Catch the Ringleader

The Demon Ox didn't engage in conversation but simply surveyed the surviving group, then spoke with a slight displeasure, "Nineteen 'Dao' for each person, the game is concluded. Please come forward in turn to collect your 'Dao'."

Xiao Yanjing glanced at Zhang Shan's wounds and couldn't help but feel a chill: "Zhang Shan... are you really okay?"

"I'm good," Zhang Shan laughed, patting Xiao Yanjing on the head, "How about your side? I see you and Old Lu are still quite lively."

"Ah...!" Xiao Yanjing suddenly cried out, "Zhang Shan, speaking of Old Lu, there's something I need to discuss with you..."

At this moment, Old Lu also hurriedly approached Zhang Shan, gesturing frantically, "Yes, yes! You must stand up for me!"

"Stand up for you? What happened?"

Seeing the three whispering to each other, Qi Xia's expression darkened, and he turned to ask Lin Qin, "What exactly happened over there?"

Lin took a deep breath and said, "Honestly, I thought we were doomed..."

"That's right..." Tian Tian also chimed in, "When the black bear appeared, Lin Qin and I were so scared we couldn't even stand."

"What happened next?" Qiao Jia Jing inquired.

"Then..." Lin squinted, pondering, "I only remember the man named Zhang Shan shouting 'Get out of the way,' and he alone lifted the iron plate and struck the black bear with it."

"What?!" Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jing both exclaimed in a low voice.

"We didn't dare to look..." Lin said, "It was too brutal. That man used the iron plate to knock the black bear down, pinned it, and then continuously attacked the bear's head while riding on the iron plate. The entire arena was covered in blood..."

"This is like the Terminator..." Qiao Jia Jing gritted his teeth, "That big guy is really fierce."

"It seemed like he knew the black bear's weakness. Before the game was over, the black bear was already beaten beyond recognition. Its nose was broken, and many of its teeth were knocked out..." Lin said.

Tian Tian also added, "But that Zhang Shan wasn't in good shape either. The black bear made a desperate counterattack, flipped the iron plate, and then kept clawing at him, leaving him covered in blood. Fortunately, the black bear fell after less than a minute. Thanks to him, the rest of us were fine..."

Qi Xia couldn't help but frown upon hearing this. No wonder Tian Tian and Lin thought they couldn't win the game on their own. In their arena, no one used the same method as him to pass the level. Instead, someone used the heavy iron plate as a weapon and fought the black bear.

"In that case..." Qiao Jia Jing asked, "Why did you take so long to come up? The game has been over for three or four minutes, and we were about to prepare for your funerals."

"This is even more terrifying," Lin pursed his lips, looking down and said, "After that big man killed the bear, he suddenly said, 'I haven't eaten for several days, and bear paws are a delicacy,' so he directed us to use the iron plate to break the black bear's arms..."

"So those two bear arms..." Qiao Jia Jing wanted to say something but suddenly saw the big man, Xiao Yanjing, and Old Lu walking straight towards them.

The three of them had a small cloth bag hanging from their waists, which seemed to indicate that they had already received their 'Dao'.

The big man, who was in the lead, had a cold expression, and his eyes kept staring at Qi Xia, seemingly with ill intentions.

"Hey..." Qiao Jia Jing suddenly remembered the 'deal' between Qi Xia and Xiao Yanjing and realized that the situation was not good, "Cheater, what's going on?"

"Matthew effect..." Qi Xia muttered to himself in a low voice, "To those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do not have, even what they have will be taken away."

"What does that mean?"

Qi Xia didn't respond but quietly assessed the surroundings. He dragged a chair in front of him to ensure a distance from the others. There were three more chairs beside him, and he carefully examined them, noticing that one of the chairs was placed within his easiest reach and had a leg that was about to break, making it an excellent weapon. The Demon Ox was ten steps away and wouldn't be able to intervene in time. Qi Xia knew that as long as everything went smoothly, he could definitely take down Zhang Shan.

"No problem..." Qi Xia looked at Zhang Shan with cold eyes, "He can kill a bear, but unfortunately, I am not a bear."

"What are you going to do...?" Lin felt a bit scared.

Qiao Jia Jing also looked at the three approaching men with a serious expression and slightly moved his neck.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and there was a smell of gunpowder in the air. If the big man was indeed here to 'stand up' for the others, it would definitely be a fierce battle.

When Zhang Shan came to Qi Xia, he looked at him thoughtfully.

Qi Xia also looked up at the tall man who was 1.9 meters tall.

"I heard... you had a story with my friends," Zhang Shan said indifferently.

"That's correct," Qi Xia said, "That uncle bought his life from me with 'Dao'."

"What the hell... Who do you think you are..." Zhang Shan extended his pinky finger to scratch his ear, "Buying life from you, are you the King of Hell?"

"I can be," Qi Xia took a step forward, getting closer to the chair, "I can save lives or take them away."

Zhang Shan frowned, "What's wrong with you? Can't you speak properly?"

"Whether I can speak properly depends on whether you will give me the 'Dao'."

"You're really annoying," the big man frowned, "If I don't give it to you, what are you going to do?"

Xiao Yanjing was taken aback after hearing this and quickly whispered, "Zhang Shan! What do you mean? This isn't what we agreed on!"

"Don't worry about it," Zhang Shan said quietly, looking back, "I have my own plans."

"If you don't give it to me, I'll take it myself."

"Hmm? Do you think you've lived enough?"

Before Zhang Shan could react, Qi Xia kicked the chair next to his foot forward, hitting Zhang Shan's knee.

Zhang Shan, in pain, quickly stepped back two steps.

Taking advantage of the gap, Qi Xia immediately ran forward, picked up the chair from the ground, and grabbed its leg. He knew that Zhang Shan was injured, and now was an excellent opportunity to take him down.

"Thirty-six Stratagems, seize the ringleader first," Qi Xia thought to himself, then he swung the chair up.

Seeing the situation was not good, Zhang Shan immediately crouched down and reached out to protect his head with his hands.

The next second, the chair burst into bloom on his arm.

"Crack!"

Although it was painful, it did not hit a vital spot.

"Break their strength, seize their leader, and thus disintegrate them," Qi Xia muttered again.

Zhang Shan was clearly annoyed: "You're serious, kid?"

But before he could finish cursing, he found that Qi Xia's hand was still holding a broken chair leg.

Qi Xia used the inertia to spin around and then thrust the chair leg towards the other's head.

Zhang Shan was clearly no ordinary person; he quickly turned his head and used the hardest part of his forehead to collide with the wooden stick.

"Crack!"

The chair leg snapped with a sound, leaving a red mark on Zhang Shan's head.

"It's interesting..." Zhang Shan said through gritted teeth, "You fight without holding back... then I won't be polite either!"