The Earth Dragon tilted her head back slightly, meeting the Azure Dragon’s gaze with an unreadable expression.
She truly didn’t seem afraid of death.
“Hit a nerve… hurts, doesn’t it?” she forced out through her constricted throat. “Isn’t that exactly what you’ve always done? Poking at everyone’s wounds… crushing their hopes… You can laugh, but others can’t?”
The Azure Dragon didn’t respond, only tightening his grip.
The Earth Dragon slowly furrowed her brows. Despite her enhanced physique, her neck was on the verge of snapping.
If things had come to this, perhaps her chaotic, exhausting life should end here.
Yet after what felt like an eternity, the Azure Dragon still hadn’t delivered the killing blow—his hand had stopped moving entirely.
Opening her eyes, the Earth Dragon stared at him, baffled. She had already provoked him to this extent—why would he hesitate now?
Her vision cleared just enough to see the Azure Dragon’s grave expression as he looked downward.
Below, in the game’s “Red Team” preparation area, Qi Xia was staring straight up at him.
Every moment—including the sight of the Azure Dragon choking the Earth Dragon—had been captured by those ash-gray, goat-like eyes.
The Azure Dragon hesitated.
How absurd was this feeling…?
He knew the man below was merely mortal. A casual flick of his hand could send him flying meters away. And yet, those eyes were utterly incomprehensible.
“Am I… unable to understand the thoughts of a ‘god’…?”
Only now did the Azure Dragon realize how terrifying that notion was. Because from the very beginning, he had never understood Qi Xia’s actions.
Back then, he had felt like he was observing ants. Humans couldn’t comprehend the behavior of ants—how natural was that?
But now, was he supposed to believe that the reason he couldn’t understand Qi Xia… was because Qi Xia was more like a “god”?
“Ridiculous,” the Azure Dragon muttered, slowly loosening his grip.
“Cough—!” The Earth Dragon gasped for air, hacking violently. “Disgusting… You couldn’t even finish the job… Had to let go in the end…”
“You were baiting me,” the Azure Dragon said. “Humans can’t understand ‘ants’ or ‘gods.’ Does that mean ‘ants’ are ‘gods’?”
“Whether ‘ants’ are ‘gods’ is something only you know,” the Earth Dragon replied, rubbing her neck. “And whether Qi Xia is an ‘ant’… you understand that better than I do.”
The Azure Dragon’s expression darkened as he stared downward. Just then, Chen Junan burst out of a distant room and teleported into the “preparation area.”
“Lao Qi!” Chen Junan called out. “Things just got messy. Listen up—there’s a lot going on, and first—holy shit!”
His eyes locked onto Qiao Jiajin’s unconscious form on the ground, and whatever he had been about to say evaporated instantly. He rushed over to check the man’s injuries.
“What the hell happened here?!” Chen Junan roared, crouching beside him. “Who the hell did this?!”
Han Yimo, frozen beside Qiao Jiajin with the latter’s head resting on his lap, didn’t dare make a sound.
Qi Xia shook his head. “Only Zhang Shan could have done this.”
Chen Junan stiffened, his fury dissipating.
He had seen Zhang Shan’s corpse in the “river” earlier. If Qiao Jiajin was still alive, albeit severely wounded… was that fair?
But when it came to “fairness”—given the kind of men Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin were—why did one have to die here? Where was the justice in that?
Standing up, Chen Junan glared at the Azure Dragon, viciously mouthing a verb phrase that began with “I.”
He made no sound, just exaggerated the words.
Surely the Azure Dragon was smart enough to figure it out.
“You old bastard…” Chen Junan muttered under his breath. “I’ll make you pay for this.”
“What’s the latest?” Qi Xia asked.
“Damn it…” Chen Junan turned back. “Lao Qi, if we’re talking ‘latest,’ things just got weird as hell…”
“How so?”
Chen Junan had only been gone for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity had passed. He wasn’t even sure where to start with his heroic tale.
“I’ll cut to the chase,” he said. “I lost the ‘bag.'”
“Mm…” Qi Xia paused. “Next time, say ‘lost the character.’ It’s clearer.”
“You got it! I lost the ‘bag.’ That hard-earned ‘bag’ is gone—100% loss rate. Good thing we already used it, so no real harm done.”
“Where did you lose it?”
“At some freaky Snake’s place—the one who opened the door for us. That bastard bullied me in front of a kid, cheated, and slapped me twenty times.”
Qi Xia frowned. “Be serious.”
“He wants to see you.”
“What exactly did he say?”
“Didn’t give me details. But he looked like he had a bone to pick—insisted on meeting you no matter what. You two got history?”
Qi Xia nodded. “Yes.”
But seconds later, doubt crept in. Even if that were true… that Snake wasn’t supposed to be part of any game. How was he here?
“Wait…” Qi Xia turned to Han Yimo. “When you and Wen Qiaoyun were in the game, did the ‘Zodiac’ say anything?”
“Say what…?” Han Yimo blinked. “Something about being ‘assistants’ or whatever…”
“Got it.” Qi Xia looked back at Chen Junan. “What questions did he ask you?”
“Uh…” Chen Junan scratched his head. “Mainly ‘survivorship bias,’ ‘coordinated attack problem,’ and ‘infinite monkey theorem.'”
“Show me where he is.”
Chen Junan pointed to a spot on the wall map. “This ‘Si’—other side of the field.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Hold on!!” Chen Junan grabbed Qi Xia’s arm. “Lao Qi… you’re serious?”
“Yes. I need to see him.”
“Right now?” Chen Junan protested. “Why not wait until the game’s almost over? Or just after it ends?”
“Did he say he was in a hurry?” Qi Xia countered. “If we’re talking about the same Snake, I doubt we’ll see him again after the game.”
“You just know everything, huh…?” Chen Junan grumbled. “But it feels too risky. The other team’s over there—what if you get trapped in a game?”
“With Zhang Shan gone, I can guarantee a 100% win rate in most games. Even if I run into them, it’s fine.”
“Oh—right.” Chen Junan added, “He also told me to pass you a message…”
“About what?”
“About this place we’re in now… but…” Chen Junan glanced up at the Azure Dragon.
“Got it. I understand the content.”
“Uh…” Chen Junan blinked. “But… I didn’t say anything yet…”
————
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