Ten Day Ultimatum

Pain.
Qi Xia cradled his head, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Lin Qin stood beside him, concern etched across her face. Though she had witnessed similar episodes before, Qi Xia's distress was always unsettling.

He knelt on the ground, wailing, as the overwhelming agony in his mind far eclipsed the knife wound on his shoulder.
Noticing this, Jiang Ruoxue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and remarked, “Your leader seems rather odd. Is he always like this?”
“It seems like he gets these headaches every time someone dies.”

“Then why doesn’t he feel pain when he kills?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.
“That’s…” Lin Qin hesitated. She didn’t know the cause of Qi Xia’s headaches, but she recalled he suffered them every time someone perished.
“He looks as if he’s been hypnotized,” Jiang Ruoxue mused. “Each time he feels sadness, his brain reacts with pain to dull the emotion.”

Lin Qin’s eyes widened, as if something had clicked. “Hypnosis?!”
“Oh? You understand hypnosis?” Jiang Ruoxue turned toward her.
Lin Qin didn’t answer right away. Instead, she fell into deep thought. “It makes sense… If it’s hypnosis, it could explain this. But it would require not only highly advanced hypnotic technique, but also Qi Xia’s full cooperation. Someone with that level of skill probably doesn’t exist in the country…”

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
If no one local could do it, then it was even less likely that an international hypnotist had managed it.
Hypnosis differs from other psychological therapies. If the language used isn’t the subject’s mother tongue, it becomes nearly impossible for the person to relax enough to enter an unconscious state.

“So you’re a psychologist?” Jiang Ruoxue asked.
“I’m a counseling psychologist,” Lin Qin replied. “Do you understand hypnosis well, Jiang Ruoxue?”
“Not really,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “But I’ve been hypnotized before. The hypnotist said something similar: that under certain conditions, a person can {seal away} their emotions through hypnosis. Qi Xia seems to be in that kind of state.”

“Indeed… Such techniques exist in theory, but in practice, they’re almost impossible to achieve…”
As the two spoke, heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor—Terrestrial Dog finally arrived.
“Oh dear… Look at the mess you’ve made…” He glanced at the lifeless bodies of the bald man, the blonde thug, and Ole Lu, a pained expression flickering across his face. “You contestants really don’t hold back when you fight…”
As soon as he finished, Terrestrial Dog approached the barely conscious A’Mu and mercilessly stomped on his head, crushing it underfoot.

Bright red brain matter, mixed with strands of green hair, splattered like fireworks across the floor.
Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin turned their faces away. Even after seeing death time and again, it was still unbearable to watch humans being butchered like livestock.
“I suppose it’s time for me to go,” Jiang Ruoxue said with a faint smile, glancing at the two of them as Terrestrial Dog approached. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Let’s catch up some other day.”

Terrestrial Dog seemed to understand her intentions. Sensing her willingness to accept her fate, he wasted no time. He reached out, hand poised ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to clasp her neck.
“Wait…” Qi Xia slowly stood up, his expression now free of the pain from before.
“What do you want?” Terrestrial Dog turned to him.

“This {Infiltrator} has been accepted,” Qi Xia said, pressing a hand to his injured shoulder. “From this moment on, she’s part of our team. You can’t kill her.”
Everyone present froze in shock—including Jiang Ruoxue herself, who was briefly speechless.
“What are you doing…? I haven’t helped you at all,” she said.

“That’s irrelevant. This doesn’t violate the rules, right?” Qi Xia asked Terrestrial Dog, expression solemn.
Terrestrial Dog considered for a moment before nodding. “Correct. As long as you abandon your current {Infiltrator}, you’re free to accept a new one.”
He retracted his hand and pulled a dirty cloth pouch from his pocket. “Here are twenty {Dào}, plus all the bodies on the ground. They’re yours now.” He tossed the pouch down and turned to leave.

“{Corpses} are considered rewards…” Qi Xia’s gaze darkened. “I’m starting to loathe this cursed place.”
“You just don’t recognize their value,” Jiang Ruoxue replied. “{Corpses} are precious. Many survivors depend on eating them to stay alive.”
“Eating corpses…?” Lin Qin recoiled. “Is that actually true?”

“What else is there to eat in a place like this besides {corpses}?” Jiang Ruoxue shot back.
Before Lin Qin could respond, Lawyer Zhang suddenly interjected, “{Criminal Law}, Article 302: Desecration of a human corpse. Anyone who steals, disrespects, or intentionally destroys a body, remains, or ashes shall face up to three years of imprisonment, criminal detention, or supervision.”
“…Are you alright?” Jiang Ruoxue asked, puzzled. “Do you think laws still apply here?”

Zhang Chenze looked dazed, staring at her bloodstained hands. “Article 232 of the {Criminal Law} says that those who commit intentional homicide shall face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or at least ten years…”
Jiang Ruoxue and Lin Qin exchanged glances, both shaking their heads.
“You acted in self-defense,” Qi Xia reassured her. “I saw him fall on the glass himself. It wasn’t your fault.”

Only then did Zhang Chenze seem to come to her senses. Her expression filled with concern as she approached Qi Xia to examine his wound. The sight of his injury brought back memories of Han Yimo.
After a shoulder wound like that, Han Yimo had died quickly. Would history repeat itself?
“Everyone, take these twenty {Dào} and the items on the {corpses}… divide them among yourselves,” Qi Xia said, pushing the pouch forward.

“Divide them among ourselves? What about you?” Zhang Chenze asked.
“I can’t stop the bleeding,” Qi Xia said softly, lowering his gaze. “Even if I manage to wrap it, I won’t be able to move for the next few days. I’ve lost this game.”
“What are you saying…” Lin Qin’s voice shook. “If you give up now, what was all our effort for?”

“Exactly! It’s too soon to give up… Let’s go find Doctor Zhao,” Lawyer Zhang added, desperate.
“It won’t help,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Even if he’s willing to treat me, all he can do is bandage the wound. He can’t change the fact that I’ll be out of commission.”
Gritting his teeth, Qi Xia stood and looked at them with a deeply weary expression. “I never planned to give up. My wife is waiting for me at home… but I can’t keep going. The rest is up to you now.”

After a pause, he added, “If you choose not to participate in the games anymore, I won’t stop you. In the end, each life belongs to the person who lives it.”
Jiang Ruoxue crossed her arms and said dryly, “Qi Xia, are you trying to trick me with this little performance?”