TDU Chapter 250
Chapter 250 Sunk Cost
"Huh?!" The middle-aged man was visibly stunned. "Girly, what are you talking about?!"
Qi Xia inwardly nodded. He had already figured out the woman's strategy.
It was similar to his own previous approach—self-sacrificing to deal a blow to the enemy. It was a good plan, though a bit reckless.
"I said I've changed my mind, old man," the woman said, her smile fading as she now looked at him with a touch of mockery. "What makes you think I would {pair up} with a pervy old geezer like you?"
"Girly! What are you trying to pull?!" The man looked helpless, clearly flustered. "We both pressed the buttons! How can you back out now?!"
"It doesn't matter," the woman shrugged, nonchalantly. "There are three chances to pair up. Besides, I didn’t even put my fans in. It's just a wasted opportunity for one pairing."
"You—" The middle-aged man fumed, his face turning red with frustration, but he couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence.
The woman’s smile widened, as she leaned in closer. "Old man, let’s renegotiate. If you want me to put my fans in, you’ll need to hand over the last one in your pocket."
Qi Xia sneered softly. As expected, this was nothing short of a game of deceit.
If the rules were simply about {escape}, it would truly be a cooperative game.
But with every fan worth five {Dào}, human nature was bound to reveal itself.
"Hand over my fan...?" The middle-aged man paused, eyeing the last fan in his pocket.
"You should understand by now, right?" The woman tilted her head with a teasing smile. "Even if you leave me now and find someone else to pair up with... you'd only have one fan left."
"But in a while, I’ll get another one..." The man hesitated. "You’re tricking me... I can’t trust you."
"What if your next fan is a duplicate?" The woman’s grin became sly. "Old man, there’s a one-in-four chance it could be a duplicate. Don't you want to escape? If you give me the fan now, I'll make sure you can escape. But if you wait for half an hour, only to be tricked... your outcome won’t be so pleasant, will it?"
The middle-aged man slowly lowered his head, his expression filled with conflict. He certainly wanted to escape.
But if he didn't keep a single fan, he'd lose five {Dào}.
What was more important—{Dào} or his life?
"Girly... I truly misjudged you," the middle-aged man muttered, stomping his foot. In the end, he pulled out the third fan. "Alright, alright... I don’t want to play anymore. Here’s the fan, let me go already!"
"Wonderful!" The woman beamed, nodding enthusiastically. "Old man, you’re really smart!"
But only Qi Xia understood—this old man had just walked straight into his own doom.
The woman took the fan and slipped it into her pocket, but still made no move.
"Girly, what are you doing?" The old man’s voice trembled. "You need to put your fans in!"
"Sorry, old man," the woman’s expression turned cold once more. "I’ve had another thought."
"Huh?!" The middle-aged man’s voice cracked completely this time. "No, girly, you can't be like this! What else do you want now?"
"I want all the {Dào} on you," the woman replied coldly, her gaze unwavering. "If you give me the {Dào}, I will definitely put the fan in."
"Girly, don't be so greedy!" The middle-aged man lost his temper. "You can’t bully people like this!"
"Then forget it, I’ll leave." The woman shook her head, turning around without a trace of hesitation.
"Don’t! Don’t go!"
In less than two seconds, the middle-aged man panicked. Now that all his fans were in the game, how could he possibly just give up?
"I... I only have three {Dào} left!" The middle-aged man shakily pulled out three small orbs. "This is all I have, I don’t want to die... you have to keep your word..."
“Rest assured, killing you would bring me no benefit.” The woman reached out and seized the three {Dào}.
Qí Xià shook his head helplessly. The man had now completely fallen into the {sunk cost} fallacy.
Much like most failed investors, from his perspective, not continuing to invest would only result in greater losses. From the moment he had first invested his two folding fans, the situation had spiraled into an unbreakable cycle.
“Girly… I’ve given you all my {Dào} and fan; I’ve nothing left…” The middle-aged man’s voice trembled. “Let me go, I don’t want to play anymore.”
Qí Xià took a step forward, knowing the time had come for him to act.
“Apologies, mister.” The woman wore an expression of feigned regret. “I’ve changed my mind once more.”
The man’s eyes widened in shock, but no words escaped his lips.
The woman stretched lazily, as if prepared to walk away without a second glance.
“Girl—Girly... you have to spare me, I really have nothing left...”
“Indeed, I know,” the woman nodded, turning around with a hint of sympathy in her tone, “Don’t worry, mister, this time I don’t want anything from you.”
“Nothing... nothing at all?”
“Yes, mister,” she said with an innocent smile, a mischievous grin following, “Our cooperation has ended. I don’t intend to escape, so I’ll remain here.”
“What... you, you, you...”
“Mister, let me give you some advice,” the woman patted his shoulder, “Wait here for an hour, and once you have two more fans, try to find a way to escape.”
The middle-aged man’s expression appeared to be one of utter despair: “Girly, you’re killing me... didn’t you say that killing me would bring you no benefit?”
“I haven’t killed you, mister,” the woman sighed, “Aren’t you doing just fine now? While killing you brings me no benefit, letting you go doesn’t benefit me either.”
After speaking, she waved her hand and turned to leave.
The middle-aged man’s heart sank completely. He had intended to say something, but upon seeing Qi Xia behind the woman, he hesitated. Ultimately, he didn’t confront her, instead, he slumped down against the wall like a gambler who had lost all their chips, burying his face in his hands in anguish.
He blamed no one but himself, regretting his foolishness.
There were plenty of people like him in society. But once they arrived at {End Point}, cowardice and naiveté were the original sins. Even if he escaped from here, he would die in some other game.
Qi Xia glanced at the man, sighed in resignation, and turned away.
It seemed that the woman had anticipated all of this. She knew the middle-aged man lacked the courage to stir up any real trouble.
"Well?" the woman turned around and asked Qi Xia, "Pretty smart, huh?"
“You call that smart…? Three opportunities, and you think you can keep this up indefinitely?" Qi Xia retorted.
"If everything goes according to plan, I can pull this off three times." The woman smiled, running her fingers through her hair. "And each time, my spoils will grow."
“Oh?” Qi Xia hadn’t expected her greed to stretch this far. "With the third attempt deciding your escape, are you really going to risk it on another scam?"
"Naturally. The greatest rewards come when you gamble everything." The woman turned around and placed three {Dào} in Qi Xia’s hand.
“What’s this for?”
"You deserve credit for this success." The woman grinned. "The fan is worth too much to hand over, but these three {Dào} are my thanks."
“I didn’t help at all,” Qi Xia said.
“Take it,” the woman insisted, pushing the three {Dào} into Qi Xia’s hands, and he had no choice but to accept them.
“Xiao ge, what’s your name?” the woman asked.
“Qi Xia.”
“Such a nice name,” the woman nodded.
“And you?” Qi Xia asked.
"My name isn’t very pleasant to hear; I’d rather not say it and be ridiculed."
"I’m curious just how unpleasant it sounds."
“Well…” The woman sighed and shook her head, speaking softly, “My name is Qin Dingdong(秦丁冬).”
