Chapter 1080: Killing Moves from Both Sides
"A test...?"
Han Yimo and Qiao Jiajin were both stunned and asked in unison, "What test?"
"Pfft!" Chen Junnan shook his head, staring at Han Yimo with a grin. "You know what it is, kid. Just don't go blabbing it around, got it?"
Qiao Jiajin felt something was off. "Jun Nan Zai, how come you're keeping secrets from me now?"
"How could I possibly keep anything from you? I'm just messing with Xiao Han. Don't you believe it." Chen Junnan said with a wry smile.
"Oh? Really?"
Han Yimo felt a surge of gratitude upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Chen Junnan to still cover for him at a time like this. He silently resolved in his heart that this time, he would endure the test and not let Chen Junnan down.
Qiao Jiajin helped Chen Junnan over to the wall and sat him down. When he looked up, he realized their display screen had been shattered. His mouth fell open in shock.
"Diú..." he stammered. "What do we do now?! How did this thing break?!"
"It's a bit of a problem..." Chen Junnan said, enduring the pain in his body. "Not only did they break into here and smash our screen, but they've also surrounded us. Those guys have set up a defensive line outside. We might not be able to break through."
"What about the swindler?" Qiao Jiajin asked again.
"Old Qi is stuck in a game. He won't be out anytime soon," Chen Junnan replied. "How about you, Old Qiao...? Is the pain any better?"
"My injuries... it's really strange, Jun Nan Zai!" Qiao Jiajin looked at his own hands and feet. "It seems like there's only some bruising left. It doesn't hurt much anymore!"
"Nice... that's good..."
"What exactly is going on?" Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly went wide. "Ah! I get it... Is it because the owner of this body 'doesn't know pain'? Getting beaten like this and it doesn't hurt? That's incredible..."
"I don't know about him not knowing pain... but your dear master sure knows it now." Chen Junnan shook his head helplessly and muttered under his breath, "Seems like I took a bit too much on myself... If I'd known, I'd have taken a little less."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing..." Chen Junnan quickly shook his head.
"Get it together, Jun Nan Zai!" Qiao Jiajin saw Chen Junnan spacing out and slapped him on the back, nearly sending him to the afterlife. "This is a critical moment! We need to figure out how to win the game even with the screen smashed!"
"Alright... alright... Just let me rest a bit... Let me get my ribs to hurt a little less, and then I'll go."
After saying that, Chen Junnan turned his head and glanced at Qiao Jiajin. He noticed that although Qiao Jiajin was putting on a brave face, claiming he "didn't feel the pain," his hands and feet were trembling.
It was just that compared to the excruciating, unconsciousness-inducing pain from before, Qiao Jiajin considered this "not painful."
His own "Scapegoat" ability had taken on barely half the pain, and he was already on the verge of collapsing. How could Qiao Jiajin possibly be unscathed?
"Old Qiao, are you really okay?" Chen Junnan asked.
"I'm awake, what could be wrong?"
"Don't push yourself too hard, kid. Rest when you need to," Chen Junnan said. "Taking down Zhang Shan is already a pretty good outcome."
"Speaking of the big guy... how is he?" Qiao Jiajin asked tentatively.
"He..."
Chen Junnan hesitated. He had gone to check on the "Riverway" earlier and confirmed that Zhang Shan had no vital signs left. His breathing and heartbeat had stopped, and even his pulse was silent.
"He's temporarily liberated," Chen Junnan replied euphemistically.
"Is that so..." Qiao Jiajin's eyes dimmed for a moment.
"Don't dwell on it. We'll meet again."
"I hope so. I promised him I'd take him to see a broader world."
Chen Junnan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at those words.
When Zhang Shan closed his eyes now, had he already seen that broader world?
What people saw when they opened their eyes in this place was hardly "reality"... It was just a giant cage trapping countless lives.
...
When Qi Xia and Yan Zhichun walked from the "Shen" character room to the "Riverway," Yan Zhichun's face had turned deathly pale.
Such a simple number-guessing game—
Each person chooses a four-digit password visible only to themselves, then takes turns guessing the numbers in the other's hand.
In each round, you tell the other how many digits are in the correct position and how many are the correct value. The first to guess the other's number wins.
Since Yan Zhichun had already played a game with Zhang Chenze, she immediately asked the referee to increase each person's password to six digits.
But Qi Xia directly proposed a ten-digit number for the guessing game, then proceeded to crush Yan Zhichun in an extremely short time.
He not only used her micro-expressions to determine the truth but also guided her thought process through rhetoric and hints. Yan Zhichun knew she had lost without complaint.
"So this was your goal?" Qi Xia held the "Stone" he had won from Yan Zhichun, his expression far from pleased. "To have a proper duel with me as my opponent, only to lose to me in the game."
"I originally wanted to become your teammate and observe your methods," Yan Zhichun said. "Too bad. Chu Tianqiu chose me, and I had to become your opponent."
"I don't think a simple number-guessing game can show you my true abilities," Qi Xia continued. "You may have lost, but you're not convinced, are you?"
"Yes." Yan Zhichun nodded bluntly. "I admit you're smarter than me, but I also admit that there are many people in this world smarter than me. I accept Brother Yang... not just because he's smarter than me."
"I'll show you my methods," Qi Xia said. "If you see Chu Tianqiu when you go back, tell him I'll wait for him at the 'Riverway,' and I'll personally hand him a defeat right here."
"What...?" Yan Zhichun was taken aback. "Qi Xia, would Chu Tianqiu actually agree to meet you at the 'Riverway'?"
"He will. He has no choice. Tell him that this time, I'm betting all of our team's remaining 'Characters,' and he'll do the same," Qi Xia said. "Now I need to go back and reassure my teammates. I'll also wait for your reply."
"Reassure your teammates...?"
Yan Zhichun didn't understand what he meant. She watched as Qi Xia, holding the "Stone" he had won from her, turned and left the "Riverway."
She couldn't help but sigh as she looked at his retreating figure. As long as this man existed... no game on this field could stop him.
With his long memory, experience, and extensive knowledge, he could beat anyone here. Did Chu Tianqiu really have a chance?
Yan Zhichun thought it over carefully. To defeat Qi Xia, conventional methods wouldn't work. The only options were to either use force directly, trick him into breaking the rules, or smash his display screen.
Only these three paths could lead to that slim chance of victory.
When Yan Zhichun returned to the "Preparation Area," she found Chu Tianqiu standing alone there, staring at the screen.
Seeing his back frozen in place, Yan Zhichun felt a sense of foreboding. She quickly walked over and checked the display screen.
Fortunately, the thing she feared hadn't happened. The screen wasn't shattered; it was still intact.
Just as she was about to say something to Chu Tianqiu, she noticed a very strange line of text on the screen.
"Black Side's seventh creation failed. Final score reduced by seven points."