Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 402

Chapter 402

Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 402 Figures

“You’re…” Su Shan stared at Qin Dingdong’s clenched fist.

She fixed her eyes on it for a long while before finally blinking. “Two fingers.”

Qin Dingdong rolled her eyes, then turned to Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin. “Xiao Shan’s gone blind.”

“That—” Hearing that, Su Shan frowned. It felt almost as if Qin Dingdong understood her condition better than she did herself.

Though both Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin had somewhat expected it, they still found the situation strange. They clearly remembered that the moment Su Shan awoke, she had looked straight at her. And just now, when Qin Dingdong held up her fist, Su Shan’s eyes had been locked on it.

“I… I can still see a little,” Su Shan said with a wry smile. “I was just pulling your leg, don’t worry—”

“Don’t try to fool us.” Qin Dingdong’s voice was firm. “All you see now are glowing silhouettes, right? You’ve completely lost proper vision.”

“You even know that?”

“Xiao Shan, I told you—I once teamed up with you before.” Qin Dingdong coughed a few times, her voice hoarse as she added, “That damned dog wasn’t stirring up trouble last night. The truth is, I really did get you killed.”

“Is that so…” Su Shan didn’t seem particularly surprised. “In a place like this…the death of those close beside you is inevitable.”

“As long as you understand.” Qin Dingdong gave a small nod. “I bear no animosity towards you. I even thought about being friends with you. But our professions mean we’ll never walk the same road.”

“Mm…” Su Shan also nodded. “Speaking of which, I should apologize to you all. I had planned to let you all die in the game.”

“Isn’t that perfectly normal?” Qin Dingdong replied. “No one told you that the {Dog-category} games required cooperation—you had to figure that out yourself. That you managed to shatter the hail in my chamber at the very last moment was already quite the feat.”

Su Shan gave a bitter smile as she pushed herself up to her feet, swaying slightly.

“Su Shan…” Zhang Chenze quickly steadied her by the wrist. “Are you sure you’re all right? You’re still burning with fever—”

“Fever?” Su Shan froze, then slowly curved her lips into an eerie smile. “No. I don’t feel feverish. I feel perfectly fine.”

Yet Zhang Chenze could clearly sense the searing heat in her wrist, though Su Shan’s mind seemed utterly lucid.

“We’re all injured…” Su Shan’s eyes swept around the room, though her gaze was hollow, her irises like shattered gemstones, stripped of all light. “Let’s go back and have that doctor take a look at us.”

The group exchanged glances, then nodded in silent agreement. Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong both knew their battered bodies couldn’t possibly recover any time soon, and Su Shan’s clouded eyes were far beyond the reach of ordinary medicine.

Supporting one another, they pushed the door open and stepped outside—only to come face-to-face with the slowly approaching Terrestrial Dog.

“Oh?” Terrestrial Dog yawned. “Morning. Clocked in yet?”

“Motherf*cking mutt…” Qin Dingdong swore. “Clock in your ass, you think we’re working here?”

“Oh, my mistake.” Terrestrial Dog lazily rubbed at his eyes. “If you don’t clock in, then I will.”

“Then go to your damned job.” Qin Dingdong, still unsatisfied, spat at his feet. “Hope it works you to death.”

Terrestrial Dog didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Su Shan. “Su Shan, how are you holding up?”

“I…” In the pitch-black void of her sight, Su Shan could still make out the vague outline of a lean man. She gave a faint smile. “I’m fine.”

“You’ve had this old issue for some time now. Don’t push it too far next time. Hope we meet again.” With a casual wave, Terrestrial Dog brushed past the women and moved toward the glass shop.

But just as he was about to step inside, something struck him. He paused, then slowly turned back to them.

“By the way…” His eyes swept across the four. “Since a couple of you are veterans, how long have you been holding on to your memories?”

“Three hundred thousand years!” Qin Dingdong roared. “What business is it of yours?”

Terrestrial Dog rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion.

Qin Dingdong, unwilling to be outdone, immediately rolled hers back at him.

“Can’t be bothered to argue with you,” Terrestrial Dog said. “I’m looking for someone. Not sure if any of you know him.”

Lin Qin asked cautiously, “Who are you looking for?”

“A man named Qi Xia,” Terrestrial Dog replied. “I would like to know if I can get the chance to meet him.”

The women were all seasoned enough to keep their composure. Not a flicker of emotion crossed their faces at the mention of {Qi Xia}.

“I can help you look,” Lin Qin said. “But that counts as a {transaction}, doesn’t it? What will you offer in exchange for this person’s information?”

“Tsk…” Terrestrial Dog rubbed his chin. “Do you want {Dào}?”

“No.” Lin Qin shook her head. “Do you have anything else to offer?”

“Not even {Dào}... this is why veterans are so hard to deal with…” Terrestrial Dog muttered and thought for a few seconds, then raised his head. “How about {food}? I’ll get you a few slices of cakes, some beverages, plus a bit of fresh fruit.”

At this, Lin Qin swallowed slightly and glanced at the others.

“Slices of cakes… and fruit?” Qin Dingdong also felt tempted.

What Terrestrial Dog mentioned, Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong hadn’t eaten in countless years. In their memories lingered only the taste of rotten food. And yet, every ten days their bodies refreshed, so even eating dirt wouldn’t leave them malnourished.

The situation now felt strange. Not knowing Terrestrial Dog’s true intention, the two women seemed as if they were about to trade Qi Xia’s life for cakes—guilt gnawed at them.

Su Shan studied Terrestrial Dog’s silhouette for a moment, then smiled and interjected, “Why do you {Earthly Branches} want to personally meet a participant? Is that person really so important?”

“He…” Terrestrial Dog pondered, then replied, “He may be my {old acquaintance}, so I want to see him.”

He paused for a few seconds, studying their expressions, then added, “I won’t take his life. After all, the {Earthly Branches} have their own rules—outside games, we cannot kill. If you happen to know him… would you mind passing this on?”

The women neither agreed nor refused, knowing this was something they could only ask Qi Xia about directly.

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Lin Qin said. “We’re leaving. See you.”

Terrestrial Dog gave a nod and turned into the glass shop, while the four women continued down the road.

Along the way, Zhang Chenze supported Lin Qin, while Qin Dingdong helped steady Su Shan. Though Su Shan could still perceive the silhouettes of living beings, she was utterly blind to the road— even a small pebble on the ground could trip her up.

After walking for about half an hour, Lin Qin felt her right leg could no longer bear the strain and suggested they rest for a while.

Su Shan nodded, about to speak, when she suddenly noticed two glowing humanoid outlines not far ahead, standing out with striking clarity.

“There seem to be people there.” Su Shan pointed toward the glowing figures. “Are they acquaintances? Or {Earthly Branches}?”

Following her gesture, the three women saw a large clock standing at the center of the small plaza, its face fitted with a display screen.

At that moment, four lines of {Reverberations} were shown upon it:

{Penalty Proxy}, {Beckoned Calamity}, {Prompt Descry}, {Soul Reposition}.