Chapter 315: Her Hope

“Got it.” Chen Junnan nodded. “What question did that old bastard ask?”

Yun Yao replied, “He said, ‘I am Earth Snake. I’ve entered the game. If you let me live, everyone will receive forty-eight tokens.'”

“What…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “Is this old bastard insane? I’m right here holding the fort, and he just revealed his hand?”

“Doesn’t he know your position?” Yun Yao asked.

“How could he not?” Chen Junnan stroked his chin. “I contacted Earth Snake through the phone of the person to my left. He definitely knows where I am.”

“That’s too strange, isn’t it?” Yun Yao said, puzzled. “He knows your position, yet he still sent this message…”

Chen Junnan also found it odd. Earth Snake, that lecherous old villain, seemed desperate. Though the message could only travel from “3” to “-1,” he probably thought every bit of deception counted.

Of course, there was a second possibility…

The person who sent the message wasn’t Earth Snake at all.

That made things even more terrifying.

In other words, among the people seated between “-1” and “3,” someone had lied.

This liar had figured everything out—not only anticipating that Earth Snake had joined the game but also devising a scheme.

They wanted to mislead everyone into thinking Earth Snake was at “3.”

“But…” Chen Junnan turned to the wall on his right. “Out of just a few people… someone lied?”

Though he couldn’t see them, counting from his right were Yun Yao, the nervous girl, and the silent man.

One of them had lied.

Chen Junnan didn’t hang up but began to doubt Yun Yao.

Something felt off.

Yun Yao’s behavior was really strange.

Thinking carefully, had she been lying from the start?

The first question he received was about Einstein, but Yun Yao’s first question was, “Are you female?”

Had she lied from the beginning?

A thought suddenly flashed through Chen Junnan’s mind.

Before entering Earth Snake’s game, Yun Yao had clearly said, *”You should know what Earth Snake is like. How could he open up to a man like you?”*

Didn’t that mean Yun Yao understood Earth Snake?

Had she participated in his game before, or gathered intel from other “Paradise Port” teammates?

There was a high chance she had lied.

What was her goal?

“Yun Yao…” Chen Junnan’s voice turned cold. This time, he didn’t call her “Superstar” but used her full name.

“What?” Yun Yao replied.

“Are you… lying to me?”

“What…?” Yun Yao hesitated.

“I don’t beat around the bush. Let’s be clear today.” Chen Junnan sat back in his chair, crossing his legs. “From the moment I joined this game, I’ve been thinking about how to protect you… but you lied to me?”

“I…” Yun Yao’s voice wavered. “You figured it out?”

Chen Junnan nodded. “Why? Do you want to kill me?”

“I…” Yun Yao let out a relieved laugh. “I don’t want to kill you. But as I said, I couldn’t trust you, so I planned to challenge Earth Snake myself.”

“Huh?” Chen Junnan was taken aback. “Wait, I don’t get it. You lied because…?”

“I thought you were a bit dumb…” Yun Yao admitted. “But you seem close to Qi Xia. If possible… the two of you should destroy this place together. Qi Xia… he’s really important.”

“What the hell?” Chen Junnan was baffled. “Superstar, what are you talking about? Don’t you want to escape?”

“Me?” Yun Yao laughed bitterly. “Chen Junnan, at some point, my goal stopped being ‘escaping’ and became ‘gambling against all the Zodiacs.'”

When Chen Junnan stayed silent, she added, “Your words woke me up. As one of the leaders of ‘Paradise Port,’ I never challenged an Earth-level Zodiac to a death gamble. If I didn’t, the others wouldn’t either.”

“Wait, I get it now.” Chen Junnan relaxed slightly. “Superstar, you’re trying to play the hero, huh?”

“Me? A hero?”

“You’ve had enough of living, haven’t you?” Chen Junnan chuckled dryly. “You want a dignified way out.”

Yun Yao froze, then smiled. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”

“What happened? Weren’t you doing great with Xiao Chu?” Chen Junnan’s expression darkened. “Did that kid treat you badly? You sound completely hopeless now.”

Yun Yao trembled slightly, her eyes stinging, but she held back the tears.

The day she returned to “Paradise Port,” all she saw were corpses.

“The Cat” had slaughtered everyone. Fewer people gained “Echoes” this time, and “Paradise Port” was practically dead.

The dream she had chased for two years—the goal that kept her alive, “gambling against all the Zodiacs”—had grown even more distant.

“Chen Junnan, I really do want to die here,” Yun Yao said, tears in her eyes. “I’m selfish. Either Earth Snake dies, or I die. There’s no other outcome.”

“So that’s why you came to Earth Snake’s game with me…” Chen Junnan finally understood.

From the start, Yun Yao had already decided—she wanted to die here.

“Right.” Yun Yao nodded. “Chen Junnan, thank you for giving me the courage to take this step.”

“Wait, so even if *I* die, it’s not enough?” Chen Junnan asked, confused. “I can’t gamble against Earth Snake for you?”

“You…” Yun Yao hesitated. “Chen Junnan, didn’t I make it clear? I don’t want to live anymore.”

“Alright, let me lay it out.” Chen Junnan cleared his throat. “I don’t know what Chu Tianqiu did, but from now on, stick with me and Lao Qiao. Oh, and Lao Qi too. The three of us won’t let you down.”

“What…?”

“I don’t know what you’ve been through these years—hell, even your preferences changed—but back in the day, we all adored you…” Chen Junnan grinned. “No need to follow the wrong people anymore. I heard you even got yourself a girlfriend this time, right? What happens to her if you die?”

The lonely figure of Tian Tian flashed through Yun Yao’s mind.

“Superstar, you and Tian Tian are the two girls who break my heart the most in this godforsaken place. Bring her with you.”