Kim Won-hoon returned to Chu Tianqiu’s side at the fastest speed possible and found Chu Tianqiu calculating something on the wall.
“Ah! Brother!” Kim Won-hoon gasped, out of breath.
Chu Tianqiu turned to look at him in slight confusion, then chuckled, “I rarely see you this out of breath… What’s going on? What about ‘Leaping’?”
“I can’t really explain, brother…” Kim Won-hoon steadied his breathing and shook his head. “‘Leaping’ seems… kinda disobedient. I can’t use it…”
“Can’t use it…?” Chu Tianqiu stared at Kim Won-hoon for a moment before asking, “Did something happen to you these past two days?”
“No… not me, brother.” Kim Won-hoon shook his head. “It seems like everyone’s ‘Echoes’ can’t be used properly here… I don’t know what’s going on.”
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes and looked up at the Earth Dragon and Azure Dragon standing at a higher position.
Though it was his first time entering the ‘Dragon’s’ game arena, he quickly pieced things together.
To be precise, this strange space could no longer be considered part of the ‘Land of the End,’ so the abilities unique to the ‘Land of the End’ were difficult to manifest here.
But if that were the case… wasn’t this too dangerous?
If everyone had to abandon their ‘Echoes,’ he and Wen Qiaoyun might still manage, but what about those who relied on their ‘Echoes’ to survive—people like Yan Zhichun, Kim Won-hoon, and Dr. Zhao?
“But it’s okay, brother,” Kim Won-hoon said. “I’ll get the hang of it again.”
“Did something happen at the ‘frontline’ earlier?” Chu Tianqiu asked further.
“Yes!” Kim Won-hoon nodded. “Sister Qiaoyun had a confrontation with Brother Junnan just now.”
“A confrontation…?” Chu Tianqiu raised an eyebrow. “Who won?”
“Well…”
Kim Won-hoon truly couldn’t determine who the victor of that battle was.
From the outcome, Chen Junnan had won, but judging by appearances, he seemed more like he had fled in defeat.
Thinking about it, he could only briefly recount everything that had just happened to Chu Tianqiu.
Chu Tianqiu listened carefully, silent the entire time, his index finger occasionally tapping his forehead.
“So that’s the situation, brother,” Kim Won-hoon concluded. “Who actually lost? Do you think he was carrying the ‘Cannon’?”
Chu Tianqiu didn’t answer. He wasn’t particularly concerned about whether Chen Junnan was carrying the ‘Cannon’—instead, something else bothered him.
“From start to finish… only Chen Junnan showed up?” Chu Tianqiu asked.
“Yes, brother,” Kim Won-hoon replied. “It seemed like someone else initially approached the ‘Chu River Han Border’ and greeted Brother Zhang Shan, but they left quickly.”
“So it’s possible Chen Junnan was carrying multiple ‘characters,'” Chu Tianqiu mused. “It’s a shame I wasn’t there… Otherwise, I would’ve had you all rush to seize them. We might have missed our best opportunity.”
“Huh…?” Kim Won-hoon was stunned. “But is that really possible, brother? Would that guy really carry all the ‘characters’ just to provoke us…?”
“Because everyone assumes it’s impossible, Qi Xia could exploit that very assumption,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Only during the first encounter could we guess how many ‘characters’ the other side was carrying. The next time we see Chen Junnan… even I won’t be able to say for sure how many he has. That’s the true purpose of this strategy. If we rush to seize them next time, we might only end up with one ‘character.'”
“But now…” Kim Won-hoon sighed. “Sister Qiaoyun, Sister Zhichun, and Sister Liunian have already gone to the other side to ‘invade.’ Should I bring them back…?”
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu’s expression darkened. He looked at Kim Won-hoon and asked, “Kim Won-hoon, do you recognize the ‘character’ you’re holding?”
Kim Won-hoon nodded. “It’s the ‘Pawn,’ right…? Brother, we had Chinese classes back home, but none of my classmates really spoke it.”
“Exactly, the ‘Pawn,'” Chu Tianqiu affirmed. “Then do you know why I entrusted this ‘character’ to you?”
“Because the ‘Pawn’… suits me?” Kim Won-hoon ventured. “Like, I’m just a small pawn or something.”
“No,” Chu Tianqiu said. “In my calculations, the ‘Pawn’ is currently the most important ‘character’ in our possession. Even I wouldn’t feel entirely secure carrying it—I could only entrust it to you, precisely because you have ‘Leaping.'”
The sheer weight of Chu Tianqiu’s brief statement left Kim Won-hoon momentarily lost.
“‘Pawn’ is the most important…?”
“Yes,” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “If we lose the ‘Pawn,’ we’ve already lost half the battle. But right now, with your ‘Leaping’ unusable, this is pretty much the worst-case scenario. So recklessly rushing to the ‘frontline’ to recall them would be too risky for the game.”
“But brother, I still don’t get it… Why?” Kim Won-hoon pressed. “Brother Zhang Shan, Sister Qiaoyun, and Sister Zhichun all seem way more reliable than me…”
“They’re too ‘strong,'” Chu Tianqiu explained. “Kim Won-hoon, Zhang Shan would wield this ‘character’ and fight the opponent head-on. Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun would use it as a bargaining chip in a gamble. All of that stems from their ‘strength’—their confidence.”
“What…?”
“As for Dr. Zhao and Xu Liunian, they’re too timid,” Chu Tianqiu continued. “Kim Won-hoon, out of the entire team, only you would protect this ‘character’ with your life. No one else would.”
Kim Won-hoon stared at Chu Tianqiu in disbelief, struggling to comprehend.
How could a mere ‘Pawn’ be this important?
In chess, each side has five ‘Pawns,’ and these ‘Pawns’ are essentially expendable—whether in the opening, midgame, or endgame. Yet now, Chu Tianqiu was telling him that this ‘Pawn’ was more crucial than any other piece.
“I suspect Qi Xia’s thinking isn’t too different from mine,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Their ‘Soldier’ is equally important, but they have plenty of capable people on their side, so I can’t deduce who’s carrying it.”
“Then what should I do now, brother?”
“The situation is tricky,” Chu Tianqiu admitted. “I suspect we’re about to start losing ‘characters.’ Wen Qiaoyun, Yan Zhichun, and Xu Liunian’s ‘invasion’ isn’t the wisest move. From now on, it all depends on their individual abilities… Kim Won-hoon, for now, just observe. Wait until the ‘invasion’ concludes.”
“Even if they lose ‘characters’ at the ‘frontline,’ it doesn’t matter?” Kim Won-hoon asked again.
“It doesn’t,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Our opponent is Qi Xia. Expecting to defeat him without losing a single piece is pure delusion.”
“Alright… I understand…” Kim Won-hoon agreed.
“Oh, one more thing…” Chu Tianqiu suddenly frowned, recalling another detail. “Kim Won-hoon, you mentioned earlier… that Chen Junnan kept winking at Dr. Zhao?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage