Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu turned around to face the glowing door.
The interior of the door was pitch black, swirling like a vortex, its destination indiscernible to the naked eye.
After a moment of hesitation, Qi Xia took the lead, stepping toward the door.
Without a second thought, he strode directly into it. The glowing door, like a living creature with soft flesh, swelled slightly as it absorbed his figure, as though actively swallowing him whole.
Chu Tianqiu followed closely behind, likewise engulfed by the darkness in the same instant.
Di Long watched as the two entered one after the other, then stepped through the door himself.
Before Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin could step forward to ask anything, the door—taller than a man—suddenly vanished into thin air without warning.
“Dang it!” Chen Junnan cursed under his breath, glancing at Qiao Jiajin and Yan Zhichun. None of them knew what to do now.
Di Long had instructed everyone except the two commanders to wait here… but how long were they supposed to wait?
This was supposed to be a “team” battle… yet the entire team couldn’t even enter together.
……
Qi Xia opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings—an incredibly vast and bizarre space.
Everything was shrouded in darkness, empty yet boundless.
Above him, Chu Tianqiu, and Di Long, a beam of light shone down, as though three spotlights illuminated them in the void, making them the focal points of this space.
The three stood in a triangular formation, while behind Di Long stood a strange door.
The door had no building or wall behind it, standing alone in the emptiness.
“Gentlemen,” Di Long spoke first, “welcome to ‘Cangjie’s Game.’ I am Di Long, the referee for this match.”
The two men glanced around but remained silent.
“The first phase of the game is ‘Appointing Generals.'”
With a light wave of her hand, two rough, black electronic screens, resembling chalkboards, rose from the ground before them.
Qi Xia reached out and touched his screen. Where his fingertips brushed, a bright red glow appeared, as though it could be written on.
“Now, let me explain the rules of ‘Appointing Generals,'” Di Long continued. “The two of you will take turns writing names to select your teammates for this game. Each side, including the ‘commander,’ must have seven members in total.”
“Writing names…?” Chu Tianqiu also reached out and lightly traced his finger across the screen, causing tiny red lights to flicker.
“Correct.” Di Long nodded. “The screens before you are specially made—their display tubes light up when heated, allowing you to write names.”
“Using red characters to write teammates’ names… not exactly auspicious, is it?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled.
“Hah…” Di Long laughed in amusement. “Auspicious? How many people in this land even get to participate in a ‘Di Long’ game? For those you select, this is no different from a death warrant. So, feel free to go all out.”
Neither Chu Tianqiu nor Qi Xia moved to write anything. They knew all too well how the “Earth-class” operated here.
This could very well be a trap—they couldn’t act recklessly.
“What’s the matter…?” Di Long tilted her head. “A ‘team battle,’ yet neither of you has suitable teammates?”
After a brief pause, Qi Xia asked, “What does ‘taking turns’ mean?”
“You decide among yourselves,” Di Long replied. “One chooses first, then the other follows.”
“And are there any restrictions on who we can choose?” Qi Xia pressed.
“None whatsoever.”
At this, Chu Tianqiu suddenly had a thought. “So… we can select people from the other side?”
“In theory, yes.” Di Long nodded. “But I should clarify—whenever you choose a teammate, I will open the door behind me to locate that person directly. I will explain the situation to them. If they refuse, they will be deemed a ‘deserting general’ and be executed on the spot.”
“‘Deserting general’…” Chu Tianqiu mused, then smiled. “What a filthy game. Call it ‘Appointing Generals’ all you want, but in reality, isn’t this just forcing us to kill each other’s trusted allies through ‘selection’?”
Qi Xia knew the game had already begun with this rule.
If he or Chu Tianqiu chose someone from the opposing side, that person would be left with two options:
Either defect to the enemy… or be killed by Di Long on the spot.
“At this stage…” Qi Xia touched his forehead, thinking to himself, “I need to preserve the ‘cycle of life’ belief to the greatest extent… because there’s still a tougher battle ahead after this game.”
“Who will go first?” Di Long asked.
Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia locked eyes. Qi Xia spoke first: “You.”
“Fine.”
Without hesitation, Chu Tianqiu reached out and wrote two bold red characters on the screen in elegant strokes:
**Zhang Shan.**
The screen flickered, then swallowed the name. At the same time, the wooden door behind Di Long began to glow.
Di Long smiled faintly, turning to open the door. A blinding light pierced the endless darkness.
Beyond the door was a classroom in “Paradise Port,” where Zhang Shan stood with his back to the entrance, speaking to Lao Lü.
Lao Lü was the first to notice something amiss. Trembling, he pointed behind Zhang Shan, unable to speak.
Sensing trouble, Zhang Shan frowned and turned—only to see a pitch-black portal glowing behind him, its center emblazoned with four blood-red characters:
**Zhang Shan, Accept the Summons.**
“What the hell…” Zhang Shan had never seen anything like this before. It looked like some kind of military order, but the black background and red letters made it resemble a death warrant.
Before he could react, an ethereal voice echoed from the portal:
“Commander ‘Chu Tianqiu’ has appointed ‘Zhang Shan’ to enter ‘Cangjie’s Game’ as reinforcement. To accept, step through the door. To refuse, retreat five paces.”
“Chu Tianqiu…” Zhang Shan frowned, deep in thought.
From the perspective of Qi Xia, Chu Tianqiu, and Di Long inside the door, Zhang Shan appeared to be facing a massive mirror, his expression conflicted as if unsure what to do.
After about a minute, Zhang Shan chose to trust the portal’s words and stepped through. Di Long closed the door the moment his figure vanished from view.
Unlike Qi Xia and the others, Zhang Shan did not appear beside them. Instead, he disappeared entirely after entering the portal.
“What?” Chu Tianqiu asked. “Where’s my man?”
“This is the ‘General’s Platform,'” Di Long explained. “Ordinary generals cannot ascend here. They will wait in the ‘Preparation Zone.’ Please continue with your selections.”
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