Chapter 67: The Rabbit

After turning a corner, the three of them arrived at an old, rundown police station.

At the entrance stood a Rentu.

"It's right here!" Lao Lü said. "It seems like it's already over..."

Qi Xia glanced at the Rentu, who appeared to be another woman.

Her mask was damaged, and her suit was covered in dust, clearly marking her as a "Rentu." This suggested that if Officer Li had indeed participated in her game, he was probably not in mortal danger.

"Want to play my game?" the Rentu asked with a smile.

"No..." Qi Xia shook his head. "I want to ask if the man and woman who came earlier to play the game are still here."

"A man and a woman?" The Rentu placed one hand on her chest and the other under her chin, looking somewhat flirtatious. "Oh... you're talking about that muscular young guy, right?"

"That's right."

"He's such an unromantic man." The Rentu waved her hand coyly. "I told him he didn't have to follow the 'Dao'; just spend a day with me, and that would do. But he was like a block of wood..."

Qi Xia sighed impatiently. "Where is he?"

"You're quite handsome yourself, young man..." The Rentu suddenly reached out and touched Qi Xia's face, startling him.

"Even though you don't look as muscular, if you spend a day with me, I'll not only give you the 'Dao' but also tell you where that man went. What do you say?"

Qi Xia pushed her hand away and turned back to the other two. "Forget it. Let's look around nearby."

Lao Lü and Lin Geng both knew better than to get entangled with the "Sheng Xiao," so they quickly followed Qi Xia as he turned to leave.

"If you're going to search on your own... you'd better hurry." The Rentu smiled charmingly. "That young guy is pretty badly injured. If you're too late, it might be too late to help him."

"What?" Qi Xia had only taken a few steps when he froze in place.

"Why is he injured?" Qi Xia turned back, puzzled. "Is your game that dangerous?"

"Not at all." The Rentu twisted her waist and stepped forward. "My games are all 'escape' types. I'm quite the expert at designing intricate mechanisms. But that young guy relied on his strong build and insisted on forcing his way through. What could I do?"

Qi Xia didn't respond. He turned his head and suddenly noticed a few fresh bloodstains on the ground. His expression turned cold as he said:

"Let's go."

The group followed the bloodstains as they continued forward.

Given the amount of blood, Officer Li's injury didn't seem too serious— the Rentu was likely just exaggerating to scare them.

Soon, they traced the blood to the entrance of a pharmacy. Sounds of commotion came from inside, indicating someone was there.

"Officer Li?" Qi Xia called out.

The noise inside paused briefly, and Zhang Lüshi emerged first.

"Qi Xia?!" She looked different, her usually neat appearance now disheveled.

She was completely soaked, as if she had just come out of water.

"What happened?" Qi Xia asked. "Where's Officer Li?"

Zhang Lüshi's eyes widened suddenly, and she grabbed Qi Xia. "Please, help me! Officer Li... he's not going to make it!"

"What?!"

Qi Xia was confused. They had followed a trail of sporadic blood, which suggested something minor, like a cut on the arm. How could it be that serious?

The three followed Zhang Lüshi inside, where a strong metallic rust smell hit them.

After a few steps, they saw Officer Li, his entire body covered in fresh blood, making it impossible to tell where he was injured.

His lips were pale, his face ashen, and he slumped weakly on the ground.

"H-How did this happen..." Lin Geng trembled as she rushed forward. "Officer Li... where are you hurt?"

Officer Li turned his head to look at Qi Xia and Lin Geng, forcing a bitter smile. He slowly extended his hand, as if trying to say something.

Qi Xia looked down, and his heart skipped a beat.

This wasn't about where he was hurt—

Officer Li's entire right hand was gone.

The stump at his wrist was rough, as if it had been torn off rather than cut.

To stop the bleeding, he had tied a piece of wire around his arm, which was embedded deeply into the flesh, turning the surrounding area purple.

Because of this, only a small amount of blood was seeping from the wound.

"Oh my god..." Lin Geng wanted to help but didn't know what to do. "Zhang Lüshi, what on earth happened?"

"That Rentu's game..." Zhang Chenze bit her lip hard. "That woman is a total psychopath..."

Qi Xia's gaze grew colder. He approached Officer Li, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.

He had imagined many scenarios for reuniting with him, but nothing like this.

"Zhang Lüshi, take them outside," Officer Li suddenly said. "I want to talk to Qi Xia alone."

"Talk alone?" Everyone was puzzled.

Zhang Chenze thought for a moment and nodded, leading Lin Geng and Lao Lü out of the room.

Once they were gone, Officer Li gave a bitter smile and said to Qi Xia, "Why the long face? You look like you've been terribly wronged."

"I..." Qi Xia sighed. "I'll get revenge for you. That Rentu..."

"No..." Officer Li shook his head. "That woman is crazy. Don't get involved in her game."

Qi Xia's unspoken words caught in his throat again.

Officer Li managed a weak laugh. "Have you found a way to leave this place?"

"Not yet..." Qi Xia said dejectedly. "I think I was wrong. Not only did I fail to find a way out, but I also got Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian killed."

Now that they were alone, Qi Xia finally voiced the sorrow he had been hiding. "I made everything sound too simple..."

Officer Li's pale lips curved slightly, and he shifted his position to sit more comfortably.

"What's wrong?" Officer Li asked. "Is there something even you can't handle?"

Qi Xia didn't know how to explain the matter with "Xiao Xiao," so he just shook his head.

With even the person he trusted most about to die, Qi Xia felt his headache returning.

He shook his head, pretending everything was fine, and asked, "Why did you want to talk to me alone?"

"I have some things I want to say before I die."

Officer Li fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a worn cigarette pack with two moldy cigarettes inside—probably something he had found in an abandoned building.

He put one in his mouth and patted his other pockets, muttering a curse under his breath.

"Forgot I don't have a light. Can't even have one last smoke..."