Chapter 1018: The Peerless Thief

Chen Junan and Sweet walked into the second room from the left, marked with the character “Chou” (Ugly).

Once inside, the door behind them clicked shut. All the doors here seemed to function like spring doors—they would close automatically as soon as someone entered, and if both sides had a person entering a room, the door would lock immediately.

This rule disrupted the visibility for both sides, making it difficult to grasp the battlefield situation.

Sweet felt slightly dizzy standing in a room surrounded by doors on all sides. If not for the lone door standing in the center, it would be easy to lose one’s bearings.

But Chen Junan had experience with this. Back in the “Earth Rabbit” game, he had already dealt with disorientation. Fortunately, he had managed to escape thanks to his keen sense of direction.

Seeing that the room was empty, Chen Junan was about to head straight for the next one when Sweet stopped him.

She felt the situation was a little risky. Although their side had more people, there was a good chance they might run into the opposing team as soon as they opened a door.

Qixia had mentioned that the enemy might be invading separately, but if they were grouped together like their own team, opening a door could lead straight into a confrontation.

“Let me listen first.”

Sweet walked to the door directly opposite and pressed her ear against it. Hearing nothing, she moved to the door on the right.

“Little Zhang San, is this really necessary?” Chen Junan asked.

“Huh?” Sweet blinked. “What did you just call me?”

“Oh, I meant Sweet, big sis,” Chen Junan shook his head. “You’re the ‘Shi’ (Scholar), and I’m the ‘Shuai’ (Commander). Feels like neither of our roles are particularly useful here. I bet we’re the most useless ‘left-right structure’ in the entire game.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Sweet said. “I can’t afford to lose this ‘character.’ Let’s scout around first. If we don’t run into the enemy, we’ll head back.”

“And how do we scout?” Chen Junan asked. “Just pressing our ears to the doors?”

“Huh?” Sweet paused. “What else?”

“I’ve been through plenty of games, big and small,” Chen Junan said. “Usually, these places have top-notch soundproofing. Some rooms are so insulated you can’t even hear a ‘bell.’ So, I’m not sure if we’ll actually pick up any sounds from the neighboring rooms.”

Sweet frowned, realizing Chen Junan had a point.

Back in the “preparation zone,” they hadn’t been able to hear any sounds from other rooms. Had the place really been soundproofed?

Just as she was thinking this, the doorknob in front of them suddenly turned.

The door slowly opened, revealing Yan Zhichun on the other side.

“Well, well,” Chen Junan smirked. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Yan Zhichun cautiously scanned the room, noticing Chen Junan and Sweet standing together. Wisely, she didn’t step inside.

“Care to join us?” Chen Junan asked.

Yan Zhichun brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Are you two planning to stick together the whole time?”

“Ha! Why stop at two? Let’s make it three!”

Chen Junan knew exactly what role Yan Zhichun played and deliberately avoided following her lead. Instead, he laughed it off before grabbing Sweet’s arm and pulling her into Yan Zhichun’s room.

After a few seconds, the doors around them remained unlocked, merely left ajar. It seemed having three people in a single room wouldn’t forcibly trigger the game.

Chen Junan and Sweet’s sudden move made Yan Zhichun frown, but she remained rooted in place.

Glancing around, Chen Junan noticed the character “Shen” written on the wall of Yan Zhichun’s room.

“Big Sis Yan,” Chen Junan said, “long time no see—or should I say, minutes? I’ve missed you dearly.”

Yan Zhichun scoffed. “You know what I’m capable of. Coming here is no different from handing over your ‘character’ directly.”

A memory flashed in Chen Junan’s mind—Yan Zhichun controlling his own hand to choke himself during the “Earth Snake” game.

“Now, now, Big Sis Yan,” Chen Junan said with forced calm, his brow furrowed. “Who would dare challenge your puppet-master skills? But I’ve heard…”

He took a step forward, studying Yan Zhichun’s white dress. A faint glint peeked out from a pocket on her right thigh—likely a chain.

“Heard what?” Yan Zhichun asked.

“I heard ‘Echoes’ are hard to use here. Can you still control me?” Before he could add more, his expression suddenly froze in shock.

His abrupt change left both Sweet and Yan Zhichun puzzled.

Slowly, Chen Junan raised a hand, pointing past Yan Zhichun. After a dramatic pause, he gasped, “Holy—Aaron Kwok?!”

“What—?” Yan Zhichun instinctively turned her head.

Seizing the moment, Chen Junan lunged forward, fingers outstretched toward her pocket. To avoid grabbing her thigh directly, he deliberately softened his grip.

This ambush must have used up all of Chen Junan’s luck. In that split second, his fingers—like a pair of chopsticks—just barely pinched the chain inside her pocket.

Before Yan Zhichun could react, he yanked it free, leaping back and landing in a half-kneel with exaggerated flair.

Yan Zhichun spun around with a gasp, clutching her pocket.

Everything happened too fast—even Sweet was stunned.

A few seconds later, Chen Junan grinned and said, “Ah, the legendary ‘Flying Dragon Steals the Clouds.’ Ladies, do I not resemble the dashing ‘Thief King’ Chu Liuxiang?”

Neither Sweet nor Yan Zhichun responded, just staring at him blankly.

Chen Junan raised his hand and opened his palm to inspect his prize—

A single chain.

“Wait… what?” Chen Junan blinked. “Seriously? You’re all pulling this trick now?”

“You…” Yan Zhichun sighed. “Do you have some fixation with chains? If you really like them, you could’ve just asked. I’d have given you one.”

“Who the hell has a fixation with chains?!” Chen Junan huffed, standing up. “If you’re gonna bait someone, shouldn’t you at least let the chain peek out a little? You hid it so well—who’d have thought it was just another damn chain?!”

“True,” Yan Zhichun nodded. “But leaving it slightly visible would only fool amateurs. To trick you, I had to make it seem like the ‘character’ was inside, tucked deep in my pocket.”

Chen Junan glanced at the chain in his hand, consoling himself that it wasn’t a total loss.

Who else could swipe a chain from someone like Yan Zhichun? Only me.

“You didn’t actually think a trick as basic as ‘Aaron Kwok’ would distract me, did you?” Yan Zhichun eyed him skeptically. “Did your ‘Commander’ order you to ‘steal’?”