Officer Li didn’t look at Qiao Jiajin, instead asking Qi Xia: “I do have something to ask. About Han Yimo… didn’t you have something more to say earlier? What does Han Yimo’s death represent? And what’s the meaning of that sword?”

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and carefully sized up Officer Li: “Officer, your expertise is criminal investigation, mine is fraud. Now you’re asking me for advice on a case—isn’t that strange?”

Officer Li helplessly lowered his head and said, “We’ve already come to this kind of godforsaken place. How could ‘criminal investigation’ possibly still be useful?”

After hearing this, Qi Xia was silent for a moment, then decided to tell him the clues he had thought of: “Officer, I can only say… Han Yimo may have recognized that sword.”

“Recognized?” Officer Li furrowed his brow, then nodded thoughtfully. “You mean he had seen that sword before?”

“These aren’t questions you need to consider anymore.” Qi Xia said. “You should be more concerned about your own situation.”

“What do you mean?”

Qi Xia sighed and turned to leave, but was grabbed by Officer Li.

“Don’t go. What exactly is my ‘situation’?”

Lin Qin covered her nose and mouth, leaned close to Officer Li’s ear, then said quietly: “Officer, Qi Xia doesn’t want to say it, but I can say it for him. There are two things you need to be careful about.”

“Two things?”

“That’s right. First, the only one present who could easily lift that giant sword is that insane female shopkeeper. Her strength is very great. In other words, if Han Yimo was really killed by someone, then the female shopkeeper is the biggest suspect. You should leave this place as soon as possible.”

Officer Li nodded with a heavy expression, then asked: “And the second?”

“Second is your ‘teammates.’ They don’t seem worthy of trust.”

Officer Li’s lips moved slightly, as if he had thought of something.

Now on his side, there was a kindergarten teacher, Xiao Ran, who was controlled by emotions and didn’t seem very smart; a lawyer, Zhang Chenze, who was indifferent to everything and only looked at pros and cons; and a doctor, Zhao, who had once confronted him and was somewhat self-centered.

If their combination of four people encountered a life-threatening test, could they trust each other?

Officer Li struggled internally for a long time before finally speaking: “Qi Xia, no matter what, I’ll use the convenience store as a base camp and explore several nearby areas. If you have any information… you can also come find me to exchange.”

Qi Xia neither agreed nor refused. He glanced at him indifferently and turned to leave.

The remaining few didn’t know what to say and followed.

Officer Li stared at the backs of the four people for a while, then returned to the convenience store with Doctor Zhao and Xiao Ran.

How could he not know that the four people outside were more trustworthy at critical moments? But they were going to collect “Dao,” in other words, they were seeking death.

Following them wasn’t safe either.

To successfully survive now, he could only first find a base, then make long-term plans.

…

Qi Xia led the group forward continuously. Before long, they arrived at the plaza where they had descended yesterday.

He wanted to come here to confirm something.

That was the huge bell sound heard at dawn.

This place was just like yesterday. In the center was a huge electronic display screen, and above the display screen hung a bronze bell.

When Han Yimo was stabbed, the great bell had rung.

Lin Qin blinked and spoke: “I seem to have heard the bell sound several times…”

“Several times?” Qiao Jiajin paused and asked, “When?”

Lin Qin’s pupils moved slightly as she recalled: “Do you remember… when we just woke up in that room, the man whose skull was smashed by the ‘Man-Goat’? When he died, there also seemed to be a bell sound.”

Tiantian seemed to understand something: “Could it be that… every time someone dies, the bell rings?”

Everyone nodded, feeling this direction of speculation should be correct. The bronze bell before them seemed like a death knell, announcing to everyone the number of deaths.

“That’s not right.” Qi Xia shook his head. “That corridor we experienced had at least a thousand rooms. While we were experiencing the ‘game,’ people were dying in all the rooms. If this thing is a death knell, we couldn’t have only heard the bell twice.”

“This…” Tiantian felt what Qi Xia said also made sense. But if so, what exactly was the condition for the great bell to ring?

“Huh?” Lin Qin raised her head to look at the display screen and found it was completely empty. “I remember there was a line of text on it yesterday.”

Everyone looked up. The text had indeed disappeared.

“It seemed to be… something about echoes…” Qiao Jiajin said, stroking his chin. “I echoed disaster?”

“I heard the echo of ‘Catastrophe.'” Qi Xia said.

“Ah, right…” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “What does that mean?”

Qi Xia shook his head.

This wasn’t something whose meaning could be known just by “guessing.” They knew too little about this city.

What was Catastrophe? What was echo? And who was “I”?

“Forget it, let’s look elsewhere.”

Qi Xia turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly froze.

Before his eyes was a withered face with a smile.

This face had appeared behind him at some unknown time and was now staring straight at him.

Qi Xia’s pupils moved. He quickly retreated two steps.

The other three were also startled. Before them was a withered old man. He stood on tiptoes, his body bent like a dead tree.

“I thought of it…” The old man smiled slightly, revealing his only remaining tooth. “The question you asked me, I thought of it!”

Being stared at by this old man, Qi Xia only felt his back turn cold: “Are you talking to me?”

The old man licked his cracked lips: “Young man, I know the answer! It’s ‘gambling with your life’! As long as you gamble your life, everything will work out!”

He extended his hand with dirty fingernails, about to grab Qi Xia.

“We’re already so close to getting out! As long as you’re willing to gamble your life…”

Qi Xia furrowed his brow and retreated several more steps. Although he couldn’t understand what the old man was saying, his repeated insistence on taking his life was really too bizarre.

“Hey! Old man, who are you?” Qiao Jiajin asked somewhat suspiciously. “Have you met Qi Xia before?”

The old man’s expression changed. He turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.

With a complex expression, he opened his mouth, then asked: “You don’t recognize me?”

“Why should I recognize you?”

The atmosphere became somewhat silent for a moment. The old man’s turbid eyes kept flashing. After a long time, he finally thought of something: “I see… you… have already met the ‘Heavenly-Dragon’…”

“Heavenly-Dragon?” The four people looked at each other.

“There’s no hope…” The old man shook his head and slowly turned his back. “We can’t fight him… We’re forever lost here… No wonder the ‘Zodiac’ has returned again…”

He walked away muttering, his back looking very desolate.