“You’ve got… over eighty characters on you?” Kim Won-hoon looked at Chen Junnan with confusion.
“How about it?” Chen Junnan said enthusiastically. “Want me to gift you one?”
“Gift me…” Kim muttered, feeling something was off.
“Yeah!” Chen Junnan said. “You came empty-handed, but I can’t let you leave empty-handed. Come on, take one from me!”
As he took a step forward, Kim instinctively took a step back.
“Don’t be shy! It’s for the kid!” Chen Junnan insisted.
Kim felt like he was getting swept up in Chen’s rhythm and quickly changed the subject. “Hey! How could you possibly have that many characters? There are only fourteen between both teams!”
“My characters breed on their own,” Chen Junnan said with a grin. “Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing. I left them alone for a second, and they just popped out a whole litter.”
Kim took a moment to collect himself and soon realized something was fishy. Even if Chen didn’t have dozens of characters, he definitely had six or seven.
But if he really had the entire team’s characters…
Why would he just stand there so boldly at the “Chu-Han boundary”?
“Trickery…” Kim narrowed his eyes. “Hey… you…”
Seeing Kim hesitate, Chen Junnan didn’t give him a chance to speak. He took a step back into the room, waved, and called out, “Little Kim! Come on in and play!”
“Come in… and play…?”
“Don’t be shy!” Chen Junnan laughed. “You’re already at my doorstep. Come in for a bite—no need to be a stranger!”
“You’ve got… more than eighty characters on you?” Kim Won-hoon looked at Chen Junnan with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean?” Chen Junnan said enthusiastically. “Want me to give you one?”
“Give me…” Kim muttered, feeling something was off.
“Yeah!” Chen Junnan said. “You came empty-handed, but I can’t let you leave empty-handed. Come on, take one from me!”
As he stepped forward, Kim instinctively took a step back.
“Don’t be shy! It’s for you!” Chen Junnan insisted.
Kim felt himself getting swept up in Chen Junnan’s rhythm and quickly changed the subject. “Hey! How could you possibly have so many characters? Our teams only have fourteen characters in total!”
“My characters multiply on their own,” Chen Junnan said. “Sorry to embarrass you, but these ‘characters’ just had a whole litter while I wasn’t looking.”
Kim took a moment to collect himself and soon sensed something suspicious. Even if the other didn’t have dozens of characters, he definitely had six or seven.
If he really was carrying all the characters for his entire team…
Why would he be standing so boldly at the “Chu-Han boundary”?
“This is a trick…” Kim narrowed his eyes. “Hey… you…”
Seeing Kim hesitate, Chen Junnan didn’t give him a chance to speak. He took a step back into the room, turned around, and waved. “Hey, little Kim! Come on in and play!”
“Come in… and play…?”
“Don’t be shy!” Chen Junnan laughed. “You’re already at my doorstep. Come in and have a bite to eat. We’re all friends here!”
Kim took two steps forward and glanced into the room behind Chen Junnan. The door inside was marked with the character “子” (child), but at first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything else in the room besides the door.
But what was with all this enthusiasm…?
“Come on! At least come in and sit for a bit!” Chen Junnan kept beckoning, sending shivers down Kim’s spine.
“Ya, ssibal (Damn it)…”
Kim genuinely couldn’t figure out what Chen Junnan was planning. Following him into the room at this point could easily be a trap.
Although the “referee” said that if two people entered a room, the game would forcibly begin, what if the room was filled with the other team’s members?
If more than two people entered the room, would the game still start automatically?
The only outcome Kim could imagine was being pinned to the ground by a group of people, unable to activate his “echo,” and having his characters stolen.
Thinking this, Kim decided to play it safe. After all, no one wanted to be the first to lose their characters.
“Hey! Come out!” Kim shouted. “If you have the guts, come out and talk to me.”
“No way, it’s cold out there,” Chen Junnan waved his hand. “You coming in or not? If not, I’m closing the door.”
“Cl-closing the door…?”
Kim couldn’t understand Chen Junnan’s actions at all. He hesitated for a long time, and even as Chen Junnan shut the door with a smug look, he still didn’t move.
He’d met Chen Junnan a few times and felt he had some understanding of him. If Chen Junnan’s words could be trusted, then so could TV shopping ads.
Not long after, Xu Liunian emerged from behind Kim and found him standing dazed at the “Chu-Han boundary.” She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Liunian asked. “Why that expression? What did you see?”
“Ya!” Kim pointed at the far-right door in front of him, speaking in broken Chinese. “Sis! There was someone here just now!”
“Who?”
“Sis!” Kim looked as if he’d seen a savior. “Ya! I just saw Chen Junnan… he had all the characters on him!”
“All the characters on him? You mean he alone…?” Xu Liunian shook her head helplessly. “Little Kim, your Chinese isn’t great, so you might not have heard the rules clearly. Dilong said earlier that one person can’t carry multiple…”
Before she could finish, she froze.
Wait, did the rules actually say that?
The rules only stated that those without characters must wait in the “preparation zone” until they obtain characters before they can act again. But it never said whether one person could carry multiple characters.
If that was the case, would the other side really be so bold…?
What if all the members of their team had removed their characters and were waiting motionless in the “preparation zone,” while only Chen Junnan charged over carrying all the characters…
“That’s absurd,” Xu Liunian said. “How could such a tactic exist… Even if Qi Xia came up with it, it’s still ridiculous.”
The next second, the door in the center of the room in front of Xu Liunian creaked open, and Chen Junnan popped his head out.
“Well, if it isn’t Big Sis Xu,” Chen Junnan said. “Want to come in and play? This room seems to have pretty good feng shui. It’s specially designed to counteract ‘unlucky years.'”
With that, he swung the door wide open, revealing what appeared to be an empty room.
“‘Unlucky years’… You…”
Xu Liunian frowned, glancing down at Chen Junnan’s pants. Just as Kim had said, his pockets were stuffed full, with chains even poking out. A quick count showed at least five or six.
But like Kim, Xu Liunian was cautious and didn’t dare follow Chen Junnan into the room recklessly.
If Chen Junnan’s words could be trusted, then so could the ads plastered on telephone poles.
“Hey!” Kim pointed at the far-right door in front of him. “Weren’t you just over there…? How are you in the middle now…?”
“Because my ‘echo’ is fucking ‘wall-phasing’!” Chen Junnan said. “Want to come in and see? I’ll show you what ‘wall-phasing’ looks like.”
Neither Xu Liunian nor Kim said a word.
“What’s going on?” Chen Junnan asked, looking confused. “Why is everyone being so polite? I’m the only one in here, seriously.”
After a moment’s thought, Xu Liunian decided to probe further. Standing outside the door, she asked, “Chen Junnan, why do you have so many characters?”
“I can’t say right now,” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “I have to wait until Dr. Zhao gets here.”
“Dr. Zhao…?”
The commotion between them had grown loud enough that members of Chu Tianqiu’s team began gathering at the “Chu-Han boundary.”
By the time everyone had arrived, Chen Junnan looked at the six people in front of him and smiled contentedly.
This was “full-scale psychological warfare.”
“What’s going on…?” Wen Qiaoyun asked from the side. “Who is this person…?”
“Dr. Zhao, are you okay?” Chen Junnan asked.
“Me…?” Dr. Zhao was taken aback. “What do you mean, ‘are you okay’?”
“Nothing,” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Lao Qi asked me to find a way to tell you that the plan has begun.”
So why was Chen being so insistent…?
“Come on! At least come in and sit down!” Chen kept beckoning, sending chills down Kim’s spine.
“Ya, sibal…”
Kim genuinely couldn’t figure out what Chen was planning, but following him into the room now might be a trap.
The “referee” had said that if two people entered a room, the game would forcibly start—but what if the room was filled with Chen’s teammates?
Would the game still trigger if more than two people entered?
The only outcome Kim could imagine was being pinned down by a group of people, stripped of his characters before he could even activate his “Echo.”
Thinking this, Kim decided to play it safe. After all, no one wanted to be the first to lose their character.
“Hey! Come out here!” Kim shouted. “If you’ve got guts, talk to me outside!”
“Nah, it’s cold out there,” Chen waved him off. “You coming in or not? If not, I’m closing the door.”
“Closing… the door?”
Kim couldn’t make sense of Chen’s actions. He hesitated, and before he could react, Chen shut the door with a smug grin.
He’d met Chen a few times before and knew better than to take his words at face value. If Chen Junnan was trustworthy, then so were infomercials.
Not long after, Xu Liunian emerged behind Kim and found him standing dazed at the “Chu-Han boundary.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Why that look? Did you see something?”
“Hey!” Kim pointed at the far-right door with broken Mandarin. “Sis! Someone was just here!”
“Who?”
“Sis!” Kim looked at her like she was his savior. “I just saw Chen Junnan… he had all the characters on him!”
“All the characters on him? You mean he…” Xu Liunian sighed and shook her head. “Kim, your Mandarin isn’t great—maybe you misheard the rules. The Earth Dragon said earlier that one person can’t carry multiple…”
She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something.
Wait, had the rules actually mentioned that?
The rules only stated that those without characters had to wait in the “preparation zone” until they obtained one before moving again. They never specified whether one person could carry multiple characters.
Could the other team really be that bold…?
What if all their members had removed their characters and stayed in the “preparation zone,” while Chen Junnan alone carried all the characters and made a move…?
“That’s absurd,” Xu muttered. “There’s no way that’s their strategy… Even if Qi Xia came up with it, it’s too ridiculous.”
Just then, the center door creaked open, and Chen Junnan poked his head out.
“Oh, Big Sis Xu is here too,” he said. “Wanna come in and play? This room’s got great feng shui—perfect for fixing ‘unlucky years.’”
He swung the door wide open, revealing what appeared to be an empty room.
“‘Unlucky years’… You…”
Xu frowned and glanced at Chen’s pants. Just as Kim had said, his pockets were stuffed full, with chains visibly dangling—at least five or six of them.
But like Kim, Xu was too cautious to recklessly follow Chen inside.
If Chen Junnan’s words were trustworthy, then so were the scams plastered on telephone poles.
“Hey!” Kim pointed at the far-right door. “Weren’t you just over there…? How’d you get to the middle…?”
“Because my ‘Echo’ is freaking ‘Wall Phasing’!” Chen said. “Wanna come in and see me demo it?”
Neither Xu nor Kim responded.
“What’s with you guys?” Chen feigned confusion. “Why so polite? It’s just me in here, I swear.”
After a moment of thought, Xu decided to probe further—but from a safe distance. “Chen Junnan, why do you have so many characters?”
“I can’t say yet,” Chen grinned. “I have to wait for Dr. Zhao to show up first.”
“Dr. Zhao…?”
The commotion had drawn the attention of Chu Tianqiu’s team, and soon all six of them had gathered at the boundary.
Chen Junnan looked at them with a satisfied smile.
This was “Total Psychological Warfare.”
“What’s going on…?” Wen Qiaoyun asked from the side. “Who is this guy…?”
“Dr. Zhao, you doing okay?” Chen asked.
“Me…?” Dr. Zhao blinked. “What do you mean, ‘you doing okay’?”
“Nothing,” Chen shook his head. “Old Qi told me to let you know—the plan’s begun.”
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