Chapter 367: Means of Attack

“Why can I see words…?”

Su Shan frowned, deep in thought, but couldn’t make sense of it.

She lowered her head and glanced at Lin Qin’s table again, then suddenly froze.

Though the distance was great, Su Shan could now clearly read the characters on Lin Qin’s “stick.”

Her eyes seemed to have truly changed—those sticks were not only far away but also facing the opposite direction.

Yet, as if gaining X-ray vision, Su Shan could distinctly see every word on them.

“「Spring warmth and flowers bloom」 and 「Neutral Stick」…”

After reading the words, she turned to look at Qin Dingdong.

At that moment, Qin Dingdong met her gaze.

She saw Su Shan’s eyes shining brilliantly, but they were also bloodshot, as if strained from overuse.

“Damn nuisance…” Qin Dingdong shook her head. “Just got your ability and you’re already pushing it like this? What if you go blind?”

Su Shan didn’t catch what Qin Dingdong was muttering. Instead, she looked down at the sticks in front of her—「Autumn wind sweeps fallen leaves」, 「Water recedes without a trace」.

“So that’s how it is…”

Now, she desperately wanted to know what stick Lawyer Zhang was holding.

After all, she represented “Spring.” If she couldn’t strategize for the entire year, there was no way to win this game.

She strained her eyes to peer through the swarm of gray-green locusts. Each insect emitted a faint glow, forcing Su Shan to squint intensely until her eyes burned. Only then could she vaguely make out Zhang Chenze’s silhouette.

Zhang Chenze seemed to have calmed down, no longer flailing, though her body still trembled violently.

Su Shan tried to see past the locusts’ glow toward the table.

Since each stick was covered in insects, the writing was nearly impossible to decipher.

Su Shan stepped forward, forcing her eyes open even wider, as if sheer willpower alone could pierce through the swarm.

Her vision blurred with a crimson haze, her eyes scalding. But at last, she made out the words on the sticks:

「Torrential downpour」 and 「Bright sun soothes the earth」.

Now, all the sticks in everyone’s hands were clear.

Zhang Chenze had played a 「Neutral Stick」 in the first two rounds and the 「Nation unites in disaster relief」 that Su Shan had passed to her in the third.

Lin Qin had played three consecutive 「Neutral Sticks」.

Qin Dingdong had a richer hand—she had played an unnamed 「Thick Smoke」, a 「Neutral Stick」, and 「Firecrackers bid farewell to the old year」.

Excluding the 「Neutral Sticks」 and counting all the used 「Wish Sticks」, a total of eleven Wish Sticks had appeared so far.

Among them, 「Firecrackers bid farewell to the old year」 had two copies.

In other words, there were nine distinct five-character 「Wish Sticks」 currently in play.

“This is strange…” Su Shan furrowed her brows, delving deeper into her thoughts. “If each stick corresponds to a specific ‘disaster,’ why are there nine worded sticks? Since the Earth Dog’s calamities only number eight, what’s the purpose of the ninth one?”

She glanced at the only remaining stick in her hand—「No idle land under heaven」.

If her guess was right, this was the extra one.

Her earlier deduction must have been correct—「No idle land under heaven」 didn’t counter any disaster. Instead, it was an “accumulation.” Since it had no “defensive” function, it must serve as an “attack.”

From another perspective, the remaining eight sticks had all appeared. From now on, everyone could only draw two types: 「Neutral Sticks」 and 「Firecrackers」.

Whether by eerie luck or Earth Dog’s design, both the “Four Seasons” and the “Year Beast” sides had now drawn all the useful sticks. The rest would depend entirely on strategy.

Su Shan slowly closed her eyes, feeling them dry and sore. Her face was damp—perhaps she had been crying. Ignoring it, she inserted 「No idle land under heaven」 into the hole on the table.

No one could save Zhang Chenze now. The only hope was for her to endure the locust swarm and keep playing the game inside the room.

Difficult as it was, it was the only way out.

—

**Zhang Chenze’s Room**

Trembling, she kept her eyes shut as the deafening buzz of countless locusts filled her ears. Their cold, rigid bodies crawled over her skin, making every pore contract in revulsion.

Locusts had a peculiar texture—their legs were lined with sharp hooks to cling onto any surface.

Now, tens of thousands of those hooks latched onto Zhang Chenze’s skin. It should have been excruciating, but she felt nothing.

She teetered on the edge of collapse, afraid to breathe, open her mouth, or even blink.

After barely managing to spit out the few locusts that had crawled into her mouth, the bitter taste lingered. She never wanted to experience that again.

Earth Dog glanced at Su Shan’s bloodshot eyes, as if wanting to say something, but instead cleared his throat and announced, “First player’s 「Wish」 complete. Second player, 「Draw a Stick」.”

Hearing this, Zhang Chenze stiffened. Though engulfed in these vile insects, she couldn’t afford to freeze now. If this truly was a game of “Four Seasons,” she couldn’t fall here.

It wouldn’t be fair if others died because of her inaction.

From a broader perspective, she *should* be the one to die this time. Unlike Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong, she wasn’t a “Resonator,” nor was she as sharp as Su Shan. Sacrificing herself was the optimal move to win.

“Yes… That’s only fair.”

With that thought, she cautiously opened one eye—making sure no locusts clung to her eyelid—then dared to move her arm.

Things couldn’t get any worse.

“Just bugs crawling all over me…” Zhang Chenze took a shaky step forward, her feet crunching on what felt like dry leaves. “Too bad I’ve dealt with worse… This won’t break me.”

She tried brushing the locusts off the table to clear the hole, but the insects stubbornly refused to budge.

Gritting her teeth, she pressed her palm flat against the table and shoved with all her might, sweeping the locusts aside.

This round’s stick was finally revealed.

She barely glimpsed five characters before her vision was flooded again by the swarm. Covering her eyes, she grabbed the stick and crouched down, carefully clearing a few locusts from her line of sight to read:

**「Sweat drips onto the soil」**