Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 426: Eccentric Mouse

“Admission will be five {Dào} each. The victorious survivors will share thirty {Dào} equally.”

“How many participants does your game require...?” Qi Xia furrowed his brow. “It wouldn’t just happen to be... exactly five, would it?”

“Not quite...” Terrestrial Mouse smiled and replied. “Since the esteemed leaders within {Cats} have never troubled me before, I generously give you a choice... You may opt for five participants, or six.”

“Oh...?”

This was the first time Qi Xia had encountered a game with a variable number of participants.

“I’ll state it clearly beforehand,” Terrestrial Mouse continued. “If five take part, I will play the {Cat}. If six participate, one of the participants must take the role of {Cat}.”

Qi Xia pondered for several seconds before asking, “We can choose who the {Cat} is...?”

“Yes,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “Since this is a matter of opening the doors to do business, I naturally accommodate different situations. Whether five or six take part, I can handle it.”

“What should we do now...?” Luo Eleven whispered from behind. “Should we ask to borrow from someone from another group?”

“That works,” Zhou Six nodded. “If all six players are our own people, this game will become much easier.”

Qi Xia’s brow creased as he listened.

The purpose of participating in this Terrestrial-grade game was not to make it easier, but to increase the difficulty as much as possible, so the option of all six being their own people was out of the question.

“Five of us will suffice,” Qi Xia declared. “It may be a trap, but I’m prepared to stake the risk.”

“Huh...?” Zhou Six glanced at Qi Xia in puzzlement. “There’s a simpler road you could walk, yet you don’t...are you trying to have us die here?”

“Though I am a swindler," Qi Xia ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) replied, “as long as you follow my instructions, the odds of keeping you safe are very high.”

“In that case... I can only hope the esteemed leaders won’t regret it,” Terrestrial Mouse remarked with a smile.

Hearing this, Zhou Six no longer hesitated. She gave a glance to Qiu Sixteen, who then retrieved a stack of {Dào} from her waist pouch and handed it to Terrestrial Mouse.

“All right!” Terrestrial Mouse tossed the {Dào} into a crate by his side, then turned and opened the door to the building. “This is the Arena. Please, esteemed leaders, step inside.”

Glancing at the pitch-dark corridor within, everyone exhaled and entered one after another. Asura Arena or not, anywhere in {End Point} is an arena of suffering as long as one survives.

After only a few steps, they noticed the air here was different from elsewhere. The room carried no scent of blood or decay, only a faintly sweet fragrance of fruit.

Such a scent was rarely found in {End Point}, and it left them slightly disoriented.

After walking about ten meters, the surroundings were pitch black. Terrestrial Mouse finally stopped and pressed a button on the wall. The old lights flickered to life.

“We’ve arrived, esteemed leaders,” he said as he led them into the hall and pulled six collars from a cracked box behind him.

“I must explain in advance,” Terrestrial Mouse said. “I truly respect all of you, esteemed leaders, so I will not use violent means to endanger your lives during the game. However, as I mentioned, I also answer to higher authorities. Taking all factors into account, the only option is to have you wear these {Exploding Collars}. I hope you esteemed leaders won’t take offense.”

Qi Xia took the collar in silence, then finally blurted out a question he’d been holding back, “Are you always this polite to all your {participants}?”

Terrestrial Mouse shook his head. “You flatter me, esteemed leader. You’re a part of {Cats}, or in other words, one of Qian Five’s people. I reserve this courtesy only for you few. Please, put it on first.”

Qi Xia shook his head inwardly. Beyond the rules, every sentence out of this man’s mouth was deceit; he was the epitome of a corporate veteran.

Zhou Six eyed the collar in her hand before looking up and asked, “Tsk, why six? One’s a spare?”

“Hah, how could you say that? I need one too!” Terrestrial Mouse seized the moment before anyone reacted: he took the largest collar and clipped it around his own neck. The collar snapped shut with a solid click.

Qi Xia inspected the collars’ sizes carefully, then shot Terrestrial Mouse a suspicious look.

“Don’t take offense, esteemed leaders,” Terrestrial Mouse smiled, baring his teeth. “These are {Exploding Collars}. Mine’s larger because it holds more explosives. You esteemed leaders only need a little charge to die neatly. I, however, require more. Please, be understanding.”

“Tell us the rules,” Qi Xia said.

“All right, all right. Please, follow me.”

Terrestrial Mouse led them a few paces through the cavernous hall. Only then did they notice rooms lining the periphery—seven wooden doors in all.

“My rules are complicated, but the game itself is simple,” Terrestrial Mouse began. “We are split into two camps: I play {Cat}, you play {Mouse}.”

“Tsk, we already know that,” Zhou Six muttered.

“The game unfolds over six rounds,” Terrestrial Mouse continued. “Each round is divided into {Night} and {Day}.”

Seeing no one interject, he nodded and went on, “All {Mouse} may only act during the {Night}, while the {Cat} may act only during the {Day}.”

“How long are {Day} and {Night}?” Qi Xia asked.

“Ten minutes each.” Terrestrial Mouse answered. “Is the allot time sufficient, esteemed leaders?”

Qi Xia ran the numbers in his head. Six rounds at twenty minutes each would consume two hours. Under such time constraints, he would need to devise a countermeasure fast.

“Motherfu...” Luo Eleven cursed. “If it’s not enough, can you extend it?”

“That would be difficult,” Terrestrial Mouse replied evenly. “Extension isn’t really feasible. If you need it, I can try to apply on your behalf, but please understand the limitations of the rules.”

“Cut the crap,” Luo Eleven said, scratching his ear. “We’re split into {Cat} and {Mouse}. Then what?”

Terrestrial Mouse pointed to the room farthest to the left, a black door. “That is the {Mouse House}, your {base}. You can strategize or hide from the {Cat} there. I will never enter the {Mouse House}, so once the game starts, it will be the safest place for you.”

Qi Xia glanced around and noticed that the seven doors in the room were all distinct in color. Though all were dark-toned, the dim lighting revealed seven subtly different shades.