Chapter 1043: The Undercover Life
Wen Qiaoyun exchanged a glance with Han Yimo, and the two walked toward a door on the side.
"Qiaoyun Jie... that way is..."
"It's fine, let's go."
At this moment, the Pig-Man, who had been stunned for a long time, finally came to his senses and immediately called out to stop them.
"Hey!"
"Hm?" They both looked at him.
"Not that door." The Pig-Man shook his head as he looked at the door. "That way leads out for me. Your 'door' is over here."
He pointed to a dark corner behind him, where a solitary "door" stood.
"I'm curious," Wen Qiaoyun said, pointing at the door beside her. "Where would this door lead if we walked out?"
"Where...?" The Pig-Man thought for a few seconds and replied, "Naturally, 'withdrawal.' Not only would you withdraw from this game, but you'd also be withdrawing from your own life."
"I see..." Wen Qiaoyun nodded. "I won't go out, but I want to open the 'door' and take a look. Is that alright?"
The Pig-Man paused for a moment before answering, "Of course, it's fine. After all, even if you really did walk out, it wouldn't have anything to do with me."
He knew that if a "participant" escaped through this door, then the person who killed them would be either Suzaku or Qinglong. Although it was a pity, it wouldn't count as his own achievement. So the Pig-Man wasn't lying; which door they left from really didn't matter much to him.
The reason he had advised them was simply that he didn't want his room to earn a reputation as a "black shop." Once someone entered his room and didn't come back the same way, others would stop coming.
Wen Qiaoyun knew this was a rare opportunity. Without waiting for the Pig-Man to change his mind, she immediately opened the door in front of her. A slightly dazzling, dark red light seeped in. Outside was nothing more than an ordinary street of the "Land of the End."
An ordinary street, small rooms scattered everywhere, panicked referees, hastily set-up games.
This was the rest of the "Cangjie Chess."
"It's just a street," Wen Qiaoyun said. "If we walk out, would we be considered as having 'escaped'?"
"Yeah." The Pig-Man was tidying up the table as he spoke. "You seem like a clever person. You should know what happens when you escape from a game, right?"
How could the Pig-Man have guessed that, in Wen Qiaoyun's memory, this was her first time entering a game?
"I probably know," Wen Qiaoyun said calmly as she gently closed the door.
Han Yimo seemed somewhat reluctant to leave, as if longing for what lay outside, but after thinking about the possibility of being killed once he stepped out, he silently followed behind Wen Qiaoyun.
"We're going now." Wen Qiaoyun had already gathered enough information; there was no need to waste more time.
The two opened the "door" they had entered through, and sure enough, the other side led to the "Cangjie Chess" game field.
Without another word to the Pig-Man, they went through the door and left.
The Pig-Man walked over and slowly closed the wooden door, hoping only that he had left a decent impression on the two, and that they might bring back some repeat customers.
After stepping out, Wen Qiaoyun didn't even look back as she headed straight toward Chu Tianqiu's direction. Han Yimo hurriedly grabbed her before the surrounding doors unlocked.
"Qiaoyun Jie... don't forget our agreement..."
"The agreement..." Wen Qiaoyun paused. "How could I forget? Don't worry. As long as you bring me the second 'word,' I guarantee the whole team will accept you."
"Good... that's great..."
The doors unlocked, and after parting ways, they quickly returned to their respective "Preparation Zones." Since Wen Qiaoyun was currently in enemy territory, she had to be careful not to get snatched away a second time. But as she arrived at the "Riverway," the first thing that caught her eye was Zhang Shan lying on the ground.
She was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly glanced around the walls. Large splatters of blood had almost completely stained the place.
Zhang Shan had been taken down?
Zhang Shan's massive body lay there like a dead tiger. Could an ordinary person really have taken him down...?
With that much blood loss, had the enemy swarmed him?
Wen Qiaoyun wanted to step forward to check on Zhang Shan's condition, but then she reached into her pocket and felt the two "words" inside. Now wasn't the time.
She had come out of the rightmost room, but Zhang Shan had fallen too far to the left.
Though it was only a dozen or so steps away, anything could happen in those steps. Even if she confirmed whether Zhang Shan was dead or alive, there was absolutely no way she could help him up right now.
With that thought, she had no choice but to set Zhang Shan aside for the moment. She walked forward, opened the door directly in front of her, confirmed no one was inside, and hurried back to the "Preparation Zone." As she moved, she thought she heard some kind of arguing coming from their "Battlefield Zone," but the soundproofing was good here—all she could make out were a few muffled echoes, unable to pinpoint the direction.
...
Han Yimo arrived at the "Preparation Zone" out of breath. Qi Xia was standing with Zhang Chenze, saying something, while in a corner of the wall lay Qiao Jiajin, covered in blood.
"Huh...?" He was momentarily startled. It felt like he hadn't been gone long, but something big seemed to have happened here.
Something big could happen even without the protagonist around... Was this some kind of side story?
Qi Xia turned around and looked at Han Yimo, seemingly confirming the latter's identity in the shortest possible time.
"What happened to him...?" Han Yimo pointed at Qiao Jiajin and asked.
Identity confirmed—not Xu Liunian.
"He's resting," Qi Xia said. "What about you? What's the result?"
"I..." Han Yimo lowered his head in frustration. "I'm sorry! I lost!"
"Alright." Qi Xia wasn't surprised at all. He just nodded and turned back around, no longer speaking. "Lawyer Zhang, help me keep an eye on that room."
Qi Xia pointed to a map on the wall. "Chen Junnan is on a solo invasion right now, but I believe he'll make a mess on the other side. Tian Tian and Zheng Yingxiong are already guarding the flanks, but the middle is weak. Stall until Chen Junnan returns. If you run into anyone, fall back quickly."
"Alright, I've got it." Zhang Chenze nodded and turned to leave the "Preparation Zone."
Han Yimo thought Qi Xia would say something to him after sending Zhang Chenze away, but the man just walked over to check on Qiao Jiajin's injuries again.
At this rate... was he going to ignore him?
No—Han Yimo keenly sensed something. He wasn't ignoring him; he was waiting for the protagonist to say something and trigger the plot.
"You have no idea how badly I lost just now!" Han Yimo said. "That woman is no ordinary person. She's like an ancient great power."
Qi Xia checked Qiao Jiajin's nostrils to make sure the blood hadn't clotted and blocked his breathing. He spoke softly, just three words: "You worked hard."
"It's not that I'm complaining about the hard work!" Han Yimo said. "Even though I lost to that woman, I also found a way to defeat her. I have confidence now. If I get another chance, I'm sure I can make her retreat in defeat."
Qi Xia turned his head coldly and looked at Han Yimo. "Did you go to the 'Riverway' just now?"
"River... way?" Han Yimo shook his head. "No, I didn't."
"Alright. For the rest of the time, stay in the 'Preparation Zone.'"