Chapter 1077: Defeat?

“Damn it!”

Chen Junnan cursed loudly and immediately pounced, grappling fiercely with Qi Xia.

“You little bastard, Chu—”

Chen Junnan knocked Qi Xia to the ground, but within half a second, Qi Xia abruptly transformed into Chu Tianqiu’s appearance.

He grinned, his expression chillingly dangerous.

Chen Junnan knew it was over. Just before leaving, Qi Xia had explicitly warned him that a “very strange version of himself might appear.” At the time, Chen Junnan had laughed it off, saying, “Sounds interesting.”

But the problem was that Chu Tianqiu’s imitation of Qi Xia was nearly flawless—he called Qiao Jiajin “Fist,” referred to Chen Junnan by his full name, and even the cadence of his speech and the way he gave advice were indistinguishable from the real Qi Xia. That momentary confusion had made Chen Junnan drop his guard.

Moreover, he had never expected that Chu Tianqiu’s real objective wasn’t the “characters” on anyone’s body—it was to shatter the display screen.

“You’re one hell of a schemer, little Chu…”

Chen Junnan immediately raised his fist, ready to strike, but then he saw Chu Tianqiu open his mouth, his tongue rolling to reveal half a fresh eyeball resting inside.

“Chen Junnan… Once I obtain the ‘Echo,’ how exactly do you plan to stop me?” Chu Tianqiu smiled and crushed the eyeball between his teeth.

The next second, a surge of unmistakably “Earth-level” power erupted around his body. With a sudden push, Chen Junnan was sent flying, slamming into the wall with a loud **thud** before collapsing to the floor, dazed and disoriented. It took him a long moment to struggle back to his feet.

“That’s Zhang Shan’s ability…” Chen Junnan gritted his teeth. “Little Chu… you dug out his eyes… He fought to the death for you, and you just plucked his eyes out like that? Do you even have a shred of humanity left?”

“Don’t misunderstand,” Chu Tianqiu said, standing up as well. “So far, my hands have only been stained with the blood of the dead. That has nothing to do with ‘humanity.'”

“Bullshit,” Chen Junnan spat. “Didn’t you personally kill Wen Qiaoyun? Was her blood also from a ‘dead’ person?”

“I…” Chu Tianqiu paused. “‘Natives’ are already dead in my eyes. I was liberating her, not killing her.”

Chen Junnan froze, unsure how to handle the situation.

There were four people in the room, but Qiao Jiajin was severely injured, Han Yimo was a mole for the enemy, and Chen Junnan himself wasn’t even sure if he still had the “Scapegoat” ability. Facing off against someone with “Heavenly Strength”—what kind of odds were those?

Even if “Scapegoat” was still active, how could he possibly defeat “Heavenly Strength”?

Right now, he had to be wary of Han Yimo suddenly switching sides while also diverting Chu Tianqiu’s attention away from the defenseless Qiao Jiajin and onto himself.

“Damn it, Old Qi, where the hell are you…?” Chen Junnan muttered in frustration. “How are you slacking off more than me at a time like this?!”

But then he quickly realized—even if Qi Xia were here, he wouldn’t stand a chance against “Heavenly Strength” in a one-on-one fight. The battle was already lost.

“Chen Junnan, hand over the ‘characters’ on you,” Chu Tianqiu said. “You have no way to score anymore. There’s no possible way for you to win this game now.”

Meanwhile, Qinglong’s expression grew increasingly amused. He occasionally glanced at Dilong and asked, “Doesn’t he remind you of me? With an ‘Echo,’ he can achieve anything on his own—no need for ordinary people’s help.”

Dilong remained silent, her gaze fixed on Chu Tianqiu. Having spent too much time with Qinglong, she had developed a distaste for Chu Tianqiu as well.

Her eyes then drifted to a sealed-off room nearby.

Earlier, Qi Xia had been on his way back to the “preparation zone” when he ran into Yan Zhichun and Zhang Chenze.

The two girls had just finished a game of “Monkey.” Unsurprisingly, Zhang Chenze had lost her “character” to Yan Zhichun.

After giving Zhang Chenze a few instructions and a new “character,” Qi Xia immediately proposed another round of “Monkey” with Yan Zhichun—same arena, same game, despite not knowing the rules. The two entered the room together.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chenze, after they had gone in, sneaked off toward the enemy’s side.

Chu Tianqiu had just crossed paths with Zhang Chenze in an adjacent room. Seizing the bizarre timing, he swallowed a “Shapeshift” eyeball and took on Qi Xia’s form before entering the opposing “preparation zone.”

Both sides had played their trump cards, pushing their pieces deep into enemy territory.

But Dilong also knew that while the display screen in this game was fragile, Zhang Chenze’s slight frame made it no easy task to smash it barehanded. So what was she planning?

Back in the Red Team’s “preparation zone,” the tension remained thick.

“Old Qiao… quit playing dead…” Chen Junnan thought desperately. “If you don’t get up soon, I might just kick the bucket first.”

“What’s the matter?” Chu Tianqiu asked. “Are you stalling for time?”

“You figured that out?” Chen Junnan shot back. “Of course I’m stalling! First, until your ‘Heavenly Strength’ runs out. Second, until Old Qi gets back. Otherwise, how the hell am I supposed to handle this mess?”

Chu Tianqiu sighed, then—while Han Yimo wasn’t paying attention—suddenly grabbed him by the throat.

“Huh?!” Han Yimo gasped. “Me…?!”

“Chen Junnan,” Chu Tianqiu said coldly, “go retrieve the ‘characters’ from yourself and Qiao Jiajin and hand them over. Otherwise, I’ll kill Han Yimo right here.”

“What the—?!” Chen Junnan was momentarily stunned. “Are you out of your mind? You’re threatening me with Xiao Han?”

“Exactly,” Chu Tianqiu said. “I never acknowledged Han Yimo as our mole in the first place. Killing him means nothing to me.”

“What… you don’t acknowledge me…?” Han Yimo’s faith was shaken to its core, leaving him dazed.

“Of course not,” Chu Tianqiu said. “You were recruited by Dr. Zhao. You have nothing to do with me. Why would I ever let someone like you be our mole?”

Chen Junnan immediately grasped Chu Tianqiu’s ploy. While he wouldn’t actually kill Han Yimo, he was trying to make Han Yimo believe he’d been abandoned.

That way, Han Yimo would have no choice but to defect to Qi Xia’s side—leading his entire team to defeat.

“How can you just deny him like that?!” Chen Junnan immediately spoke up in Han Yimo’s defense. “Do you have any idea how hard Xiao Han worked to join your side?! Even I was moved, and you’re just gonna pretend it never happened?”

Chu Tianqiu’s brow furrowed slightly. It seemed Chen Junnan had seen through his plan. Now, the only one left in the dark was Han Yimo, caught in the middle of their battle of wits.

Han Yimo blinked. “Chu Tianqiu, if you really don’t trust me… you don’t have to kill me, right? I could still be useful in Qi Xia’s camp—”

“No way!!” Chen Junnan cut in. “Xiao Han, how can you just flip-flop like that?! If you pledged loyalty to Chu Tianqiu, you stick with him for life! Don’t you always brag about being ‘unwaveringly loyal’?”

For a moment, all three fell into an awkward silence. Realizing the situation, Chu Tianqiu decided the best course of action was to eliminate Chen Junnan immediately. As long as he was alive, this plan would never succeed.

But the moment he loosened his grip, Chen Junnan bolted for the nearest room and threw the door open.

“Damn you, little Chu! Wanna kill me?! Come on, then—try it in here!”