TDU Chapter 170: Till We Meet Again
Chapter 170 Till We Meet Again
Su Shan fell silent, the weight of realization settling over her. She couldn’t calm her racing thoughts. Yes, if she had thought it through carefully, she would have noticed. Why was {JOKER} written on the {vital card} while the {fatal card} still bore its intended label?
She picked up the cards she had just drawn and stared at them—rope, rope, rope. The only exception was a single {stone}. All the other cards in her hand were ropes.
Was there still any hope for victory?
Meanwhile, Qi Xia flipped over the card he had previously tossed aside and took a look—it was also a rope.
"Let’s play this." Without hesitation, he placed the rope face up and tossed it in front of Su Shan.
"You..." Su Shan blinked, a bead of cold sweat slipping down her forehead. "I think I understand your plan... I'm already bound to lose..."
"Indeed," Qi Xia replied, his voice calm. "You have one final opportunity to gamble—play that {stone}."
After a brief pause, Su Shan reluctantly reached for the {stone} in her hand. Though hesitant to follow Qi Xia's lead, she saw no other option. If she hoped to defeat the opposing {Combatant}, the {stone} was her only chance.
After all, the likelihood of the {rope} killing someone within ten seconds was nearly nonexistent. If more time was lost, Zi Chen would die from blood loss.
With deliberate slowness, Su Shan placed the {stone} card on the table, her fingers trembling as a shadow of despair clouded her eyes. "Qi Xia," she whispered, her voice quivering, "How can you take a life without hesitation?"
Qi Xia's gaze remained cold. "One day, you'll understand," he said, his tone devoid of warmth. "And when that day comes, you'll be no different from me."
Su Shan’s heart clenched. She couldn’t understand—no, she refused to understand. No matter how dire the circumstances, she could never bring herself to kill a stranger with such ruthless indifference.
"I believe in Zi Chen," Su Shan declared, her resolve hardening as she pushed the {stone} card forward on the table.
Qi Xia opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. After a long, silent pause, he finally muttered, "That teammate of yours will drag you down. If you want to survive here, you can’t afford to keep caring for the weak."
With a smile, Terrestrial Chicken waved his hand, and the props for the two contestants fell from above.
Doctor Zhao swiftly raised his hand, catching the rope mid-air before it could touch the ground.
Meanwhile, Zi Chen, gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg, managed to catch the brick from mid-air. Aware of his injury and unable to move easily, he held the brick in a defensive stance, preparing for an attack. But to his surprise, Doctor Zhao did not use the rope to strike. Instead, he turned and tossed it into the opening behind him.
"Huh?" Zi Chen paused, confusion flashing across his face as he watched Doctor Zhao retreat, moving beyond his offensive range.
"What exactly are you playing at?" Zi Chen growled through clenched teeth, his frustration evident. "Are you planning to just run for the rest of the game?"
"That's right." Doctor Zhao wiped the blood from his nose. "You're already critically wounded. It's only a matter of time before you bleed out. There’s no need for me to risk further harm."
"So, this was your strategy all along—cripple me by taking out my leg..." Zi Chen's fury boiled over. His hands pressed against his injured limb as he limped forward.
Doctor Zhao spared him a fleeting glance before turning and striding farther away. "Stop deluding yourself!" He taunted, "Just surrender already—you’ll never catch me."
Zi Chen staggered after Doctor Zhao, his steps growing heavier as the blood from his wounded thigh seeped into his shoe, leaving a dark, wet trail behind him.
"You... you..." he gasped, his breath ragged and uneven. Desperation flared in his eyes—he knew time was slipping through his fingers. If he didn’t act now, the game would be lost, and his opponent’s victory all but assured.
"Zi Chen! Don’t!" Su Shan suddenly shot to her feet, her voice sharp with panic.
But it was already too late. With a guttural cry, Zi Chen hurled the brick in his hand, his arm straining with one final burst of strength.
Qi Xia exhaled softly, his gaze steady as he met Su Shan’s wide, disbelieving eyes.
"It’s over, Su Shan."
Doctor Zhao sidestepped deftly, avoiding the flying brick. Without missing a beat, he scooped it up, stuffed it into his pocket, and dropped flat onto the ground.
"What...?" Zi Chen’s eyes flickered with disbelief. "What the hell are you doing with my brick?"
"Zi Chen!!" Su Shan’s panicked voice rang out as she rushed to the glass wall. She slammed her palms against it, her voice sharp with urgency. "Get your brick back! He’s trying to kill you!!"
Terrestrial Chicken let out a low, mocking chuckle. "Ten seconds are up. Discard your props," he announced, his tone laced with amusement.
Zi Chen froze. A chilling wave of dread coursed through him, rooting him to the spot for half a second before sheer panic took over.
"Hey... give me back my brick!!" he roared, stumbling forward despite the pain lancing through his leg. He lunged toward Doctor Zhao, his trembling hands reaching out in desperation.
Doctor Zhao curled himself into a tight ball, clutching the brick as though his life depended on it. His silence was deafening, an unyielding wall against Zi Chen’s frantic pleas.
"Damn it!" Zi Chen’s voice cracked, trembling with fear and desperation. "Give it back—now!! If you don’t, I’m dead!"
But Doctor Zhao remained resolute. He shut his eyes and buried his head deeper into his arms, weathering the storm of Zi Chen’s punches and kicks.
"I repeat," Terrestrial Chicken’s voice dripped with malice, "Discard your props immediately."
"No! No!!" Zi Chen’s hoarse cries echoed through the room. "Give it to me—please!!"
Su Shan trembled uncontrollably. Never, not even in her darkest nightmares, had she imagined meeting her end in this cursed place.
"Su Shan," Qi Xia’s voice rang out, deliberate and cold. "Find a more comfortable position to wait for death. And do try not to splatter blood on my face."
Her despairing eyes locked onto Qi Xia, burning with helplessness and disbelief. Time was slipping through her fingers—her death was no longer a distant threat but an imminent reality.
She still had unfinished business, loose ends she couldn’t leave behind. How could her story end here, snuffed out so easily?
But who—who could possibly save her now?
At that moment, a sudden {snap} resounded in Su Shan's mind.
{Dong}!!
A resounding bell tolled in the distance.
Qi Xia revealed a slow, satisfied smile. "I apologize," he said, his voice softening. "I may have said some harsh things earlier, but none of it was truly my intent." He rose to his feet, his gaze steady as he addressed Su Shan. "Remember this—west of the city, school, Passage to Heaven. My name is Qi Xia."
Before Su Shan could process his words, Terrestrial Chicken stepped into the glass room, his tone cold. "Please discard your props immediately."
"You—You wait!" Zi Chen waved his hands desperately, panic evident in his voice. "Give me just a little more time… I—I’ll be done soon!"
"Five seconds," Terrestrial Chicken replied coldly, slowly closing his eyes.
"Ge! Da ge!" Zi Chen stopped his frantic assault on Doctor Zhao, instead dropping to his knees, his voice choked with desperation. "Please, give it back to me... I don’t want to die..."
"Sorry..." Doctor Zhao whispered, clutching the brick tightly to his chest. "I don’t want to die either."
Five seconds slipped by in the blink of an eye, and with a swift, merciless motion, Terrestrial Chicken's hand shot forward, plunging deep into Zi Chen’s chest with inhuman speed.
"The blue team has committed a foul; the {punishment} has been administered." Terrestrial Chicken's laughter echoed coldly as he nonchalantly dropped a fragment of unrecognizable flesh onto the floor, flicking the blood from his hand.
Simultaneously, the collar around Su Shan’s neck pulsed with a blinding blue light, flashing faster and faster, each pulse growing more insistent, as if the countdown to her fate had begun.
"Su Shan, do you remember what I told you?" Qi Xia turned his gaze toward her, his expression steady.
Su Shan stared into Qi Xia’s eyes for a long, silent moment, as a sudden epiphany struck her.
So that's how it is?!
"West of the city, school, Passage to Heaven," Su Shan murmured, her voice tinged with realization. "Qi Xia, I understand now."
"Till we meet again," Qi Xia responded softly.
"Till we meet again," Su Shan echoed, a bitter smile curling on her lips.
