The third day's earthy yellow sun once again climbed up the dark red sky. It should have been another day of foul smells and tranquility, but Lin Qin and Zhang Chenze in the massage parlor were in a panic.

Because Qi Xia was missing.

They searched every corner of the massage parlor, and could even feel Qi Xia's blood on the bed, chilled by the wind, but they couldn't find a trace of him.

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In the deepest part of the corridor, the indigenous man was still massaging the mummified corpse, making people feel very uneasy.

"He's gone..." Zhang Chenze looked in the direction outside the door, lost in thought. "Just as he said, he's tired and has given up."

"No, that can't be, right?" Lin Qin felt somewhat incredulous. "Maybe he was too worried about the two of us, so he went to participate in the game himself..."

"All twenty 'Dao' are here." Zhang Chenze picked up the small cloth bag on the bed and waved it at Lin Qin. "Qi Xia didn't take a single 'Dao' with him. How can he participate in the game?"

Lin Qin was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.

Where could Qi Xia have gone?

He's injured now, and without any 'Dao' on him, what can he do dragging his heavily injured body?

"Lawyer Zhang, would you be willing to participate in the game with me?" Lin Qin steadied herself and said slowly.

"The two of us?" Zhang Chenze was slightly taken aback. "Are you sure?"

"I'm definitely not as strong as Qi Xia, so we should try to find some 'human-level' games. If we win, we'll profit, and if we lose, we won't lose our lives. If Qi Xia can come back one day, we'll have enough 'Dao' to take him back in."

After hearing this, Zhang Chenze thought for a moment and then nodded.

Can Qi Xia come back?

With only seven days left until annihilation, Qi Xia's injuries will only worsen in the next few days, making it impossible for him to recover completely.

Can he really come back?

The two packed up and walked out of the massage parlor into the bright new sun.

...

Qi Xia was walking unsteadily on the street, holding a map drawn in blood in his hand.

He had never thought that losing too much blood would make his hands and feet unresponsive. He was already drenched in sweat after just over an hour of walking.

He looked down at the map in his hand, knowing that this was his last hope.

"Gateway to Heaven."

After three days of exploration, Qi Xia already had a general idea of the situation here.

To collect three thousand six hundred 'Dao' in these games is as difficult as reaching the sky.

After all, the rewards for each game are too rare.

Even if 'human-level' games can expand profits by gambling with the Chinese Zodiac, 'prefecture-level' games have no gambling opportunities, and participants in the game will face fatal dangers.

In other words, whether it's a 'human-level' or 'prefecture-level' game, in order to gain more profits, one must unhesitatingly risk their own life.

The most dangerous game Qi Xia has seen so far comes from the ox of Earth's black bear hunting. If it weren't for Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan's presence, it would be an almost certain death game.

But in such a dangerous situation, each person can only obtain a maximum of twenty 'Dao'.

If Qi Xia really wants to collect 'Dao' by participating in the game, then for a game as dangerous as the ox of Earth's, he would need to participate in a hundred and eighty games in a 'complete victory' state.

How many people will die during this time? How many injuries will there be?

What assurance does he have that he can hold on until the last moment?

Qi Xia calculated all night, but couldn't figure out the probability of his survival.

After much thought, the only place to go is the "Gateway to Heaven."

Zhang Shan once said that they saw someone escape from here, and even found the notes of the "Escaper," which are now in the hands of the leader, Chu Tianqiu.

Following the map left by Zhang Shan, Qi Xia finally arrived at the headquarters of the "Gateway to Heaven" at noon.

It was an abandoned school here.

The school sign was already dilapidated, and Qi Xia couldn't tell if it was an elementary school or a middle school, but he could only see the teaching building and the basketball court.

A man stood outside the school gate, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

He was wearing a tank top, with braids on his head, and looked like he was only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Qi Xia tightened the bandage on his shoulder and walked towards the young man in front of him.

Seeing someone approaching, the young man became more alert and asked, "Goodman?"

"Goodman?" Qi Xia felt that the man's accent was a bit strange, but could only nod. "I am a goodman."

"Do you... need help with something?"

The man not only had a strange accent, but also strange grammar.

"I..." Qi Xia thought carefully for a moment, then said, "I want to see Chu Tianqiu."

"See Brother Chu..." The man furrowed his brow slightly. "May I ask how to address you?"

"Qi Xia."

The young man thought for a moment, then nodded at Qi Xia and said, "Bro, please wait."

He walked into the school gate, then locked the gate, and quickly ran towards the teaching building.

In the southernmost classroom on the first floor, a man in a black shirt and glasses was writing something on the blackboard.

Not far from him, a very beautiful woman was sitting in her seat, painting her nails.

"Brother Chu! Sister Yun Yao!" The young man with braids called from the doorway.

"Come in." Yun Yao didn't even look up, and said calmly.

The young man entered the room, looked at the two, then bowed and said to the man in the black shirt, "Brother Chu, there's someone outside who wants to see you."

Chu Tianqiu continued writing, and asked absentmindedly, "What's his name?"

"Qi Xia."

"Qi Xia?" Chu Tianqiu paused in his writing, then moved two steps to the left.

He searched through the densely packed words on the blackboard.

Soon, he found that line of text.

"Number 87, Liar, Spring after the rain, Death from above, Sly Snake."

He drew a horizontal line under this line of text, then lowered his head to ponder something."What's wrong?" Yun Yao asked, "Have you heard this name before?"

"This is an extremely formidable person," Chu Tianqiu smiled slightly, "The three Chinese Zodiacs responsible for the interview of No. 87 are all people who have one foot in 'Earth', what kind of game do you think they would design?"

Yun Yao was also slightly startled after hearing this: "Doesn't that mean the interview would result in total annihilation?"

"No," Chu Tianqiu shook his head, "Because of this young man named 'Qi Xia', nine people survived this interview."

"Everyone survived? Is that even possible?" Yun Yao lifted her bright eyes to look at Chu Tianqiu, suddenly recalling something, "Qi Xia, isn't that the goodman Little Glasses has been talking about these past few days?"

The young man with braided hair seemed to understand something, nodded, and spoke, "Brother Chu, shall I bring the person in now?"

"No..." Chu Tianqiu raised his hand to stop the young man, then said, "Jin Yuanxun, could you ask him a question for me?"

"A question?"

"Yes," Chu Tianqiu nodded, "Ask that person named Qi Xia 'which day did you come'."

"Bro, but if I ask him the question, what if he doesn't understand?"

"It's okay, take this opportunity to practice your Chinese," Chu Tianqiu said with a smile.

Although the young man named Jin Yuanxun was somewhat puzzled, he knew that Chu Tianqiu was always thoughtful and could only nod his head and leave the room.

"I don't quite understand," Yun Yao blew her nail polish dry and then screwed the cap back on, "You clearly said that this person named Qi Xia is 'an extremely formidable person', yet you're not planning to take him under your wing?"

Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly: "Yun Yao, this is exactly 'when kings meet, their followers must part'."