Four people found themselves in a dilemma within the same room.
Dr. Zhao knew the situation was completely out of control now.
Among the four in the room, one was Chen Junnan.
In other words, Chen Junnan alone had managed to restrain three of their own.
The team originally had only seven members. With Chu Tianqiu gone, six remained. Of these six, three were now trapped in the room, leaving only Yan Zhichun, Wen Qiaoyun, and Zhang Shan.
Yan Zhichun and Wen Qiaoyun had naturally gone to the enemy’s side to “invade,” leaving only Zhang Shan to guard their own territory across ten rooms.
In other words, their defenses were wide open. If they didn’t solve the riddle of the real and fake Chen Junnan soon, they might as well admit defeat.
“Kim Won-hoon!” Chen Junnan A turned to him. “Do you remember the game we played together three years ago? I turned into a chubby uncle in that game!”
“Uh…” Kim Won-hoon glanced at Dr. Zhao, but his memories didn’t stretch that far back. Only the speaker could verify the truth of that claim now.
Chen Junnan B wasn’t about to back down. “He doesn’t even know you lost your memory—how is that convincing? Kim Won-hoon, I’ve figured out how to trigger the ‘Echo’! Get rid of him, and I’ll teach you. Then you’ll know who’s real!”
Dr. Zhao took a moment to assess the situation and quickly pieced things together. “Xu Liunian, didn’t you just rush to the ‘frontline’ with the others? Why did you suddenly come back?”
“Because the ‘character’ is lost!” Both Chen Junnans spoke simultaneously before glaring at each other in disgust.
“Lost… the ‘character’?”
“So let me go back already!!” Chen Junnan A snapped. “If I don’t return to the ‘preparation zone’ now, I’ll be dead once the Earth Dragon comes!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Chen Junnan B retorted.
“Alright, this makes things easier…” Dr. Zhao said. “Xu Liunian doesn’t have the ‘character,’ but Chen Junnan does. Would you two mind if we searched you?”
“Not at all,” both Chen Junnans replied in unison before shooting each another disdainful look.
Hearing their confidence, Dr. Zhao’s hopes dimmed, but for safety’s sake, he and Kim Won-hoon stepped forward to search Chen Junnan A and B.
As expected, neither had the ‘character.’
If Chen Junnan dared to brazenly impersonate Xu Liunian, why would he fear a search?
But he *must* have the ‘character’—otherwise, he’d be breaking the rules. The question was where he’d hidden it.
In this game, pretending to have the ‘character’ was hard, but pretending not to have it was simple. If Chen Junnan was ruthless, he might’ve even swallowed it.
As they hesitated, the Earth Dragon above slowly stood and leaped down toward one of the rooms. Nearly everyone still active in the game witnessed it.
The pale figure of the Earth Dragon landed in the room with the two Chen Junnans, bending her knees slightly upon impact with barely a sound.
The four in the room paled at her arrival.
“Over two minutes,” the Earth Dragon said impassively. “If the person who lost the ‘character’ doesn’t return to the ‘preparation zone’ within three minutes, I’ll have to eliminate them.”
Both Chen Junnans panicked, looking genuinely frightened.
“This is the first case of ‘characterless lingering,'” the Earth Dragon remarked. “Whoever survives, pass this along: next time, the time limit will be thirty seconds.”
Dr. Zhao swallowed hard, realizing her timing was perfect.
“Perfect…” he muttered. “Now that the Earth Dragon’s here, she’ll know who to kill—the real Xu Liunian!”
Both Chen Junnans looked exasperated.
Sure, death would reveal the truth—but then what?
Kim Won-hoon turned to the Earth Dragon. “Sis… who are you going to kill?”
“How amusing,” the Earth Dragon chuckled behind her hand. “Though I saw everything clearly from above, spoiling it would ruin the fun. My job is to eliminate rule-breakers, not help you identify the real one. Forty seconds left.”
“Wait?!” Both Chen Junnans panicked. “No way!”
With time running out, Dr. Zhao scrutinized them closely. The real Xu Liunian should be more frantic, facing actual elimination, while the fake one—whose goal was to stall—had no such fear.
So the real Chen Junnan should be relieved, not panicked.
Yet after a few seconds, Dr. Zhao saw genuine terror in both—neither seemed to be acting.
Having dealt with countless critically ill patients, he knew the look of someone facing death: an indescribable resistance, every cell in their body fighting fate.
It wasn’t something most could fake—not even professional actors.
Wait…
A thought struck Dr. Zhao. *Did Chen Junnan even have the ‘character’?*
Could he really believe he was about to die?
But entering the enemy’s zone without the ‘character’…
“Twenty seconds left.” The Earth Dragon rolled up her sleeves, as if bracing for a mess. “Ready?”
“I’ve got it!” Chen Junnan A suddenly exclaimed. “Dr. Zhao! Come with me to the next room! Kim Won-hoon, stay here!”
“What?” Dr. Zhao blinked.
“If we split into two groups, the real Chen Junnan will trigger the game!” Chen Junnan A explained. “Then three of us will know who’s real!”
“Will… will that work?”
“Ten seconds,” the Earth Dragon intoned.
“Stop hesitating!! I’m gonna die!!”
“Fine, fine!” Dr. Zhao grabbed Chen Junnan A and rushed into the adjacent game room, leaving Kim Won-hoon and Chen Junnan B bewildered.
Through the open “door,” they exchanged glances—until it slammed shut and locked.
Someone had triggered the game. But who?
Chen Junnan A seized Dr. Zhao’s arm. “Quick, take me to Tianqiu! I’m the real one!”
Dr. Zhao froze as Chen Junnan A dragged him through another door, straight into the “preparation zone.”
The room hadn’t locked. This Chen Junnan was fake—Xu Liunian was real.
“Kim Won-hoon’s in trouble…” Dr. Zhao murmured.
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