Chen Junnan’s laughter gradually faded into a solemn expression, making Han Yimo a bit uneasy as well.
“You—what did you just say?” Chen Junnan asked.
“I said… could you maybe take a ‘character’ from Qiao Jiajin and give it to me…” Han Yimo’s voice grew quieter as he spoke.
“Are you out of your damn mind…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “Those ‘characters’ are something Old Qiao fought tooth and nail to protect and reclaim, and now you’re asking me to just hand them over? You got the nerve to repeat that?”
“No, no—don’t get mad,” Han Yimo said, sensing the tension. “Didn’t you say we’re on the same boat? Didn’t you say you wanted to switch sides too?”
“Uh…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Yeah, but Old Qiao’s my sworn brother. His ‘characters’ are off-limits. Pick someone else.”
Han Yimo blinked. “Then… what if I snatch one from that kid earlier? Would that work?”
“Nah, that kid’s my dear friend. No way.” Chen Junnan picked at his ear. “Next.”
“…?” Han Yimo felt his brain short-circuiting. “Then what about taking one from the girls?”
“Seriously?” Chen Junnan scoffed. “You, a grown man, robbing girls? Have some shame.”
“Wait—you—” Han Yimo hesitated. “We’re supposed to be allies. I can’t exactly steal from *you*, can I?”
Chen Junnan nodded. “And you wouldn’t win anyway.”
“Ugh…” Han Yimo swallowed hard. “Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a ‘character’ now, so I’m stuck in the ‘Preparation Zone.’ How am I supposed to help the other side win?”
“Go after Old Qi,” Chen Junnan suggested. “Steal his ‘character,’ and boom—problem solved.”
Han Yimo scratched his head, his face twisting into an awkward grimace.
Steal from Qi Xia?
If that were even remotely possible, he would’ve done it already.
Qi Xia’s gaze alone looked like it had seen bloodshed. A single veiled threat from him had sent shivers down Han Yimo’s spine—actually trying to rob him was unthinkable.
“…Maybe I’ll just sit here for a while longer,” Han Yimo muttered, lowering his head in defeat. “Between dying early and dying late, I choose *not dying*.”
“Hey, wasn’t your whole plan to dismantle Qi Xia’s team from within?” Chen Junnan said. “Why obsess over ‘characters’? Shouldn’t you be going after *him* directly?”
“Going after *him*…?” Han Yimo glanced around cautiously before leaning in and whispering, “I’ll tell you something, but keep it quiet. I made a deal with the other side—I *need* a ‘character’ to prove my loyalty!”
“Hiss…” Chen Junnan clicked his tongue. “That important, huh?”
“Yeah! They already took my first ‘character,’ but they want a second one. But after I came back, Qi Xia suddenly lost his mind and told me to stay put!”
“Hmm. If you don’t show up soon, they might get suspicious,” Chen Junnan mused, though his mind was already racing to piece together Qi Xia’s strategy.
It didn’t take long for him to realize—whether it was Qi Xia’s own ‘characters’ or Qiao Jiajin’s, they were rare and unclaimed by the other side. Handing them over to Han Yimo was out of the question.
Qi Xia must’ve known exactly what would happen if Han Yimo got his hands on them.
And by leaving the two of them here together, he’d already set the stage. All Chen Junnan had to do was play along.
“In that case…” Chen Junnan grinned. “This might just be my golden opportunity.”
“Opportunity…?”
“Yeah, I mean—an opportunity to *help* the other side.” He pulled a ‘character’ from his pocket. “Yimo, if you’d just told me about your deal earlier, I would’ve given this to you sooner. No need to be so secretive.”
“Huh?”
Chen Junnan’s laughter gradually faded, his expression turning serious, which made Han Yimo a bit panicky.
“What did you just say?” Chen Junnan asked.
“I said… do you want to take a ‘character’ from Qiao Jiajin and give it to me…” Han Yimo’s voice grew softer as he spoke.
“Are you out of your mind…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “Those ‘characters’ are something Old Qiao risked his life to protect and fought desperately to get back. And now you’re asking me to take them? Do you have the guts to say that again?”
“No, don’t get angry…” Han Yimo felt the situation was getting messy. “Didn’t you say we’re on the same side? Aren’t you planning to defect to the other team too?”
“Uh…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Well, yeah, but Old Qiao is like a brother to me. I can’t give you the ‘characters’ on him. How about someone else?”
Han Yimo blinked. “Then… alright, what if I snatch one from that kid from earlier? Is that okay?”
“No way, that kid’s my friend despite the age gap. I can’t let you take his either,” Chen Junnan said, picking his ear. “Pick someone else.”
“…?” Han Yimo felt his head was still spinning. “Then what about snatching from those girls?”
“How is that acceptable?” Chen Junnan replied. “How can a grown man like you snatch something from a girl?”
“Wait… you…” Han Yimo paused. “Aren’t we on the same side? I can’t exactly snatch a ‘character’ from you, can I?”
Chen Junnan nodded. “Besides, you wouldn’t be able to take it from me even if you tried.”
“Uh…” Han Yimo swallowed hard. “Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a ‘character’ on me right now, so I’m stuck in the ‘Preparation Zone.’ How can I help the other side win?”
“Go find Old Qi,” Chen Junnan suggested. “Snatch a ‘character’ from that guy Qi Xia. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
Han Yimo scratched his head, his expression turning awkward.
Snatch a ‘character’ from Qi Xia?
If that were really possible, he would’ve done it earlier.
Qi Xia’s eyes looked like they’d seen murder. Even a brief threat from him was enough to make Han Yimo tremble all over, let alone trying to snatch a ‘character’ directly from him.
“Maybe I’ll just sit here for a while…” Han Yimo lowered his head slightly, looking very troubled. “Between dying early and dying late, I’d rather not die at all.”
“Hey, isn’t your goal to dismantle Qi Xia’s team from the inside?” Chen Junnan said. “Why are you so hung up on ‘characters’? Shouldn’t you be targeting people directly?”
“Targeting people…?” Han Yimo cautiously glanced around, then leaned in closer to Chen Junnan and whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret—don’t spread it. Actually, I made a deal with the other side… I urgently need a ‘character’ right now. If I can get one, I’ll definitely gain their trust!”
“Tsk…” Chen Junnan pursed his lips. “That important?”
“Really! I made a deal with them!” Han Yimo said. “I already gave them my own ‘character’ earlier, but they need a second one from me. But after I came back… Qi Xia, for some reason, told me to rest here and not make any moves.”
“Right, Old Qi might be acting strange. If you don’t show up for a while… what if the other side gets suspicious?” Chen Junnan said vaguely while pondering Qi Xia’s intentions.
But he quickly realized one thing: whether it was Qi Xia’s own ‘character’ or the ones on Qiao Jiajin, they were both rare items the other side hadn’t obtained yet. Naturally, they couldn’t be given to Han Yimo.
It seemed Qi Xia had long known what would happen if he gave a ‘character’ to Han Yimo.
And by deliberately leaving him and Han Yimo here, his plan was already set. All Chen Junnan had to do was follow along.
“In that case… isn’t this my chance?” Chen Junnan mused.
“Chance…?”
“Yeah, what I mean is… a chance to help the other side,” Chen Junnan said, pulling a ‘character’ from his pocket. “Xiao Han, if you’d told me earlier you had a deal with them, I would’ve given you this ‘character’ sooner. Now it just feels awkward.”
“Huh?”
Han Yimo took a closer look. In Chen Junnan’s hand was the character “巾” (jīn).
“This… is for me?” Han Yimo asked.
“Yeah, it was originally ‘帅’ (shuài), but someone tore off two strokes, so damn it, only ‘巾’ is left. Make do with it.”
Han Yimo carefully took the ‘character,’ hesitated for a moment, and slowly said to Chen Junnan, “Thank you so much…”
“Hey! No need to be so polite, hahaha!” Chen Junnan laughed heartily. “Xiao Han, we’re like socks on the same rope. Just go for it. If anything happens, I’ve got your back.”
“You’ve really helped me out big time this time,” Han Yimo said, a flicker of sadness crossing his face. “But you might have forgotten—if I win… your whole team will die. Your current identity…”
“Hahaha! It’s fine, it’s fine!” Chen Junnan laughed. “Have you forgotten our love-hate relationship over the past seven years? I die often—this is nothing. Now, go on, hurry!”
Han Yimo’s eyes filled with gratitude, and he repeatedly said he’d met a true benefactor.
“Benefactor or not, I wouldn’t go that far,” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Since I’ve given you this ‘character,’ I need you to do me a favor.”
“We’re already teammates, no need to be so polite,” Han Yimo said, raising the ‘character’ in his hand. “For the sake of this, I’ll agree to any condition as long as it’s not too much.”
“That’s great,” Chen Junnan said. “Actually, it’s nothing big…”
He pointed behind him at Qiao Jiajin.
“You know my best buddy here usually cares a lot about face,” Chen Junnan said, wrapping an arm around Han Yimo’s shoulder. “Now that he’s fought to a draw with someone, if word gets out, people might laugh at him.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“I was thinking, after you leave, don’t mention that he got knocked out,” Chen Junnan said after a moment’s thought. “If possible, maybe even make up some cool, heroic story about him. That way, he saves face, and it’s no skin off your back, right?”
“Oh, that’s no problem,” Han Yimo said. “Since you asked, consider it done. You helped me once, I’ll help you once.”
“No, no, you’ve been helping me all along.”
“You’re too kind,” Han Yimo shook his head. “Leave it to me.”
“Great! It’s settled then!” Chen Junnan beamed again. “Remember! Make him look cool!”
“Definitely cool!”
After thanking Chen Junnan repeatedly, Han Yimo swaggered out of the “Preparation Zone.”
Along the way, he ran into Zheng Yingxiong, told him he was going to settle scores with Wen Qiaoyun, and hurried across the “River.”
“This… is for me?” Han Yimo asked.
Chen Junnan’s laughter gradually faded, replaced by a somber expression that made Han Yimo slightly anxious.
“What did you just say?” Chen Junnan asked.
“I said… could you take a ‘character’ from Qiao Jiajin and give it to me…” Han Yimo’s voice grew quieter as he spoke.
“Are you out of your mind…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “Those ‘characters’ are something Old Qiao fought desperately to protect and reclaim, and now you’re asking me to take them from him? Do you have the guts to say that again?”
“Wait, don’t get angry…” Han Yimo felt the situation was getting out of hand. “Didn’t you say we’re on the same side? Aren’t you planning to defect to the other team too?”
“Uh…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Well, yeah, but Old Qiao is like a brother to me. I can’t give you his ‘characters.’ How about someone else?”
Han Yimo blinked. “Alright then… what if I snatch one from that kid we saw earlier?”
“No way,” Chen Junnan said, picking his ear. “That kid’s my friend despite the age gap. His ‘characters’ are off-limits too. Pick someone else.”
“……?” Han Yimo’s mind was still in a fog. “Then what about taking one from those girls?”
“Is that really okay?” Chen Junnan retorted. “How can a grown man like you snatch something from a girl?”
“Wait, you…” Han Yimo paused. “Since we’re on the same side, I can’t exactly take a ‘character’ from you, right?”
Chen Junnan nodded. “Besides, you wouldn’t be able to take it from me even if you tried.”
“Uh…” Han Yimo swallowed hard. “Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a ‘character’ right now, so I’m stuck in the ‘Preparation Zone.’ How can I help the other team win?”
“Go find Old Qi,” Chen Junnan suggested. “Snatch a ‘character’ from that guy. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
Han Yimo scratched his head, his expression turning awkward.
Snatch a ‘character’ from Qi Xia?
If that were actually possible, he would’ve done it earlier.
Qi Xia’s eyes looked like they’d seen murder. Even a brief threat from him was enough to make Han Yimo tremble, let alone trying to snatch a ‘character’ directly from him.
“Maybe I’ll just sit here for a while…” Han Yimo lowered his head, looking troubled. “If I have to choose between dying early and dying late, I’d rather not die at all.”
“Wait, isn’t your goal to dismantle Qi Xia’s team from the inside?” Chen Junnan said. “Why are you so fixated on ‘characters’? Shouldn’t you be targeting people instead?”
“Targeting people…?” Han Yimo glanced around cautiously before leaning in and whispering, “I’ll tell you a secret—don’t spread it around. I actually made a deal with the other side… I urgently need a ‘character.’ If I can get one, I’ll definitely earn their trust!”
“Tsk…” Chen Junnan pursed his lips. “That important?”
“Really! I made an agreement with them!” Han Yimo explained. “I already gave them my own ‘character,’ but they need a second one from me. But after I came back… Qi Xia, for some reason, told me to rest here and not make any moves.”
“Right, Old Qi might be acting strange. If you don’t show up soon… what if the other side gets suspicious?” Chen Junnan said vaguely while pondering Qi Xia’s intentions.
It didn’t take long for him to realize something—whether it was Qi Xia’s own ‘characters’ or Qiao Jiajin’s, they were both rare items the other side hadn’t obtained yet. Naturally, they couldn’t be given to Han Yimo.
It seemed Qi Xia had already known what would happen if he gave a ‘character’ to Han Yimo.
And by deliberately leaving both him and Han Yimo here, Qi Xia had already set his plan in motion. All Chen Junnan had to do was follow along.
“In that case… isn’t this my chance?” Chen Junnan mused.
“Chance…?”
“Yeah, what I mean is… a chance to help the other side.” Chen Junnan pulled a ‘character’ from his pocket. “Xiao Han, if you’d told me earlier you had a deal with them, I would’ve given this to you sooner. No need to be so distant.”
“Huh?”
Han Yimo took a closer look—resting in Chen Junnan’s palm was the character “巾” (jīn).
“This… is for me?” Han Yimo asked.
“Yep. It was originally ‘帅’ (shuài), but someone tore off two strokes, so now it’s just this damn ‘巾.’ Make do with it.”
Han Yimo carefully took the ‘character,’ hesitated for a moment, and then said slowly, “Thank you so much…”
“Hey! No need to be so polite! Hahaha!” Chen Junnan laughed heartily. “Xiao Han, we’re like two socks on the same foot—tot connected. Just go for it. If anything happens, I’ve got your back.”
“You’ve really helped me out this time,” Han Yimo said, a flicker of sadness crossing his face. “But you might have forgotten—if I win… your whole team will die. Given your current identity…”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry about it!” Chen Junnan laughed. “Have you forgotten our love-hate relationship over the past seven years? I’ve died plenty of times—this is nothing. Now go on, hurry up!”
Han Yimo’s eyes filled with gratitude, and he repeatedly said he’d met a true benefactor.
“Not sure about ‘benefactor,'” Chen Junnan shook his head. “But since I’ve given you this ‘character,’ I need you to do me a favor.”
“We’re already teammates—no need to be so formal,” Han Yimo said, raising the ‘character’ in his hand. “For the sake of this, I’ll agree to any condition as long as it’s not too much.”
“Perfect,” Chen Junnan said. “It’s really not a big deal…”
He turned and pointed at Qiao Jiajin behind him.
“You know my buddy here—he’s all about saving face,” Chen Junnan said, wrapping an arm around Han Yimo’s shoulder. “Right now, he’s in a stalemate with someone, and if word gets out, people might laugh at him.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“I was thinking—when you go out, don’t mention that he got knocked out,” Chen Junnan said after a moment’s thought. “If possible, maybe even make up some story about how heroic he was. That way, he keeps his dignity, and it’s no skin off your back, right?”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Han Yimo said. “Since you asked, consider it done. You helped me once, so I’ll help you once.”
“No, no—you’ve been helping me all along.”
“You’re too kind,” Han Yimo shook his head. “Leave it to me.”
“Great! It’s settled then!” Chen Junnan beamed again. “Remember—make him look heroic!”
“Absolutely heroic!”
After thanking Chen Junnan repeatedly, Han Yimo swaggered out of the “Preparation Zone.”
Along the way, he ran into Zheng Yingxiong, told him he was going to settle scores with Wen Qiaoyun, and hurried across the “River.”
Han Yimo carefully took the ‘character,’ hesitating before finally murmuring, “Thank you… really.”
“Pfft, no big deal! Hahaha!” Chen Junnan laughed heartily. “Yimo, we’re like two socks tied together—same fate. Go on, do your thing. If anything goes wrong, I’ve got your back.”
“You’ve helped me *immensely*,” Han Yimo said, a flicker of sorrow crossing his face. “But you do realize… if I win, your entire team dies. Including *you*.”
“HAHAHA! No worries!” Chen Junnan waved it off. “After seven years of our love-hate rivalry, dying’s just another Tuesday for me. Now go on, scram!”
Han Yimo’s eyes brimmed with gratitude as he kept muttering about meeting a true benefactor.
“Benefactor, schmenefactor,” Chen Junnan said, shaking his head. “Since I gave you that ‘character,’ I need a favor.”
“We’re allies now—no need to be so formal.” Han Yimo lifted the ‘character.’ “For this, I’ll agree to anything within reason.”
“Perfect. It’s nothing major…”
Chen Junnan turned and pointed at Qiao Jiajin behind him.
“You know my bro—he’s all about his rep,” Chen Junnan said, slinging an arm around Han Yimo’s shoulders. “Getting knocked out in a fight? That’s embarrassing as hell.”
“So… what do you want?”
“I was thinking—when you go out, don’t mention him getting KO’d.” Chen Junnan smirked. “Better yet, spin some badass tale about him. Save his dignity. Easy for you, right?”
“Oh, that’s no problem,” Han Yimo agreed. “Consider it done. You helped me, I’ll help you.”
“Nah, nah—you’ve *always* helped *me*.”
“You’re too kind,” Han Yimo said, shaking his head. “Leave it to me.”
“Deal!” Chen Junnan beamed. “Remember—*badass*.”
“*Ultra* badass.”
After thanking Chen Junnan profusely, Han Yimo swaggered out of the ‘Preparation Zone.’
On the way, he ran into Zheng Yingxiong and announced he was off to settle scores with Wen Qiaoyun before briskly crossing the ‘River Zone.’
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