Chapter 422: Problematic Team

"Lao Qi... even you..." Chen Junnan stared at him with wide eyes.

"I can't think of a better way either," Qi Xia said. "Right now, the most important thing is to split up and lead the 'Mao' team members to participate in the 'Di Ji' games. If the timing is right, I'll directly propose a life-and-death gamble with the opponent."

"You..." Qian Wu blinked. "Even at this critical juncture, you're still thinking about your plan?"

"Yes. 'Tian Ma' is just the immediate problem, but we have to deal with far more than just her—we still have the 'Zui Zhong Nan Ti'," Qi Xia said. "This time, the opportunity is perfect. Qian Wu and I can act separately, each leading a small team to participate in the games and force 'Mao' to fully erupt in desperate situations."

Qian Wu nodded. "I originally planned to handle this mission myself, but if Qi Xia is willing to help, that's even better..."

He turned around and stared at Qi Xia with a serious expression. "However, 'Hui Xiang' has the possibility of failure. Even with just the two of us leading, it's not safe enough. I suggest that Da Wa and Er Wa each lead a team as well. I'll inform you of everyone's 'Hui Xiang' triggers... You can adapt as needed and decide on your strategies."

"What?!"

"What the heck?!"

Qiao Ji Jin and Chen Junnan were both stunned, their expressions a bit unnatural.

Chen Junnan cleared his throat and said, "I say, Xiao Qian Dou... have you got my identity all wrong? With Lao Qi here, what am I supposed to be leading? Do you even know what I'm made of?"

Qiao Ji Jin also gave a dry laugh. "I say... Shape-Shifter, you're thinking too highly of me. I only know how to fight, which is why I ended up working with the con artist in the first place."

"I understand you both," Qian Wu said. "If Qi Xia were to lead all the teams, I feel it would be hard to push the team members into desperate situations."

Chen Junnan nodded at first, but then quickly realized something was off. "Wait a minute... are you trying to tarnish our reputations here? What, are you saying that the two of us leading would force people into desperate situations? You'd better rephrase that."

"That's just the fact," Qian Wu nodded, looking seriously at Chen Junnan. "Da Wa, I'll give you a balanced team. These people have both brains and brawn, but they're veteran 'Mao' members, so they have little experience with games. You'll be leading them."

After hearing this, Chen Junnan wanted to object, but thinking it over, he decided the team sounded decent enough, so he nodded in agreement.

Then Qian Wu turned to Qiao Ji Jin. "Er Wa, I'll give you a team of intellectuals. These people have brains but aren't good at fighting. You'll lead them to participate in 'Zheng Dou' and 'Ti Li' type games. At key moments, you can have them give you ideas, but to win the 'games,' you'll still need to put in a lot of effort."

"Oh... alright," Qiao Ji Jin nodded. "Though I'm short on 'brains,' it sounds like you've given me a team of 'little brains'..."

"That's pretty much it," Qian Wu nodded. "As for me, I'll lead the weakest few in the entire team to participate in the 'games.' These people are best suited for me to handle."

"What about me...?" Qi Xia frowned. "From the looks of it... are you giving me a whole team of 'misfits'?"

"No," Qian Wu shook his head. "The 'Mao' don't have misfits, but your responsibility is still significant."

"Oh?"

"I'll give you the notorious 'problem members' of 'Mao.' These people have varied personalities and are extremely hard to manage, but each one has solid skills. I hope you not only use this time to make them 'Hui Xiang,' but also let them see your personal charisma. After all, we'll be acting together soon, and if they don't respect your leadership, it'll be trouble down the line."

"Personal charisma..." Qi Xia gave a cold laugh. "Do I even have that?"

"Yes," Qian Wu confirmed. "It's just a matter of whether they can see it."

Li Jingguan had been listening for a while and asked blankly, "What about me...?"

"You're coming with me," Qian Wu said. "I'll trigger your 'Hui Xiang' today."

Qi Xia's expression darkened upon hearing this. If he remembered correctly, Li Jingguan's 'Hui Xiang' trigger was 'near death.'

Could Qian Wu have a way to bring someone back from the brink of death...?

Once they had finalized the strategy, they had Shi Jiu dispel the 'Jian Mo.'

Qian Wu gathered everyone and divided them into teams. After setting up the groups in the square, he wrote three notes, each with everyone's 'Hui Xiang' triggers, and handed them to the three leaders besides himself.

Qiao Ji Jin took his note and looked at the people in front of him, feeling a bit of a headache. There were three men and three women; they all looked determined, but each one was skinnier than the last. Among them was Shi Jiu, who had just been triggering 'Hui Xiang' and now looked extremely fatigued.

"Sending a group of smart people to participate in 'Ti Li' and 'Zheng Dou' type games...?" Qiao Ji Jin blinked and sighed. "Why not pick a game that suits them..."

In contrast, when Chen Junnan saw his team members, he broke into a happy smile. Even without looking at the other five, just having Song Qi was a huge boost. This person not only had brains and fighting skills, but had already gained 'Hui Xiang.'

"Xiao Song!" Chen Junnan happily slung an arm around Song Qi's shoulder. "I never thought you'd be with me—this must be fate, right?"

Song Qi was a bit at a loss with Chen Junnan, but thinking about how he used to be the highest-ranking in the 'Mao' team, he just nodded and said with a bitter smile, "I didn't expect you to be my captain either."

If anyone was the most uncomfortable among them, it was Qi Xia.

The first to approach him was Zhou Liu, with a disdainful look on her face. She had a metal baseball bat tucked in her waist and was chewing gum nonchalantly. The moment her eyes met Qi Xia's, it was like a greeting, but more like a roll of the eyes.

Qi Xia glanced behind her and saw another familiar face.

Luo Shi Yi of 'Wang You.'

"Damn it..." Luo Shi Yi muttered under his breath. "When I got here, no one told me we'd have to 'participate in games'..."

As Qiao Ji Jin had described, this person was especially ruthless when triggering 'Hui Xiang' and fighting, even trading lives multiple times. If used well, he could be a big asset.

Looking further back, there were two more people. One was about 1.75 meters tall, and Qi Xia couldn't tell at first glance if they were male or female—their face looked like a man's, but their build was like a woman's.

The other was a short, stout man with a pitiful expression, as if he'd suffered some great injustice.

"Hey! You're the captain?" the androgynous person asked.

"Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "And you are...?"

"Qiu Shi Liu," they said. "What makes you worthy of being my captain?"

"Tsk!" Zhou Liu clicked her tongue. "Shi Liu, why are you talking nonsense? Whether he's a person or a dog, Five Ge arranged it, so are we going to go against Five Ge?"

Luo Shi Yi also nodded. "Yeah, damn it, it's Five Ge's arrangement. Even if this guy gets us all killed, we can't blame Five Ge."

Qi Xia smiled as he looked at the four in front of him. "Interesting."