Chapter 985: The One Not Chosen
Qi Xia watched as Chu Tianqiu hesitated to choose a second person, and for a moment, he was intrigued.
"What's the matter?" he turned his head and said. "I've left 'Chen Junnan' for you. Are those three characters so difficult to write?"
"Chen Junnan...?" Chu Tianqiu let out a soft laugh. "Qi Xia, what kind of joke are you playing with me?"
"What kind of joke is this?" Qi Xia retorted. "We can only choose one person each time. Right now, I've left Chen Junnan outside, and you have the perfect chance to take him. He's not like Qiao Jiajin. Qiao Jiajin would choose to die, but Chen Junnan should agree outright. If my right-hand man joins your team, what am I supposed to do?"
"That's precisely why it's so troublesome—because he *would* agree," Chu Tianqiu said. "Once Chen Junnan joins my team, I can hardly imagine how this team could remain stable, nor do I know how this game could be played."
"Oh...?" Qi Xia pretended not to understand. "Is Chen Junnan really that formidable?"
"What do you think?" Chu Tianqiu said. "Having someone skilled in 'psychological warfare' and 'causing chaos' join my team is hardly a good thing."
With that, he reached out and decisively wrote the three characters: "Jin Yuanxun."
Chu Tianqiu fully understood Qi Xia's thoughts. There was no way Qi Xia would write "Chen Junnan" in the first round, because doing so would leave him the opportunity to write "Qiao Jiajin." If Qiao Jiajin knew it was Chu Tianqiu who had chosen him, he would definitely refuse, and Qi Xia would lose a key general.
Therefore, Qi Xia deliberately left "Chen Junnan" behind. A character like Chen Junnan would make no difference in any camp—he would always side with Qi Xia.
At that moment, Dilong turned around and opened the door again. Outside stood Jin Yuanxun.
After explaining the situation, Jin Yuanxun stepped into the door without any hesitation.
Qi Xia naturally knew that Jin Yuanxun was more loyal to Chu Tianqiu and would make the team more stable. Jin Yuanxun possessed considerable combat skills and a decently reliable "Phase Leap." He was taciturn, not easily swayed, and would obey orders unconditionally—a formidable opponent.
"In that case..." Qi Xia said softly, "Since you don't want Chen Junnan... I'll take him."
"Be my guest," Chu Tianqiu said expressionlessly.
Qi Xia reached out and slowly wrote the characters "Chen Junnan." Dilong turned back and opened the door.
What made the three people in the dark space a bit awkward was that, in the short time they hadn't seen him, Chen Junnan had found a corner, turned his back to the door, and was relieving himself.
He was whistling, busying himself with his business for quite a while, then leisurely turned around. He was instantly startled out of his wits.
Behind him, a black teleportation portal had lit up, with red characters clearly displaying "Chen Junnan, accept the order."
"Aiyo, fuck...!!"
He quickly pulled up his pants, flustered, reaching out to cover the door. After a moment's thought, he realized that was wrong, so he covered his face instead.
"Hang on, hang on! Don't take a picture of me yet! I'm not ready!"
The three people inside the door stared at him expressionlessly, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Dilong just clicked his tongue and said irritably, "Commander 'Qi Xia' has selected 'Chen Junnan' to assist in the 'Cangjie Chess.' To accept the order, step into the door. To refuse, step back five paces."
Chen Junnan blinked. He looked back and saw a damp wall behind him. He pointed at the glowing portal and cursed, "Refuse? Where the hell can I step back to, little master?! Ask Old Qi if he's targeting me! Picking a time like this to corner me until I have no way out, huh? Not even giving me a little privacy?!"
The teleportation portal was silent, devoid of any sound.
"Damn it, other people either step in or step back. Little master has to either step in or step in piss! Is there no justice?"
Chen Junnan took two steps forward, staring at the portal, and said, "Old Qi? Old Qi, say something! Don't pull this Lord Yan Wang routine on me! Give me a sign—life or death!"
Before Qi Xia could say anything, Dilong couldn't help but interject, "Hey, can you pull your pants up first?"
Chen Junnan froze, apparently not expecting that the glowing door could hold a conversation. He quickly turned around to fix his pants, and a few seconds later, he even ran a hand through his hair to tidy his hairstyle before turning back, grumbling:
"Come on... is there really a girl watching me...?"
He sighed helplessly, said no more, and plunged straight into the portal.
Qi Xia knew that whether he chose Chen Junnan or not wasn't all that important, since Chu Tianqiu would never take him into his team.
But he also didn't know what the situation was in the "Preparation Zone." Leaving Qiao Jiajin there alone was a bit unwise.
Chen Junnan had a decent head on his shoulders and could explain the situation to Qiao Jiajin in the "Preparation Zone."
As for what came next for the two of them... that was the real "General Selection," because the "required personnel" were mostly in place.
Qi Xia naturally had plenty of people he could choose, but he needed to see how Chu Tianqiu would decide first.
Since he was playing the "second move," he would try to make his chosen person counter the enemy's.
At this point, both of them had a "spare piece" waiting outside the field: Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun.
These two, serving as chess pieces, each had their own uses.
If Wen Qiaoyun didn't enter the field, Chu Tianqiu couldn't awaken. If Yan Zhichun stayed outside, then the "Extreme Path" faith would waver.
Including the three already on the field, both sides would still choose four more people. If you counted the two "spare pieces," they only needed to choose three more.
Chu Tianqiu's expression clearly showed hesitation. The names he wrote next wouldn't be people he trusted one hundred percent, and there were more factors to consider.
"In that case..."
...
Dr. Zhao and Han Yimo walked along the street with the crowd, both wearing puzzled expressions.
"Dr. Zhao... where are we going...?" Han Yimo asked.
"That woman named Jiang Ruoxue told us this morning..." Dr. Zhao replied, looking exasperated. "If we want to carry out the task we discussed last night, we need to follow the crowd when it surges."
"But this way, we don't look like 'saviors' at all..." Han Yimo frowned. "We're mixed in with the crowd. We look like extras..."
As the two were talking, a black teleportation portal suddenly materialized before Dr. Zhao's eyes. In the center of the portal was written, "Zhao Haibo, accept the order."
This sight startled them into freezing in place. But the many passersby around them only glanced at it casually, as if they were long accustomed to such bizarre events. After pausing for just a few seconds, they all dispersed.
"Damn..." Han Yimo muttered softly. "Those people act like they've been through a hundred battles... Who are they trying to impress?"
Dr. Zhao had no time to bother with that. All his attention was on the glowing portal, his brow furrowed. "Han Yimo... didn't you say you understood this place? What is this thing...?"