After tumbling, Chen Junnan was in excruciating pain all over, cursing Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan ten thousand times in his heart.
“You two fight all you want… but why hit so hard… damn it…”
Chu Tianqiu took another step forward, noticing Chen Junnan’s condition was even worse than before. Though he couldn’t enter the room to execute him directly, there was no way Chen Junnan could dodge the iron chain thrown at him now.
“Cough, cough…”
Just as Chu Tianqiu prepared to attack again, he heard coughing from behind him.
Frowning slightly, he turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.
“Dang it… that hurts…” Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. “I’m so hungry…”
“Ah… Old Qiao, you finally woke up…” Chen Junnan, lying on the floor in the other room, shouted, “Go on! Beat the crap out of him!”
“Huh…?” Qiao Jiajin realized his eyelids weren’t as swollen anymore, and the pain in his body had lessened significantly. But what exactly was happening right now?
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was pitch-black darkness above him, and his mind felt somewhat hazy.
“Little Chu! Little Chu’s trying to kill us… hurry and use that damn skill of yours to break his move…” Chen Junnan yelled between coughs. “Once this bastard loses ‘Tian Xing Jian,’ I’ll get up and beat him myself!”
It took Qiao Jiajin a few seconds to remember where he was. Coughing a couple of times, he finally spoke, “Tianqiu…? Alright… Tianqiu, you’re not allowed to…”
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu sensed danger and immediately raised his right hand, his entire body radiating killing intent as he lunged for Qiao Jiajin’s neck.
But in the next moment, his consciousness blurred for half a second, and his body moved uncontrollably—forcing him to turn toward Chen Junnan’s direction instead, charging toward the room where Chen Junnan was.
Fortunately, Chu Tianqiu was rational enough to realize something was wrong and stopped mid-step.
For that brief moment… all his murderous intent toward Qiao Jiajin had inexplicably shifted to Chen Junnan. What a bizarre situation.
If he hadn’t stopped in time, he would’ve already been locked in the same room as Chen Junnan.
“Heh heh…” Chen Junnan chuckled from the other room. “This time, Old Qiao’s death is really on me. Admit defeat, Little Chu.”
“…You’re not allowed to cheat,” Qiao Jiajin stammered out the second half of his sentence.
As the words left his lips, a flash of light erupted, and stars burst forth from Chu Tianqiu’s body.
When the countless specks of starlight settled, the atmosphere gradually quieted down.
“Not bad,” Chu Tianqiu clenched his fist, clearly sensing that his “divine power” had vanished.
“Little Chu… you still won’t surrender?” Chen Junnan shouted from the other room. “I barely even tried, and I already broke your ‘Echo’… Just give up already!”
“Surrender?” Chu Tianqiu paused, then laughed. “Have you considered that the ones losing their display screens are you, not me?”
“Uh…”
Only then did Chen Junnan realize that breaking Chu Tianqiu’s “Echo” had merely saved their lives—it didn’t actually help them win the game.
“Let’s just say you got lucky,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Once ‘Breaking All Laws’ wears off, I’ll be back. Don’t forget, I also have ‘Breaking All Laws.’ If I can disable Qiao Jiajin’s ability first, none of you will be able to stop me.”
“Damn it…” Chen Junnan muttered. “Little Chu, you’ve really lost it. Isn’t this just a word game? Your strategy is to massacre everyone to win?”
“In a pure battle of wits, I might not be Qi Xia’s equal,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “But when it comes to ‘methods,’ I’m not necessarily worse than him. As long as it leads to victory, any means are fair game in this match.”
Chu Tianqiu then glanced at Han Yimo. “You’ll die too when the time comes. Be ready.”
“Me?!”
Han Yimo felt his conviction shatter. After working tirelessly for Chu Tianqiu’s team, even sacrificing two “characters,” was this his reward—betrayal?
Seeing Chu Tianqiu turn and leave the “preparation zone,” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin knew they couldn’t stop him now. They could only watch as he walked past them and entered Wen Qiaoyun’s room, closing the door behind him.
“Qiaoyun…” Chu Tianqiu said. “I have a bad feeling.”
“What’s wrong, Tianqiu…?” Wen Qiaoyun asked. “Wasn’t the plan executed perfectly this time?”
“We have our plan, but Qi Xia surely has his own,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Just in case, I need you to consider what I told you last night.”
“Last night…” Wen Qiaoyun’s expression darkened as she nodded. “You mean betting with Earth Dragon…?”
“Exactly,” Chu Tianqiu said. “No matter what happens next—whether we’re clearly losing, I die, or the display is destroyed—as long as you say those words, the game’s rules will change. That might be our only way out.”
“Alright… I… I understand.”
……
Qiao Jiajin, dragging his exhausted body, stood up and limped toward Chen Junnan’s room. The moment he saw him, he was shocked.
“Dang it! Junnan!” Qiao Jiajin rushed over to help Chen Junnan up. “Who beat you into a pulp? Was it Tianqiu?”
“Uh…” Chen Junnan realized this was hard to explain. “Little Chu definitely didn’t do this… If anything, it was you.”
“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “Junnan, what nonsense are you spouting? Why would I beat you up like this?”
Chen Junnan froze, realizing he couldn’t tell Qiao Jiajin he’d activated “Scapegoat.” Otherwise, if Qiao Jiajin said, “Don’t cheat,” all these injuries would just bounce right back to him.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Let’s just say Zhang Shan did it.”
“The big guy did it…?” Qiao Jiajin seemed to recall something. “Junnan, I was so focused on fighting him earlier that I didn’t notice—were you there the whole time?”
“Uh… Old Qiao, stop asking weird questions,” Chen Junnan said. “It’s awkward for me too.”
“Alright,” Qiao Jiajin chuckled sheepishly. “Should I help you sit down? You look like you fought the big guy yourself! I feel great now, not tired at all!”
“Damn it… you dare say you’re not tired…” Chen Junnan groaned. “Help me sit down already… Ugh, my head’s spinning.”
“Okay, okay! Hang in there, Junnan!”
Qiao Jiajin quickly helped Chen Junnan back to the “preparation zone,” where they found Han Yimo standing with a troubled expression.
“Word Guy… what’s wrong?” Qiao Jiajin asked. “You look like you’ve lost your soul.”
“I…” Han Yimo knew it wasn’t his soul he’d lost—it was his allegiance.
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Chen Junnan stepped forward and patted Han Yimo’s shoulder. “Little Han, don’t overthink it. I bet that was Chu Tianqiu’s final test for you. If you hold on this time, you’ll definitely make it!”
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