Chapter 323: Yun Yao's Luck
After everyone had submitted their answers, Zhong Zhen slowly stood up, took off his suit jacket, folded it neatly, and placed it flat on his seat. He loosened his collar to make himself more comfortable, then stood up, taking a few "creaking" steps to the center of the room. Raising his head, he stared calmly at the ceiling.
"A giant iron ball... Come on, come kill me."
He spread his arms wide, as if welcoming a storm.
A line of text gradually lit up on the screen—
"The final answer to this question is—'Yes.'"
Zhong Zhen smiled faintly. "Dying is good... If only people could forget everything every time, life wouldn't be so painful."
*Boom—!!*
A thunderous sound suddenly erupted, catching everyone off guard.
Yun Yao was so shaken by the noise that she couldn't keep her balance, and even toppled over with her chair. She didn't have time to feel the pain before scrambling up and frantically pounding on her left wall. That deafening sound had come from her left side.
Wasn't the coordinate for the person who was supposed to die this round "4"? Why was it "-2"?!
"Chen... Chen Junnan... Chen Junnan, you..." Yun Yao knocked on the wall, her voice trembling, but she didn't know what to say. Any question felt pointless now.
Within seconds, Yun Yao's eyes were burning red with desperation. Countless questions flooded her mind, but no one could answer them.
Why?
Who had cheated?
"Referee! Referee!" Yun Yao left the wall and rushed to the door, pounding on it. "The equipment is malfunctioning! Your rules are broken! Is anyone there?"
A moment later, Yun Yao felt a powerful gust of wind outside the wooden door, followed by a chilling wave of cold air.
Xuan Wu seemed to be standing right outside.
"Referee... according to the rules you set, the iron ball shouldn't have fallen here!" Yun Yao patted the door again. "This is a life-or-death moment! How can you resort to such underhanded tactics?"
Xuan Wu paused for a moment, then spoke: "Making a racket? How bold of you."
Yun Yao took a slow step back. The sense of danger emanating from Xuan Wu outside the door was several levels higher than that of Di She.
Seeing that Yun Yao remained silent, Xuan Wu continued: "The rules never mentioned when the iron ball would fall. Everything in the game is proceeding normally."
"Normal...?" Yun Yao felt that Xuan Wu was insane beyond reason. "That iron ball just landed right across from us, and now it silently crosses half the field and falls right next to me—and you call that normal?!"
"How bold." Xuan Wu snapped coldly. "If you keep causing trouble, you'll lose your head."
Yun Yao froze, all her words stuck in her throat.
Why?
She had just found a reason to move forward, and now everything vanished in an instant.
Why, in this damned place, couldn't she accomplish a single thing she wanted?
The "Heaven's Mouth" she had poured her heart and soul into was now completely shattered. The people who preserved their memories were fewer and fewer. She had finally mustered the courage to bet her life against a "Di-level" and start over, and now Chen Junnan was dead.
His death meant the "bet of life" between the participant and Di She was over.
Was it always impossible to win a life bet against a Di-level?
But... why did Xuan Wu say "everything is normal"?
Yun Yao's hands trembled with anxiety, and a constant buzzing filled her ears. Why... why hadn't she heard the chimes yet?
"Wait..." Yun Yao lifted her head blankly, looking around her room.
The soundproofing here was too good; it was hard to hear anything from outside.
Could it be that the "Echo" had already arrived?
Yun Yao thought for a moment, then a slight smirk appeared on her lips.
She had long anticipated this day—the day she would be completely isolated from the outside world, not knowing where the "Echo" was.
But "Strong Luck" was, after all, "Strong Luck."
Yun Yao took a lipstick the color of rotten tomatoes from her small bag, unscrewed the cap, twisted it up, and gently applied it to her lower lip. She pressed her lips together, adding a bit of color to her face in the dim room.
"My 'Strong Luck'..."
Her eyes turned cold as she tossed the lipstick aimlessly into the air.
The lipstick soared high, traced a perfect parabola, and then plunged toward the ground.
*Thud.*
The open lipstick stood firmly upright on the floor.
Yun Yao bent down, picked it up, and tossed it into the air again.
Once again, it landed upright.
After three tries, she was confident.
Her "Strong Luck" had arrived. She just didn't know how strong this bout of luck would be...
Yun Yao held the lipstick cap in her left hand and raised it toward the air.
Then, with her right hand, she hurled the lipstick fiercely at the wall—this time with tremendous force.
The thrown lipstick ricocheted like a stray bullet, hitting the walls multiple times in succession, each time landing on its base. Finally, it struck the screen in front of her and bounced high into the air.
Yun Yao closed her eyes, trying not to control her movements. The next second, the lipstick flying through the air inserted itself back into its cap.
Everything was luck.
"Excellent..." Yun Yao opened her eyes and tossed the lipstick back into her bag. "The 'luck' is strong. I haven't felt this strong a 'luck' in a long time. I hope it lasts..."
She lowered her head and reconsidered her strategy. By now, Chen Junnan should be dead. Yet Xuan Wu said "everything is normal"... Could it be that she had to wait until the game was completely over?
Because Di She was still in the game, there was no reason to force him to withdraw midway?
Or had someone else bet their life, preventing Di She from leaving?
Whatever the result, she had "Strong Luck" on her side now. Even if that iron ball was hanging directly above her head, it would never fall.
It would get stuck, break, crack—anything but fall.
That was "Strong Luck."
In another room, Zhong Zhen's.
After the distant sound of the crash settled, Zhong Zhen opened his eyes in disbelief.
"Is it a miracle...?"
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly broke into a smile. "Someone intervened at just the right moment. Hard to believe it wasn't the will of a god."
After a few seconds of pause, Zhong Zhen turned back, picked up his suit jacket, and draped it over his shoulders.
If a one-in-ten-thousand chance could come true, what else was impossible?
That "Scapegoat" really was here.
How tiny was the probability of that?
Not only was he here, but he had also stepped in at the perfect moment to save him from certain death.
If it wasn't divine providence, then what was it?
"Since a god has helped me, now it's my turn to repay the favor." Zhong Zhen swept back the disheveled hair from his forehead, revealing a fiercely sinister face. "My dear neighbor... I'll have to find a way to kill you."
At that moment, the girl in white slowly furrowed her brows, sensing something strange.
She thought she had already figured out the rules. So why had the iron ball fallen there...?