Chapter 72: Identity Tag

After tidying up briefly, the group followed Lao Lü to the game venue.

Perhaps just as Lao Lü had said, due to his years of setting up stalls on the streets, he was particularly familiar with the city's intricate alleyways.

As they followed him through various narrow lanes, Qi Xia felt lost several times.

But Lao Lü strolled along casually, turning left and right without hesitation.

During the journey, Qi Xia spotted the "numbers" that Lao Lü had mentioned several times—besides the "52" he had seen before, he also noticed "19" and "34".

He guessed that Lao Lü was probably right, and these numbers were just markers written by someone to keep track of the paths.

After about twenty minutes, the group arrived in front of a rundown inn.

"Gou" was standing at the door, seemingly talking to a few people.

As Qi Xia and the others approached and took a closer look, their expressions changed instantly.

The "Gou" mask was incredibly realistic, depicting the face of a large bulldog; his suit was shiny black, and his fitted shirt was spotlessly clean.

"It's Di Gou..." Qi Xia was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Chenze blinked slightly and asked:"What does 'Di Gou' mean? Isn't it 'Ren Gou'?"

"Di Gou is a level above 'Ren Gou'..." Qi Xia stroked his chin and said, "In 'Di' level games, people can die."

"Die..." Zhang Chenze was startled. "Then are we still going to participate?"

"This..."

Qi Xia furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. Even if it was a "Di" level game, it was still a "cooperation type," and as long as the four of them worked together, Qi Xia was confident they could win.

Thinking of that, he turned back and carefully looked at Zhang Chenze and Lao Lü, saying:"Can you both guarantee to follow my arrangements?"

"Yes." Zhang Chenze nodded.

"Yes." Lao Lü agreed.

Hearing that, Qi Xia felt somewhat relieved.

"Great, someone's here!" A shout came from Di Gou's direction. "Now we can start, right?"

Qi Xia turned his head and saw that the young people around Di Gou were all looking over here.

"What's going on? Isn't it supposed to be teams of four?" Qi Xia asked Lao Lü, puzzled.

"I don't know. The dog I talked to this morning said teams of four are required to participate."

Qi Xia stepped forward and sized up the four people.

There were three men and one woman.

They all appeared to be in their twenties, with one man and one woman holding each other, seeming to be a couple.

These people looked rough and rowdy, with their hair dyed in all sorts of colors, giving Qi Xia a poor first impression.

If Qiao Jia Jin gave the impression of a notorious enforcer among thugs, these young people seemed like the low-level lackeys at the bottom of that world.

"Are you here to join my game?" Di Gou's deep voice suddenly rang out. "Each person gets one 'Dao', and fate decides life or death. The losing team will be entirely eliminated, while the surviving team will receive five 'Dao' rewards per person, plus all the spoils from the eliminated team."

"Entirely eliminated?!" The group was shocked.

"What are the rules?" Qi Xia asked coldly.

"Pay the entry fee, then learn the rules."

"Here we go again..."

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. It was the same with Di Niu's game before—just like this, they didn't know what they were getting into until after paying the fee.

"Hey, are you in or not?" A guy with green-dyed hair seemed impatient. "Backing out before we even start?"

Qi Xia ignored the green-haired guy and thought for a moment before asking: "Di Gou, will your game involve 'random teaming'?"

"Random teaming..." Lao Lü and Lin Geng seemed to think of something.

This was indeed a concern. If Di Gou followed Di Niu's approach and shuffled the teams after the fee, the outcome would be unpredictable.

"No." Di Gou said. "You will maintain your current teams throughout. All your efforts will be for the benefit of your team."

Hearing that, Qi Xia finally relaxed.

It seemed this was a pure "team cooperation" type game, though with two teams present, it would likely involve confrontation.

Seeing Qi Xia still hesitating, Lao Lü quickly pulled out four "Dao" and handed them over.

"Lao Lü..." Qi Xia frowned. "What are you doing?"

"This time, it's on me." Lao Lü smirked. "If we win in the end, just give me a bit extra."

"I don't want to give you extra." Qi Xia said. "We'll split the winnings evenly, or I'm leaving right now."

"This..."

Lao Lü sighed, then reluctantly nodded: "Fine, fine... You're really stingy, kid."

Both teams paid their entry fees.

To everyone's surprise, after the payment, Di Gou's attitude flipped completely. He gestured excitedly, welcoming the eight people into the building like hosts greeting guests.

"Come in, everyone!" Di Gou said with a laugh. "Welcome to my game venue!"

Though confused, the group had no choice but to follow him inside.

Once inside, Qi Xia looked around the rundown inn.

The interior was simple, with long corridors on both sides, each lined with several rooms.

"I wonder if any of you enjoy spy thrillers?" Di Gou asked, rubbing his hands.

Qi Xia noticed that the back of Di Gou's hands was furry, as if he were wearing very realistic gloves.

"Spy thrillers? Who watches that stuff?" A guy with blond hair shook his head. "Stop beating around the bush and tell us what we're playing."

"So impatient..." Di Gou pulled out two stacks of cards from the front desk drawer and handed them forward, saying: "Although you're in four-person teams, each person has their own identity card. Now, please draw your identities."

Qi Xia glanced at the stack of identity cards; they looked similar to the ones he had seen with Ren Yang before, with "Nüwa Game" written on the back.

Lin Geng, standing at the front of the team, took the four cards and turned back, saying: "Who wants to draw first?"

"It doesn't matter; just deal them out." Zhang Chenze said.

Lin Geng nodded, shuffled the cards with their backs facing out, and distributed them one by one to the three others.

Qi Xia took his identity card and looked at it, puzzled.

It said "Transmitter."

"Does this need to be kept secret?" Lao Lü asked carefully, holding his card against his chest.

Everyone looked at Di Gou.

"No need." Di Gou said with a smile. "Team members can check each other's identities, and if you like, you can even swap them."

After hearing that, the group gathered around Qi Xia, forming a circle.

They flipped their cards one by one; each person's identity was different.

Qi Xia's was "Transmitter."

Lin Geng's was "Receiver."

Zhang Chenze's was "Hostage."

"Yours?" Qi Xia looked at Lao Lü, who still wouldn't reveal his card.

"Mine... how should I put it..."

At this point, Qi Xia stopped asking and simply grabbed Lao Lü's wrist, forcing the card into view.

It said "Traitor."