Upon hearing this, one of the rich men sneered coldly and instead pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket.

He held the sharp knife in his hand without taking any other action, but this also made the burly man’s expression change.

Qi Xia knew these “rich people” must have come prepared, otherwise they couldn’t possibly make such a bold move.

The man holding the knife took it in his hand, neither submitting nor threatening the other party. He simply slowly said, “Two choices. First, we each give you one fan and you let us go. Second, we fight you to the death.”

The knife-wielding man’s tone was very seasoned. Obviously, he was already accustomed to this kind of situation.

The two choices he offered were vastly different—precisely the negotiation technique of going all-in in business. Either mutual victory or mutual loss, with absolutely no middle ground.

This would subtly influence the burly man’s choice.

After hearing this, the burly man indeed thought cautiously for a while. After all, two fans were already a windfall for him. If he fought desperately here, not only would he end up with nothing, but he might also get injured.

“Alright then…” The burly man nodded. “But I’m adding one more condition.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“When you escape, leave the knife behind.” The burly man pointed at the sharp knife in the knife-wielding man’s hand. “Two fans plus one knife, then we have a deal.”

These words were spoken clearly and loudly, allowing many participants in the venue to hear.

Everyone’s expressions became somewhat unnatural. They knew that if the burly man obtained the knife, the situation would definitely be dire.

But this problem was clearly not within the “rich people’s” consideration. The man looked at the sharp knife in his hand and nodded. “I’ll throw the knife back before I escape, but right now it must remain in my custody.”

“Good, good.” The burly man nodded obsequiously and actually stood behind the two to protect them.

He turned around and shouted at the other onlookers, “What are you looking at? I’m taking this deal. Get lost, all of you.”

Qi Xia looked at him coldly, then turned to the “rich person” beside him and said, “You’re in danger. Go find someone to team up with quickly.”

The man pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his sweat, then nodded absentmindedly and asked, “Bro-brother, won’t you team up with me? You’re also very dangerous here…”

“No need.” Qi Xia shook his head. “But I’ll ensure you get out.”

After thinking briefly, Qi Xia pulled the “rich person” before him and walked toward the other two “rich people” who hadn’t teamed up yet.

These three “rich people” appeared not to know each other—this was an excellent opportunity.

“Brothers.” Qi Xia stood before the two and spoke. “You know what situation you’re in right now, don’t you?”

The two “rich people” standing before Qi Xia both looked at him with some suspicion.

“Each of you has about ten fans on you. The reason you haven’t been mobbed yet is because the people here still retain a bit of rationality.” Qi Xia said in a low voice among the three. “Don’t you want to consider teaming up to escape?”

“Whether we escape or not has nothing to do with you…” an older “rich person” said. “Why do you care so much?”

After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded. “Indeed, it has nothing to do with me…”

After saying this, he pointed at the “rich person” beside him and said, “But this person is my friend. I suggest you team up with him first. I’ll guarantee that the remaining person can absolutely escape with one hundred percent certainty.”

“What?”

All three were stunned.

Even the “rich person” Qi Xia wanted to protect hadn’t expected Qi Xia to say such things.

Qi Xia paused, then said, “You should know… with every passing second, you’re one step closer to death.”

The three “rich people” clearly felt something was wrong, but didn’t know what to do.

“Does anyone want to team up with my ‘friend’?” Qi Xia struck while the iron was hot and asked again. “You should know that in a few minutes, only you three will remain among those with ten fans. At that point, when the burly man gets the knife, he’ll immediately point his spear at you. If you make your decision then, it’ll be too late.”

The two began thinking at this moment.

One who looked relatively older considered for a while and was first to speak. “This young man is right. I’ve decided to team up with your friend.”

“Ah? Really?” The “rich person” beside Qi Xia laughed. “That’s great!”

The two looked at each other, then were about to go find a “pairing machine,” but were stopped by the remaining “rich person.”

“No… something’s not right, yeah? What are you two doing?” the man asked. “If you two team up, what about me?”

“I have a way.” Qi Xia reached out and put his arm around this brother with a Sichuan-Chongqing accent. “Big brother, don’t worry. Like I said, I’ll ensure you get out.”

“What?”

“Come, big brother, come with me.” Qi Xia put his arm around the man’s shoulder and kept leading him to another side.

While walking, Qi Xia used his peripheral vision to watch those two rich people press the button on another “pairing machine,” then slowly nodded.

He could only do this much. He could only pray that their “pairing” would go smoothly.

“Young man, do you really have a way?” the Sichuan-Chongqing brother asked. “Don’t trick me, okay?”

“Of course, of course.” Qi Xia nodded. “I’ll help you find another teammate right away.”

While speaking, Qi Xia led the Sichuan-Chongqing brother in Qin Dingdong’s direction.

“Oh?” Qin Dingdong was searching for new prey when she saw Qi Xia bringing a brother before her.

“Qin Dingdong, didn’t you keep saying you wanted to find someone to leave with?” Qi Xia nodded at her. “This brother also happens to want to get out.”

“Oh? Really, big brother?” Qin Dingdong stepped forward and grabbed the brother’s arm. “You also want to leave here quickly, right?”

“Yeah.” The brother nodded. “Little sister, you want to get out too?”

“That’s great! Really great!” Qin Dingdong said with a wronged expression. “I was just deceived! Someone made me waste an opportunity. I don’t even know what to do now…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” The brother smiled foolishly and shook his head. “I’ll pair with you. Let’s get out quickly, yeah?”

“Good, good!” Qin Dingdong nodded with lingering fear, then pulled the brother toward a “pairing machine” beside them.

While watching the two before him, Qi Xia also watched the “rich person” in the distance who had all the “Sorrow” fans. These two groups started pairing almost simultaneously. He could only hope both succeeded.

“Big brother, I’ve already pressed the button.” Qin Dingdong smiled and said to the Sichuan-Chongqing man beside her. “You should show some initiative too, right? Why so passive?”

“Beautiful lady, you need to put the fan in first before I can trust you,” the Sichuan-Chongqing brother said in a low voice.