Chapter 139: The Lonely King
Officer Li glanced at Kim Won-hoon and the small-glasses man beside him, then looked at Zhang Chenze on the other side. His heart was pounding with uncertainty.
Although he had briefly teamed up with Attorney Zhang, to be honest, he wasn't very familiar with any of these three people.
In a place as bizarre as this, forming a team with unfamiliar people to play a game—was that really reasonable?
What was that man named Chu Tianqiu thinking by arranging things this way?
"Mr. Li, I hear you're a police officer?" the small-glasses man asked.
"Yes." Officer Li nodded. "Isn't it ironic to run into a police officer in a place like this?"
"Not at all." The small-glasses man shook his head very politely. "Here, we're all the same kind of people."
"And what do you do?" Officer Li asked.
"I'm in education," the small-glasses man said. "Both our professions are tough, so I understand you well."
Officer Li nodded after hearing that. He studied the small-glasses man's appearance—lean, with bright, piercing eyes, his age hard to pinpoint.
"So you're a teacher?"
"Yes." The small-glasses man nodded, and then the two fell silent.
Officer Li sighed helplessly. If it weren't for that Chu Tianqiu arranging the teams this way, he would much rather have teamed up with Han Yimo.
If he couldn't keep an eye on that guy, he might end up getting the people around him killed.
Zhang Chenze, meanwhile, glanced at Kim Won-hoon. The boy seemed to be daydreaming as he walked, which looked somewhat amusing.
"Are you a student?" she asked.
"Ah... me?" Kim Won-hoon gave an awkward smile. "Sis, I really am a student."
Zhang Chenze noticed that although this boy was only about thirteen or fourteen, there was a depth in his eyes that belonged to an adult.
The four of them chatted awkwardly as they walked, and soon arrived at a game venue.
Standing at the entrance was a monster wearing a stitched-together mask.
Officer Li stared at the monstrous face before him and couldn't help scratching his head.
Just like the Human-Dragon he had seen earlier, this person also wore a mask made from the skin of various animals stitched together. But it looked different from the Human-Dragon's.
The mask of the Human-Dragon he had seen before was pieced together from the faces of a cow and a crocodile.
This one, however, used a horse's head and snake skin. The figure was very thin, and the mask was adorned with a massive pair of deer antlers.
"Hello, everyone," the figure spoke. From the voice, it was clearly a woman. "Would you like to participate in my game?"
Officer Li had been killed by the Human-Rabbit last time, so hearing a female judge's voice filled him with caution.
The small-glasses man looked at the figure, then pulled out the map from his pocket and examined it. His expression was hesitant.
Their trip here had been arranged by Chu Tianqiu. Why was their destination such a monster?
"Kim Won-hoon, did we take a wrong turn?" The small-glasses man held the map up for Kim Won-hoon to see. "Take a look for me."
Kim Won-hoon took the map and studied it. The direction seemed correct.
But the location on the map clearly read "Human-Tiger," with a dozen or so words of strategy written beside it.
Where did this monster look like a tiger?
"I am the 'Human-Dragon,'" the woman said. "A free game. Anyone want to play?"
The four of them exchanged glances.
She was the Human-Dragon.
But her mask was nothing like the style of the Human-Dragon they had encountered before.
"That figures..." The small-glasses man nodded. "Mr. Chu said the games here are categorized by the twelve zodiac signs, so running into the 'Dragon' isn't strange—it's part of the zodiac after all."
The remaining three nodded. Except for Officer Li, none of them retained their memories, so they had to follow Chu Tianqiu's instructions.
But even Officer Li, who still had his memories, was seeing a Dragon-class game for the first time.
Now that the map was wrong, should they participate in the game?
"I don't think it's worth the risk," Officer Li said. "If the map is wrong, then the strategy Chu Tianqiu gave us is probably useless too. Let's head back."
"But we don't have to spend any 'Way,'" Kim Won-hoon said.
"What?"
"Brother, not a single 'Way,'" Kim Won-hoon explained. "No ticket required. We won't lose anything."
The small-glasses man frowned, understanding Kim Won-hoon's meaning.
This was a free game. In the worst-case scenario, they'd break even—no gain, no loss.
If they won, they could even contribute something to the organization. Besides, Chu Tianqiu had said that most of the "Human"-class games were safe.
But what was the Dragon's game about?
Suddenly, the small-glasses man thought of something. "By the way, Officer. Mr. Chu said you're an 'Echoer'?"
Zhang Chenze was startled by this. She exchanged a puzzled look with Kim Won-hoon. "'Echoer'...? What's that?"
"I am indeed an 'Echoer,'" Officer Li nodded. "But I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I was eliminated very early on, so my knowledge is very limited. I don't know what the 'Dragon' is."
"I see..." The small-glasses man nodded and then addressed the other three. "Right now we have only two choices: either go back, pick up a different map, and set out again. Or gamble here. But this isn't just my decision, so I need to discuss it with all of you."
Officer Li thought for a moment and said, "Let's vote. Anyone voting to go back?"
Seeing no one raise a hand, Officer Li raised his own. "My personal suggestion is to proceed with caution. Joining an unknown game on a whim is a bit risky."
He waited a few more seconds. No one else responded. He reluctantly lowered his hand and asked, "So, anyone in favor of participating in this game?"
Kim Won-hoon raised his hand.
The small-glasses man thought it over, then raised his hand too.
Two to one.
Everyone turned to look at Zhang Chenze, who still hadn't made her stance clear.
"I abstain," Zhang Chenze said. "Without detailed information, I won't make a hasty decision."
"Alright, we have a result," Officer Li nodded. "Since we're a team now, the minority submits to the majority. We'll give the Human-Dragon's game a try. Even if we fail, we'll try to bring back a strategy."
The three of them nodded and walked toward the Human-Dragon.
As they entered the building, the Human-Dragon closed the door.
But the next second, the entire building abruptly vanished from the street.
As if it had always been an empty plaza, with nothing there.
Heaven's Gate.
Chu Tianqiu sat in a dimly lit room. On the shelves around him were animal masks stained with blood.
He was softly humming a classical tune, tapping his fingers to the beat, looking to be in an excellent mood.
After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at the chessboard on the table.
On it were black chess pieces and some old plastic toys.
He picked up four "pawns" and gently placed them in front of a huge monster toy, muttering to himself, "Dragon slayers, the opportunity is right here. How will you choose to die?"
He let out a chuckle, then glanced behind the monster toy.
There, four other pieces were placed.
A "King," a "Queen," a "Knight," and a "Bishop."
These four pieces, together with the four "pawns" from before, surrounded the plastic monster from all sides, forming a pincer attack.
"Qi Xia, why is that?" Chu Tianqiu closed his eyes and resumed humming the classical tune.
"Why is there always only one 'King' on the chessboard?"