Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 431: The Deceptive Captain

“Then who’ll be the {Commander}?” Zhou Six asked.

Qi Xia turned slightly, his gaze sweeping past the others before settling on Qiu Sixteen.

“Qiu Sixteen, how about you?” His tone carried a quiet but unmistakable firmness.

“Me?” Qiu Sixteen frowned at him.

“Yes. I’m entrusting it to you.”

“But...” Qiu Sixteen’s brows furrowed deeper. “The one made {Commander} is usually the most useless person, no? Are you saying I’m not good enough to steal the {fruit}?”

“Oh?” Qi Xia’s lips curved faintly. “My mistake; I don’t yet know each of your abilities. So tell me then—if not you, who do you think should be the {Commander}?”

Qi Xia’s question neatly boxed Qiu Sixteen in. Whoever she named would sound like an insult.

After a brief pause, Qiu Sixteen’s eyes flicked toward the one person everyone found unpleasant.

“Wang Eight,” she said. “He’s definitely more suited for it than I am.”

“What?!” Wang Eight, still fuming from Qi Xia’s earlier jab, nearly jumped up. “Qiu Sixteen, are you saying I’m useless?!”

“I’m at least trained in sports,” Qiu Sixteen retorted. “If the {Cat} chooses to {Patrol}, I might still have a chance to escape—but you? Not a chance.”

“I...” Wang Eight’s expression soured. “I—I think you all should think it over...”

“Why?” the others asked, turning to him.

“Do you really think Qi Xia’s plan will work?” Wang Eight asked. “Why are you all willing to follow his instructions? What if...What if something goes wrong?”

“Five ge said Qi Xia has the brains,” Zhou Six answered. “I get that you don’t trust him, but Five ge has never lied to us.”

“But...” Wang Eight’s forehead broke out in fine sweat from anxiety.

Zhou Six snorted. “Besides, every strategy you’ve suggested requires me to kiss you—I have no intention of doing that.”

Wang Eight thought for a few seconds before sighing. “Fine... I’ll trust Five ge...”

“But I don’t trust you,” Qi Xia immediately interrupted, pointing at Wang Eight and addressing the others. “This may sound harsh, but while I need a {Central Command}, someone like this just won’t do.” He let out a breath. “To survive this game, I need someone capable, not a useless person. Useless people simply won’t do.”

Wang Eight’s face darkened noticeably, and his glare at Qi Xia grew even more furious.

“Tsk, no need to argue. Let Qiu Sixteen go first,” Zhou Six said. “We’ll rotate as {Commanders} anyways; everyone will get a chance.”

Wang Eight pressed his lips together and glanced at Zhou Six, then turned back to Qi Xia. “Fine. Since Six jie trusts you, I’ll ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ give you face. But don’t think this matter is over just like that.”

As though the words never reached his ears, Qi Xia turned and rested a hand on Qiu Sixteen’s shoulder. “It’s in your hands now.”

“I...” Qiu Sixteen looked into Qi Xia’s serious eyes and finally nodded. “Alright.”

With the team’s tactic settled, they heard the lock beside them click open.

“Let’s move out,” Qi Xia said.

With varied thoughts weighing on their minds, the group pushed open the wooden door and stepped out of the {Mouse House}.

Outside, apart from the absence of the {Cat}, everything looked exactly as it had before they entered. Nothing in the corridor indicated any change.

Besides the {Mouse House} and the {Cat House}, five other doors in different colors stood before them. The dim hues combined with the faint scent of fruit made the atmosphere peculiarly tense.

“Pick your rooms,” Qi Xia said. “From here on, don’t announce your choice aloud; communicate with your eyes as much as possible.”

“Why’s that?” Luo Eleven asked.

“I’m not sure, but something feels off,” Qi Xia replied. “The {Cat} only mentioned that the two rooms are well soundproofed and that neither side can hear the other, but said nothing about the corridor. So be careful.”

“You’ve thought it all through,” Luo Eleven said with approval, and a subtle shift could be seen in the way he regarded Qi Xia.

“Enough chatter, choose your rooms.” Qi Xia signaled with his eyes, and the group, understanding immediately, split up and stood before four of the doors.

Watching their movements, Qi Xia frowned, then used his gaze to signal Zhou Six standing in front of the third door.

“What?” Zhou Six asked.

“Not that door,” Qi Xia said, standing before the fourth door. “Pick another.”

Though confused, Zhou Six nodded and moved to the last door.

Now, except for the third door in the middle, all the others were occupied.

Qi Xia nodded. According to his calculations, the third door in the center was the most dangerous. With symmetrical doors on either side, people tend to gravitate toward the middle when indecisive—making the center theoretically the least desirable choice.

Once everyone had settled, they opened their doors and stepped inside.

Qi Xia left the door ajar behind him and walked a few steps forward to stand beside the altar table.

The table still held a plate, upon which rested four peaches, their pink and green hues blending beautifully, each one exceptionally pristine. But according to the rules, Qi Xia couldn’t simply grab the peaches and run; he had to wait inside the room until {Night} ended.

Beside the altar, a button was fixed to the wall, labeled {Search}.

Qi Xia walked over and pressed it. The instant he did, the door clicked shut and locked.

‘No red light...’ Qi Xia nodded slightly. “That means {Cat} didn’t use the mousetrap this round and will likely choose {Search}...”

He touched his chin, a faint smile slowly curling at the corner of his mouth.

‘Perfect...’ he muttered under his breath. “{Search} works in my favor...”

Next door, in Room Five, Zhou Six paced nervously. She wasn’t entirely sure if Qi Xia’s plan would succeed. Standing alone in the hallway like that... was it really something an ordinary participant would think of?

By the timing, all the rooms should now be locked. But the soundproofing was excellent, leaving no way to hear what was happening outside. Everyone, except Qi Xia, anxiously waited inside their rooms for {Cat} to arrive.

Ten minutes later, the locks on all the doors clicked open. They waited cautiously for a few seconds, and seeing no one enter, finally stepped forward and pushed their doors open.

{Cat} was nowhere to be seen.

“Tsk, so that’s the end of Round One...?” Zhou Six frowned, glancing around. The others were all peeking out of their rooms as well.

“Stop lingering,” Qi Xia said. “Grab the fruits.”

Zhou Six was about to acknowledge, but a sudden unease stopped her.

Qiu Sixteen, who had been standing in the hallway earlier, had vanished.