Chapter 1052: The Wrong Paradise Gate
"Kid," the Snake said. "You say you want to establish a central institution that both sides can trust… but what about the actual situation?"
"Oh?" Jin Yuanxun blinked. "What actual situation?"
"That so-called 'Paradise Gate'—were you there too?" the Snake asked.
"I was."
"Looking back now… did you gain the trust of the 'Zodiac,' or did you gain the trust of the 'Participants'?" the Snake continued.
That short sentence struck like a sharp blade, leaving Jin Yuanxun speechless.
Although Paradise Gate had initially worked toward this goal, with its leader Chu Tianqiu even going so far as to trade the eyeballs of corpses with the Zodiac in exchange for food for the Participants…
The Participants didn't trust him, and neither did the Zodiac.
"So the answer is basically settled…" the Snake said with a hint of regret. "Even if this answer seems perfectly reasonable, in practice it's wrong. Not only do both sides find it hard to trust this institution, but even the enemy can't trust it either."
Chen Junnan looked at the Snake. "Are you sure…?"
"This answer is pretty similar to your theory—sounds like it might work, but in practice it's extremely difficult," the Snake said. "You say that both sides should send one person to the central area to establish a central institution. But how do we confirm that the person the other side sends is really from another camp? If we send someone to verify, we fall right back into the initial problem."
"Uh…"
"Besides, the people in this institution are all wearing enemy uniforms all day. When our own people go to deliver messages, how can they be sure the institution hasn't been infiltrated by the enemy? Even if such an institution could be established, no one would fully trust it."
Jin Yuanxun had thought he'd come up with a decent answer, but now it seemed utterly wrong.
Not only was the answer wrong, but so was Paradise Gate itself.
Paradise Gate's original purpose had been as pure as Chu Tianqiu's thoughts—a central organization that could help the Participants and also liaise with the Zodiac.
But Chu Tianqiu had never dared to tell the Participants that he was trading with the Zodiac, nor had he dared to tell the Zodiac that their goal was to gamble all of them to death.
Calling it a neutral organization, it was more like a double agent.
No one thought Chu Tianqiu was a good person, and no one felt genuine gratitude toward Paradise Gate.
"Let me ask you another question," the Snake said again. "If we consider Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia as two generals, knowing that someone above is listening in, how can they launch an attack at the same time?"
"...?"
The two men were taken aback by the sudden shift in topic and froze for a moment.
"Hang on," Chen Junnan said. "You didn't even know about Paradise Gate, yet you know Xiao Chu?"
"I spend a lot of time moving around on the 'Train,'" the Snake said. "And I have plenty of time to chat with anyone. Chu Tianqiu's name is probably known to most of the Zodiac."
Chen Junnan still felt something was off. "But aren't you afraid that what you're saying now is being monitored…?"
"Qinglong is on the other side of the 'Door,'" the Snake said. "He's too far away from me to hear what I'm saying."
"'Far'…?" Chen Junnan turned to look at the door, puzzled by how the Snake defined 'far'—he and Qinglong were separated by nothing more than a flimsy broken door.
"If I'm not mistaken, the method Qi Xia used was suggestion," the Snake said. "Through countless cues, he made Chu Tianqiu act on a subconscious level, striving to make the timing perfectly align with his own plan."
"Huh…?" Chen Junnan felt like the Snake was about to say something completely beyond his comprehension.
"During this process, Chu Tianqiu didn't know the plan, and Qi Xia himself didn't know it either," the Snake continued. "So no enemy could intercept the 'messenger' midway and thwart this breakout. They couldn't even catch anyone to interrogate about it. Even if the enemy could storm the mountain and capture Qi Xia or Chu Tianqiu alone, they still couldn't figure out the whole picture."
"Wait… just what the hell are you, kid?" Chen Junnan asked. "I'm getting confused. Aren't you one of the 'enemy'?"
"No, I'm a messenger," the Snake said. "I was sent out a long time ago, but unfortunately, I haven't reached the other mountain yet."
Chen Junnan and Jin Yuanxun exchanged glances, unclear on the situation.
"Do you two have a say in your own teams?" the Snake asked again.
"Uh… pretty much," Chen Junnan said. "I'm the second or third in command. Xiao Jin, he…"
Chen Junnan paused, realizing that Jin Yuanxun's position was probably similar to his.
"I need you to tell Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu without letting Qinglong notice," the Snake leaned in and whispered, "The 'Cang Jie's Chess' area where they are is the 'Train.'"
"Huh…?"
The Snake's voice was very soft, echoing faintly in the game venue before fading away.
"Wait… are you bullshitting me…?" Chen Junnan said.
"Remember, the area they're in is the 'Train,'" the Snake repeated.
The two men stared at the Snake in silence, lost for words.
"I've gone off topic," the Snake said. "Kid, your answer this time isn't correct, so the winner is Chen Junnan."
"Ah?" Jin Yuanxun snapped back to reality and nodded hesitantly.
He had no strength to argue right now. He just felt that everything he'd done over the years had been in vain.
Fortunately, his memories didn't last long—most of his hardships had already been forgotten.
Chen Junnan dropped his usual flippant attitude, feeling that the Snake before him was indeed no ordinary person. He'd never imagined the Snake had so many ideas when they first met in the interview room.
After they got back, he had to let Qi Xia have a talk with him. According to what the Snake said, Qinglong was deaf right now, so they could discuss anything.
Besides, every question the Snake had asked since they entered the room seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
Survivorship bias. The coordination attack problem.
It was as if he was hinting at the group, and at Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu.
Those who didn't want to resist had already resigned themselves to their fate. Only a few were fighting back.
Could these few rebels really turn the place upside down according to their own will?
If so, how were Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu supposed to join forces under constant surveillance and monitoring around the clock?