Chapter 991: Filling in the Gaps
Qi Xia's peculiar actions left Chu Tianqiu somewhat perplexed.
He contemplated the "generals" Qi Xia had already chosen: Qiao Jiajing, Chen Junnan, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo. It seemed Qi Xia had a strange method of "selecting generals," and the people he had picked so far all came from the same interview room. Now that his own team had recruited Zhao Haibo, and he had heard that someone named Xiao Ran had recently disappeared from Qi Xia's room, it seemed that exactly seven people remained in that room. Could it be that Qi Xia intended to gather everyone from that room together?
"But that's not right... Qi Xia." Chu Tianqiu thought to himself. "When we first met, I warned you that there was someone in your room who wasn't one of us..."
Countless possibilities flashed through Chu Tianqiu's mind, but he simply couldn't figure out what Qi Xia was planning. He only had a vague feeling that Qi Xia wasn't just participating in the game—he seemed to have some other scheme in mind.
If that was the case...
Chu Tianqiu stepped forward, reached out, and wrote down the name "Wen Qiaoyun."
Before the game started, Chu Tianqiu had never imagined that both Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun would join his team. And Wen Qiaoyun hadn't hesitated much either. As soon as the door opened, she walked in.
Now his team consisted of Zhang Shan, Jin Yuanxun, Zhao Haibo, Yan Zhichun, and Wen Qiaoyun.
When it came to "physical combat," Zhang Shan and Jin Yuanxun could hold their own. For "mental combat," Yan Zhichun and Wen Qiaoyun could devise strategies. And if strange items were involved, Zhao Haibo could come in handy at critical moments.
Although there was still one person left to choose, the team he had assembled so far was well-rounded across various aspects. Even if there were any shortcomings, he could use the hundreds of "eyeballs" he carried to fill in the gaps.
But exactly how to choose next would depend on who Qi Xia picked as his sixth member.
For the next period of time, Qi Xia became taciturn, saying almost nothing. Then he went up and wrote another name.
"Zhang Lijuan."
This choice was more or less what Chu Tianqiu had expected. For the seventh person, Qi Xia would likely choose "Lin Qin." In that case, everyone from his room would be gathered in this game.
"Wait..." Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brow. He seemed to vaguely remember Qi Xia mentioning that there had been ten people in his room at one point...
What about that police officer? Was Qi Xia's seventh pick going to be Li Shangwu instead of Lin Qin?
Chu Tianqiu shook his head and could only focus his attention on the game for now. But the "Ingenuity" ability had far too many drawbacks. Not to mention that he had already secured "Dissociation"—even if no one could counter Tiantian, she still had to use available materials around her to create items. Without "Original Object" or "Pocket" to assist her, how could "Ingenuity" conjure something out of thin air?
Even a skilled housewife can't cook without rice, let alone something as complex as "Ingenuity."
"What are you thinking...?" Chu Tianqiu muttered with a frown.
Tiantian had just sent Zheng Yingxiong off when she looked up and saw the glowing door before her. After hearing Dilong's brief explanation, Tiantian hesitated for a moment but said nothing. After thinking it over, she stepped into the light.
Chu Tianqiu took a deep breath. Both of them were at their final decision. Once the seventh person was chosen, "Cangjie Chess" would officially enter the "battlefield" phase.
But what was his team still lacking?
No matter how he looked at it, he felt his team was already very stable. Whoever he chose wouldn't matter much. But for Qi Xia, the situation was completely different. Since every person he took was from his own room, a wrong lineup could have a significant impact on him.
Chu Tianqiu knew Qi Xia was proud. If he provoked him, Qi Xia would definitely accept.
Although this would cost him the chance to choose "Yun Yao," even if he could choose her, the odds of her refusing were high.
So he paused, turned to look at Qi Xia, and smiled. "For the last pick... how about we make a bet?"
"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "What are we betting?"
"We each point a general for the other," Chu Tianqiu said. "The person I write down goes to you, and the person you write down goes to me. Otherwise, just picking people smoothly according to our own plans is too boring."
Qi Xia turned to look at Dilong, as if asking for her opinion.
"As long as you both agree, I don't mind," Dilong said with a shrug.
"Alright," Qi Xia said with a smile. "I accept."
Chu Tianqiu felt that he had somehow gotten ahold of Qi Xia's mindset from an imperceptible angle.
If there was one weakness of Qi Xia's, Chu Tianqiu thought it wasn't "Yu Nian'an" or "Yan Zhichun." If anything, it was only "pride." If he really wanted to outsmart Qi Xia, he had to start from that obscure angle.
The two exchanged places. Qi Xia stood in front of Chu Tianqiu's device, raised his hand, but before writing a name, he turned to look at Chu Tianqiu and said softly:
"Chu Tianqiu, you think your team is already well-rounded, so it doesn't matter who you pick. No matter what name I write, it won't affect you much."
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu frowned. He hadn't expected Qi Xia to see through his thoughts at a glance. He could only sigh and ask, "So?"
"So I can help strengthen your team's structure a bit more." Qi Xia thought for a few seconds and said, "Your team doesn't lack strategists or fighters. What it lacks is someone like you—someone who can adapt to different situations and come up with various countermeasures."
"Don't joke around..." Chu Tianqiu said. "You and I have been muddling through this place for years. Anyone who fits that description is almost certainly already in one of our teams. Where else would we find a suitable person?"
"That just means your standards are too high," Qi Xia said with a laugh. "There actually is someone who can do something similar. Her intelligence isn't top-notch, but she often comes up with her own ideas based on the situation. And right now, you need someone with ideas..."
The more Chu Tianqiu listened, the stranger he felt. Someone could earn such praise from Qi Xia?
It wasn't until he saw Qi Xia reach out and write the name "Xu Liunian" that he finally understood what Qi Xia was doing.
As an opponent, why would Qi Xia be so kind?
It sounded nice, but "Xu Liunian" was hardly a powerful ally.
"She does have her own ideas and can make decisions on the fly, but can her tricks fool you?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"Why would she need to fool me?" Qi Xia countered. "My team isn't just me. Once the team splits up or encounters an emergency, Xu Liunian can definitely work wonders. After all, not everyone on my team is clever."
At this point, Chu Tianqiu could no longer tell if Qi Xia was telling the truth.
It wasn't until Dilong opened the door and told the Xu Liunian waiting outside that "Chu Tianqiu has invited you to join" that Chu Tianqiu pulled his thoughts back and began considering his strategy based on his current teammates.