Chapter 81: Giving Up?

Pain.

Qi Xia clutched his head, trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Geng stood beside Qi Xia, looking at him with a troubled expression.

Although she had seen this scene multiple times before, Qi Xia's behavior always made her uneasy.

Qi Xia remained on his knees, wailing, as the intense pain in his mind far surpassed the knife wound on his shoulder.

Jiang Ruoxue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear after witnessing this and said,"You guys' team leader looks really strange. Is he always like this?"

"It seems like he gets headaches every time someone dies."

"Then why doesn't it hurt when he kills someone?"Jiang Ruoxue asked.

"This..."Lin Geng had no idea about the mechanism behind Qi Xia's headaches, but from her memories, he only experienced them after someone died.

"He looks just like he's been hypnotized," Jiang Ruoxue continued. "Every time he should feel sadness, his brain numbs the emotion with pain."

Lin Geng's eyes widened as if she had suddenly gained enlightenment upon hearing this.

"Hypnosis?!"

"Oh? You know about hypnosis?"Jiang Ruoxue turned her head and looked at Lin Geng.

Lin Geng didn't answer and instead fell into thought: "That makes sense... If it's hypnosis, it could indeed produce this effect... But that would require extremely advanced hypnosis techniques, along with Qi Xia's full mental cooperation... No one in the country should be capable of that level..."

After saying this, Lin Geng felt even more puzzled.

If no one domestically could do it, then international hypnotists would be even less likely.

Hypnosis differed from other psychological counseling methods; if the language used wasn't one's native tongue, it was hard for a person to relax their mental defenses and enter a subconscious state.

"So, you're a psychologist?"Jiang Ruoxue asked.

"I'm a psychological counselor," Lin Geng replied. "Jiang Ruoxue, you seem to know a lot about hypnosis?"

"Not really." Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "But I've been hypnotized before. The hypnotist gave me an example back then, saying that under certain conditions, people can use hypnosis to 'seal away' their emotions. Qi Xia looks just like that."

"Yes... That technique only exists in theory; it's almost impossible for anyone to achieve in reality..."

As the two were talking, heavy footsteps echoed, and Di Gou finally appeared.

"Oh dear... What a mess..." He glanced at the dead bodies on the ground—the bald man, Jin Mao, and Lao Lv—his expression somewhat troubled. "You contestants really don't hold back in fights..."

No sooner had he spoken than he went over to the dying A Mu, lifted his right foot, and brutally crushed the man's head.

Bright red brain matter, mixed with vibrant green hair, splattered everywhere like fireworks.

Zhang Chenze and Lin Geng turned away, unable to bear the sight, even though they had witnessed many deaths; they still couldn't stomach lives being slaughtered like livestock.

"I think I should be on my way." Seeing Di Gou approaching slowly, Jiang Ruoxue smiled at the other two. "If there's nothing else, I'll head out. Catch you later if we meet again."

Di Gou seemed to understand her willingness to go quietly.

Without further ado, he reached out to grab Jiang Ruoxue's neck.

"Wait..." Qi Xia slowly stood up, his expression no longer showing pain.

"What are you doing?" Di Gou turned to look at him.

"This 'jian xi' is ours now." Qi Xia clutched his shoulder and said, "From this moment on, she's part of our team. You can't kill her."

Everyone present was stunned by this, including Jiang Ruoxue herself.

"What are you up to... I haven't helped you guys at all from the start."

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't violate the rules, right?" Qi Xia looked at Di Gou seriously and asked.

Di Gou thought for a moment and said,"It's true. As long as you abandon your team's 'jian xi', you can take on a new one."

With that, he slowly retracted his hand and pulled a very dirty cloth bundle from his pocket.

"Here are twenty 'Dao', along with all the bodies on the ground. They're your rewards now." Di Gou waved his hand, tossed the 'Dao' onto the ground, and turned to leave.

"Bodies as rewards..." Qi Xia's eyes gradually darkened. "I'm starting to hate this damn place."

"That's just because you don't know any better." Jiang Ruoxue said to Qi Xia, "Bodies are valuable. Lots of survivors stay alive by eating them."

"Eating bodies...?" Lin Geng was stunned. "Is that for real?"

"How else can you find food in this place besides bodies?"

Before Lin Geng could respond, Zhang Lvshi suddenly spoke up from nearby:"'Criminal Law', Article 302: Insulting a corpse. Anyone who steals, insults, or deliberately destroys a corpse, bones, or ashes shall be sentenced to up to three years in prison, criminal detention, or public surveillance."

"Are you okay?" Jiang Ruoxue looked at Zhang Lvshi in confusion. "Does the law even apply here?"

Zhang Lvshi seemed dazed. She stared down at her hands, stained with fresh blood, and continued,"'Criminal Law', Article 232: Intentional homicide. The perpetrator shall be sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years..."

Jiang Ruoxue and Lin Geng exchanged glances and both shook their heads.

"It was self-defense," Qi Xia said. "I saw that man run into the glass himself. It had nothing to do with you."

Only then did Zhang Chenze snap out of it. Looking worried, she went over to Qi Xia and examined his wound.

The wound reminded her of Han Yimo.

Han Yimo had died quickly after getting injured on his left shoulder. Would it be Qi Xia's turn this time?

"Everyone, take these twenty 'Dao', and whatever's on the bodies... Divide them among yourselves." Qi Xia pushed the cloth bundle forward.

"We're taking them? What about you?" Zhang Lvshi asked.

"I can't stop the bleeding from my wound." Qi Xia lowered his head quietly. "Even if I bandage it, I won't be able to move for the next few days. I've lost this game."

"What are you talking about..." Lin Geng suddenly panicked. "If you give up now... What was all our effort for?"

"Yeah, this isn't the time to give up... Let's go back and find Zhao Yisheng?" Zhang Lvshi said, her voice choking back tears.

"It's no use." Qi Xia shook his head. "Even if Zhao Yisheng agrees to help, he'd only be able to bandage me up. He can't make my injury heal enough for the days ahead."

Qi Xia gritted his teeth and stood up, looking at the two with a very dejected expression.

"I didn't want to give up. My wife is still waiting for me at home... But I can't do it anymore. The rest is up to you." After thinking for a moment, Qi Xia added, "If you don't want to keep playing the game, I won't blame you. After all, everyone's life is their own."

Jiang Ruoxue crossed her arms and said casually,"Qi Xia, are you putting on a show for me?"