Chapter 252: Wealth and Poverty

Qi Xia was slightly startled; he had finally found the rule behind Di Yang's lies.

"Bu Chong Shan Zi."

Strictly speaking, Di Yang wasn't completely lying—this was indeed a supplement Shan Zi, but many people couldn't supplement it.

As he himself said, everyone had the "opportunity" to supplement Shan Zi, but not everyone had the "ability" to do so.

"Hey, referee, what does this mean?" an old man asked.

Di Yang reached out and patted the small blackboard. "Just the literal meaning."

Qi Xia saw that many people looked troubled.

This was no surprise, as it was only the first day of the entire cycle. Those who could pay the entrance fee with five "Dao" were already considered outstanding, so asking them to come up with another three "Dao" to buy a Shan Zi was quite a stretch.

This was clearly a surefire deal—three "Dao" for a Shan Zi that could be exchanged for five "Dao"—yet everyone watched the opportunity slip away, powerless to take part.

It felt just like life: when you want to use money to make more money, that's exactly when you don't have any.

Qi Xia was puzzled by the reason behind Di Yang's actions.

Even if Di Yang didn't care about "Dao" and only cared about lives, how could selling Shan Zi lead to deaths?

A young man slowly walked up with a briefcase and tossed it onto the table.

The remaining few people carrying briefcases also stepped forward, showing theirs.

They opened their briefcases, each containing twenty to thirty "Dao."

At that moment, Qi Xia understood what Qin Dingdong meant by "speculation"—it was a simple and aggressive investment game; as long as you had enough capital, you could earn plenty of "Dao."

Qi Xia's lips curved into a smile; he finally realized how this game could lead to deaths.

"Very good." Di Yang nodded as he looked at the briefcases. "Please select as you like."

Select?

Everyone paused. This time, the supplement Shan Zi wasn't random—they could actually choose?

The five men with briefcases rushed forward. Four of them began selecting Shan Zi, while the onlookers started whispering among themselves.

"No wonder that woman named Qin Dingdong gave me three 'Dao' earlier..." Qi Xia touched his pocket. "You're testing my abilities, aren't you?"

The four men with briefcases each took nearly ten Shan Zi, but the fifth one stood there hesitantly, unsure what to choose.

Seeing that more than half of the Shan Zi on the table were gone, Qi Xia quietly stepped forward, handed his three "Dao" to Di Yang, and said nothing.

"Please select."

For Qi Xia, this was a great opportunity. If he could choose a folding fan, he naturally should take the one besides "Ai" to ensure he could pair successfully with others.

"Qi Xia, which one are you buying?" Qin Dingdong suddenly appeared beside him and asked.

Qi Xia glanced at her. "Of course, the one I'm missing."

He opened a paper fan and looked—it was "Xi."

With this "Xi," his chances of getting out would skyrocket.

But... in Di Yang's deceptive game, should he take this "Xi" now?

Since the goal was to win all of the referee's "Dao," there was no need to rush to leave.

Qi Xia thought for a moment, put down the "Xi," and picked up another fan—it was "Ai."

"I'll take this one."

He tucked the fan into his pocket, then turned back and gave Qin Dingdong a cool look.

"Oh?" Qin Dingdong nodded with a smile. "With this 'Ai,' can you get out now?"

"I'm just managing to leave, nothing more."

Qin Dingdong shrugged and walked away.

Qi Xia, however, stared at the "Ai" in his hand for a long time before approaching a man nearby.

This man had come with a briefcase but was now hesitating over the Shan Zi on the table.

"Brother, what are you hesitating about?" Qi Xia asked.

The man immediately looked cautious when he saw Qi Xia approach. "Why are you asking?"

"I want to make a deal with you," Qi Xia said. "A surefire deal where you come out ahead."

"A deal...?" The man's expression showed some interest, though his tone remained cautious.

Qi Xia nodded and stepped closer. "Brother, I'm planning to give you a Shan Zi, but in return, you need to help me with something small."

He whispered a few words in the man's ear, and the man's tense expression relaxed.

"Just that?"

Qi Xia nodded. "Yeah, just that."

The man thought for a moment, glanced at the Shan Zi in Qi Xia's hand, and finally agreed.

He paid all his "Dao" and bought the remaining eight "Ai" on Di Yang's table.

With that, Qi Xia's initial goal was achieved.

In the next half hour, no one could supplement any new "Ai"—this Shan Zi had become temporarily unavailable.

No matter how many participants left next, the "Ai" in their hands would either be taken or used up; the number would only decrease.

In the final moments, about seven or eight people slowly stepped forward, pulling "Dao" from their pockets to buy folding fans.

Most bought just one, but one middle-aged woman, with extra in her pocket, took the last two on the table.

Now, the plan had one final step.

Qi Xia turned and glanced at the man who had bought all the "Ai"; he needed to ensure this man could leave safely.

There were two tricky issues at hand.

First, a wealth gap had emerged here, with five "rich people" and a group of "poor people." Worse, the only authority figure wouldn't intervene in violence, so the "rich people" had to escape immediately—the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it got.

Second, the number of "rich people" was odd. For safety, they would likely pair up to leave, leaving one of the five alone.

No matter what, Qi Xia had to make sure the "rich person" beside him could escape. If he ended up stuck here, Qi Xia's situation would completely fall apart.

Sure enough, two "rich people" in the distance had clearly planned ahead; they stuck together and hurried toward the wall's "Pei Dui Ji."

The other two "rich people" seemed unfamiliar with each other and were wary, so they hadn't teamed up yet.

Qi Xia was quickly thinking of a strategy when he saw the first two "rich people" already pressing the button on the machine.

They were making their move.

This "strong alliance" approach meant ordinary "poor people" couldn't interfere, but...

Just as Qi Xia expected, a burly man stepped in front of the two "rich people," using his bulky body to block the "Pei Dui Ji."

This man had recently robbed a skinny guy's Shan Zi.

"What are you doing?" one of the "rich people" asked.

"Brothers, you get the meat, so I should at least get some soup..." The big man laughed. "This 'Pei Dui Ji' is under my control now. If you want to use it, you'll have to pay up."

The two "rich people" exchanged glances. "How much?"

It seemed their main strategy was "pay to avoid trouble."

"I want half of the Shan Zi you have," the big man replied.