Chapter 482: Black Fur

Chen Junnan led the other five to slowly turn their backs and then naturally split into two teams.

The Earth Rabbit frowned slightly upon seeing this division.

The two teams were exactly as he had imagined—six people divided into two groups of three.

This seemingly intelligent group had opted for the most mediocre strategy. Couldn’t they come up with anything better?

Or… were they hiding something?

“What kind of trick are you pulling?” the Earth Rabbit asked with a furrowed brow. “You don’t actually think this will win you the game, do you?”

“We’ll take it step by step,” Chen Junnan turned back with a grin. “You probably don’t know me well enough yet. Just wait and see—I never plan ahead.”

“And you’re proud of that?” The Earth Rabbit stared at him in confusion, finding the man utterly bizarre. “Never mind. Do as you please.”

The group fell silent and split into their respective teams, standing before the doors of the rooms.

As the broadcast announced, “Game begins,” Song Qi and Jiang Shi simultaneously opened the doors and stepped into two different rooms. The others followed them inside before closing the doors behind them.

The advantage of dividing into teams of three became apparent now.

One person opened the door, another closed it, and the third locked it—all while ensuring each member moved once. It was the most optimal strategy so far.

The Earth Rabbit watched as both doors were locked at the same time and shook his head with a faint smile.

Even if they kept locking doors, would that really win them the game?

Seeing the doors secured, the Earth Rabbit slowly walked to the door in the direction Chen Junnan’s team had gone and waited. The broadcast then chimed in:

“All «Participants» have completed their actions. «Zodiac», you may now act.”

Hearing this, the Earth Rabbit reached out, unlocked the door in front of him, paused briefly, and then pushed it open.

Chen Junnan, Jiang Shi, and Cui Shishi stood facing him.

Since the «Zodiac» also had movement restrictions, his actions of «unlocking» and «opening the door» exhausted all his movement points, leaving him unable to move further. For now, the group was safe.

“Well, what a coincidence?” Chen Junnan took a few steps forward, his feet squelching on the damp, bluish-green floor, and blinked at the Earth Rabbit. “What brings you here? You work here or something?”

The Earth Rabbit exhaled sharply. “Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Don’t you realize I’ve already chosen you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chen Junnan nodded. “Consider us honored. Just take it easy, alright? Wouldn’t want you working yourself to death.”

“Working myself to death?” The Earth Rabbit sneered. “I’ll be watching closely.”

Soon enough, the broadcast announced that the turn had shifted back to the «Participants».

“Let’s move,” Chen Junnan signaled to the other two with his eyes. Jiang Shi swiftly closed the door.

Within seconds, a crisp *click* echoed as the door was locked. The door’s design was unusual—both sides had visible locks and handles.

“Oh…?” The Earth Rabbit felt a flicker of doubt. If they locked the door now, wouldn’t that mean someone couldn’t «move» anymore?

Was this team truly different from the others?

Did they have someone willing to die?

“Are you insane?” the Earth Rabbit called through the door. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“Who the hell asked for your opinion?” Chen Junnan’s muffled voice replied from the other side. “Since when do we report our tactics to you? Think you’re some big shot? Come at me if you dare!”

“You really are asking for death…” the Earth Rabbit muttered through gritted teeth. “But fine. Go ahead and dig your own graves.”

Following their agreed-upon strategy, the group split into two paths from the current room. On Song Qi’s side, he exchanged glances with his teammates, signaling them to proceed while he stayed behind to close and lock the door.

Now, the Earth Rabbit had completely lost sight of the remaining players. Not only was he trapped in the room, but even if he somehow escaped, the chances of catching up to them in time were slim.

Chen Junnan calculated their position—they were currently in Room «Five». To reach Room «Sixteen» as quickly as possible, they’d need at least five turns. Song Qi’s team was in a similar situation; they’d also reach the endpoint in five turns.

All they could do now was hope to reunite at the finish line.

Chen Junnan walked to the eastern door of the room and opened the entrance to Room «Six». Before even stepping inside, a single glance made him frown.

This room was different from the others. A small table had appeared on the floor, holding a bundle of black hair tied with a red string. The strands were dark with hints of brown, resembling a lock of hair.

Chen Junnan and Cui Shishi exchanged glances. Unless they were mistaken, they’d passed through here earlier while «lost», but there had been no table back then. Had someone placed it here recently? Or had the room triggered some hidden mechanism after the game started?

“Leader, what is this…?” Cui Shishi stepped forward, studying it with a puzzled expression.

“This…” Chen Junnan, ever fearless, strode forward and picked up the hair to examine it.

It did resemble human hair, but it felt tougher to the touch.

“What the hell is this?” Chen Junnan muttered, turning it over in his hands. He even sniffed it but detected no distinct scent—just the pervasive stench of decay in the room.

Too many people had died in these cramped chambers. The stench was thicker here than outside, and the floor was sticky underfoot.

Cui Shishi crouched beside him and carefully inspected the red string. At its end, she spotted a tiny metal tag with two engraved characters:

**«Divine Power».**

“«Divine Power»…? What the hell does that mean?” Chen Junnan squinted at the words, more confused than ever.

“Is this hair some kind of «Divine Power»?” Cui Shishi wracked her brain but couldn’t make sense of it.

A few seconds later, Chen Junnan’s eyebrows shot up as an idea struck him.

“Hey, hand me that hair. I think I’ve got a theory.”

Cui Shishi passed it to him. “What theory?”

“This is Sun Wukong’s fur! The «Divine Power» of multiplying hairs into clones!” Chen Junnan declared. “Step back—I’ll toss it on the ground and summon an army of monkeys to show these kids how it’s done.”

“Wha—?!” Cui Shishi recoiled in shock. “Leader, are you serious?!”

“What else could it be?” Chen Junnan waved the black strands. “Can you think of anything else called «Divine Power» that’s just a clump of hair?”

Cui Shishi lowered her head and seriously considered his words. While his logic wasn’t entirely flawed, it still felt too far-fetched.

A bundle of black hair… labeled as «Divine Power»? But Sun Wukong’s fur wasn’t even black.

“Leader, here’s what I think,” she said. “This wasn’t here when we were «lost», and the Earth Rabbit never mentioned it in the rules. He must’ve hidden it deliberately. If we’d seen this earlier, it might’ve tipped the odds against him.”

“Hmm…” Chen Junnan stroked his chin. “You’ve got a point, sis.”

“So maybe we should just take it with us and check if other rooms have similar items,” Cui Shishi suggested, glancing toward the exit. “If we find more objects like this, we might finally understand why this hair is called «Divine Power».”