Officer Li ignored Qiao Jiajin and instead turned to Qi Xia, asking, "I do have something to ask. About Han Yimo… you didn’t finish your sentence earlier, did you? What does Han Yimo’s death signify? And what’s the meaning of that sword?"


    Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and studied Officer Li carefully. "Officer, your expertise is criminal investigation, while mine is fraud. Isn’t it strange that you’re asking me about a case?"


    Officer Li sighed helplessly and said, "Now that we’ve ended up in this godforsaken place, how could ''criminal investigation'' still be of any use?"


    Qi Xia remained silent for a moment before finally revealing the clue he had pieced together. "Officer, all I can say is… Han Yimo might have recognized that sword."


    "Recognized it?" Officer Li frowned, then nodded slightly in thought. "You mean he had seen that sword before?"


    "That’s not something you need to worry about right now," Qi Xia replied. "You should be more concerned about your own situation."


    "What do you mean?"


    Qi Xia sighed and turned to leave, but Officer Li quickly grabbed his arm.


    "Don’t walk away! What exactly is my ''situation''?"


    Lin Qin covered her mouth and nose, leaned close to Officer Li’s ear, and whispered, "Officer, since Qi Xia doesn’t want to say it, I’ll say it for him. There are two things you need to be careful about."


    "Two things?"


    "Yes. First, the only person we’ve seen so far who could easily lift that massive sword is that crazy female shop assistant. She has incredible strength. In other words, if Han Yimo was really murdered, then she is the prime suspect. You need to get out of here as soon as possible."


    Officer Li’s expression darkened as he nodded solemnly. "And the second thing?"


    "The second is your so-called ''teammates.'' They don’t seem very trustworthy."


    Officer Li’s lips twitched slightly as if something had just dawned on him.


    Looking at his current team—a highly emotional and not particularly bright kindergarten teacher, Xiao Ran; a lawyer, Zhang Chenze, who seemed indifferent to everything and only weighed the pros and cons; and a self-centered doctor, Zhao—he couldn’t help but wonder: If they faced a life-threatening situation, could they really trust each other?


    After much internal struggle, Officer Li finally spoke, "Qi Xia, regardless of everything else, I will use the convenience store as a base and explore the nearby areas. If you have any useful intel… we can trade."


    Qi Xia neither agreed nor refused, merely casting him a fleeting glance before turning to leave.


    The others, unsure of what to say, simply followed.


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    Officer Li watched their retreating figures for a while before returning to the convenience store with Zhao and Xiao Ran.


    He knew all too well that, when it truly mattered, those people outside were more reliable. But they were out there gathering ''Dao,'' which meant they were practically seeking death.


    Following them wasn’t safe either.


    If he wanted to survive, the best strategy was to find a secure base and plan carefully.


    Qi Xia led the group forward until they arrived at the plaza where they had first woken up the previous day.


    He was here to confirm something—the loud chime they had heard that morning.


    The plaza looked exactly the same as before, with a giant electronic screen at its center and a massive bronze bell hanging above it.


    Han Yimo had been murdered when the bell tolled.


    Lin Qin blinked and said, "I think I’ve heard that bell multiple times…"


    "Multiple times?" Qiao Jiajin paused and asked, "When?"


    Lin Qin’s pupils shifted slightly as she recalled, "Do you remember… when we first woke up in those rooms? That man whose head was smashed in by the ''Sheep Man''—I think the bell rang when he died too."


    Tian Tian suddenly understood. "Could it be… that the bell rings every time someone dies?"


    Everyone nodded in agreement. This theory made sense—the bell seemed to function as a death knell, announcing the number of people who had perished.


    "No, that’s not right." Qi Xia shook his head. "The hallway we went through had at least a thousand rooms. While we were struggling through our ''game,'' people were dying in other rooms as well. If this bell rings every time someone dies, we wouldn’t have heard it only twice."


    "Then…" Tian Tian hesitated, realizing that Qi Xia had a point. If not for deaths, then what was the bell signaling?


    "Wait a second," Lin Qin looked up at the screen and noticed it was blank. "I remember there were words on it yesterday."


    Everyone looked up. Indeed, the text from before was gone.


    "It was something about an ''echo''…" Qiao Jiajin rubbed his chin. "I remember something about summoning disaster?"


    "I heard: ''I heard the echo of disaster,''" Qi Xia said.


    "Right! That’s what it was," Qiao Jiajin nodded. "What does it mean?"


    Qi Xia shook his head.


    This wasn’t something they could figure out just by guessing. They knew too little about this city.


    What was ''disaster''? What was ''echo''? And who was the ''I'' in the message?


    "Forget it, let’s go check out other places."


    Qi Xia turned to leave—but then he suddenly froze.


    Right in front of him was a withered, smiling face.


    That face had appeared behind him without a sound, and now it was staring at him with an eerie grin.


    Qi Xia’s pupils shrank, and he quickly stepped back.


    The rest of the group was startled as well.


    In front of them stood a frail old man, his body hunched like a dead tree, tiptoeing as he gazed at them with a disturbingly wide smile.


    "I remembered…!" The old man grinned, revealing his lone remaining tooth. "You asked me a question, and I finally remembered the answer!"


    Qi Xia felt a chill run down his spine as the old man locked eyes with him. "Are you talking to me?"


    The old man licked his cracked lips. "Young man, I know the answer! It’s ''betting your life''! Just bet your life, and everything will be fine!"


    He stretched out his dirty, claw-like hand as if to grab Qi Xia.


    "We are so close to escaping! All you have to do is bet your life—"


    Qi Xia frowned and took several steps back. He had no idea what the old man was rambling about, but the way he kept insisting on taking his life was deeply unsettling.


    "Hey! Old man, who are you?" Qiao Jiajin asked warily. "Do you know Qi Xia?"


    The old man’s expression changed slightly as he turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.


    His cloudy eyes flickered as he muttered, "You don’t recognize me?"


    "Why should I?"


    Silence fell over the group.


    The old man’s murky eyes darted around as if trying to piece something together. After a long pause, he finally mumbled, "I see… So you’ve… already met the ''Heavenly Dragon''…"


    "''Heavenly Dragon''?" The group exchanged bewildered glances.


    "There’s no hope…" The old man shook his head and turned away. "We can’t defeat him… We’ll be lost here forever… No wonder the ''Zodiac'' has returned…"


    Muttering to himself, he slowly walked away, his figure looking incredibly desolate.