Chapter 1038: Open Card Undercover
"What..."
"We were misled," Qi Xia said. "At first, when I saw our side's 'characters,' I assumed the opposing side's 'characters' would also follow the rules of chess. But the designer of this game is 'Qinglong.' He won't let us get through this game comfortably, so even if he changed the characters, it's still within normal parameters."
Qi Xia stared at the walls covered in 'characters,' his expression exceptionally grave.
"Unfortunately, by the time I figured out this answer, the fight between Quanzi and Zhang Shan had already entered its final stage."
There was no way to stop the two of them by then.
"But doesn't this feel a bit unfair...?" Zhang Chenze said. "Even though we got the 'character,' Qiao Jiajin can't get back up either..."
"It's not unfair." Qi Xia turned his head to look at Qiao Jiajin and said, "If Quanzi hadn't blocked Zhang Shan, do you think any of us could have stood against him?"
"This..."
"Zhang Shan would have led everyone straight over. We couldn't trigger the 'game,' and we couldn't withstand his assault. We'd have been defeated within a minute."
Zhang Chenze naturally knew Qi Xia was right, but she still felt this fight had been lacking in fairness.
A simple 'Shi' had nearly cost two lives.
But she also knew that grudges had their owners. The ones they should hate were not each other, but the person who designed this game, or the person who designed the entire 'Land of the End.'
...
Han Yimo had been in this strange place for a while now.
A simple 'Human-Pig' game.
Coin flipping.
The coin was tossed high by that ugly wild boar, then caught between its hands. Meanwhile, he and Wen Qiaoyun each had three cards in hand.
'Flip Card,' 'Re-toss Card,' 'Exchange Card.'
In this game, he and Wen Qiaoyun could both guess 'Heads' or 'Tails' at the same time. A correct guess earned one point. Whoever got seven points first won.
But he had already lost five rounds in a row.
Five. Consecutive. Rounds.
What an unbelievable number?
Obviously, everyone only had a fifty percent chance of guessing correctly. But his luck seemed to have hit rock bottom. No matter what, he couldn't score a single point from that damned wild boar.
In the third round, after placing her bet, Wen Qiaoyun used a 'Flip Card,' causing the coin in the wild boar's hand to flip over, completely reversing the outcome that would have let Han Yimo score.
Han Yimo had made up his mind then. Since that was the case... he would just follow Wen Qiaoyun's guess every time. If she guessed 'Heads,' he'd guess 'Heads.' If she guessed 'Tails,' he'd guess 'Tails.'
In the fourth round, both of them guessed wrong.
In the fifth round, right after he followed Wen Qiaoyun's guess, she decisively played an 'Exchange Card,' swapping one of the guess results before the coin was revealed, shifting from 'Guess Heads' to 'Guess Tails.'
Han Yimo hesitated for a long time, worried that Wen Qiaoyun would still lead him to defeat, so he saved his card and lost another round.
By now, Wen Qiaoyun only had one card left: the 'Re-toss Card.'
Han Yimo never imagined someone would use strategy in a game of luck. He was already trailing behind her. Even if he followed her guess for every remaining round and guessed correctly, he could only lose.
"I... I want a time-out..." Han Yimo said, trembling. "I really can't do this... I need a break for a bit... I feel like I'm going to lose..."
"T-Time-out...?" The wild boar was momentarily stunned after hearing this, looking just as nervous. "No way... There's no 'time-out' here... Hurry up and place your bet and lose already. Don't waste my time."
"N-No... Really, no..." Han Yimo said. "This game field of yours is too dark. I'm a bit scared... I... I have claustrophobia..."
"Dark?" The wild boar looked up. The light bulb it had just hung was still on. "Damn, what excuse are you making up?! Hurry up and bet...! If you mess things up, I'll die too!"
"No, no, no..." Han Yimo waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm really sorry... Just let me take a break for a bit... I... I need to rest..."
"It's fine." Wen Qiaoyun said. "I accept the time-out. You can rest."
Han Yimo quickly turned his head to look at the wild boar: "See? My opponent agreed!"
The wild boar looked at Wen Qiaoyun. It knew she was a smart woman. She had already seen through this game. It was only a matter of time before she won. With a sigh, it shook its head and turned its back.
"Sister Qiaoyun..." Han Yimo called out. "Let me catch my breath first... I have something to tell you..."
"Oh?" Wen Qiaoyun raised an eyebrow. "Here?"
"Yeah..." Han Yimo swallowed his saliva and steadied his breathing. "I'm really not good at games, so can we make a deal...?"
"Go ahead." Wen Qiaoyun replied without changing her expression.
"Can you deliberately lose this round... so I have something to show for it when I get out?"
Wen Qiaoyun seemed to hear an extremely absurd suggestion and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"You might not know this, Sister Qiaoyun, but I'm actually on your side." As Han Yimo spoke, he was fiercely pinching his own thigh.
He felt his current state didn't quite fit his identity as the 'protagonist' at all. He was scared. He was trembling.
Not only was he a mole in Qi Xia's team, ready to take down a monster like Qi Xia, but he was also going head-to-head with the ancient wise strategist Wen Qiaoyun in a 'Zodiac Game.'
Doctor Zhao had told him before the game started that Wen Qiaoyun was an extremely clever person. Maybe she couldn't compare to Qi Xia, but she was certainly no worse than Chu Tianqiu.
So right now, he was really nervous. So nervous that his legs were constantly shaking.
No, in his own words, he was nervous like a supporting character.
"On our side?" Wen Qiaoyun asked impassively. "What do you mean?"
"I-I'm an undercover!" Han Yimo explained loudly. "I made a deal with Doctor Zhao before the game started. We formed an alliance... I'm here to dismantle Qi Xia from the inside...!"
Upon hearing this, Wen Qiaoyun paused for a moment, then said, "So does Qi Xia trust you? Why do you think you can dismantle him?"
"He... How could he not trust me? He and I are from the same room, and I have a 'character' on me... A very important 'character'!"
Han Yimo pulled out a 'Ma.'
'Ma.' How important was it, exactly?
After seeing it, Wen Qiaoyun sighed and said, "You might not know, but forget about you—even that 'Doctor Zhao' you allied with can't guarantee he's clean anymore."
"Huh...?" Han Yimo was momentarily stunned. "How is that possible...? Did Lao Zhao flip?"
"I don't know him well." Wen Qiaoyun said. "So I'm not sure. But I saw him exchanging glances with that Chen Junnan, so there's no way we can fully trust him."
Han Yimo was instantly at a loss. He had agreed to ally with Doctor Zhao, but if Doctor Zhao really had flipped...
Then which side was he on?