Ten Day Ultimatum

“Sir!” A gentle voice called. “Wake up!”
Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes and realized he was still in the taxi, speeding along the expressway. He sat up, confused, his gaze instinctively drifting to the azure sky. Stunned beyond belief, he struggled to process his surroundings.
“Are you alright, sir?” the voice beside him asked again.

Ignoring the question, Qi Xia instinctively touched his shoulder—no wounds. He hastily rolled down the window. A sweet, fragrant scent rushed in, mixing with the fierce winds that whipped across his face as the car hurtled forward.
The freshness of the air was laced with a hint of a welcoming breeze.
“I escaped?!” he blurted out, unable to contain his joy. Could this taxi be the key to getting out? It was like the {Ferry of the Underworld}, capable of taking people in and out of {End Point}, and this woman named {Xu Liunian}—wasn’t she like the ferryman {Charon}, ferrying souls between the living and the dead…?

Qi Xia turned his head—only to freeze. Where was Xu Liunian?
Seated beside him was now a burly man in sunglasses, his skin dark and glossy from long exposure to the sun—clearly the mark of his profession.
“Why the shocked look, sir?” The driver gave him a wary glance. “You’re not high or anything, right?”

“You... I…” Qi Xia frowned. The man looked oddly familiar, but he couldn’t place him. “Where are we going?”
“Please don’t scare me like that, sir.” Despite his robust frame, the driver’s voice trembled slightly. “You’re the one who said you wanted to go to Jinan. We’ve already covered more than three hundred kilometers. Don’t tell me you’ve got amnesia.”
He pointed at the fare meter, which had climbed past nine hundred yuan.

“What?!” Qi Xia exclaimed, staring at the road signs. Sure enough—they were nearing Jinan.
Suddenly, memories came rushing back. He had seen this man before. Just a day before the earthquake, he had ridden this exact taxi, setting out on a relentless journey to Jinan.
Did I return to the day before? Qi Xia reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After a quick glance, his brows furrowed. September 27th... It really is the day before the {earthquake}. What’s going on? He hurriedly checked the pocket on his shirt—and found a small piece of paper. Thank goodness... it’s still here.

“Sir… are you sure you’re okay?” The driver, increasingly unsettled, reached into his own pocket and hovered his thumb over the emergency dial.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay the full two thousand yuan we agreed on for the round trip. I won’t short you a single cent,” Qi Xia said, relief beginning to seep in. He didn’t fully understand what had happened, but it felt like things were starting over.
“Really?” The driver noticed the change in Qi Xia’s tone and relaxed a little. “You really scared me back there. Thought you were on something…”

“No, just had a nightmare. A really awful one,” Qi Xia replied, rolling down the window again. The cool September breeze rushed in, and he let out a long sigh of relief. “Luckily, I’ve woken up.”
“Young folks these days, always staying up late,” the driver said, shaking his head with a knowing tone. “Sleep during the day, wake up at night—no wonder your dreams go haywire.”
“You’re not wrong,” Qi Xia said offhandedly. To him, this felt like a second chance. The earthquake would hit at noon tomorrow, but today—today was the final deadline. He had to get his money.
About an hour later, the taxi pulled into downtown Jinan.

Sensing Qi Xia’s urgency, the driver promptly opened the navigation app and headed toward East Second Ring Road in Lixia District.
“Young man… this place you’re going to…” The driver peered at the screen. “Looks like the provincial lottery center?”
“Just drive,” Qi Xia said, settling in for a brief rest.

Soon, the taxi stopped in front of the lottery center. Qi Xia quickly took out a thousand yuan and handed it to the driver. “Please wait here for me. But if you decide to leave, I won’t hold it against you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.”
As Qi Xia approached the entrance, a staff member stepped forward. “May I presume you’re Mr. Qi?”

“Yes,” he nodded.
“I’ve been expecting you. Right this way.” The staff member led him inside and explained, “The redemption process is simpler now. A staff member will verify your ticket shortly, and then you’ll receive a bank check. Please wait just a moment.”
“I’m in a hurry. Can we speed it up?” Qi Xia said, following him to the verification counter.
“Could I have your ticket, please?” the staff member asked politely.

Qi Xia took the crumpled slip of paper from his chest pocket and handed it over. The staffer passed it to the verifier behind the glass.
The verifier examined it seriously and began the process. “The prize amount is one million nine hundred thousand yuan. Please wait a moment.” He pulled out a scanner and began verifying the numbers.
As Qi Xia stood quietly, the staff member beside him noticed his calm demeanor and asked, “Mr. Qi, why don’t you seem excited?”

“Excited?”
“Yes! You just won almost two million yuan—you should be thrilled!”
“Maybe,” Qi Xia replied with a nod.

“Sigh, let me tell you about this guy a while back. Won a million yuan, came in August wearing a down jacket and a giant mask! Can you believe some people still treat a million like it’s some big treasure?” The staff member chuckled at his own story, but Qi Xia didn’t respond. The air grew awkward.
“How much longer?” ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Qi Xia asked, growing impatient.
“Uh… please be patient,” the staff member waved his hand. “We’ve had some fake tickets lately. Verification needs to be thorough.”

“What are you trying to say?” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes.
“Ah, no, no!” The staffer quickly smiled, flustered. “I didn’t mean yours is fake. You don’t seem like the type.”
Qi Xia said nothing, waiting quietly.

Soon, the verifier set down the scanner and beamed. “All done. The ticket is authentic. We’ll issue your check now.”
Qi Xia couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
Of course it was authentic. He’d bought it using two million yuan in cash. It was a genuine winning ticket. Though three hundred eighty thousand yuan would go to taxes, the remaining money would be clean.

It was one of the simplest ways to launder the two million yuan he’d acquired through illegitimate means.
“Congratulations, Mr. Qi,” the staff member said brightly. “We’ll have your check ready shortly. Would you like to make a donation?”
“A donation? Is that required?” Qi Xia asked.

“Not at all—it’s just something many lottery winners choose to do.”
“Well, if it’s not required, I won’t be donating a single cent.”