Ten Day Ultimatum

Everyone was astounded by Qi Xia’s proclamation.
Even Mortal Mouse was taken aback.

"You wish to... stake your life?" Mortal Mouse asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "I want to stake my life."
Mortal Mouse's throat constricted as she swallowed hard. "Th–There’s no need for that, right?" she stammered.

Her reaction was unexpected. Qi Xia had assumed these figures in animal masks would eagerly accept a life at stake.
Why, then, was she panicking?
"Th—This is just a simple {searching} game," Mortal Mouse stammered. "It–it would be too exaggerated to stake your life on it... Besides, my admission only costs one {Dào}. You don't have to stake your life..."

Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin exchanged puzzled glances.
"You can stake lives in this game?" Qiao Jiajin asked, frowning. "But why would you want to stake your life, Swindler Lad? Do we not have enough {Dào}?"
"That decrepit old man mentioned it, so I want to attempt it here," Qi Xia murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Observing her, it appears she is apprehensive about me {staking my life}."

"I understand your intense desire to win," Lin Qin interjected, "but staking your life just to open cans? What if something goes awry? What if the {Dào} isn’t there?"
"I will win," Qi Xia declared, fixing his gaze on Mortal Mouse. "My life is already staked. Shall we begin?"
Mortal Mouse was silent for a long time before finally speaking in a trembling voice. "If you truly wish to stake your life, then don't regret it... The game begins now."

Qi Xia stepped into the warehouse.
As Mortal Mouse turned to exit and close the door, Qi Xia seized her arm.
The sudden movement startled her.

With an impassive expression, Qi Xia reached into Mortal Mouse's shirt pocket and retrieved a {Dào} with deliberate slowness.
"I found it."
The three individuals by the door gaped in astonishment.

Was this even allowed?
As soon as the game commenced, he had located a {Dào} on the referee’s person.
Was this truly not a violation of the {rules}?
They turned to see Mortal Mouse trembling uncontrollably, her body language one of palpable fear.

"If I'm not mistaken, closing the door means there will be no more {Dào} in this room, correct?" Qi Xia asked assertively.
"How did you know...?"
"It's quite straightforward," Qi Xia explained softly. "Whenever you explain the rules of the game, you always say there is {currently} a {Dào} in the room. That’s technically true, but it also serves as a trap."

Noticing Mortal Mouse’s silence, Qi Xia continued, "Indeed, there is a {Dào} in the room {currently}, but it will soon vanish."
Mortal Mouse was lost in thought. After a long silence, she asked, "You staked your life on such an audacious conjecture?"
"Conjecture? Certainly not," Qi Xia replied. "What truly convinced me was your announcement °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that Tian Tian had {failed}."

"What?!"
"When the door was closed, none of us had any way of knowing what was happening inside. Yet, the moment you opened the door, you informed Tian Tian of her failure." Qi Xia shook his head, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "How could you possibly know she hadn’t found it?"
"I..."

"The answer is simple. You knew there wasn’t a {Dào} in the room."
Mortal Mouse’s body trembled.
"And the {Mouse Category} game is another trap. We all believe that mice prefer to hide during the day and emerge at night to seek their targets in the dark. That aligns with Tian Tian's reasoning. Logically, she is correct. However, there are other rodents that conceal important items in their mouths, aren't there?"

Mortal Mouse stared at Qi Xia for a long moment, realizing she had truly been outwitted.
With a sudden burst of strength, she shoved Qi Xia to the ground and fled the room.
"Damn it!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, reaching out to catch Mortal Mouse. However, she darted away with the agility of a genuine rodent, skillfully evading his grasp.

She fled rapidly, disappearing down the street of the residential district.
The group stood stunned. They had never expected these masked figures to actually try to flee.
"What’s going on... Swindler Lad?" Qiao Jiajin helped Qi Xia to his feet, confusion clear on his face. "Why did she run away?"

"I’m not entirely sure." Qi Xia shook his head, though his expression suggested he was deep in thought.
Could it be that {staking lives} meant...
He gazed in the direction of Mortal Mouse’s retreating figure—and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What’s wrong?"
Qi Xia extended his hand, pointing shakily.
The other three followed his gaze, their expressions mirroring his shock.

Before them, a figure materialized, suspended in mid-air, intercepting Mortal Mouse.
"Damn... is that the Terminator[1]?" Qiao Jiajin’s voice wavered, the scene defying all expectations.
The airborne figure made a languid gesture with his hand, and in an instant, Mortal Mouse crumpled to her knees as though some unseen force had drained her strength.

In the blink of an eye, both the figure and Mortal Mouse vanished from the distance—only to reappear directly before Qi Xia and the others.
This astonishing display, like a divine being descending from the heavens, left the four of them in stunned, disbelieving silence.
Suspended mid-air was a gaunt figure draped in a cloak of blood-red feathers, a few stray feathers tangled in his disheveled long hair. His entire body hovered with an eerie grace, rising and falling like a bird in flight.

The four onlookers were paralyzed with fear, rendered mute by the otherworldly sight before them.
Meanwhile, Mortal Mouse shook uncontrollably, her body quivering with barely suppressed sobs that were faintly audible beneath her mask.
"Mortal Mouse, what are you doing?" the man inquired softly. "Were you trying to flee just now?"

"I... I..." Mortal Mouse stammered, her body trembling as her words faltered.
"You cannot run away." The man descended to the ground gracefully, extending a hand to caress Mortal Mouse’s head with an unsettling tenderness. "Be good. Remember, {staking lives} means {staking lives}."
"Lord Vermilion Bird[2]...!" Mortal Mouse pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation. "Please, have mercy...!"

"Such a request is simply untenable." The man—now revealed as {Vermilion Bird}—continued to run his slender fingers over Mortal Mouse’s mask with unnerving calm. "In any gamble, there must be a loser. If the other party chooses to stake their life against you, you are bound to uphold the terms. There’s nothing I can do about it."
Qi Xia's heart sank with apprehension. Summoning all his courage, he addressed the looming figure. "I—I have no desire to take her life. My intention in staking my own was solely to secure more {Dào}."
Vermilion Bird raised his gaze, his eyes cold and penetrating. As he regarded Qi Xia, his hand descended slowly to Mortal Mouse’s neck, holding her with a disturbing nonchalance, as though she were nothing more than a rodent.

Paralyzed with fear, Mortal Mouse trembled uncontrollably, too terrified to speak.
"Is this truly necessary?" Qi Xia asked, brow furrowed. "I was the one who proposed the {life staking} gamble. I no longer wish for her life; all I seek is {Dào}. Taking her life would not benefit me in any way."
Upon hearing Qi Xia’s words, Mortal Mouse slowly lifted her head to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

Vermilion Bird, after a pause, slowly withdrew his hand and began to laugh heartily.
"Fascinating indeed..." he said. "Mortal Mouse, rise quickly... He’s letting you off." With that, he gave her a reassuring pat on the back.