Dr. Zhao quickly furrowed his brow upon hearing this, feeling the plan was utterly unreasonable.
“Assassinating Han Yimo…? Seriously…?” he asked. “Is this a decision you made as the ‘leader’…?”
“Han Yimo is from the opposing faction. Killing him isn’t an issue,” Chu Tianqiu replied.
“So you’ve been planning this all along…?” Dr. Zhao said, frowning. “Chu Tianqiu… Do you really not know that Han Yimo is our undercover agent…? He joined your ‘Paradise Entrance’ earlier—how could he possibly be so devoted to Qi Xia in this game?”
Chu Tianqiu gave Dr. Zhao a meaningful look and said, “I genuinely didn’t guess it. Why would it be Han Yimo?”
Dr. Zhao felt a chill run down his spine. He realized Chu Tianqiu hadn’t failed to guess—he simply refused to acknowledge Han Yimo’s identity now.
“Are you joking…? Are you acting with me?!” Dr. Zhao snapped. “Han Yimo has been risking his life for our team since entering this game… And now you’re just denying it, even ordering us to kill him… What the hell are you doing?”
“Dr. Zhao, perhaps you’ve misunderstood,” Chu Tianqiu said calmly. “I never once acknowledged Han Yimo as our undercover agent. If I’m not mistaken… his identity was something you assigned.”
“So what if I did?!”
Dr. Zhao was visibly furious. Regardless of Han Yimo’s character, the two had spent days working together and had developed some camaraderie.
“Wasn’t I thinking for the team?” He stepped forward aggressively, confronting Chu Tianqiu. “Even if Han Yimo has to die, it shouldn’t be by our hands now!”
Chu Tianqiu slowly furrowed his brow. Dr. Zhao expected him to explain or deny, but instead, Chu Tianqiu let out a bitter smile.
Why…? Chu Tianqiu felt a pang of frustration. No one here seemed to understand his thoughts.
“Tianqiu,” Wen Qiaoyun called from the side. “Is there something you’re not telling us…?”
“Something unspoken…?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled dryly. “Do you want me to be completely honest?”
Wen Qiaoyun and Dr. Zhao exchanged glances, unsure what he meant.
“Even if the game fails because I reveal the truth… you wouldn’t care?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
Wen Qiaoyun nodded. “Tianqiu, the team is in a crisis of trust. It’s better to clear the air now.”
Chu Tianqiu sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I thought Han Yimo, by being on the opposing side, would bring them misfortune. He could think things like ‘the team is losing’ or ‘this team is hopeless,’ but his perspective is selfish and narrow—his mind is fixated only on ‘the undercover is losing.'”
“If that’s really the case, you could’ve told us…” Wen Qiaoyun still seemed confused. “This is just a deviation from your initial plan. We can still find a way.”
“If I had told you clearly, you wouldn’t have accepted that ‘we’ve completely abandoned Han Yimo.’ You’d only think ‘Han Yimo can still be saved,'” Chu Tianqiu explained. “As long as you held onto that idea, you’d unconditionally try to rescue him with kindness. He’d never abandon his undercover mindset, and we’d ultimately fail.”
Wen Qiaoyun and Dr. Zhao fell silent.
“Qiaoyun, I once told you—dealing with people who aren’t sharp is exhausting,” Chu Tianqiu said, shaking his head. “I no longer have the patience to explain everything. Just follow my plan.”
Dr. Zhao opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
“This is Han Yimo’s subconscious at work,” Chu Tianqiu continued, looking at Dr. Zhao. “It’s not something he can fix by doing or correcting anything. Kill him now and bring this match back on track.”
Wen Qiaoyun suddenly thought of something. “But that might not work… Han Yimo just mentioned that Qiao Jiajin is guarding the enemy’s rear. With just Dr. Zhao and Kim Won-sik… it’s impossible.”
“Qiao Jiajin is guarding their rear…?” Chu Tianqiu pondered. “Did you ask, or did he volunteer that?”
“He volunteered…”
“It’s a lie,” Chu Tianqiu declared decisively. “I was already suspecting whether Qiao Jiajin was severely injured. Now it seems he might not even be able to move. Han Yimo likely made some deal with Chen Junnan to obtain his ‘character’—and accurately passing this intel to you was part of it.”
“What…?” Wen Qiaoyun was stunned. “Would they plan that far ahead?”
Chu Tianqiu sighed. “The reality might be even more intricate. But they underestimated me. Qiaoyun, you’ll join the ‘assassinate Han Yimo’ mission. Even if we don’t succeed, we must show him our intent to kill. Only then can our team truly break free.”
Wen Qiaoyun nodded, mentally strategizing.
Chu Tianqiu turned back to Dr. Zhao. “Weren’t you at the ‘frontline’? Why are you back?”
“Ah… I—right,” Dr. Zhao stammered. “Qi Xia has started moving… He came to our ‘Si’ room. Not sure what he’s up to.”
“Alone, coming to our side…?” Chu Tianqiu mused. “Did he bring ‘characters’?”
“Yes!” Dr. Zhao confirmed. “I saw him step out from the room’s ‘door,’ then pick up three ‘characters’ from the ground. He also told me to relay to you: ‘Staying in the preparation zone is waiting for death.'”
Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes, rapidly analyzing. Picking up ‘characters’ after exiting a door? That meant he had dropped them before entering.
“He’s probing the secrets of the ‘crossing the river’ rooms,” Chu Tianqiu muttered. “But why bring so many ‘characters’ to investigate…?”
“Tianqiu… will you make your move now?” Wen Qiaoyun asked. “More than half the time has passed, and even Qi Xia is active…”
“I have a plan,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Change the assassin for Han Yimo. Everyone else will mobilize. This was already a losing battle—now we abandon the ‘preparation zone’ entirely and strike together, aiming to decide the outcome before the enemy reacts.”
After another moment of thought, considering Dr. Zhao’s description of Qi Xia’s actions—dropping ‘characters’ before entering a door—Chu Tianqiu concluded: “So the ‘non-crossing’ pieces will see something different inside the door… A ‘terrestrial-level’ entity?” He murmured to himself before addressing the others. “Find Xu Liunian and Kim Won-sik. Whether your pieces can cross or not, everyone moves ‘across the river.’ Let’s trap the enemy in the game.”
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