Ten Day Ultimatum

"Ah..." Han Yimo's eyes filled with panic. "Aren’t those holes full of harpoons?"

Upon hearing his words, Qiao Jiajin resolutely set down his table shield and approached the wall, peering into the ominous holes. Ignoring them was one thing—but once he looked inside, astonishment gripped him. "Fucking hell!" he exclaimed, instinctively recoiling. "They really are harpoons! The holes are packed with harpoons {being drawn back}!"
Everyone erupted into chaos, their shouts and cries echoing through the room.
Meanwhile, Qi Xia maintained a complex expression as he regarded Han Yimo. "Did you already know there were harpoons inside?" he asked.

"No... I just happened to see them earlier..." Han Yimo’s gaze kept darting away—he was clearly lying.
"Could it be that you also...?" Qi Xia fixed his eyes on Han Yimo, yet in the end, swallowed the words lingering on the tip of his tongue.
Han Yimo, too, remembers.

Cognizant of the truth he had concealed.
It seemed that those who had retained their memories had all received a warning card from Mortal Goat.
Unaware of the consequences that could arise from revealing those memories, Qi Xia decided not to confront Han Yimo further. Instead, he shifted focus, his expression turning solemn. "There’s no need to be afraid," he reassured him, locking eyes. "This time, the harpoons won’t pierce you."

"B—But, Qi Xia..." Han Yimo faltered, visibly conflicted. If Qi Xia read him correctly, he was on the verge of saying, I was pierced last time.
"Let’s change our formation. You should stand between me and Officer Li," Qi Xia instructed, scanning the group. "If there are no gaps beside you, the harpoons can’t possibly reach you."
Han Yimo glanced at him with a hint of gratitude and nodded silently.

As soon as everyone calmed down, Qi Xia reorganized their placements. He placed a man beside each girl and created a protective barrier around Han Yimo. After all, as a {Reverberatee}, his life was worth preserving.
"I also need to set up a contingency plan, so everyone come over," he instructed. "In case someone’s table becomes unstable..."
With everything arranged, Qi Xia called for the group to take their positions, aligning the table segments into a resilient pointed cone. The people inside stood back-to-back in total darkness, without a sliver of light. Beside him, Qi Xia could feel Han Yimo trembling—the formation hadn’t eased his anxiety.

"I’m sorry..." Han Yimo murmured, aware of the attention he was drawing. "I’ve always had claustrophobia; I’ve been afraid of confined spaces and darkness since I was a kid."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia had a sudden epiphany. Han Yimo had suffered a harpoon wound in the suffocating darkness of the cone, then faced a giant sword's attack in the muted light of dawn. Could this be connected to his {claustrophobia}?
Without warning, a colossal whoosh of wind reverberated around them.

"It’s coming!" At Qi Xia’s urgent warning, the group instinctively braced themselves, pressing against their table shields. Qi Xia’s strategy had seemed foolproof—their priority now was maintaining the cone’s stability. A deluge of harpoons descended like a violent storm, sending shocks of pain through their hands. Luckily, the nine were well-prepared, and the cone held firm, showcasing remarkable resilience.
THUD!!
A thunderous crash rang out before Xiao Ran as her table segment jolted violently. A blinding light surged through the gap, and Qi Xia was engulfed by a wave of dread. Directly behind Xiao Ran stood Han Yimo; if a harpoon pierced that opening, it would cost him his life.
"Turn!" Qi Xia shouted.

At once, the group rotated the table segments to the right. The whole structure spun like a top under heavy rain, angling to meet the harpoons while continuing its relentless rotation—deflecting anything trying to slip through its seams.
After two revolutions, Doctor Zhao stepped in to help stabilize Xiao Ran’s shield.
"Stop!" Qi Xia’s voice rang out, and the group locked the table segments in place, their stance steady as spring bamboo rooted in rain. The impact sounds began to fade. After another half-minute, the assault fell completely silent.

"Is it over?" someone asked.
"Let’s wait a minute longer," Qi Xia replied, his tone cautious.
No one objected. In the deep silence of the cone, they waited another minute.

With care, Qi Xia lifted the table segment and surveyed the room. He placed a comforting hand on Han Yimo’s shoulder. "You see? We made it through unharmed."
Han Yimo still trembled, but he nodded in gratitude. "Is it over...? Still, I can’t shake this feeling that..."
The rest of the group lifted their shields—only to be struck dumb by the scene before them. The two corpses on the ground resembled hedgehogs, pierced all over with harpoons, blood splattered everywhere—a grotesque tableau of horror.
"Hmm? What do we have here?" Officer Li exclaimed theatrically, retrieving a harpoon from the ground. "It seems to have some writing on it."

Qi Xia gave a resigned shake of his head. Expecting Officer Li to take things seriously was clearly a stretch.
While Officer Li led the examination, Qi Xia kept his eyes on Han Yimo. Despite the lingering fear in his face, he seemed to be holding up better than before.
"Han Yimo, I told you—you’d be safe this time."

Han Yimo let out a dry, rueful laugh. "Thank you, Qi Xia... but I can’t help feeling like those harpoons always find me."
Qi Xia opened his mouth to respond—but stopped. A cold unease crept over him. Somewhere in the room, the faint sound of chains echoed ominously.
Could more harpoons be hidden?

Suddenly, Qiao Jiajin’s eyes lit up with realization as he spotted something odd: a rope, taut and motionless, floated ominously in the center of the room. "What’s this?" he asked, frowning. Unlike the chaotic ropes tethering harpoons earlier, this one’s ends vanished into the shadows—no harpoon at either end.
Qi Xia also felt a stir of confusion. Why were both ends of the rope anchored inside the wall? Where was its harpoon?
Qiao Jiajin stepped closer, brushing his fingers over the rope. It was faintly vibrating. "How strange..." He gave it a light tug—and it moved easily.

Qi Xia blinked in realization. That wasn’t a rope hanging—it was a harpoon that had accidentally pierced a hole in the wall, entangling another.
"Qiao Jiajin, don’t touch it!"