“Child,” the serpent-man said, “though you talk about establishing a central institution that both sides can trust… what’s the reality?”
“Oh?” Kim Won-hoon blinked. “What reality?”
“That so-called ‘Paradise Port’—were you there too?” the serpent-man asked.
“Yes.”
“Looking back now… did you earn the trust of the ‘Zodiacs’ or the ‘Participants’?” the serpent-man pressed.
That short sentence struck Kim Won-hoon like a sharp blade, leaving him speechless.
Though “Paradise Port” had indeed strived toward that goal at first—its leader, Chu Tianqiu, had even traded the eyeballs of corpses with the “Zodiacs” to secure food for the “Participants.”
Yet the “Participants” didn’t trust him, and neither did the “Zodiacs.”
“So the answer is already clear…” the serpent-man said with a hint of regret. “No matter how reasonable it may sound, in practice, it’s wrong. Not only is it difficult for both sides to trust this institution, even the enemy finds it untrustworthy.”
Chen Junnan glanced at the serpent-man. “Are you sure…?”
“This answer aligns with your theory—it might sound plausible, but the execution is incredibly difficult,” the serpent-man said. “They say both sides should send someone to a neutral zone to establish a central institution, but how do we confirm that the person the other side sends is truly from their faction? If we send someone to verify, we’d just fall back into the initial dilemma.”
“Uh…”
“Moreover, the people in this institution wear the enemy’s uniforms all day. When our own people go to deliver messages, how can we be sure the institution hasn’t been infiltrated by the enemy? Even if such an institution could be established, no one would fully trust it.”
Kim Won-hoon had thought his answer was decent, but now it seemed utterly wrong.
Not only was the answer wrong—so was “Paradise Port.”
Its original purpose had been as pure as Chu Tianqiu’s vision—a central organization that could assist the “Participants” while also liaising with the “Zodiacs.”
But Chu Tianqiu never dared to tell the “Participants” he was trading with the “Zodiacs,” nor did he dare tell the “Zodiacs” that their true goal was to gamble against and eliminate all of them.
Rather than a neutral mediator, it was more like a double agent.
No side would see Chu Tianqiu as a good person, nor would anyone genuinely feel gratitude toward “Paradise Port.”
“Let me ask you something else,” the serpent-man continued. “If Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia were two generals, how could they launch a simultaneous attack while knowing they were being monitored from above?”
“…?”
The two hadn’t expected the serpent-man to suddenly shift topics and were momentarily stunned.
“Hold on,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t even know about ‘Paradise Port,’ but you know Xiao Chu?”
“I spend a lot of time active on the ‘Train,'” the serpent-man replied. “I have plenty of chances to talk to anyone. Chu Tianqiu’s reputation is something few ‘Zodiacs’ are unaware of.”
Chen Junnan still felt something was off. “But aren’t you afraid what you’re saying right now might be overheard…?”
“Qinglong is on the other side of the ‘Door,'” the serpent-man said. “He’s too far away to hear what I’m saying.”
“‘Far’…?” Chen Junnan glanced at the “Door,” unsure how the serpent-man defined “far.” He and Qinglong were separated only by a flimsy, broken door.
“If I had to guess, Qi Xia’s method was to use hints,” the serpent-man said. “Through countless subtle cues, he guided Chu Tianqiu’s subconscious to act at the precise moment he had planned.”
“Huh…?” Chen Junnan felt like the serpent-man was about to say something completely beyond his understanding.
“During this, Chu Tianqiu didn’t know the plan, and neither did Qi Xia,” the serpent-man added. “So no enemy could intercept the ‘messenger’ midway and disrupt the operation. They couldn’t even capture anyone to interrogate. Even if the enemy stormed the stronghold and captured Qi Xia or Chu Tianqiu alone, they still wouldn’t grasp the full picture.”
“Wait a minute… What exactly are you?” Chen Junnan asked. “I’m getting lost here—aren’t you one of the ‘enemy’?”
“No, I’m the messenger,” the serpent-man said. “I was sent out long ago—it’s just that I still haven’t reached the other stronghold.”
Chen Junnan and Kim Won-hoon exchanged glances, utterly confused.
“Can the two of you speak for your factions?” the serpent-man asked.
“Well… more or less,” Chen Junnan said. “I’m second or third in command. As for Xiao Jin…”
He paused, realizing Kim Won-hoon likely held a similar rank.
“I need you to relay a message to Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu without Qinglong noticing,” the serpent-man leaned in and whispered. “The ‘Cangjie Chess’ zone they’re in—that *is* the ‘Train.'”
“Wait, what…?”
The serpent-man’s voice was so soft it barely echoed for half a second before fading.
“Hold on—are you pulling our legs…?” Chen Junnan said.
“Remember: their zone *is* the ‘Train,'” the serpent-man repeated.
The two stared at him in silence, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Getting off-topic,” the serpent-man said. “Kid, your answer wasn’t correct, so the winner is Chen Junnan.”
“Huh?” Kim Won-hoon snapped out of his daze, then nodded hesitantly.
He had no energy left to argue—just the sinking realization that everything he’d done over the years had been futile.
At least his memories didn’t last long; most of the hardship had already faded.
Chen Junnan, shedding his usual flippant demeanor, now saw the serpent-man in a different light. He’d never imagined during their interview that this man harbored such deep insights.
*I’ll have to bring Qi Xia here to talk to him later.* After all, if the serpent-man was right, Qinglong was effectively deaf now—they could discuss anything freely.
Besides, every question the serpent-man had posed since they entered seemed loaded with meaning.
*Survivorship bias. The coordination problem in attacks.*
It was as if he was alluding to the group—or perhaps Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu specifically.
Those who refused to resist had already resigned to fate. Only a handful still fought back.
Could these few rebels truly turn this place upside down for their cause?
And if they could—how would Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu manage to cooperate while under constant surveillance?
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