Ten Day Ultimatum

Lin Qin was visibly shaken by Qi Xia's words.
"What do you mean by {why am I still alive}?" she asked, her voice trembling as she instinctively stepped back. The growing unease in her eyes revealed that she felt something was terribly wrong. "Wh-What are you going to do?"

Qi Xia observed her reaction carefully, a shadow of realization crossing his face. Without a word, he slowly approached the lifeless bodies of Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.
Lin Qin's voice quivered as she asked again, "Qi Xia… do you know something? What exactly happened?"
Qi Xia knelt beside the bodies of his two {comrades-in-arms}, his gaze heavy with conflicted emotions. Though he had known them for no longer than two days, their deaths weighed heavily on him. Yet every time he recalled their time together, a searing pain shot through his skull, as if a worm were clawing its way out «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» of his brain.

Lin Qin, watching him closely, was visibly on edge. "Say something… you…"
Qi Xia’s voice was low, barely a whisper. "That woman, Xiao Xiao, killed them. I’ll make sure she pays for it in blood."
"Xiao Xiao?..." Lin Qin echoed in disbelief, blinking as if trying to process the information. "Are you talking about that girl we met before…?"

Qi Xia nodded slightly, his fingers brushing lightly over Tian Tian's forehead, where a small, ominous hole remained—the mark left by the nail that had ended her life.
Tian Tian had once mentioned she didn’t mind dying here. Yet now, she hadn’t even seen her own death coming.
"But I don't understand," Lin Qin’s voice wavered with confusion. "Why… why would she kill Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian?"

Qi Xia paused, contemplating. "I want to know that too… but what puzzles me more is, why didn’t she kill you?"
Lin Qin's eyes widened slightly as she began to grasp the source of Qi Xia’s suspicion. "That’s why you asked me… But I honestly don’t know why I survived. Even if you doubt me, I have no way to prove my innocence."
"I did doubt you when I first woke up," Qi Xia admitted. "But now, I don’t anymore. The fear you showed when you thought I might harm you… that wasn’t the reaction of an accomplice."

He glanced one last time at Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet. "You thought I killed them just now, didn’t you?" he asked, turning to Lin Qin with a steady gaze.
"I…" Lin Qin lowered her head, clearly frustrated. "Yes, I suspected you. With only the two of us left, it seemed like the only explanation…"
Qi Xia didn’t seem bothered by her admission. "Xiao Xiao ordered me to stop collecting {Dào}, but I have no intention of obeying her."

Lin Qin furrowed her brows, trying to process his words. "She told you to stop collecting {Dào}? But why?"
"I’m not sure," Qi Xia replied, shaking his head. "It seems like they’re part of some organization. If I’m right, they’re deliberately trying to stop others from gathering {Dào}."
"That’s really strange…" Lin Qin murmured, her hand instinctively reaching for her waist. Suddenly, she froze. "Ah! Where are my {Dào}?"

After Lin Qin spoke, she glanced at Qi Xia’s waist, then looked to Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian’s belts.
All their {Dào} were gone.
"This is exactly what I intended to tell you," Qi Xia murmured. "That woman wasn’t collecting {Dào}; she was destroying it."
He gestured toward the now-extinguished fire nearby and informed Lin Qin, "I saw her burn our {Dào} with my own eyes."

"But something doesn’t add up…" Lin Qin seemed puzzled. "Didn't you say the {Umpire} wouldn’t allow things like {killing others for Dào}?"
Qi Xia lowered his head in deep contemplation before replying, "That woman, Xiao Xiao, is either extremely shrewd or intimately familiar with the {rules and regulations} here. First, as I mentioned, she didn’t {steal any Dào}; she destroyed it. Second, when she took and burned the {Dào}, Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian were still alive. From any technical perspective, she didn’t breach the {rules}."
"Then {killing} is allowed, but {stealing Dào} isn’t…" Lin Qin muttered, her voice tinged with sorrow as she lowered her head. Her expression darkened with melancholy. She sat down on the ground and looked up at Qi Xia. "Now that we don’t have a single {Dào} left… Even if we wanted to participate in the games, it wouldn’t be possible… right?"

Qi Xia regarded her calmly. "You seem unusually eager to participate in those games. I didn’t get that sense from you before."
Lin Qin nodded solemnly. "You’re right. At first, I had no interest in this place, but now… there’s something I have to return and confirm."
"Confirm?" Qi Xia's curiosity sharpened.

"Yes." Lin Qin’s gaze was intense as she looked at him. "I need to go back to the real world to verify something."
Qi Xia locked his eyes on hers for three long seconds, studying her as though trying to see through her.
After a pause, he stood up. "Lin Qin, regardless of everything, it’s best if we part ways."

"Part ways?" Lin Qin echoed, disbelief in her voice.
"Yes, part ways." Qi Xia affirmed with a nod. "That woman is targeting me. If you stay with me, you’ll be in serious danger."
Lin Qin rose to her feet, determination hardening her expression. "I can’t leave. I have to stay with you; otherwise, I won’t be able to confirm what I need when I return to the real world."

Qi Xia hesitated, then asked, "Is this {matter} you need to confirm related to me?"
"Yes."
"So, your interest in me is entirely because of this {matter}?" Qi Xia pressed.

"Yes."
"What exactly is this matter?" Qi Xia asked, his curiosity deepening. It was rare for him to face something he couldn’t unravel, and Lin Qin's presence had become an enigma.
"Sorry, I really can’t tell you," Lin Qin replied, shaking her head. "Just know that we aren’t enemies."

Qi Xia fell silent for a moment, then continued in earnest, "You could be putting yourself in grave danger by staying with me."
"Mm…" Lin Qin hesitated, but then spoke with resolve, "I’m ready to take that risk. Maybe I won’t die, and there’s still a chance to escape this place."
Seeing Lin Qin's unwavering determination, Qi Xia gave up on convincing her otherwise. He walked over to the door and gazed at the darkening sky.

"In that case," Qi Xia said, "let’s take that gamble together. We’re not entirely out of {Dào}. There’s still one held by an acquaintance."
"You’re referring to…" Lin Qin began, realization dawning, "Will Officer Li really hand over that {Dào}?"
"He will," Qi Xia affirmed. "But his three teammates may not be as cooperative."

"What should we do then?"
Qi Xia’s gaze drifted to Qiao Jiajin’s lifeless body. Clenching his teeth, he replied, "I’ll beg if I have to. I’m getting that {Dào}. As long as we stay in the games, Xiao Xiao will reappear. I refuse to let Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian’s deaths be for nothing."
After that, he gathered the remaining bear meat and pot, then pushed open the door and stepped out, Lin Qin following close behind.

Creak creak, chirp chirp—
The sky had darkened, and the air buzzed with the rustling and chirping of crickets, their sounds echoing along the streets.
"We need to make haste," Qi Xia remarked. "I hope they’ll appreciate this bear meat."

Lin Qin cast another glance at Qi Xia, feeling a hollow ache inside.
The man before her seemed devoid of emotion, utterly indifferent to the deaths surrounding him.