Ten Day Ultimatum
Chapter 210

Chapter 210 Idlers

As evening fell, Qi Xia headed to the cafeteria, clutching the day’s earnings. He approached Auntie Tong and bought five cans of food and five bottles of water, each costing a single {Dào}.

The price, in truth, was exorbitant.

Relying entirely on the four {Dào} obtained at the outset of the probation room, without participating in the games, would almost certainly lead to the depletion of food and water within two days.

But even if one chose to participate in those {Mortal-grade} games, how many {Dào} could an average person realistically earn in a single day?

On a good day, perhaps three to five.

For those in {Passage to Heaven}, the outcome was inevitable—starvation or death in battle awaited them all the same.

Just as Qi Xia turned to leave, his eyes caught sight of a can of beer nearby. He picked it up, only to find that this single can cost four {Dào}.

"Sigh… I can barely afford to keep him."

Returning to the classroom with the food and beverage, Qi Xia found three people already inside—Han Yimo, Lin Qin, and Doctor Zhao.

It seemed that after enduring the initial days of brutal trials, the remaining members of the group were less likely to meet a swift demise.

Still, Han Yimo was a lingering concern.

Over the last few days, he alternated between participating in simple {Mortal-grade} games and sitting idly in the classroom, staring at the sky. He wasn’t one to perish easily, nor could he deactivate his {Reverberation}.

"I’ve brought some food," Qi Xia announced, setting the cans and bottled water on the table.

The three thanked him just as Qiao Jiajin returned.

His hands and feet were heavily bandaged, yet he appeared surprisingly lively.

"What are you doing here?" Qi Xia frowned. "You should be resting in the infirmary. I could’ve brought your food to you."

"Come on, Swindler lad, is this the first day you’ve known me?" Qiao Jiajin pulled up a chair and sat down. "Do these even count as injuries? Do I really look like someone who needs to rest?"

"Suit yourself," Qi Xia said, shaking his head as he casually tossed a can of beer toward him. "If I’d known you were fine, I wouldn’t have bothered buying this."

Qiao Jiajin caught the beer, paused for a moment, then suddenly slumped, feigning weakness. "Aiyo… actually, I feel… a bit dizzy…"

"Enough with the act," Qi Xia replied, sitting down beside him. "Tell me about today’s match. Did you manage to obtain your {Reverberation}?"

At the mention of it, Qiao Jiajin immediately brightened. He gathered everyone around and launched into a detailed account of what had happened during the game. The match had been filled with unexpected twists and turns, so much so that Qiao Jiajin was initially convinced that they were on the verge of losing.

Fortunately, both he and Zhang Shan had triggered their {Reverberation}, ultimately allowing them to defeat their opponents.

After listening to Qiao Jiajin’s account, Qi Xia noted several key points.

First, could one’s {Reverberation} be used on someone other than its owner?

Qi Xia’s gaze subtly shifted toward Han Yimo. If this condition were indeed possible, Han Yimo’s {Reverberation} would reach an entirely new level of power. Assuming {Beckoned Calamity} could be directed at an enemy—wouldn’t it become an ability with near-guaranteed lethality?

However, Han Yimo's situation remained fundamentally distinct from Xiao Xiao's. Should Xiao Xiao’s {Reverberation} falter, only injury would ensue; yet, if Han Yimo's {Reverberation} were to fail, death would be an unavoidable consequence.

Were he to be cognizant of this, the psychological burden on Han Yimo would be unbearable, only serving to heighten the likelihood of failure.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the youth known as {Luo Eleven}.

Appearing to be an independent mercenary beyond the scope of {Judgment's Domain}, this individual, as Qiao Jiajin had described, was willing to sacrifice his very life for the completion of his mission—as long as the payment was guaranteed.

But in the realm of {End Point}, what kind of reward could compel someone to risk their life?

"Qiao Jiajin, what did you say his {Reverberation} was called?"

"It’s called {Knowing No Pain}." Qiao Jiajin replied confidently.

"Uh…" Qi Xia blinked, his expression one of mild disbelief. "Are you absolutely certain that’s the name he provided?"

"Well…" Qiao Jiajin chuckled awkwardly, "He did mention a name, but I forgot what it was."

"It’s {Affliction Dismissal}." Lin Qin interjected.

"{Affliction Dismissal}?" Qiao Jiajin nodded quickly upon hearing this, "Right, that’s it! How did you know?"

"I... I was right in front of the screen at the time and happened to see it," Lin Qin replied.

Qi Xia softly murmured the two words, an odd sensation creeping over him.

"If {Affliction Dismissal} is akin to {Knowing No Pain}, then that name hardly seems appropriate."

Qiao Jiajin, recalling the youth’s words, added, "It’s not just about {knowing no pain}. When he introduced himself, he claimed that {all unpleasant sensations were beyond reach}."

At this, Qi Xia’s expression slowly shifted, a deep understanding dawning. ‘Affliction... Dismissal?!’

He gazed at Lin Qin in disbelief, and to his surprise, Lin Qin too seemed to experience a sudden epiphany.

But how could this be?

Could this person truly have some connection to Qi Xia’s {sorrow}—or rather, his absence of it?

"Did that youth die?" Qi Xia asked.

"Yeah, he’s dead," Qiao Jiajin sighed, his expression laced with helplessness. "Though I never laid a hand on him, his death... it was still because of me."

Qi Xia pondered for a moment before turning to Lin Qin. "Do you think we could encounter him again next time?"

Lin Qin gave a slight nod.

"Good…"

"Also, there’s that stone man." Qiao Jiajin said. "I have a feeling he’s not a bad guy, maybe he’ll even stand on our side."

Qi Xia turned his gaze toward Qiao Jiajin, realizing the circumstances had deviated from his initial expectations.

"You found a lackey?" Qi Xia asked.

"Not {lackey}, but {xiōngdì}." Qiao Jiajin smiled. "That guy’s pretty strong."

"Then… what about Li Xiangling?" Qi Xia shifted the topic.

"Kung Fu gal?"

"What do you think of Li Xiangling?" Qi Xia asked.

"She’s pretty good." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "The Kung Fu gal is sharper than I imagined. Swindler lad, you would have never guessed, but she actually borrowed a {staff} to kill! She alone, with her stone staff, knocked down all three in an instant. If the other side hadn’t cheated, Kung Fu gal would have won right then…"

"But she’s going to die," Qi Xia said, his voice firm

"Yeah, she almost did back then." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "To save her, I had to carefully make my way down from that bridge… Huh?"

Qi Xia fixed his gaze on Qiao Jiajin, his eyes unwavering as he repeated, "Li Xiangling won’t make it through tonight."

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