Chapter 1046: That's a Bit Fake
Another room.
"We need to run too! I'm about to die!!"
Chen Junnan grabbed Kim Won-hoon by the hand and rushed toward the door.
But it was locked.
Dilong shook her head when she saw this, flipped backward, took a few steps up the wall, then suddenly leaped again. Qinglong caught her from midair, carrying her like a plastic bag and setting her down beside him.
After returning to the "viewing platform," Dilong dusted off her clothes and sat down next to Qinglong.
"Kim Won-hoon! Run! Go find Tianqiu!" Chen Junnan (as Yi) shouted.
"Bro... have you noticed that we're locked in?" Kim Won-hoon asked.
"Why am I locked up?!" Chen Junnan slammed the door with a terrified look on his face. "I'm Xu Liunian, damn it!"
"Stop acting."
"Let me out! I really am Xu Liunian! One hundred percent genuine, no refunds!"
"Stop acting."
"Ahhhh, help! I'm gonna die! Ahhhh!"
"Seriously, bro, stop acting. That's a bit fake."
"...Fine."
...
Dilong couldn't hide her smile on the viewing platform. She turned to Qinglong and said, "Quite an interesting fellow, isn't he?"
Qinglong's expression had been hesitant for a while. It took Dilong calling him several times before he snapped back to reality.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm talking about the one pretending to be 'Morph,'" Dilong said with a laugh. "When did 'Peach Blossom Spring' get such an interesting person?"
"That personality isn't my type," Qinglong replied.
"Oh?" Dilong thought for a moment. "You mean... he's not the type you 'Rulers' like, because he's too rebellious, right?"
"It's not just him," Qinglong said. "I don't like a lot of people here."
"How interesting." Dilong chuckled a few more times, then shifted her gaze to Qi Xia's direction. "How did he manage to gather all the people you dislike in one place?"
Dilong's words put Qinglong on alert.
What a strange feeling.
Was it really a coincidence that all these people were gathered here right now?
A sense of dissonance began to spread through Qinglong's mind. He hadn't participated in the first half of this game, but hadn't he set up the "Appointment" phase?
Both sides could not only take the other's people but also take the opportunity to kill those who refused.
Under that kind of game theory, how did they manage to select these twelve teammates who annoyed him just by looking at them?
Qinglong felt like there was some kind of conspiracy behind this, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
The "Cangjie Chess" was something he'd come up with and designed on a whim one day. Its rules and gameplay had never been disclosed to anyone except Dilong before.
But Dilong herself had only a vague understanding of the game before hosting it—she knew the name and some of the rules at most.
How could she have possibly found a way to leak the game's content in advance?
Strange... This was really strange... Could all of this really be a coincidence?
The Disaster-Courter, the Scapegoat, the Translocator, the Disintegrator, the Morph.
The Scent-Seer, the Energy-Storer, the Artificer, the Soul-Shifter.
The One Who Moves Like Heaven, the One Who Breaks All Laws.
The Madman, the One Who Lives Forever.
Qinglong felt like something was off... but his mind was a mess, and he couldn't grab hold of any clues.
"Why aren't they betting their lives with me yet?" Dilong suddenly asked.
Qinglong heard this and turned to look at Dilong suspiciously.
Right... How could Qi Xia possibly have foreseen something like this?
There were even people down there who wanted to bet their lives with Dilong. The moment those words left their mouths, Qi Xia would inevitably lose one of his teammates on either side.
"Qinglong."
"Hm?"
"You made a bet with me. Now let me make a bet with you too." Dilong smiled.
Earlier, Qinglong had asked her who would win this game. Dilong had confidently answered, "All the participants." Now she was ready to bet with him again.
"Go on."
"Let's bet on how I'll die," Dilong said. "Guess—will you kill me in the end, or will they gamble me to death?"
Qinglong's face darkened when he heard this. He said nothing.
"If you guess wrong, you'll have to grant me one request," Dilong added.
Qinglong said, "Tell me the 'request' first."
"I haven't thought of it yet. I just want to know if you dare to bet."
Qinglong pondered for a moment. The situation was making him more and more irritable.
From the beginning until now, this game had been filled with a strange atmosphere. This feeling of uncertainty about the future was unsettling.
"I have no reason to be afraid," Qinglong said. "I'll bet with you. I bet that the participants will gamble you to death."
"Good! It's a deal!" Dilong said with a laugh.
...
Chen Junnan and Kim Won-hoon stood in the room, staring at each other.
"Aish..." Kim Won-hoon cursed, hands on his hips. "Bro, what the hell are you doing, huh?"
"Piercing right through the heart," Chen Junnan said with a grin. "Your boy here solo-controlled all three of you for three minutes straight. Total of nine minutes. Do you admit defeat or not?"
"What use is me admitting defeat?!" Kim Won-hoon was completely speechless. "Aren't you just messing things up?"
"You should be asking when your boy *hasn't* messed things up."
Chen Junnan walked over, wrapped his arm around Kim Won-hoon's shoulder, and pulled him toward the door.
"Xiao Jin, don't waste time. Let's hurry up and get to our bridal chamber."
"...?"
"Get into the game room," Chen Junnan corrected himself.
"Hey, bro." Kim Won-hoon said. "Going into the room is fine, but I need to confirm one thing with you."
"Shoot."
"Where's your 'Character'?" Kim Won-hoon asked. "I searched you thoroughly earlier. You didn't have a 'Character' hidden on you. Where did you put it?"
"I don't have a 'Character,'" Chen Junnan said. "Did I ever tell you to hurry up? Do you know why you need to hurry?"
"Huh?"
"If you don't hurry up, that little dragon lady's gonna come down and kill me again in a bit," Chen Junnan said. "I can only last a little longer than Xu Liunian. So give your bro a break and go into the room with me."
"What?!" Kim Won-hoon's jaw dropped.
Going into the opponent's territory without a "Character" and triggering a game... Was that really not against the rules?!
"Re-referee!!" Kim Won-hoon looked up and shouted. "Th-this guy, he's got..."
Chen Junnan immediately reached out and covered Kim Won-hoon's mouth. "Xiao Jin! That's not cool! When adults are talking, kids shouldn't be yelling..."
He practically dragged Kim Won-hoon into the room.
It was a very simple venue—just a table and a "Zodiac." There didn't seem to be any game props.
The Zodiac was a "Snake."
As soon as Chen Junnan entered the room, he rushed forward and said to the Snake, "Hurry up, hurry up! It's not too late, right? Give me back the 'Characters'!"
"Huh...?" Kim Won-hoon was stunned.
But the next second, he saw the Snake pull two "Characters" from his bosom and hand them to Chen Junnan.
So he hadn't come without "Characters" after all. He had just entered this door in advance and handed them over to the referee.