Ten Day Ultimatum

Mortal Mouse, still engulfed in panic, uncertainty, and confusion, gazed at Vermilion Bird as if seeking his approval.
"What? Do you require my assistance to rise?" Vermilion Bird asked with a smile.

"N—No need..." Mortal Mouse replied, standing up unsteadily.
She hesitated for a long moment before finally saying to Qi Xia, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Qi Xia shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. I just—"

{Splat—}
Before he could finish his sentence, Qi Xia saw a hand emerge from Mortal Mouse's abdomen.
Her body convulsed, her voice cut off instantly.

Warm, sticky blood splattered across Qi Xia.
Vermilion Bird, with unsettling calm, embraced Mortal Mouse from behind, as if cradling a cherished lover.
"This child has good manners," Vermilion Bird murmured, closing his eyes and pressing his face against hers, as though savoring her scent. "It's commendable to express gratitude, but you broke the rules and tried to escape. He may have spared ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you, but I will not."

With that, Vermilion Bird extended his other hand, removed Mortal Mouse's mask, and cast it to the ground.
Without the mask obscuring her face, Qi Xia could now see her clearly.
Mortal Mouse was unmistakably a teenage girl. Her face still bore traces of baby fat, and her tear-filled eyes brimmed with fear and despair. Blood spilled from her mouth as she coughed violently.

"It—It hurts..." Mortal Mouse gasped, spitting up a mouthful of blood.
"Be at ease... the pain will soon fade..." Vermilion Bird whispered soothingly as he nuzzled her hair with his nose. "You’ll die soon enough, don’t worry... it will all be over when you die..."
"What kind of monster are you?!" Qiao Jiajin could no longer contain his fury. "She’s just a child! You motherfucker... let her go!"

Vermilion Bird sneered, withdrew his bloodied hand, and shoved Mortal Mouse forward.
Qi Xia instinctively caught her, his face filled with shock.
This was precisely what {staking lives} entailed.

Winning meant the death of your opponent.
Even though Qi Xia had no intention of taking her life, the fact remained—she was doomed to die.
The girl known as Mortal Mouse was condemned by Qi Xia’s gamble. He had thought he was risking only his own life, never expecting that the other party would pay the same price.
Yet... weren't they organizers of this game?

Are the individuals behind these animal masks also {participants}?
"Qi Xia, what are you doing here?" Vermilion Bird asked coldly, shaking blood off his hand.
"Wh—" Qi Xia faltered, locking eyes with Vermilion Bird. "You know my name?"

The corners of Vermilion Bird’s mouth curled into a faint smile. He pointed at the four of them in turn and called their names. "Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, Zhang Lijuan. Why are all of you here?"
Tian Tian looked equally astonished. Zhang Lijuan was her real name—one she hadn’t used since she was fourteen.
"What do you mean, Why are we all here?" Lin Qin asked, confusion plain on her face. "Where are we supposed to be?"

Vermilion Bird's face remained fixed in a cryptic smile. He shook his head slowly. "It appears you’re all genuinely unaware of why you’re here. How lamentable."
"If you have something to say, then speak plainly," Qi Xia demanded, holding Mortal Mouse—now barely clinging to life—in his arms. His expression was ice-cold. "Do you think cloaking yourself in mystery makes you profound?"
At those words, Vermilion Bird’s smile slowly vanished, his expression darkening.

"Qi Xia, I truly can’t get along with you," Vermilion Bird said, his gaze laced with disdain. "You can never escape. Your fate is to rot here."
"Oh?" With the situation so far gone, Qi Xia no longer felt fear. He met Vermilion Bird’s eyes head-on. "Let me rot here? Are you going to kill me now?"
In an instant, Vermilion Bird moved, appearing directly before Qi Xia. His cloak of blood-red feathers billowed as though alive.

He seized Qi Xia by the collar, his expression fierce, eyes burning with fury. "If it weren’t for the constraints of the rules, I would have torn you to shreds right here!"
"In other words... according to the {rules}, you can’t kill me," Qi Xia said, his voice steady.
"Hehe..." Vermilion Bird’s cold smile returned. "Even if I don’t kill you, you’ll still die here."

With that, Vermilion Bird slowly rose into the air, levitating like a god. The group watched warily, their eyes following his every movement.
"Why do you think I’ll die here?" Qi Xia asked, looking up.
"Because you are Qi Xia. So you're destined to die here," Vermilion Bird snorted before vanishing into thin air.

He didn’t rise like an immortal from a TV drama, nor emit any dazzling light like a magician—he simply vanished, leaving nothing behind.
The sudden disappearance left everyone baffled.
"Because I am Qi Xia... I’m destined to die here?"

Cough... Mortal Mouse stirred weakly in Qi Xia’s arms, interrupting his thoughts.
Qi Xia looked down at her. The girl's face was strikingly clean—as if untouched by this brutal world.
A swirl of emotions rose in him. Had he not chosen to stake his life, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

In truth, she’d never done anything to harm them.
One {Dào}, in exchange for another {Dào}.
Perhaps she was right—he’d never find a simpler, safer game again.

Mortal Mouse reached into her pocket, slowly pulling out three {Dào}. With a pained expression, she said, "What a pity... I’ve waited here so long. You’re my first participants, and I thought I could finally earn some {Dào}..."
She handed the {Dào} to Qi Xia, continuing haltingly, "That one is your admission… and these three are my own {Dào}... now they’re all yours..."
The four stood in silence, unable to respond.

Though they had seemed like adversaries, her helplessness and despair stirred something deep within them—an inexplicable sympathy.
"Are you also a participant?" Qi Xia asked coldly.
Mortal Mouse gave a bitter laugh, blood once again trickling from her lips. "Who here isn’t a {participant}?... Honestly, I’d rather be in your shoes. At least you didn’t have to wear the {mouse} mask... even if none of us ever escape..."

Her head slumped to one side, arms falling limply to the ground.
The two women sighed quietly, and even Qiao Jiajin’s face showed deep sorrow.
Qi Xia’s expression remained unreadable.

He gently laid the girl down and rose slowly to his feet. His thoughts were a mystery to the others.
"Qi Xia... are you alright?" Lin Qin asked.
"Me?" Qi Xia seemed momentarily dazed. "Does it seem like... something’s wrong with me?"

"Your face is completely blank... That’s not normal."
"I—"
Before he could respond, a searing pain tore through his skull. He let out a muffled scream and dropped to his knees, clutching his head in agony.

"Hey! Swindler Lad!" Qiao Jiajin shouted, alarmed by Qi Xia’s sudden collapse. He remembered the similar headache Qi Xia had suffered when Han Yimo died that morning.
Qi Xia felt like his head was splitting open. The pain was unbearable—something deep inside his brain was throbbing violently.