Ten Day Ultimatum

Jiang Ruoxue's words left both Ole Lu and Zhang Chenze momentarily stunned. But the urgency of the situation left no time for hesitation.
Zhang Chenze took three deep breaths, gripped the shard of glass, and charged out.

At that moment, Qi Xia was removing his jacket to wrap it around his arm, preparing to confront the two armed assailants.
“Qi Xia! I’m here to help you!” Zhang Chenze shouted, brandishing the shard as she took position beside him.
“Help me?! Are you out of your mind?” Qi Xia gritted his teeth, urgency surging through him. “You need to get out of here!”

“It’s okay…” Zhang Chenze seemed to be reassuring herself more than him. “We’ll be okay…”
Seizing the opening, the blonde hoodlum lunged, aiming to drive his knife ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) into Qi Xia’s chest—intent on ending it all in a single strike.
“Qi Xia, watch out!” Zhang Chenze stepped forward, shutting her eyes tightly as she thrust the shard forward at random.

The blonde thug found it laughable—did they really think a shard of glass could kill him?
But as he sidestepped her awkward attack, his foot landed on the metal box lying on the floor.
“Huh?!”

He stumbled forward, off balance, and impaled himself directly on the shard. The glass pierced his throat.
“Cough… cough…” Blood poured from his mouth. “You…”
Qi Xia, stunned, quickly shoved him away.

Now freed from the shard, the blonde hoodlum gushed blood from his throat like a ruptured pipe.
“A’Li!!” the bald man screamed, rushing forward to catch his collapsing companion.
He frantically pressed his hands over the wound, panic carved into his face.

Qi Xia stood frozen in disbelief as the scene unfolded.
That metal box—carelessly dropped during his earlier scuffle—had turned out to be an unexpected savior. What a twist of fate.
Only then did Zhang Chenze open her eyes, horrified to find her hands soaked in blood.

“AHH!!” She screamed and dropped the shard, her hands trembling violently.
Once so resolute in her willingness to kill, she now stood shell-shocked by the reality. The once-poised lawyer was pale, terrified, and completely rattled.
Without missing a beat, Qi Xia stooped to grab the dagger the blonde had dropped. The battle wasn’t over—they couldn’t afford to be distracted.
“You’re fucking courting death!!” the bald man roared, his fury erupting as he lunged with his dagger.

Qi Xia shoved Zhang Chenze back into the room and retreated several steps to gain distance.
Wild, unrestrained attacks like these were the most dangerous—impossible to predict, harder to defend. Qi Xia focused on opening space between them.
But there was nowhere left to run. The corridor ended just behind him—walls closing in on both sides. He was cornered.

Though both had blades, Qi Xia’s intent was survival, while his attacker lunged like a rabid animal.
“I’ma kill you!!” the bald man bellowed, swinging the dagger with all his might. Qi Xia dodged just in time.
In that split second, Qi Xia countered—slashing deep into the man’s arm, feeling the blade scrape bone.

“If you’re looking to die, then bring it!” Qi Xia shouted.
The bald thug, ignoring the pain, raised his knife and thrust it directly at Qi Xia’s chest.
Qi Xia knew he couldn’t dodge. He crouched, twisting away from the vital point—the blade pierced his shoulder instead.

He grunted in pain but retaliated at once, driving his own dagger into the man's gut.
But in the next moment, the bald man grabbed Qi Xia’s weapon barehanded, letting the blade bury itself in his palm.
“You think you can kill me…?” the thug hissed, malice gleaming in his eyes. “You ever taken a life before?!”

Before Qi Xia could answer, the man twisted the blade still lodged in Qi Xia’s shoulder—ripping through flesh and muscle.
“ARGHHH!!” Qi Xia cried out, nearly losing consciousness from the sheer pain.
Just then, a heavy figure crashed into the bald thug from behind—locking him in a tight grip.

The thug froze, momentarily stunned, as the dagger slipped from his hand.
“Motherfucker…” he growled, recognizing the man clinging to him. “So you’re the one who ruined our key, huh?”
Despite his fear, Ole Lu held on desperately. He knew letting go meant certain death for Qi Xia.

With a violent jerk, the thug pulled the dagger from his own wound and drove it hard into Ole Lu’s ribs.
“Huh?!” Ole Lu gasped, stunned by the cold steel plunging into his body—a pain he’d never imagined.
Grinding his teeth, the thug yanked the blade out and stabbed him again. And again.

Finally, the pain sank deep into Ole Lu’s bones.
His body convulsed, but he didn’t let go. With one final burst of desperate strength, he bit down hard on the thug’s shoulder—twisting his head, tearing away skin and flesh.
The bald man howled in pain. Just as he raised the knife to finish Ole Lu, Lin Qin appeared from nowhere and stabbed a shard of glass into his arm.

“Qi Xia!! If you don’t move now, Ole Lu is going to die!!” she shouted, urgency cutting through the chaos.
Her voice jolted Qi Xia awake. Though the left side of his body was numb, he knew he couldn’t falter.
Seeing the scene before him, Qi Xia’s eyes widened in shock. Without a second thought, he ripped the dagger from his shoulder and, with a shout, drove it straight into the thug’s neck.

The bald man immediately went limp, collapsing along with the others who had fallen.
“Ole Lu…” Qi Xia shoved the body aside and rushed to him. But when he saw the state he was in, his voice trembled. “Ole Lu… how are you holding up?”
Ole Lu lay trembling, his ribs a mangled ruin.

“Punk Qi… not too bright when it counts, are you…” Ole Lu gave a crooked smile, his face ghostly pale.
“I… I guess I’m not as smart as you,” Qi Xia stammered, pressing both hands to the bleeding wounds, but the blood wouldn’t stop. “Please, Ole Lu, don’t die… I still owe you the entry fee for this game…”
“How could I possibly die…” Ole Lu sighed, then said, “Punk Qi, if you knew my real name, you wouldn’t worry so much…”

“What is it…?”
“If I tell you, promise not to laugh…” Ole Lu gave a faint chuckle. “Whenever I tell people, they always laugh.”
“I won’t laugh… I swear I won’t.”

“My name is Lu Fengxian[1]…” he whispered. “My parents picked it… sounds like a name built not to die, huh?”
“You’re the reincarnation of Lu Bu[1] himself—of course you won’t die…”
Qi Xia sank to his knees, his whole body trembling. His head pounded as if it might burst, but he clung to consciousness until Ole Lu’s movements ceased.

 
(Flashback)
Qi Xia pulled Ole Lu aside and whispered, “There are several important matters I need to discuss with you.”

“Discuss?” Ole Lu looked puzzled. “Punk Qi, you got a plan? The game’s about to start—spill it quick!”
After a pause, Qi Xia replied, “It’s not really a {countermeasure}. Ole Lu… if the others try to recruit you, consider accepting.”
“Huh?” Ole Lu blinked—then realization dawned. “Ah! A scheme within a scheme, right? I pretend to join and then—”

“No.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Let’s part ways here.”
“What…?”
“I’ve thought it through. We barely know each other. If you risk your life for me, it’ll only make the rest of the team uneasy,” Qi Xia explained. “The best way forward is for you to exit the team now—so when conflict arises, there’s no baggage.”

“You…” Ole Lu looked crestfallen. Despite being a middle-aged, pudgy man, he suddenly looked like a helpless child.
“I’m sorry, Ole Lu. I’m just choosing the most logical path.”
“Qi Xia,” Ole Lu said suddenly, “you say your team can’t risk their lives for me. But I can risk mine for you.”

“What?”
“Whatever your plan is, don’t act yet. I’ll prove my {sincerity} first. Then you can decide what I’m worth,” Ole Lu said, resolute.
“But if we don’t accept you at the last minute, you’ll die,” Qi Xia warned.

“You’re not that kind of person,” Ole Lu replied with a goofy smile. “I’ve spent my life selling socks, but I’m good at reading people when it counts. Just wait and see!”
“Sigh…” Qi Xia shook his head. “I appreciate the faith. But I still can’t trust you completely. It all depends on how you perform.”