Ten Day Ultimatum

Xiao Ran's expression faltered for an instant before she recovered her smile and stepped closer to Qi Xia, her warmth brushing against his arm.
"Qi gē, you're so smart; you can definitely lead us out of here, right? Can’t you please take me with you?"

Tian Tian watched Xiao Ran with a helpless look, thinking the girl seemed more professional than her own colleagues. No… in truth, none of them truly enjoyed their work; they were all forced into it by circumstances, so none would normally behave this way.
"We don’t see eye to eye," Qi Xia replied coolly, fixing an icy gaze on Xiao Ran. "You should join another team."
A flicker of coldness passed through Xiao Ran's eyes, but she quickly masked it. From the performances in the previous games, she knew Qi Xia was exceptionally clever; if she didn’t stick with him, her odds of survival would drop sharply.

"Qi gē..." Xiao Ran pouted in a feigned display of hurt. "Do you really dislike me that much?"
"Yes. I dislike you extremely," Qi Xia said flatly, shaking her off and stepping back. "Anyone else want to join me? If not, we’ll part ways here."
His gaze fell on Han Yimo and Officer Li, carrying a hint of hope. He wanted them to willingly engage in those games—only through such participation could they be forged into trustworthy allies.
"Qi Xia," Officer Li suddenly called.

"What is it?"
Officer Li's lips moved silently at first, as if organizing his thoughts. After a moment, he asked, "Do you think I can… escape?"
Qi Xia lowered his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground. The question carried double meanings, making it hard to answer. If Officer Li returned to the real world, he would be a murderer. Even if luck allowed him to go back to a day before the killing, he’d still be a corrupt cop complicit in fraud.

It was like having two sharp blades pressed against his throat and heart, leaving him unable to move at all. No wonder Officer Li had been hesitant—he truly had no reason to escape.
After a pause, Qi Xia asked solemnly, "Do you have any ties you care about?"
"Ties…" A chubby, cheerful face came to Officer Li's mind. Xuanxuan.

"Of course I have ties... but how can I face her?"
"I will help you," Qi Xia interrupted. "Whether it’s about {escape} or the {situation} you’re in, I’ll lend you a hand."
Officer Li blinked in surprise, looking at Qi Xia in disbelief, but quickly grasped the implication. Both held back, unwilling to speak their thoughts openly.

Had Qi Xia already come up with a way to deal with Zhang Huanan?
Upon reflection, Qi Xia and Zhang Huanan operated on entirely different levels; if he set his mind to it, he could surely find a way to escape that scoundrel. With Zhang Huanan, conventional reasoning no longer applied—he could only be {countered with evil}.
"Alright, I trust you," Officer Li said. "I’ll join too."

Qi Xia nodded, then turned to Han Yimo, who only stared back in silence.
This time, unlike before, the only variable was Han Yimo. Officer Li had not yet triggered his {Reverberation}, making Han Yimo the sole {Reverberatee} in the team.
Given this situation… with both sides having a {Reverberatee}, perhaps they might stand a chance against the people of {Judgment’s Domain}?
"Can I… refuse?" Han Yimo asked.

"You can," Qi Xia nodded. "But I’d like to know why."
"I…" Han Yimo lifted his head, visibly troubled. "Qi Xia, even though you just saved me and I want to repay you, I can’t handle these games in my current state of mind—I’d have a mental breakdown..."
It was an honest reason—so honest that Qi Xia couldn’t refute it. Han Yimo’s greatest flaw was his {timidity}, and, as he’d said, his severe claustrophobia made many games potentially lethal.

But Qi Xia reconsidered: according to Jiang Ruoxue, those with extreme emotions were more likely to trigger their {Reverberation}, which might explain why Han Yimo had awakened the ability first.
"What if you didn’t need to participate in the games?" Qi Xia asked.
"No need to participate?" Han Yimo frowned. "Then wouldn’t I have even less reason to join your team?"

Qi Xia admitted to himself it was far-fetched, but there was no better way to convince him.
"It’s fine—just come along and help us ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) strategize," he said. "If we manage to win {Dào}, you’ll still get a share."
After a brief hesitation, Han Yimo agreed to join.
Seeing the group’s growing enthusiasm, Lawyer Zhang—who had been quietly observing—finally spoke, his tone puzzled.
"You all seem so confident despite having no information."
Xiao Ran slid back to Qi Xia’s side and naturally linked her arm through his.
"With Qi gē here, what more information do we need?"

"Let go," Qi Xia warned, ending her act.
Lawyer Zhang had a point; everything Qi Xia was doing appeared suspicious. Now, except for Lawyer Zhang and Doctor Zhao, nearly everyone had sided with him.
This left an unbalanced team—seven against two.

Doctor Zhao, assessing the team’s dynamics, stepped forward with a proposal.
"May I suggest something? Since most have aligned with the officer, perhaps there’s no need for us to {split up}. Wouldn’t it be safer to operate as one unit?"
"Right, right!" Xiao Ran quickly chimed in. "Sticking together is definitely safer."
As events began veering in an unusual direction, Qi Xia felt the urge to intervene, yet lacked a solid reason. Forcing a split now would only arouse suspicion.

Seeing this, Officer Li nodded. "It seems we really don’t need to split. Let’s all go together."
Qi Xia knew he was the only one who had seen Xiao Ran’s true nature in the last instance. Although Officer Li had minor friction with her, they weren’t enemies. As for Han Yimo, he had died on the first night, entirely unaware of what happened afterward.
Only Qi Xia understood this woman might sabotage the team from within. But how could he find a legitimate reason to cast her out?

"Everyone… though I don’t mean to interrupt," Lin Qin suddenly spoke up, "there’s something that’s been bothering me…"
"What’s that?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
Lin Qin pointed into the distance, where an adolescent stood. "It seems someone has been watching us for a while."

The adolescent, noticing their attention, approached without hesitation.
As he came closer, Qi Xia was momentarily taken aback. With braided hair, the boy bowed politely and greeted them.
"Hello, everyone. I saw you were talking, so I didn’t want to interrupt nayang. Are you finished now?"