Ten Day Ultimatum

"Qi ge, what took you so long?" Xiao Ran asked with a smile, clearly waiting for him.

Qi Xia ignored her and walked toward the rest of the group in the distance.
"Qi ge, wait for me!"
The doors lining the corridor gradually swung open, revealing bloodied figures of Earthly Branches. They stood motionless in the thresholds, eerily reminiscent of Mortal Snake.

Noticing Qi Xia had caught up, Officer Li leaned in closer and whispered, "What’s your plan?"
"I’m not sure yet. You?"
Officer Li hesitated, his expression conflicted. "Right now, I feel shaken… not sure where to go."

"Shaken?" Lin Qin, curious about their hushed exchange, stepped closer. Covering her mouth and nose lightly, she asked, "Strange—did you two know each other before coming here?"
"No," Qi Xia said, shaking his head.
Lin Qin studied him for a while, unable to tell if he was lying.

Officer Li didn’t answer, his gaze fixed ahead as they kept walking.
After a long walk, the group spotted a faint light ahead. Standing there was Mortal Dragon, wearing an exceedingly grotesque mask. "Hello, I am Mortal Dragon."
His appearance startled those seeing him for the first time.

"Don’t be anxious," Mortal Dragon said calmly. "Your trial has reached its conclusion. I’m not here to impose a new one—only to give you some advice."
Qiao Jiajin shot him an impatient look. "What advice?"
"Ten days. You have ten days to set things right," Mortal Dragon said slowly. "If you fail to obtain three thousand six hundred Dào in that time, your world will be annihilated, and everything you see now will perish with it. You have passed four tests—Liar, Bamboo Shoots After Rain, Collapse of Heaven, and Two Medications. This is your reward… and your stakes."

He pulled four lustrous golden orbs from his pocket and handed them to Officer Li, who stood at the front.
"What are these?" Xiao Ran asked curiously. "They look so strange…" She reached out to take a Dào, noticing the outer layer was white while the inner layer gleamed gold, like a three-dimensional boiled egg, with a faintly springy texture when squeezed.
"These are Dào!" Mortal Dragon declared with a wave of his hands. "With three thousand six hundred, there will be salvation!"

Doctor /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Zhao thought for a moment. "And how do we get that many Dào?"
"Participate in games!" Mortal Dragon answered. "In this city, games are everywhere. If you have the strength, you can win them."
"You mean we have to choose to join these deadly games?" Doctor Zhao exclaimed. "What kind of lunatics are you?"
"We are not lunatics—we’re just trying to survive," Mortal Dragon said softly, a hint of sadness in his tone. "Don’t you all wish to live?"

At his words, silence fell over the group.
Qi Xia stepped forward. "Mortal Dragon, once we gather three thousand six hundred Dào, what happens next?"
"Next?" Mortal Dragon looked genuinely taken aback, as if the thought had never occurred to him. For a moment, he was speechless.

"Yes—do we hand them to someone?" Qi Xia pressed. "Or take them to a specific place?"
"Uh…" Mortal Dragon thought for a while, then said, "If I’m not mistaken, once you have them, someone will come to you."
"What do you mean if you’re not mistaken?" Qi Xia asked sharply. "So you don’t actually know what happens after we get them?"

"That’s right," Mortal Dragon admitted. "I only know everything you do here is being monitored. Once you have them, the next step will reveal itself."
Qi Xia frowned. For all his ominous title, Dragon, the figure before him was still just a Mortal, with little understanding of the bigger picture.
"It’s good that you have so many questions," Mortal Dragon said, still subdued. "It means you’re lucid. I hope you can stay that way…"
"Let’s go," Qi Xia said, turning to the group without looking at him again.

The others nodded and carefully moved around Mortal Dragon, leaving the corridor one by one.
Qi Xia remembered that last time, after they left, the building vanished. So this time, he looked back immediately, and Officer Li did the same.
They saw only a solitary door.

The plaza stretched around them, but behind was the ominous door—like a gateway to another world. Mortal Dragon stood within its shadow, watching them with a melancholy gaze, as though a thousand words sat unsaid.
Then Qi Xia’s eyes widened as the door began to shrink—vanishing completely in seconds.
"Huh?" Tian Tian noticed and exclaimed, "Where’s the door we came through?"

Everyone turned, bewildered, finding themselves in the wide plaza with paths stretching in all directions. Behind them loomed a huge electronic screen and an imposing copper bell. The screen flickered to life with a single ominous message: I hear the reverberation of Beckoned Calamity.
The group hesitated, unsure what to do or where to go.
"I’m going to collect more Dào," Qi Xia said firmly. "But I’ll need teammates."

"Wait, what?" Doctor Zhao stared. "You’re serious? You actually want to volunteer for those games? We just got out—shouldn’t we focus on escaping?"
"You can focus on that," Qi Xia replied. "Anyone willing to join me?"
Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment, hand to chin. "Count me in. You’ve got brains, I’ve got strength—let’s team up."

"Excellent," Qi Xia nodded. "Anyone else?"
Seeing Qiao Jiajin join, Tian Tian hesitated. She glanced between the lawyer, officer, educator, and physician at her side, then back at Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia. "In that case… I’ll join too."
Qi Xia recognized the familiar pattern but didn’t try to dissuade her. He simply nodded.

After a pause, Lin Qin stepped forward. "May I join as well?"
Qi Xia felt conflicted. He hadn’t expected the lineup to mirror last time. While he trusted Lin Qin and Tian Tian, he had hoped for Officer Li and Han Yimo for a stronger tactical edge.
With four skilled men, their odds would be far better—especially with Judgment’s Domain in play. Having Tian Tian and Lin Qin might expose them to extra risks.

Before he could say anything, Xiao Ran suddenly bounced forward. "Qi ge~, you’re sooo powerful… Can you take me too?"
"No," Qi Xia said flatly.