Ten Day Ultimatum

“How could he be dead?!” Qi Xia exclaimed, disbelief thick in his voice. “He seemed perfectly fine when we parted ways yesterday.”
"I find it strange too," Ole Lu replied. "Maybe it was excessive blood loss? We were chatting and laughing before going to bed, but he didn’t wake up this morning."
Qi Xia’s eyes narrowed, a chill running down his spine. The situation felt disturbingly unnatural.

Despite Zhang Shan’s injuries, they seemed non-lethal. Lin Qin and Tian Tian’s accounts indicated the black bear had inflicted only superficial wounds, leaving internal organs unharmed.
So how could he have died in his sleep?
“Did he suffer any other injuries?” Lin Qin asked steadily. “For example, was he stabbed by a sword at dawn?”

"No," Ole Lu shook his head, sorrow etched across his face. "But it’s hard to be sure; we’re no medical experts. All we know is Zhang Shan stopped moving, stopped breathing, and his chest no longer rose and fell."
Qi Xia stroked his chin thoughtfully, unease settling over him. The situation seemed eerily linked to {Xiao Xiao}.
During Terrestrial Ox’s game, Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan had been pivotal players. Their absence meant fewer survivors in the two rounds of the game.

Yet, within one night, both had met untimely ends.
If it wasn’t Xiao Xiao’s doing, then it must have been Terrestrial Ox’s.
"How dare you act so shamelessly..." Qi Xia murmured through clenched teeth, eyes cold with fury.

“Who? Me?” Ole Lu looked genuinely puzzled.
“No,” Qi Xia said, expression darkening with the weight of realization. If this continued, fewer would have any hope of escape.
Understanding the gravity, Qi Xia turned to Ole Lu: “Now that your {organization} is no longer around, can you share any insight about the way out?”

"No longer around?" Ole Lu scratched his head awkwardly. "I wouldn’t say that... It’s just that with Zhang Shan dead, I can’t stay there any longer..."
"Hmm?" Qi Xia looked confused. "Wasn’t Zhang Shan your leader?"
"Not exactly," Ole Lu shook his head. "Zhang Shan isn’t our leader; he’s third-in-command."

"Third-in-command?"
"Mhm," Ole Lu continued. "Our group is called {Passage to Heaven}, about twenty members. The leader is {Chu Tianqiu}, a very smart man. Second-in-command is {Yun Yao}, who’s incredibly lucky and can win almost every wager. She’s very pretty—apparently a star before coming here. Zhang Shan, since he served in the military, mostly handled {Ox Category}—"
"W—Wait a moment..." Qi Xia interrupted quickly, realizing something important. "You said your organization has about twenty members?"
“Well, probably less now... With Zhang Shan’s death, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) {useless} folks like me have been cast out…”

"That’s not what I’m asking!" Qi Xia said, puzzled. “Ole Lu, when did your group arrive here?”
“Two days ago,” Ole Lu answered promptly. “Didn’t you arrive around the same time?”
Qi Xia’s confusion deepened. “We did arrive two days ago, but how could your group establish an organization and appoint three leaders so quickly? Could you really trust each other that fast?”

He shook his head, refining his question. “No, you said the organization was established yesterday. So {Passage to Heaven} was set up on the very first day?!”
"Yeah," Ole Lu nodded solemnly. "It was Chu Tianqiu’s idea. On the first day, he didn’t join games but searched the city for strong people. Since Specs, Zhang Shan, and I came from the same room, we joined him. But now that Zhang Shan is dead, I—"
“Hold on,” Qi Xia cut in again. “Are you saying Chu Tianqiu gathered twenty people in one day?”

“Yes,” Ole Lu said earnestly, meeting Qi Xia's gaze. “That’s why I said Chu Tianqiu is very smart."
"But why did you all trust him?" Qi Xia asked. "Meeting a stranger proposing a team usually calls for caution."
"Because Zhang Shan trusted him," Ole Lu explained. "I don’t know what Chu Tianqiu said privately, but after a few minutes, Zhang Shan decided to join {Passage to Heaven} with Specs and me. I have to admit, they were impressive; I was the least capable."

Qi Xia eyed Ole Lu skeptically, weighing his words.
If {Passage to Heaven} exists and if Chu Tianqiu is formidable, why is he still unharmed?
If the {Earthly Branches} aimed to eliminate strong players, Chu Tianqiu would logically be targeted first.

"Why isn’t Specs with you?" Qi Xia asked.
"Specs is stronger," Ole Lu said resignedly. "He stayed with {Passage to Heaven}. He’s always been academically exceptional, unlike me—I’ve spent over twenty years just selling socks."
Qi Xia acknowledged this, realizing despite Zhang Shan's death, the situation remained much the same.

The group {Passage to Heaven} still held key info about escape. The {diary of an escapee} Zhang Shan mentioned was likely with the leader. As a regular member, Ole Lu wouldn’t have that info.
With this, Qi Xia’s goal grew clearer.
Once he found Officer Li, he’d join forces with him—Officer Li was one of the few he trusted.

Together, they could offer services to {Passage to Heaven}, pursue escape, and collaborate with strong players if the group existed. Qi Xia was ready to face dangerous games with them.
As Qi Xia pondered this, the three passed the street corner marked {S} and {Z}, and Ole Lu led them in the opposite direction.
Lin Qin was surprised and asked Qi Xia, "Did we take the wrong way? Weren’t {S} and {Z} markers left by them?"

"I’m not sure," Qi Xia replied, shaking his head.
Ole Lu overheard and glanced back at the ambiguous marks, resembling letters and numbers.
"{S} and {Z}?" Ole Lu hesitated. "Isn’t that {52}?"

"You know what it means?" Qi Xia asked.
"I don’t know, but I’ve seen similar numbers before," Ole Lu said. "Maybe just markers to help remember directions, like naming a street {52nd Street}."
Realizing these symbols had no link to Officer Li, Qi Xia lost interest.

With so many mysteries to solve, he couldn’t chase every detail.
"We’re almost there," Ole Lu announced, quickening his pace. "Just up ahead."