Dragon stood high above, quietly observing Chu Tianqiu’s actions before soon breaking into a smile.
It seemed both sides had now realized that collecting twenty-eight “characters” was similar to collecting the “Dao”—both paths were fraught with danger and would inevitably lead to more deaths.
Now that Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu had uncovered the secret of “crossing the river,” they both seemed intent on finding the quickest and simplest path to win this game.
Even though crossing the river would only lead them to simplified “Earth-level games,” the staggering death rate still loomed like an insurmountable barrier before them.
Qinglong had been watching Chu Tianqiu intently. Not long after witnessing him activate his “Echo,” Chu Tianqiu swallowed an eyeball, and Qinglong’s gaze sharpened with recognition.
“I truly haven’t underestimated Chu Tianqiu…” Qinglong turned to Dragon and said, “Did you see that…? How much he resembles me?”
“Resembles you?”
“Just now, did you hear what he said…?” Qinglong murmured. “He said, ‘Dealing with unintelligent people is truly exhausting’—haven’t I felt the same?”
Dragon could only sense a vast difference between Qinglong and Chu Tianqiu, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
“I’ve already surpassed these ‘mortals’ by so much. A single glance from me can make them kneel—why should I bother explaining my schemes to them in a civil tone?” Qinglong asked. “And this… is where Chu Tianqiu is so much like me.”
Dragon nodded. “You mean Chu Tianqiu possesses considerable intelligence and cunning, but he struggles with interpersonal communication.”
“‘Struggles with interpersonal communication’…?” Qinglong clearly disliked the phrasing. “I’d call it ‘unnecessary to communicate with them.'”
“But is that truly right?” Dragon countered. “To better control these ‘mortals,’ you even chose an ‘Echo’ specifically designed to manipulate them. ‘Soul Snatch’ proves you want them to act according to your will, ‘Spirit Whisper’ shows you wish to hear their words, and ‘Leap’ and ‘Thunderclap’ demonstrate your need for intimidation.”
“The logic is sound,” Qinglong said. “I need the simplest, most brutal means to make these people submit and never question my authority. Should I really have to explain to each of them, one by one, that ‘I am a god’?”
Dragon understood Qinglong’s point. “So that’s why you say Chu Tianqiu resembles you. He often struggles with mobilizing his teammates—whether in ‘Paradise’ or in ‘Cangjie’s Chess’—constantly having to explain himself just to make them understand. If he had your abilities, this game might have already been won.”
“Precisely why he’s someone I’ve taken an interest in,” Qinglong replied. “A man so much like me, yet lacking the divine power to enforce his will. Don’t you think he’s perfect to become a new ‘god’? He’s only one step away—only missing the ‘eyeball.'”
“I don’t think so,” Dragon shook his head. “After all, some people can achieve the same results without these ‘Echoes’—others willingly follow their orders, share their thoughts, and even lay down their lives without coercion. Doesn’t that make them more suited to be ‘gods’?”
“Oh?”
Qinglong narrowed his eyes, glancing toward Qi Xia’s direction. But Qi Xia seemed to have already entered a game room with someone, no longer present in the “Cangjie’s Chess” arena.
“Dragon… even if someone could accomplish that, the effort it takes is terrifying,” Qinglong said with a shake of his head. “He himself is on the verge of breaking. And you call that a ‘god’? Would a ‘god’ ever push himself to such extremes?”
Dragon shook his head again, unable to grasp Qinglong’s perspective. Qinglong had sat on the throne of “god” for far too long.
He believed himself to be a “god,” and thus refused to recognize any other form of divinity.
…
When Qi Xia returned to the “preparation zone,” Chen Junan and Han Yimo were both there, unharmed.
He didn’t speak, merely walking to Qiao Jiajin’s side to check his injuries. He found that Qiao Jiajin had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion—given his physical resilience, he would likely wake soon.
“Old Qi.” Chen Junan approached and called in a low voice. “Got something to tell you.”
“Oh?” Qi Xia turned to him, then after a few seconds, said, “About Han Yimo?”
“Yeah! You guessed it again!” Chen Junan nodded, pulling Qi Xia aside and whispering, “I gave him my ‘character.'”
Qi Xia thought for a moment. “‘Towel’?”
“Exactly!” Chen Junan grinned. “I wanted to shake them up, make them panic!”
“Handing over ‘Towel’ is practically a declaration of war,” Qi Xia said. “Chu Tianqiu won’t take it lying down. We’d better prepare for retaliation.”
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for!” Chen Junan said. “Man, your plan’s sneaky—keeping their spy right here with us…”
Qi Xia glanced expressionlessly at Han Yimo in the corner, seemingly wary of continuing the conversation. He cut Chen Junan off. “Let’s not talk about that. How’s Fist doing?”
“Oh, still lying there,” Chen Junan said. “But I heard him snoring earlier. What kind of freakish constitution does this guy have?”
“As long as he’s fine.” Qi Xia nodded. “From now on, we switch to defense. Stick to pairs and avoid triggering games if possible.”
“Got it.” Chen Junan nodded. “I’ll follow your lead as always. But what about our dear teammate Little Han here?”
Qi Xia looked at Han Yimo and said flatly, “Han Yimo has always been our teammate, hasn’t he?”
Han Yimo nodded furiously. “Of course, Qi Xia… No one else may trust me, but you should.”
He then shot a meaningful glance at Chen Junan, who quickly caught on.
“Oh! Right, Little Han’s loyalty is as solid as the sun and moon,” Chen Junan said. “Old Qi, you’ve gotta believe in him!”
Qi Xia nodded and asked Han Yimo, “Do you still have any ‘characters’ on you?”
Han Yimo shook his head sheepishly. “Uh… sorry, I lost mine again just now… Wen Qiaoyun is just too strong…”
“It’s fine.” Qi Xia said. “As long as you’re our teammate, losing a few times doesn’t matter.”
“Eh…?” Han Yimo blinked in surprise.
“Wait here. I’ll give you another ‘character’ later,” Qi Xia said.
“Ah…? Alright!” Han Yimo nodded earnestly.
Chen Junan, however, felt something was off. Qi Xia was going to give Han Yimo another ‘character’?
“Old Qi… what are we waiting for?”
Qi Xia turned toward the screen and murmured, “For me to finish something. You two can head to the ‘frontline’ first. I’ll catch up.”
“Okay…”
Chen Junan nodded and took a step toward the door. But just as he hesitated, Qi Xia’s voice drifted over once more:
“Fascinating. Even without scoring, there’s still a word like ‘squint’…”
Chen Junan suddenly realized something was wrong—the task Qi Xia had assigned earlier now seized his thoughts.
But before he could react, Qi Xia’s fist smashed into the display screen, shattering it into pieces in front of Han Yimo and Chen Junan’s stunned faces.
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