Chapter 313: Thirty Percent
After giving himself a dose of reassurance, Earth Snake lifted his head to look at Xuanwu.
"I... which room should I join now?"
"Two have already died..." Xuanwu said, glancing around. "Pick a dead person's room."
After speaking, she gently waved her hand, and Xu Qian’s room door closed.
At that moment, Xu Qian finally slumped to the ground. It was terrifying—someone of Xuanwu's caliber had just appeared just a few steps away from her, the aura of danger fully exposed.
This was also the first time she had been dragged into an "Earth-tier" life gamble scene.
"Sister Qian, are you okay?" Chen Junnan asked.
"I-I'm fine..." Xu Qian let out a breath. "I think you're really crazy... Do you still think the situation isn't dangerous enough?"
"Dangerous?" Chen Junnan asked back ambiguously. "I think this game has been dangerous from start to finish."
"Then why did you drag 'Earth Snake' in as a participant?!" Xu Qian asked angrily. "He knows the rules of this game completely. How are we supposed to compete with him?"
"Hey, this is nothing yet, right?" Chen Junnan laughed. "Don't forget, I'm the one who declared the life gamble. If I lose, the punishment falls on me alone."
"This..."
"Don't hesitate. Help me figure out which room Earth Snake went into," Chen Junnan said seriously. "Xuanwu just told that old lecher Earth Snake to choose a dead person's room... Now one dead person is 'behind' me, and one is 'in front' of me. Which room the old bastard picks will affect my tactics from here on out."
"I can't see anymore..." Xu Qian sighed. "They closed my room door."
"Oh...?" Chen Junnan was taken aback. "That fast...?"
Besides Chen Junnan and Xu Qian, the other participants in the rooms were also muttering among themselves.
Up until now in the game, this seemed to be the first "intermission."
The "questions" hadn't continued to be passed on, and no one's phone had rung. Due to the excellent soundproofing, every room was dead quiet, making the wait a bit agonizing for everyone.
During this time, Yun Yao tried calling Chen Junnan a few times, but strangely, the line was always busy.
What on earth had happened?
Why was there such a long pause after the second person's death?
After waiting about another few minutes, Yun Yao’s phone suddenly rang.
*Riiing—!!*
"Hello...?"
"Ah!" a girl cried out. "I've been so anxious! I-I finally got the question!"
Yun Yao nodded. "Why did it stop for so long? Do you know what happened?"
"I don't know... I waited a long time for the call."
"Then... what's the question?"
"Well..." The anxious girl thought for a moment, then said, "The question was passed to me by that muffled-voiced guy in front of me. He relayed it clearly... but I still find it very strange."
"Tell me."
"Write this down..." The anxious girl recalled as she spoke. "'I, orange, murderer, on Mount Taihang, fruit not eaten.'"
"Ah...?" Yun Yao had never imagined the question would be as absurd as a line of code. "Is that really what the person in front of you said?"
"Yes. That guy said he has a great memory and remembered those words in just a few seconds, but he didn't know what they meant. So he taught them to me carefully, hoping someone later could decipher them."
"You... tell me again."
The girl repeated the words to Yun Yao, who wrote them down.
She still couldn't understand—what did these words have to do with a true/false question?
It sounded more like a kid randomly bashing a few nouns on a computer.
Yun Yao could only select "False" as the answer for now, then dialed Chen Junnan's number.
She relayed the words to him verbatim.
"Pfft..." Chen Junnan suddenly burst out laughing.
"Chen Junnan..." Yun Yao sighed. "Can you be serious for a moment? The game stopped for so long; something might have changed. Those words might hide some..."
"Big star, don't overthink it." Chen Junnan cut her off. "The real game is about to begin."
"What...?"
"I just did something big." Chen Junnan chuckled. "Let me ask you—since the founding of 'Tian Tang Kou,' how many Earth-tier 'Zodiacs' have you guys killed?"
"This..." Yun Yao was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Not a single one. We tried before, but the consequences were too tragic. After that, the plan was shelved. We can only gamble on Human-tier Zodiacs' lives."
"Not a single one? That's ridiculous. Then do you want to kill an Earth-tier one with me?"
"Huh?"
Yun Yao's eyes slowly widened, and she lowered her voice as she covered the phone. "Chen Junnan... You... You gambled your life with Earth Snake?"
"Yeah."
"It's too dangerous!" Yun Yao said. "Without a hundred percent certainty, gambling your life against an 'Earth-tier' is way too dangerous! If you lose, you'll turn into a native."
Chen Junnan let out a dry laugh. "Big star, do you know what 'gambling' means? There's no such thing as a 'hundred percent certainty' gamble in this world. Even old Qi can't pull that off."
"This..."
Chen Junnan's words woke Yun Yao up.
"Big star, if you're waiting for a 'hundred percent' chance, I suggest you find another path early, or else you'll never get out in a hundred years."
"It seems you're right." Yun Yao laughed bitterly. "I've been too timid..."
"So have you made up your mind?" Chen Junnan said. "We take him down together?"
"Yeah." Yun Yao nodded. "If there's anything you need my help with... just say the word."
Seeing Yun Yao agree so readily, Chen Junnan grinned. "Actually, there is one thing I need you to do."
"What?"
"If I die, don't forget to tell old Qi what happened today. Preferably, add some extra color to it—let him know your humble lord here is no ordinary man."
"What are you talking about?" Yun Yao was instantly confused. "You just declared a life gamble with Earth Snake, and you're already giving me your last words?"
"What? Not allowed?"
"I won't relay them for you." Yun Yao said. "If you want to say something, say it yourself."
"Hey, your humble lord is just afraid he won't live to see that day."
The more Yun Yao listened, the more something felt off. "Chen Junnan... what do you mean exactly? You decided to 'gamble your life' with Earth Snake yourself, but now it sounds like you have zero confidence... Can you really pull it off?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Chen Junnan laughed. "I'm purely 'gambling.' I've got at most a thirty percent chance of winning."