Chapter 318: The Evil Snake Appears
"Huh...?" Chen Junnan thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.
When the iron ball was about to fall, if the answer was not "Yes" but "No," the iron ball would shift one square to the right.
The death target would also switch between "even" and "odd."
"Big star... I never knew you were that good at studying before?"
Yun Yao sighed. "I didn't realize you were that bad at studying."
Chen Junnan was grateful that Yun Yao was there. The two of them almost perfectly complemented each other's minds—he provided the ideas, and she handled the details. With their joint efforts, the full picture of this game had surfaced.
Until the next "No" answer to a "falling question," all odd numbers faced an inescapable death threat, while all even numbers would be absolutely safe.
"So that's how it is... great." Chen Junnan said.
"Great...?" Yun Yao paused. "Chen Junnan, didn't I make it clear? You're an 'odd' now—you're going to die."
"I'm going to die?" Chen Junnan feigned surprise, then said nonchalantly, "Oh... thanks for the reminder."
"You...?"
"Big star, I'm afraid of many things, but death isn't one of them," Chen Junnan said. "In this 'End Land,' I can die anytime."
"But you're betting your life!" Yun Yao exclaimed. "When the rest of us die, we just die. If you die, you'll vanish."
"It's fine." Chen Junnan yawned. "It's all the same. Losing a life gamble with an Earth-level is just a change in form of existence. I'm still a part of the End Land."
"You even know that?" Yun Yao asked, puzzled.
"Your young master knows a lot of things." Chen Junnan grinned. "Don't change the subject. What's the question this time?"
"Just like you said, it's another random string of words without any meaning." Yun Yao said helplessly.
"Alright, I understand." Chen Junnan said. "Leave it to me from here."
"Do you want to choose 'Yes' or 'No'?" Yun Yao asked.
"You... what do you want me to choose?" Chen Junnan countered.
"I don't know." Yun Yao replied. "For my own safety, I'd prefer the answer this time to be 'Yes'. That way, the girl on my right will die, but I'll be safe for the next few rounds."
"Yes, that choice is correct."
"I won't interfere with your decision either." Yun Yao said. "After all, you're the one who initiated this life gamble. Having the iron ball hanging over the 'odd' numbers makes you very dangerous. If you want to switch to 'No' to change the odd-even parity, I'd think that's only reasonable."
"Is that so...?" Chen Junnan smirked. "Then I know what to do."
"Hmm..." Yun Yao should have hung up, but she kept holding the receiver, unwilling to put it down.
"What's wrong, big star?"
"Chen... Chen Junnan..." Yun Yao said in a low voice. "The girl beside me is not someone I'm close to. I don't really care if she lives or dies. But I have a feeling that next time, the one who dies might very well be you..."
"Stop, stop..." Chen Junnan quickly shook his head. "Sis, why are you inviting disaster for no reason? Can't you say something nice?"
"But... but I just have this feeling."
"No, no, no." Chen Junnan shook his head like a rattle-drum. "How can a warm mouth like yours speak such cold words? Do you think I'll change my answer just to save you? You're too naive. Better hang up now."
Chen Junnan hung up, then turned and chose "No." He immediately dialed Xu Qian, completing the entire sequence in one smooth motion.
Yes, this time he couldn't choose "Yes." Even if choosing "Yes" would keep Yun Yao safe, he absolutely could not choose "Yes."
The call was answered.
"Sister Qian."
"I'm here, go ahead."
"Someone is about to start a massacre. If we choose 'Yes' this time, people will start dying uncontrollably." Chen Junnan paused for a few seconds after speaking, then added, "Make up the question this time. Your goal is to make the person behind you choose 'No.'"
"Uncontrollably dying...?"
"Yes." Chen Junnan nodded. "I won't say any more. Remember, choose 'No.'"
"I... understand." Xu Qian's voice hesitated as she hung up.
Although Chen Junnan had done his best to steer the answer toward "No," he knew the odds weren't great.
A few minutes later, the screen lit up as usual.
"The final answer for this question is—'Yes.'"
**BOOM—!!**
The sound was very close, as if right in front of him.
Number "1" was dead. That impatient girl.
This was the twelfth question, but it seemed everyone already understood the rules. Though it was only the second day, there were an unusually large number of smart people in this game. Before it was even halfway through, three had already died.
Now "odd" and "even" had split into two factions. As long as the "evens" worked together in the coming rounds, they could kill all the "odds."
"The next part is really—"
Chen Junnan hadn't finished his sentence when a flash of insight struck his mind.
At that moment, he finally understood where Qi Xia's brilliant ideas came from. It seemed that ever since he chose to "bet his life," his intelligence had noticeably improved.
"Old Qi... it's because you don't have an 'Echo' that every death feels like a real 'death' to you, so you always walk on thin ice..."
Chen Junnan smiled. He now knew Earth Snake's true location.
The answer was simple... why were the "evens" so strong now?
Every answer had gone their way, which meant there were more "evens" than "odds."
In the first two games, numbers "-2" and "3" had died. Logically, both "even" and "odd" lost one member each, so the numbers in both camps remained equal.
But ever since Earth Snake joined the game, the numbers had changed.
The "evens" had grown stronger.
That meant Earth Snake's position was completely confirmed.
Chen Junnan stood up, faced the wall on his left, and revealed a sinister smile.
"You... you've been this close to me all along?" He slowly placed his hand on the wall, his eyes growing increasingly excited. "Tell me... which one of us will be stuck here forever?"
On the other side of the wall, Earth Snake also turned to face his right. Though he had never answered any calls since entering the room and had never revealed his position, he could distinctly feel a chilling killing intent coming from the wall on his right.
He too placed his palm on the wall. The two faced each other through the barrier.
"Kid..." Earth Snake gritted his teeth. "You are far too dangerous. There's no way I can let you live."