have assumed the man before them was bluffing. But now, none dared to speak a word of protest.
In their hearts, the same thought rose unbidden—
Could following him truly bring about the destruction of this place?
And perhaps...true escape?
Without acknowledging anyone, Qi Xia moved ahead.
“Tsk... where are we going now?” Zhou Six called out from behind him.
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“I need to know the whereabouts of Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan,” Qi Xia answered. “I must see them for myself. I’m not certain whether they can handle it, so I need to check.”
Qiu Sixteen furrowed her brows. “We don’t need to participate in any more games?”
“No,” Qi Xia replied. “We aren’t here to earn {Dào}. Our current objectives have already been achieved. You all may return.”
Qiao Jiajin walked along the road with six others, absentmindedly scratching his head.
A captain?
What a joke.
If he had the abilities of a captain, why would he even need to cooperate with Qi Xia?
“But that’s exactly how the big bosses are...” Qiao Jiajin sighed helplessly. “Even when they doubt themselves, they still have a group of followers trailing behind them...”
“Apologies, Qiao ge, I didn’t quite catch that?” {Sound Insulation} Nineteen, softly asked from the side.
“Ah, nothing...” Qiao Jiajin waved his hand and glanced back at his team.
Three men, three women, every single one of them nothing but skin and bones.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The real danger lay in the fact that Qian Five had requested him to bring this team to games of endurance, combat, and outright slaughter.
Was he really not pulling his leg?
“Ah... um...” Qiao Jiajin turned his head to say something, and immediately the young team members straightened up with utmost respect.
Seeing their expressions, Qiao Jiajin felt his nerves tighten even more.
“No wait... don’t take this so seriously, we’re all pals here,” he said with a wry smile. “I just wanted to ask...are there any games nearby?”
A young woman with pigtails slowly raised her hand. “Ge, there’s a {Rabbit} nearby. Do you want to check it out?”
“Rabbit?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “What kind of game is Rabbit?”
“Escape,” a man answered.
“Escape?” Qiao Jiajin frowned and scratched his head. They were supposed to participate in endurance, combat, and slaughter-type games—did {Escape} count?
“Should we go, Qiao ge?” someone asked.
“I...I guess?” Qiao Jiajin gave a bitter laugh. “By {Escape}, is it all about who is the fastest?”
“One may understand it as thus...”
“Then it should be fine, right? Do you all usually exercise?”
The three men and three women exchanged glances. Ultimately, a tall woman smiled faintly. “Qiao ge, we do exercise from time to time, but our roles have always been as strategists and support in {Cats}, so we rarely take on combat or endurance tasks...”
“Well—Well, that’s alright...” Qiao Jiajin appeared to be encouraging everyone, but it was clear from his expression that he had no confidence. “Let’s check out that {Rabbit} first. If it’s not a good fit, we’ll switch to another one.”
Once the group of seven confirmed their destination and began heading toward the {Rabbit} venue.
...
Halfway there, Qiao Jiajin suddenly realized he knew almost nothing about the members of his team. He fished the list that Qian Five had given him from his pocket for reference—but as soon as he glanced at it, he felt a sinking sense of trouble.
It was said that the higher one ranked in {Cats}, the stronger one’s abilities—but the six before him were hardly in the top ten, and barely made it into the top fifteen.
‘Transformer lou... why must you think so highly of me?’
Luo Fifteen, male, {Stockpile Ability}, capable of storing food within his body for long periods; {Reverberation Trigger}: {Extreme Hunger}.
Feng Seventeen, female, {Lightning Flash}, capable of causing her entire body to emit a blinding flash of light; {Reverberation Trigger}: {Fear of Dark}.
Ning Eighteen, female, {Growth Acceleration}, capable of accelerating the growth of any plant she touches; {Reverberation Trigger}: {Extreme Pain}.
Yun Nineteen, male, {Sound Insulation}, capable of isolating spatial sound for a certain duration; {Reverberation} obtained.
Qiu Twenty, male, {Mighty Gale}, capable of generating a powerful wind within a certain radius; {Reverberation} obtained.
The name that caught Qiao Jiajin’s attention most was the final one—Bai Nine.
(TLN: Bai Nine (白九) sounds just like Baijiu (白酒), which is a common hard liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume. It’s colorless like vodka. Of course her name would catch our boy’s attention lmao.)
Bai Nine, female, {Liquid Morphing}, capable of liquefying objects; her {Reverberation Trigger}: {Physical and Mental Exhaustion}.
Qiao Jiajin held the paper in his hand, then lifted his gaze and raised his hand politely. “Um...excuse me.”
“Yes!”
The others respectfully stood still, waiting for Qiao Jiajin to speak.
“Please, don’t be so formal...I just want to ask, who here is Bai Nine?”
The pigtailed young woman blinked upon hearing the question, then raised her hand. “I’m Bai Nine!”
“Oh?” Qiao Jiajin nodded with interest. “You’re ranked ninth?”
“Ah...hehe.” Bai Nine scratched her head bashfully. “Five ge favored me with ninth place perhaps because I joined the organization earlier than most?”
“So is your {Liquid Morphing} quite powerful?” Qiao Jiajin asked. “What exactly can it do?”
“I’m not sure if this ability is considered strong...” Bai Nine shook her head. “I can melt anything I touch.”
“Oh?” Qiao Jiajin pondered for a moment, realizing he had no idea where such an ability could be used, yet he nodded lightly with mild, obligatory praise. “That’s really cool...”
Glancing briefly at the abilities of the others, he could roughly tell what they were, so Qiao Jiajin didn’t ask further. After confirming everyone’s names, he moved forward.
Soon, at the end of the road, they saw the {Rabbit}.
Contrary to Qiao Jiajin’s expectations, this rabbit was actually an extraordinarily tall man, with a gray rabbit head.
“Oh...?” Terrestrial Rabbit gave a slight nod upon seeing them. “Here to play a {Terrestrial Rabbit} game?”
Qiao Jiajin took a slow breath and scratched his head. “I...I’m not sure. Why don’t you explain the rules first?”
