Chapter 1124: One-Sided Rules
Lin Qin had never participated in "Cangjie Chess," so naturally, she did not know the meaning of the two "characters."
Chu Tianqiu shook his head and continued, "In the game, one 'Marshal' plus one 'Cannon' was traded to allow 'Heaven's Gate' to clear an obstacle for 'Extreme Path.'"
"It's hard to imagine you agreeing to such a losing trade," Lin Qin said. "This clearance of obstacles was fatal."
"Yes," Chu Tianqiu nodded. "Although it's the first time in my life I've made such a rash and presumptuous decision, right now it doesn't feel bad."
"Oh?"
"It's really strange," Chu Tianqiu said. "Yan Zhichun threatened me with two 'characters,' then I lost the game, left the scene, lost my lieutenant, and then agreed to all sorts of unreasonable deals with Qi Xia and Yan Zhichun. This should have been a day to make anyone furious, but instead I feel unusually relaxed."
Lin Qin smiled wryly after hearing this and replied, "Perhaps you never wanted to be a leader in the first place. Some obsession in your heart forced you to this point."
"Is that so?"
"Now you don't have as much to carry. You just need to fight with your back against the wall. It's indeed much more relaxing than before, isn't it?" Lin Qin said.
"Maybe."
Chu Tianqiu said no more, turning to lead the group back into the crowd.
By now, all the "supporters" had almost charged into the battlefield from all directions, making the scene even more chaotic.
"Heaven's Gate" could no longer distinguish which side was "Extreme Path," and they fell into a stalemate.
"Qiaoyun," Chu Tianqiu turned to look at the slender figure beside him. "What do you think we should do?"
Wen Qiaoyun paused for a moment, then immediately began observing the situation seriously. In a very short time, she spotted the telltale signs.
Although several hundred people on the square were fighting in a chaotic mess, it was clear that some people were far more aggressive. They formed teams and attacked anyone they saw.
"Even though I don't know what 'Extreme Path's' goal is..." Wen Qiaoyun said in a low voice, "they definitely aren't gathered here to 'kill people.'"
"Got it." Chu Tianqiu nodded, signaling to Li Xiangling and Zhang Shan ahead. "No need to attack proactively. Just defend against those who attack us."
"Alright."
The two agreed. As they observed, the situation was exactly as Wen Qiaoyun had judged. Some people here clearly had no offensive intent and didn't care about the lives of others; their attention was entirely on the White Tiger in front of the giant bell.
The other half were obviously aggressive, repeatedly lashing out at the "Heaven's Gate" members walking ahead.
Li Xiangling stepped forward, her spear lashing out like a dragon. In just a few moves, she stabbed several people in the knees, swiftly clearing the path ahead.
From a distance, Chu Tianqiu could already see Yan Zhichun's figure. She stood together with Jiang Ruoxue, Zhou Mo, and Zheng Yingxiong. Attackers were also gathering around them.
Fortunately, Zhou Mo had somehow picked up an iron rod and was ruthlessly striking the heads of several assailants.
But looking at the four of them, none were "Echo" users suited for combat. If anything, perhaps only Yan Zhichun's "Echo" had some lethality, but she seemed to be standing there in a daze, as if suffering from the aftereffects of overusing her "Echo."
"No time. Everyone split up. If Yan Zhichun dies, we're in trouble," Chu Tianqiu said decisively. "Right now the team is too large and hinders movement. After dispersing, find a way to regroup at the white-clothed woman ahead and report your 'Heaven's Gate' identity to her."
Yun Yao and Zhang Shan quickly relayed the order, and the twenty-plus member "Heaven's Gate" team immediately scattered into the crowd.
As Chu Tianqiu had expected, once the team dispersed, it became even harder for people on the field to tell whether these interweaving members were friend or foe, greatly increasing the speed at which "Heaven's Gate" advanced.
Chu Tianqiu himself remained standing in place, cautiously observing the battlefield, then pinched an eyeball in his hand.
"Tianqiu..." Wen Qiaoyun asked from behind. "What's wrong... Is something off?"
Chu Tianqiu shook his head, his gaze continuing into the distance.
"Feels bad," he said in a low voice. "Right now, 'Extreme Path' has surrounded the 'White Tiger,' the 'participants' have surrounded 'Extreme Path,' and now there's an outer ring of 'Human-Level Zodiacs' surrounding everyone."
Wen Qiaoyun had also noticed the group of "Human-Level Zodiacs" in the distance, wearing shabby suits and standing together in a dark mass. Although none of them possessed "Echo," they were ultimately management. They wouldn't hesitate to kill "participants."
Anyone on the battlefield without a mask was their enemy.
"I know 'Earth-Level Zodiacs' are formidable... but are 'Human-Level Zodiacs' also that strong?" Wen Qiaoyun asked. "I even thought they were about the same as ordinary people. If it came to a fight, we might not be at a disadvantage."
"You're not wrong," Chu Tianqiu nodded with a smile. "But there's a fatal problem... According to the rules of the 'Land of the End,' 'Zodiacs' can kill us at will, but can we 'participants' attack the 'Zodiacs'?"
As he spoke, Chu Tianqiu turned his wrist, flicked his fingers, and tossed the eyeball into his mouth.
Almost at the same moment, a tall man brandished an iron rod, jumped high from behind, and swung it viciously toward the back of Chu Tianqiu's head.
It seemed that Chu Tianqiu's current appearance made people instantly label him as "Extreme Path," fitting the impression "Extreme Path" had left on all the "participants" here.
"Tianqiu, watch out!" Wen Qiaoyun cried out in alarm.
But in the next second, a loud sound like metal hitting metal rang out. The iron rod struck the back of Chu Tianqiu's head as if hitting an immovable steel pillar.
The tall man had never expected Chu Tianqiu's body to be so hard. His arms were immediately numbed with pain, and the iron rod flew out of his hands.
He looked down and saw that the rod had even bent slightly.
"Damn... what kind of monster..." the man stammered, staring fearfully at Chu Tianqiu. But Chu Tianqiu made no move to attack him.
"Monster...?" Chu Tianqiu raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Is someone who tries to sneak-attack and kill others not a monster?"
"You're still making high-sounding excuses..." the man gritted his teeth. "You lunatics want to destroy the giant bell and the display screens! Once those devices are destroyed, what are we 'participants' supposed to do?! How will we escape?!"
Chu Tianqiu sighed after hearing this and didn't answer the question. He calmly turned back to Wen Qiaoyun: "Let's go join the others. For the people here today to survive... it's really going to take some effort."
Without another word to the tall man, the two turned and walked away.