Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 435: Road to Victory

“Whether it’s {Terrestrial Dragon} or {Celestial Dragon}, they are both my most revered superiors,” Terrestrial Mouse answered impassively.

Qi Xia knew that if Terrestrial Mouse truly lived under the oppressive might of {Terrestrial Dragon}, then there must be something binding him—a leverage. Until {Terrestrial Dragon} was eliminated, his stance would not change.

“Then we’ll leave it at that for now,” Qi Xia said. “Proceed according to plan: Qiu Sixteen comes back with me, Luo Eleven stays here.”

He paid no further attention to Terrestrial Mouse or Luo Eleven. After exchanging a glance with Qiu Sixteen, he turned and walked toward the door, heading straight back to the {Mouse Room}. By the rules, the {Rescue} was a success.

Just as they entered the {Mouse Room}, Qi Xia heard a voice in his ear.

“Tsk, how’s your side?” Zhou Six asked. “The bell rang just now, is Sixteen still alive?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia replied. “She’s been brought back.”

“But...Tsk, I’ll be blunt—it’s not looking good here,” Zhou Six swore. “My room’s lit up red.”

“A {Mouse Trap}?” Qi Xia nodded slightly. “Go inquire about Wang Eight’s situation.”

“I already did—tsk, he’s fine.” Zhou Six sounded frustrated. “Looks like I’m the one in the most danger—”

“No,” Qi Xia interrupted with a shake of his head. “Getting caught in a {Mouse Trap} isn’t dangerous. From my earlier observation, there’s no way to tell from outside if this room has a mouse trapped."

“Tsk, what do you mean?”

“Terrestrial Mouse mentioned wanting to simulate the true effect of a {Mouse Trap},” Qi Xia explained. “From that standpoint, not only can we {Mice} not tell which room holds a trap—even the {Cat} must personally confirm whether it’s caught one.”

“Tsk, I still don’t get it,” Zhou Six said. “Even if the {Cat} has to confirm, what difference does it make? I’ll still be caught, won’t I?”

“But your likelihood of being captured remains constant,” Qi Xia replied. “Because the {Cat} cannot know whether a {Mouse Trap} has taken effect, he is unlikely to waste a {Search} attempting to verify a room with a {Mouse Trap}.”

“I think I’m beginning to understand...”

“Indeed,” Qi Xia nodded. “The true purpose of a {Mouse Trap} is not to catch the mouse, but to consume a mouse’s turn. In a six-round game, losing a single turn is immensely valuable to the cat.”

“Tsk, but by that logic... isn’t my fate sealed?” Zhou Six asked, yet to completely grasp his implication. “I’ve already wasted one turn being caught. If someone comes to rescue me, won’t they also waste a turn?”

“Have you noticed that none of the five rooms we are meant to {Search} contain a {Rescue} button?”

“You mean...”

“I believe that as long as the door can be opened, you can escape,” Qi Xia explained. “All that is required is for another mouse to enter your room to {Search}, at which point you may slip free as the door opens.”

Hearing this, Zhou Six finally exhaled in relief. “I see... so that’s how it works. With more of us acting next turn—if the {Cat} doesn’t come for me, lend a hand and release me."

"Fewer will be moving next round," Qi Xia corrected. "How closely the next stage aligns with my plan... rests chiefly on the {Cat}’s actions in this turn."

“Fewer?”

"Exactly. Luo Eleven will remain in the {Cat Room}, and since you were caught, we’re short two people."

Zhou Six realized Qi Xia had thought things through more thoroughly, so she kept quiet and waited patiently in the room for the {Cat} to act.

“Zhou Six...” Qi Xia glanced at the peaches on the table, all identical in size, and said, “Do me a favor.”

“Tsk, what is it?”

"I neglected to check earlier," Qi Xia said. "The plate on the altar... is there something peculiar about it?"

“Plate?” Zhou Six blinked in slight surprise. “Tsk, you mean...the plate holding the fruits?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “Is it...”

He lowered his head and used his hands to mimic the sensation, though he wasn’t sure how to describe it.

“Tsk, it just looks like a normal plate,” Zhou Six remarked. “What’s so suspicious about it?”

After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Qi Xia finally found the right words. “Doesn’t there seem to be a particular pressure?"

“Pressure?”

“What if the plate itself is a measuring scale?” Qi Xia ventured. “Could there be a spring mechanism beneath it—or perhaps it can be pressed?”

Zhou Six realized Qi Xia had raised a question she had never considered. She shifted the single remaining dragon fruit on the plate and then gently pressed down.

“Tsk...” Zhou Six’s brows knitted immediately. “It’s subtle, but the plate can indeed be pressed.”

“I see now,” Qi Xia said with a faint smile. “This Terrestrial Mouse is far more cunning than I anticipated, and this game has become far more intricate.”

“What do you mean?” Zhou Six asked. “Tsk, the more I listen, the more confused I get. What does the plate being pressable mean?”

“It means we’re permitted both to take and to place fruit,” Qi Xia explained. Standing in the {Mouse Room}, he looked out at the colors of the five doors, then turned back and recalled the fruits everyone had taken last round. His deduction was correct.

But which path did this {deduction} lead to?

Room One - a dark green door, containing dragon ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) fruits (火龙果).

Room Two - a deep yellow door, containing peaches (桃子).

Room Three - a deep blue door, with fruits unknown.

Room Four - a dark red door, containing pomegranates (石榴).

Room Five - a brown door, containing clementines (小橘子).

The point of confusion must concern the {clementines}. The ones on the table, perfect in form and rich in color...were they truly clementines?

{Click}.

Before Qi Xia could fully process his thoughts, the door to the {Mouse Room} had already closed.

It seemed the {Night} phase of the second round had ended, and now it was {Day} phrase, the {Cat}’s turn to act.

“Zhou Six!” Qi Xia warned. “Under no circumstance can we lose Wang Eight this round. If only Qiu Sixteen and I remain in the {Mouse Room}, the odds will turn sharply against us.”

“We’re going to lose Wang Eight?” Zhou Six asked. “Tsk, the probability of {Cat} finding Wang Eight should be one in five, no?”

“No...” Qi Xia’s gaze turned cold. “One in five is far too generous an estimate. I suspected the {Cat} set a {Mouse Trap} in Room One. He knows I am no ordinary player and should guess that I could deduce this, meaning I wouldn’t send anyone into both Rooms One and Two simultaneously. Room Three, as yet unexplored, remains forbidden. That leaves only Rooms Four and Five... {Cat} has never used {Patrol} before, but if he chooses to patrol within Rooms Four and Five this round, Wang Eight’s capture is certain—one hundred percent.”