TDU Chapter 428
Chapter 428 Doubt-Sower
“And what about the {Cat}’s other two actions?” Qi Xia asked, raising his head. “What do {Trap} and {Patrol} entail?”
“{Trap} involves placing a {Mouse Trap} in a room,” Terrestrial Mouse said with a smile. “In the real world, mice seldom notice traps, so we have to simulate that phenomenon here as well.”
“Tsk, and how do you simulate that?” Zhou Six asked.
“A room with a {Mouse Trap} looks no different from the others. But if you press the {Search} button and a red light flashes, it means the room has been trapped. Your {Search} fails—you cannot take any food, nor escape the room. There are only two ways to leave: either a teammate comes to {Rescue} you from outside, or I take you back to the {Cat House}.”
“In other words…” Qi Xia confirmed, “even if caught by a {Mouse Trap}, although we aren’t immediately eliminated, we still must be taken back by you?”
“Exactly,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “That is {Trap}. As for the third action, {Patrol}, I will designate two rooms and open their doors simultaneously, representing me patrolling those rooms and attempting to catch the {Mice} inside. But unlike {Search}, just opening the doors doesn’t guarantee the {Mice} will be caught. You can use any means to dash back to the {Mouse House} the moment the doors swing open.”
Qi Xia nodded. “So {Patrol} expands the {attack range} but lowers the success rate of catching {Mice}.”
“Explanations go much faster with a discerning esteemed leader,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “Like you, I also only choose from these three actions each turn.”
Seeing that everyone seemed to understand the rules, Terrestrial Mouse led them to the {Mouse House} door.
“As I said, I won’t enter the {Mouse House}, so please open the door.”
Without a word, Qi Xia stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Inside were five chairs, and on the wall were five palm-sized holes, each labeled {One, Two, Three, Four, Five}.
“Esteemed leaders, this is your safe house. All food you steal can only be consumed inside the {Mouse House}, and by ‘consume,’ I mean placing the fruit into the hole corresponding to your number.”
The group glanced at their collars, and sure enough, their numbers were discreetly marked.
It seemed that as long as they placed the fruit into the hole matching their number, their {Satiety Value} would increase.
“Tsk, how stingy…” Zhou Six pressed her lips together. “I thought with so many fruits at least we could each have one…”
“Oh!” Terrestrial Mouse suddenly realized and said to the group, “Esteemed leaders, my oversight, I forgot to mention earlier: as long as you survive, not only will you share the thirty {Dào}, you will also keep all the fruits you place into the holes.”
“Ah?!” Zhou Six froze. “A–All the fruits?”
“Yes, yes,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “And it’s precisely because of this feature that my game has many {returning patrons}. They come here not just for {Dào}, but also for the fresh fruits.”
“{Returning patrons}…?” Qi Xia found the term curious.
What kind of patrons were these?
Five people each submit five {Dào}, then share thirty {Dào} among them—Terrestrial Mouse loses five {Dào} every game.
If everyone survives, the game seems meaningless, yet Terrestrial Mouse deliberately provides fruits as a reward.
In a place where food is scarce for ten days, a single fresh, sweet fruit is enough to make anyone desperate.
If the {Earthly Branches} truly care little for {Dào}, then did they share the same sentiment regarding food?
The answer was clear: no one in this world ever operated at a loss. If all five emerged from here unscathed, the {Earthly Branches} would not only lose the {Dào} but also part with the fruits.
Any {Earthly Branch} capable of devising such a method to attract {patrons} was certainly no philanthropist.
He would undoubtedly ensure that participants perished within his game.
“By the way, a small note…” Terrestrial Mouse said, “each hole only grants a {Satiety} effect when its own occupant places food in it. In other words, you cannot feed another {Mouse}.”
“Understood.” Qi Xia nodded, then asked, “After we acquire the fruits, can we store them in this room?”
“Of course,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “Esteemed leaders, no need to be so formal. This is the {Mouse House}, essentially a ‘mouse hole.’ Naturally, you may store the food here and consume when needed.”
The group now had a general understanding of the rules.
Though termed a {Cat-and-Mouse Game}, it involved little in the way of chasing or physical exertion. Instead, it primarily tested the strategies of both {Cat} and {Mouse}. Surviving this game required far more than simply keeping one’s stomach full.
“Since all you esteemed leaders have grasped the rules, this game will commence in ten minutes.”
Terrestrial Mouse cast a final, cold glance at the group and was about to depart when Qi Xia called out.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“You seem to have forgotten something,” Qi Xia said.
Terrestrial Mouse paused for a moment before replying, “I don’t believe so.”
“Really…?” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slowly.
“Esteemed leader, I have said {all that needs to be said}. Any remaining questions you pose, I will not answer,” Terrestrial Mouse said. “With these rules in place, you have enough to survive this game.”
Qi Xia nodded, then pressed further, “I have a personal question I wish to ask.”
“Personal question…?” Terrestrial Mouse furrowed his brows. “Now?”
“Correct,” Qi Xia nodded. “The answer will influence my strategy for the game ahead.”
“I may not answer, but please go ahead, esteemed leader,” Terrestrial Mouse said, tightening the frown on his face.
Qi Xia stepped forward, closing the distance to Terrestrial Mouse’s fur-covered face, and spoke softly, “If you realized you could never become {Celestial}, would you choose to resist those above you?”
Terrestrial Mouse’s eyes trembled violently at the words, and he staggered back two paces.
No matter how he imagined it, he could never have expected an ordinary participant to pose a question capable of shaking an {Earthly Branch}’s allegiance.
“What… you…” Terrestrial Mouse blinked rapidly, struggling to regain composure, then forced a strange smile and said, “I don’t understand what you meant just now, but my superiors are my heaven. I would never act against the interests of my esteemed leaders.”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
