Ten Day Ultimatum

"Here he comes!" Specs exclaimed jubilantly. "You’re finally here!"
The towering man, approximately 1.9 meters tall with a buzz cut, approached them with deliberate slowness. He yawned, rummaged through his pocket, and asked the ox-headed figure, "How much?"
"Admission is one {Dào}."

The towering man fished a small orb from his pocket and flicked it to the ox-headed figure, who caught it deftly with one hand.
"I've had a good nap... We can begin now." The towering man stretched, cracked his neck, and added in a bored tone, "Let’s see what tricks you all have up your sleeves this time."
Qi Xia and the others eyed the fierce, tough-looking man warily, sensing he was far from benevolent.

Qiao Jiajin, however, paid little heed to the towering figure. He had met plenty like him on the streets—men who relied on brute strength to bully others. In fact, Qiao Jiajin had brought a few of them to tears with his own fists.
He couldn’t help but wonder if this man was merely another paper tiger[1].
With the arrival of the twentieth participant, everyone stepped forward to pay the admission fee.

Qi Xia hesitated for a moment before producing four {Dào}—a significant amount for them. After paying, they would be left with only one {Dào}.
"Are we sure we want to go through with this?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "What about our strategy?"
"I'm grappling with that myself," Qi Xia admitted. "It’s undeniably risky, but a game with twenty participants is a rare opportunity—and worth the gamble."

With the group's agreement, Qi Xia deposited four {Dào} into the box in front of the ox-headed figure.
"Excellent," the ox-headed figure said with a nod. He then turned and opened the door behind him, revealing a staircase descending into the basement.
"All participants, please proceed."

He began his descent down the stairs, moving slowly and deliberately.
The participants, their expressions wary, followed him into the underground depths.
"This venue is enormous... It’s on a whole different scale compared to the game hosted by {Mortal Mouse}," Tian Tian murmured.

"Stay vigilant," Qi Xia advised. "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."
The middle-aged man’s earlier mention of potential {death} in this game had left a deep impression on Qi Xia.
At this moment, he wasn’t just afraid of dying—he was terrified of being trapped in this bizarre place forever.
As a seasoned swindler, Qi Xia had navigated countless high-risk ventures and emerged unscathed every time.

Thinking it over, he realized this wasn’t much different—just another perilous challenge.
Soon, they reached the bottom of the stairs.
The room was small, its musty odor clinging to the dim lighting. Twenty chairs stood in the center, waiting to be filled. On either side of the room were two doors: one painted yellow, the other green.

"Everyone, please take a seat," the ox-headed figure instructed. "Do not worry; the game hasn’t started yet."
Upon hearing this, the participants took their seats, skepticism and anticipation etched across their faces. Qi Xia and his group sat in the same row.
That’s when they noticed a small light on each armrest: one yellow, one green.

"Since this is a team game, we will conduct {random team assignments} to ensure fairness. Please remain in the seats you are occupying; any movement will result in {penalties} for everyone."
The participants’ faces fell as the implications became clear.
Specs and the middle-aged man reacted most strongly, exclaiming, "Huh?! Random team assignments?!"

Qi Xia stroked his chin thoughtfully, recognizing that this setup benefited the organizer most.
In a {wagering} game, organizers would aim to minimize the participants’ chances ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ of success. Breaking up established teams was a strategic move toward that end.
The ox-headed figure walked to a corner of the room, located a button switch, then turned to face them with a knowing look. “The game has officially begun.”

He pressed the button, and the lights on each armrest flickered rapidly. The yellow and green lights alternated, creating a disorienting and eerie spectacle in the dimly lit room.
Qi Xia eyed the lights on his armrests, a wave of unease washing over him.
If {ox} truly signified a game centered on physical strength, it would fall well outside his area of expertise. In that case, he would have to rely on Qiao Jiajin’s brute force.

Yet, if he had figured that out, so had the others—such as the bespectacled man and the stout middle-aged man who had enlisted the towering man's help.
But it seemed everyone’s plans were being thrown into disarray by Terrestrial Ox. He was clearly doing everything possible to prevent the formation of effective strategies, hence the use of {random team assignments}.
Qi Xia knew that if he were unlucky enough to be separated from Qiao Jiajin, the spoils of this game would slip through their fingers.

Before he could devise a proper countermeasure, the flickering stopped.
Some chairs glowed yellow; others green. The team assignments truly were random.
Qi Xia glanced at the lights on his chair and those of the other three, feeling both relief and concern.

The good news: he and Qiao Jiajin had both received yellow lights, placing them on the same team. The bad news: the two women had green lights, assigning them to the other team. If the game was physically demanding, their team would be at a clear disadvantage.
Sighs and murmurs of discontent rippled through the room—Qi Xia and his group weren’t alone in their disappointment.
"I will now announce the rules of this game," the ox-headed figure declared with indifference. "Both teams will operate in separate, unrelated arenas. Each team must endure in their respective venue for ten minutes without being eliminated to pass. At the conclusion, every remaining player will receive a number of {Dào} equal to the number of survivors."

Upon hearing the rules, many participants grew restless.
"Hey!" the middle-aged man abruptly stood up. "That load of crap didn’t explain anything! What kind of game is this? What exactly are we facing?"
Everyone turned toward Terrestrial Ox, expecting further explanation. But he simply looked at the man and said calmly, "Team yellow, please follow me."

"You...!" The middle-aged man clenched his teeth but refrained from escalating the confrontation.
He wasn’t on the same team as his comrades, which already annoyed him. Now, with the rules still unclear, his frustration only deepened. Specs, standing beside him, tugged his sleeve in an effort to calm him down.
Qi Xia turned to Tian Tian and Lin Qin. "No matter what’s behind that door, stay alert. Survival is all that matters."

The two women nodded nervously.
"Let’s go," Qi Xia said, stepping forward with Qiao Jiajin.
The two surveyed their assigned teammates—and the situation wasn’t ideal. Out of ten people, six were women.

Besides Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin, the only other men were Specs and the middle-aged man. The opposing team had just two women: Tian Tian and Lin Qin.
"Fuck..." Qiao Jiajin muttered under his breath as he looked at their male teammates. "One’s a skeleton, the other’s a fat lou[2]..."
“Don’t waste your energy,” Qi Xia said. “We can only count on ourselves.”

Ten people stood in front of the yellow door, while the others gathered at the green door under the ox-headed figure’s direction.
With the clinking sound of chains, both doors creaked open, revealing staircases descending into darkness.
Without hesitation, Qiao Jiajin led the way down, the rest of the team quickly following.

The descent was brief but steep. They emerged into an open area roughly half the size of a basketball court. In its center stood a round iron plate, approximately the size of a table.
Qi Xia quickly assessed their surroundings. High walls enclosed the area, and directly ahead was a large iron gate. Above it, an electronic clock displayed a countdown set to ten minutes.