TDU Chapter 144: Rapid Lightness
Chapter 144 Rapid Lightness
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin slowly turned their heads, their eyes falling upon Tian Tian, trembling uncontrollably as she clutched the knife in her hands. Tears streamed down her face, her expression a raw reflection of internal conflict—caught in a turmoil of despair.
She seemed torn between not wanting to die yet not wanting to live.
"I—I..." Tian Tian's lips quivered, "I have a way..."
"Hey..." Qiao Jiajin extended his hand, slowly rising to his feet. "I know you have a way, but put the knife down first."
Slowly, Qi Xia stood, his gaze unwavering as he moved toward Tian Tian. "Your method is unlikely to succeed... Listen to me..."
"Don’t come any closer..." Tian Tian stepped back, her voice filled with sorrow. "I’m sorry, this is the only way I can think of..."
“No!” Qiao Jiajin interrupted, his voice sharp with urgency. "I’ve seen the size of that hole. Even if you cut off your hand, it won’t be small enough to throw through! We’d still need to chop it into pieces, but we don’t have that time!"
Qi Xia swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he spoke to Tian Tian, "Qiao Jiajin is right. What you’re doing won’t help."
"But you can’t even cut through the iron mesh!" Tian Tian cried out, her voice breaking, desperation dripping from every word. "I have a better way!"
"There is no better way!" Qi Xia shouted, his voice thick with frustration. "Cutting the iron mesh is the only way!"
"No..." Tian Tian collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "You’ve already figured it out, haven’t you, Qi Xia... This is the only way..."
"That way won’t work!!" Qi Xia took another step forward. "We’ll find other methods!"
"Qi Xia... I don’t want to turn into a charred corpse. I’ve lived a dirty life, so at the very end, let me die beautifully."
"Qiao Jiajin! Take the knife from her, now!!" Qi Xia shouted. "Hurry!"
Before Qiao Jiajin could even take a step, Tian Tian’s movements were sudden and devastating. She raised the knife with trembling hands, pressing it to the artery on the left side of her neck. In one swift, deliberate motion, she cut deep—no hesitation, no turning back.
A sickening sound like a bursting water pipe rang out. Blood shot up more than a meter into the air, a violent spray that showered the room in a crimson mist, the heat of it stinging their faces.
The knife clattered to the ground as Tian Tian collapsed beside it. Her blood poured out uncontrollably, spilling onto the floor in a torrential red rain.
"Tian Tian!!" Both Qiao Jiajin and Yun Yao rushed to her side, their hands trembling as they pressed desperately against the gaping wound in her neck, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood. But the blood refused to be contained, slipping wickedly through their fingers, pooling in a dark, relentless sea at their feet.
Tears, as large and heavy as raindrops, streamed down Yun Yao’s face, her composure shattering in the face of this cruel reality. She had witnessed the death of countless teammates in games, but this—this was different. This was the first time she felt the sting of tears, the painful ache of helplessness.
How could there be such a foolish girl in this world?
Even knowing that death wasn’t permanent, who could ever willingly embrace it?
"F*ck!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, his hands pressing against Tian Tian’s neck as he watched her complexion fade to an unmistakable pallor. "Leng-mui... what the hell are you thinking..."
Qi Xia slowly placed his hand over his forehead. The familiar pain had returned.
"Ugh...!" Qi Xia collapsed to his knees, his hand clutching his forehead in agony.
"Swindler lad!"
"Qi Xia!" Yun Yao hurried over to check on him, only to find him trembling uncontrollably from the pain.
"What’s happening to him?" Yun Yao asked, concern etched on her face. "Does Qi Xia have some kind of illness?"
"I don’t know..." Qiao Jiajin responded, his voice tight with worry. "Swindler lad, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Qi Xia didn’t answer. He only curled up on the ground, waiting for the intense pain to subside.
The balance of weight shifted once more, and their room began to rise.
Qi Xia knew that the key to breaking this deadlock lay in {bloodletting}. An adult's blood volume can reach up to 5000 milliliters, roughly ten kilograms in weight.
This was far more significant than cutting off two hands.
The weight difference between the two rooms had already been minuscule. If one side could quickly {shed} a few kilograms, victory would surely follow. If one wished to release a large amount of blood in a short time, severing an artery was the only viable method.
A full half-minute passed before Qi Xia stood up, his face devoid of expression.
"You..." Yun Yao sensed something was wrong with Qi Xia’s demeanor. "Are you alright?"
"Do I look like I’m not?" Qi Xia retorted, then, with a cold indifference, continued, "Watch closely—we’re about to win."
Qiao Jiajin and Yun Yao exchanged puzzled glances, still unsure of what had changed.
Just moments ago, Qi Xia had been writhing in agony; now, he seemed like an entirely different person. He showed no sorrow, no fear. His presence was like a stagnant pool of water—apathetic, as if completely unconcerned with the fates of those around him.
Qi Xia walked to the wall, his gaze briefly flickering over the struggling figures on the other side. With a calm yet chilling motion, he tossed the knife into the air, watching as it spun before descending to the abyss.
As he had predicted, they were on the verge of victory. With the vast amount of blood spilling from Tian Tian’s body, their room slowly began to rise, distancing itself from the flames below.
It seemed the other side had made yet another attempt, but all of their efforts had come to naught.
In the distance, the opposing room resembled a moth, its trajectory heedless as it flew directly into the flames. The shrill cries of agony soon followed, reverberating in the air, but it was clear—the fire had completely consumed their room.
Qi Xia turned away with an air of casual indifference, his thoughts already elsewhere, but then his gaze caught the countdown timer on the wall. It had expired.
The very second the countdown ended, their room jolted violently, as if hurled through the air at breakneck speed.
The now three-man team instinctively braced against the walls, their bodies tensing with the sudden force. For what felt like an eternity, the shaking persisted, the room trembling under the weight of the descent. Finally, after a long, agonizing moment, the tremors ceased.
"What’s going on?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
Qi Xia looked down at the floor beneath his feet. The iron mesh had disappeared, replaced by wooden planks, and a realization swept over him. They had arrived in yet another unfamiliar place.
{Click}!
{Creak}!
A faint sound came from behind them, and the group turned to find that the wall had transformed back into a door, now wide open. Beyond it stretched a dim corridor. Directly opposite them stood another metal door.
Qi Xia stepped out of the room first, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He glanced back at the space they had just left, confirming his suspicion—there was indeed an elevator behind them. But the question gnawed at him: Where had this elevator just come from?
His gaze shifted to the iron door across the corridor. Could it be… another elevator?
"Congratulations," Mortal Dragon's voice rang out as he stood to the side, his words carrying a calm finality. "You’ve won the game."
Qi Xia turned to face him, noticing that Mortal Dragon stood at the center of the corridor, with two cabinets flanking him on either side, each containing several neatly arranged sets of clothes.
"My games are always about service," Mortal Dragon chuckled softly, a hint of amusement lacing his voice. "Everything you discarded, I’ve collected—placed it all here for you."
"Hurry up and put on your clothes, it wouldn't do for any of you to catch a cold."
A palpable unease settled over the group, the air thick with a mix of confusion and reluctance. Yet, in silence, they moved forward, taking the clothes and dressing without a word.
Yun Yao’s bag and shoes had been shredded to pieces, but she managed to retrieve her cosmetics.
"Mortal Dragon, mark my words—you'll regret messing with us," Qi Xia said coolly, fastening his clothes.
"Messing with you?" Mortal Dragon’s eyes, obscured by his mask, blinked with feigned confusion. "How exactly have I been messing with you?" Without waiting for a response, he moved toward the other iron door, knocking lightly, his motions deliberate. "Is there anyone else who wants to come out?"
The door, steaming, remained silent.
"How strange..." Mortal Dragon mused, his gaze lingering on Qi Xia. "I invited you to play on a harmless seesaw, yet somehow, it turned into a life-or-death situation. Why do you think that is?" His words were heavy with unspoken meaning as he fixed his eyes on Qi Xia.
"What?" Qi Xia furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing, fixed on Mortal Dragon with sharp intensity.
Mortal Dragon chuckled before replying casually, as though the matter were of no consequence at all. "The rules of this game are simple: just don't move. And once the countdown ends, you all can come out."
