Wen Qiaoyun told Chu Tianqiu everything that had happened between her and Han Yimo in the “Door.”
There was a very nervous “pig” inside, whose voice trembled when it spoke.
Moreover, that “pig” mentioned “assistants” and “gambling with lives.” Although Wen Qiaoyun didn’t fully understand these terms, she relayed them word for word to Chu Tianqiu.
Before Chu Tianqiu could respond, Dr. Zhao and Chen Junnan barged into the room in a hurry.
“Hmm…?” Chu Tianqiu looked at Chen Junnan with a calm expression. “Dr. Zhao, what’s this?”
“This is a fake Chen Junnan…” Dr. Zhao explained. “The game didn’t trigger when I was with him.”
“I’m Xu Liunian…” Chen Junnan said. “It was too dangerous just now… Chen Junnan disguised himself as me and attacked. Now he’s trapped Jin Yuanxun in the game area.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianqiu’s eyes flickered for half a second—a rare reaction—before he replied with displeasure, “This is absurd… You let Chen Junnan and Jin Yuanxun face off one-on-one…?”
“I had no better option at the time!” Xu Liunian argued. “If we didn’t figure out who was fake quickly, I would have died there!”
“You…” Chu Tianqiu slowly furrowed his brow.
Some words were indeed hurtful, but for the “Chariot” piece on Xu Liunian, the “Pawn” on Jin Yuanxun was far more important.
In this situation, to ensure Jin Yuanxun’s “Pawn” remained unaffected, what did it matter if Xu Liunian died?
“What game did they enter?” Chu Tianqiu asked again.
“Probably ‘Si,'” Dr. Zhao explained. “At first, we were all in the room marked ‘Si,’ but then Xu Liunian and I went to another room, and they locked the door behind us.”
Chu Tianqiu knew things had just gotten worse.
If it were a physical or combat-based game, Jin Yuanxun might still have a chance to win the “character” from Chen Junnan.
But what did the “Si Snake” game type represent?
“Deception” or “Q&A.” In either case, Jin Yuanxun stood no chance against Chen Junnan.
“Oh… one more thing…” Wen Qiaoyun suddenly recalled something, hesitating before speaking. “Earlier, when I passed the ‘River,’ I saw Zhang Shan lying there…”
“Lying…?” Chu Tianqiu’s expression darkened again, as if he didn’t understand the implication. “Alone?”
“Yes,” Wen Qiaoyun nodded. “I didn’t see anyone else in the ‘River,’ but the entire area was covered in bloodstains.”
Naturally, Chu Tianqiu grew suspicious. Zhang Shan was lying there alone?
How many people in this place could take down Zhang Shan without using an “Echo”?
The answer was three.
Qiao Jiajin, Qinglong, and Dilong.
Zhang Shan certainly wouldn’t have violated the rules. Everyone had just seen Dilong descend from the sky, but she landed in their own territory—likely to deal with the “fake Chen Junnan” situation, not to punish Zhang Shan.
That meant Zhang Shan had been taken down by Qiao Jiajin.
But where was Qiao Jiajin now?
“Did you see any blood trails on the ground…?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
Wen Qiaoyun thought carefully before answering, “No drag marks, just countless bloodstains.”
“That’s strange…” Chu Tianqiu muttered, lowering his head. “If there are no drag marks, it means Qiao Jiajin either left on his own… or was carried away.”
A moment’s consideration ruled out the latter possibility.
The opposing team had five men and two women.
Excluding Qiao Jiajin himself, Zheng Yingxiong was just a child, Chen Junnan was causing trouble on their side, and Han Yimo had been dealing with Wen Qiaoyun at the time. That left the two women—how could they carry away a 100+ pound man without leaving a single trace?
Even if it were Han Yimo, given his build, dragging Qiao Jiajin would have left marks.
But if the ground was clean…
“Qiao Jiajin must still be active…” Chu Tianqiu concluded. “He likely took down Zhang Shan and then left on his own.”
Only now did Chu Tianqiu realize how dire the situation was. Zhang Shan’s condition was unknown—he might have lost consciousness. If they also lost Xu Liunian, their team was as good as defeated.
“Still active…?” Wen Qiaoyun frowned, glancing toward Qi Xia’s side of the field before murmuring, “Tianqiu… given that amount of blood, even if he’s moving, he must be seriously injured.”
“But he’s still a soldier carrying a ‘character,'” Chu Tianqiu countered. “Right now, we have six people, while they have seven.”
After a moment’s thought, Wen Qiaoyun asked, “Tianqiu… do you think it’s possible Qiao Jiajin also fell, and Qi Xia came out to retrieve him?”
Chu Tianqiu frowned slightly before considering her suggestion carefully.
Qi Xia… crossing the potential battlefield where he might encounter Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun to reach the “River” and personally retrieve Qiao Jiajin?
“I don’t think so,” Chu Tianqiu said.
“Why not…?” Wen Qiaoyun asked, puzzled.
“You might not know Qi Xia well… but he’s an extremely rational person,” Chu Tianqiu explained. “Sending a piece to attack an opponent’s piece—regardless of the outcome—should never require the ‘general’ to intervene. Qi Xia understands this. He knows how to win the game, so he wouldn’t act impulsively.”
“Really…?” Wen Qiaoyun’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Even if it’s someone he cares about deeply… he wouldn’t even check if they’re alive?”
“This isn’t about care,” Chu Tianqiu said. “For example, if Qi Xia rushed to the scene and found Qiao Jiajin downed, Zhang Shan could seize the opportunity to take out Qi Xia next. Only the ‘general’ can score in this game—if Qi Xia falls, the entire team dies. From a purely rational standpoint, he must prioritize the survival of the whole team over one person’s life… so Qi Xia wouldn’t do something so reckless.”
Though Chu Tianqiu kept insisting Qi Xia was utterly rational, Wen Qiaoyun felt Chu Tianqiu was even more so.
Because right now, Zhang Shan was still lying in the “River,” and his “general” hadn’t even considered checking on him—let alone asking if he was alive or dead.
“Is it possible…” Wen Qiaoyun, still doubtful, whispered, “that Qi Xia was certain Qiao Jiajin would win… so he went?”
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