Chapter 1057: Luck?
Chu Tianqiu sent the others to act separately. For now, the top priority was to let Yan Zhichun obtain "Resonance."
He inferred that Jin Yuanxun was about to lose his "Character." If Yan Zhichun could activate her ability by then, everything would still be salvageable.
"And also..." he stopped Wen Qiaoyun at the last moment. "If the situation allows, go check on Zhang Shan's condition."
"Check on him now...?"
"If Zhang Shan is still conscious, tell him the method for 'Resonance,'" Chu Tianqiu added. "His 'Resonance' has a certain degree of self-healing ability. He might even be able to get back on his feet."
Wen Qiaoyun paused after hearing this, then said, "What if he can't hear these words anymore?"
"Then I can only say it's a pity," Chu Tianqiu said. "He did his best."
Wen Qiaoyun nodded at that and turned to leave the "Preparation Area" without another word.
Chu Tianqiu watched her retreating figure and felt a momentary daze. It seemed that not long ago, Yun Yao had also worn an expression similar to Wen Qiaoyun's before going her separate way with him.
If he had to name the emotion flickering in Chu Tianqiu's heart right now... he knew it was neither sorrow nor reluctance.
It was an inexplicable sense of loneliness that pierced his entire being.
Whether it was Yun Yao or Wen Qiaoyun, both had once been his most trusted companions. They had endured countless life-and-death situations and created various glories together.
But now Chu Tianqiu had awakened—awakened among a group of normal people, making him seem extraordinarily abnormal.
How difficult was it to completely liberate the entire "Land of the End"?
He was walking a path no one understood. Even if it wasn't Zhang Shan who died in the "River," but he himself, Chu Tianqiu could only mock himself with the words, "I did my best."
He was mocking himself for decades of effort, mocking himself for seeing all his work come to nothing.
Winning or losing this game didn't matter to Chu Tianqiu. It was less of a contest and more of a performance.
He had to showcase his abilities as much as possible—both for Qinglong and for Qi Xia.
If he let his emotions get the better of him and made a careless mistake at this moment, then there would be no seat for him on that train.
Qinglong had once stood on the rooftop of "Heaven's Gate" with Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu and told them that only one of them would reach the pinnacle.
When Qinglong said those words... had he ever compared Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia on equal footing?
But thankfully, Wen Qiaoyun was not Yun Yao.
Chu Tianqiu understood Wen Qiaoyun. She was a strong person forged in an environment of emotion, but unlike Yun Yao... she could distinguish the situation in extreme pain and make the most correct choice.
Then Chu Tianqiu snapped back to reality and instructed that since Xu Liunian couldn't change back, the best plan was to continue causing chaos under the identity of "Chen Junnan."
Since he had failed before, he should try to find the reason for the failure. In the time ahead, reduce the failure rate. No matter how many times he failed, as long as he managed to reach the opponent's "Preparation Area" once or trick them into giving up a "Character," it would be worth it.
As for Doctor Zhao, Chu Tianqiu simply told him to "adapt to the situation" and said nothing more.
Doctor Zhao couldn't help but feel puzzled. In this game, he was one of the top-tier "Resonance" users. As long as he was close enough to the enemy, he could find a way to destroy those "Characters." Yet Chu Tianqiu never seemed to want to rely on him heavily.
But since Chu Tianqiu had said nothing, Doctor Zhao also offered no explanation. He just nodded and left the room with Wen Qiaoyun.
Chu Tianqiu, meanwhile, continued studying the "Characters" that could be formed on the screen.
After a short while, he realized that for his side to win this match... there were two Characters they absolutely had to obtain.
Those were "Soldier" and "Minister."
He already knew Chen Junnan had "Wrap" and "Towel." So who had "Soldier" and "Minister"?
As Chu Tianqiu hesitated, Jin Yuanxun walked in from outside.
"Bro..."
Chu Tianqiu saw a "Wrap" in Jin Yuanxun's hand and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"What's this?"
"Bro Chu, I won," Jin Yuanxun said. "It was a bit of luck... but I got a 'Character' from Chen Junnan."
Looking at Jin Yuanxun's grinning face, Chu Tianqiu was silent for several seconds.
Luck?
Jin Yuanxun had beaten Chen Junnan in a game of "Deceit" or "Questions and Answers"?
With his current level of Chinese... just how lucky would he have to be to pull that off?
"And your own 'Character'?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
Jin Yuanxun paused, then pulled a chain from his pocket—a "Pawn" made of three parts.
"Right here, bro."
Seeing the "Pawn," Chu Tianqiu relaxed slightly and said, "Well done, Jin Yuanxun."
"Don't mention it, bro. It really was just luck."
Chu Tianqiu nodded and added, "Jin Yuanxun, you weren't here just now, but I heard a bell."
"A bell...?" Jin Yuanxun was startled.
"Yes," Chu Tianqiu said, nodding. "Since only you and Chen Junnan were in the game just now, I suspect you obtained 'Resonance.'"
Jin Yuanxun felt something was off about this. If a bell had rung, why hadn't he heard it?
Wasn't the game room directly connected to the outside?
"Bro... I was in the game with Chen Junnan just now," Jin Yuanxun asked tentatively. "Even if there really was a bell... why wouldn't it be his?"
"Because he lost," Chu Tianqiu said. "Knowing Chen Junnan as you do, if he had both his skill and 'Resonance,' how could you have won?"
"I guess that's true..."
Jin Yuanxun nodded, but he didn't remember what Chen Junnan's "Resonance" was. He only felt that this guy had only recently started making moves in the "Land of the End" and was already making a name for himself. Presumably, his previous obscurity was because he hadn't obtained a stable "Resonance."
"So try it now." Chu Tianqiu patted Jin Yuanxun's shoulder. "I've heard your 'Resonance' many times. That bell sounded a lot like yours."
"You can tell that from the sound...?"
Jin Yuanxun muttered to himself, then slowly narrowed his eyes, looking at the spot behind Chu Tianqiu. With a flicker of thought, he vanished from before Chu Tianqiu's eyes and reappeared standing in front the monitor.
"Huh?" Jin Yuanxun said with delight. "Bro... it seems like it really works..."
Seeing this, Chu Tianqiu nodded. It seemed that Xu Liunian had truly found a way to trigger "Resonance" in this place. For those who had already mastered "Resonance," adding a bit of psychological groundwork wasn't difficult.
"Good, Jin Yuanxun." Chu Tianqiu said. "Keep the 'Pawn' with you. From now on, you need to protect that 'Character' with your life."
"With my life..." Jin Yuanxun paused after hearing this, then suddenly thought of something. "Bro... when I was in the game venue just now, that 'Zodiac' asked me to pass along a message to you..."