Ten Day Ultimatum

Qi Xia clutched his hair tightly, enduring the pain with gritted teeth. After what felt like an eternity, the excruciating headache began to subside. He took deep breaths, calming his racing heart. Finally, after about half a minute, he released his grip on his hair, lowered his hands, and rose to his feet.

His face bore no trace of the agony he had just endured, as if nothing had happened at all.
The headache was like a gust of wind—passing fiercely through, then vanishing as if it had never been. Qi Xia took a moment to steady himself, his composure gradually returning.
Lin Qin glanced at him and asked, "Are you alright? Do you often get headaches like that?"

"No, this is only the second time I can recall," Qi Xia sighed. "It’s probably connected to this accursed place."
Lin Qin wanted to ask more, but it was clear Qi Xia didn’t wish to dwell on the issue.
"We're running out of time. Even if I have a worm in my brain, this isn't the place to get it diagnosed," Qi Xia remarked, glancing up at the ominous dark red sky. "Thanks to this girl, we’ve learned quite a bit."

"Really?" Tian Tian questioned, her gaze fixed on Mortal Mouse's lifeless body, her expression still tinged with sadness. "I feel like the only useful thing we learned was about the rules of {staking lives}. And she died because of it."
"Not just that," Qi Xia continued. "I thought this was a land of chaos and madness, but now it seems that this place also has its own {rules and regulations}."
"{Rules and regulations}...?"

"Exactly," Qi Xia nodded. "That man called {Vermilion Bird}—he's likely one of the supervisors here."
"Supervisor? You mean that {birdman}?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Yes. He showed up specifically to make sure the {rules and regulations} weren't violated."

"But why wasn’t the supervisor wearing clothes..." Tian Tian added, puzzled. "He had nothing on but a cloak. It was such a strange look."
"Compared to the rest of his bizarre behavior, {wearing nothing} is probably the most normal part," Qi Xia replied after a pause. "But that’s just what we can see. It’s possible there are others above the {supervisor}."
Lin Qin seemed to recall something. "Oh! That man, Vermilion Bird, did say something like, ‘if it weren’t for the rules, I would have torn you to shreds.’"

Qiao Jiajin nodded. "To hold back someone that powerful and deranged, whoever’s above him must be even more terrifying."
"Supernatural power?" Qi Xia’s brow furrowed. "I haven’t heard that term in a long time."
"Isn’t that what it is? Just like the Terminator," Qiao Jiajin said, gesturing animatedly. "That guy was floating in the sky!"

The three of them fell silent.
"What does {Terminator} mean?" Lin Qin asked, genuinely curious.
"I thought you were pretty hip from your outfit, but you’re actually a hillbilly?" Qiao Jiajin laughed. "You’ve never seen The Terminator?"
"H–Hip?" Lin Qin repeated, looking awkward. The term sounded outdated—like something older people would say.

And yet, here she was, being talked down to by someone using it.
Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) with his elbow. "Swindler Lad, you’ve seen it, right? Arnold Schwarzenegger was just too handsome!"
"Arnold Schwarzenegger...?" Lin Qin echoed, her expression vaguely familiar but uncertain.

"I don't care about the {Terminator} or Schwarzenegger," Qi Xia said, his tone turning serious. "Nor do I care how extraordinary that birdman is. What matters now is understanding the extent of these {rules and regulations}, and how they govern this place."
The others exchanged puzzled glances, not fully grasping his intent.
"What are you planning, Swindler Lad?"

Qi Xia slowly raised his hand, placing it gently on his neck, and said, "I want to determine if the idea of {killing others for Dào} is viable."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lin Qin and Tian Tian instinctively took a step back, unease etched across their faces.
Only Qiao Jiajin remained in place.

"Killing others for Dào?" Qiao Jiajin frowned. "Are you saying that if we can’t collect three thousand six hundred Dào in ten days, you’ll consider taking them by force?"
"Yes. That’s the most effective strategy I can come up with," Qi Xia replied. "Now that we’re a team, reaching that enormous number will take everyone’s effort. I’m sharing this strategy because I want your input."
"I won’t help with that," Qiao Jiajin said flatly, shaking his head. "Even if the sky collapses, I won’t stoop to injustice. Anyone holding onto {Dào} is probably someone just like us—someone who’s fought to survive. What right do we have to take their lives?"

"Is that so..." Qi Xia's expression turned slightly complex as he nodded. "But if we want to escape this wretched place, that may be our only path. Three thousand six hundred {Dào} is no small number. Are you all truly unwilling to consider it?"
"I refuse as well," Lin Qin said firmly. "I don’t believe that’s the right path. Even if we escape, taking lives to do it would mean we could never return to the people we once were."
Tian Tian thought for a long while, then said, "If it came to that, I’d rather die."

Qi Xia met the gaze of each of them, eyes calm and thoughtful. After a moment, a faint smile touched his lips.
"Good. Now I can share my real strategy with peace of mind."
"What...?" Qiao Jiajin looked stunned. "You bastard—were you testing us?!"

Qi Xia nodded. "If any of you had agreed to a plan involving {killing others for Dào}, it would’ve revealed a fundamental difference between us. I’d have been ready to walk away at any moment."
"You..." Qiao Jiajin nearly exploded. "I really thought you meant it!"
"Logically speaking, the {rules and regulations} should prevent a scenario like {killing others for Dào}," Qi Xia explained. "Though I don’t fully understand the rules here, it seems there’s a kind of {twisted fairness} at work. The supervisors seem to act like {umpires}. And if that’s the case, they’d definitely want to ensure the safety of participants."

He paused for emphasis.
"In other words... they’d rather we die inside the games than turn on each other."
Everyone fell silent.

After a while, Lin Qin gathered her thoughts and asked, "So then—what is your real plan?"
"My plan isn’t complicated," Qi Xia replied. "Since the games don’t actually threaten our lives directly, we’ll {probe} each one carefully. Your job is to analyze the rules and gather clues. Once we understand a game well enough... I’ll {stake my life}. Then we divide all the {Dào} we earn equally. We’ll keep repeating this strategy until we’ve collected the full three thousand six hundred {Dào}."