Chapter 1048: How Would I Know?

Everything seems to be going according to plan, yet somehow it feels a bit off.

Now everything seems to be going according to plan, yet somehow it feels a bit different.

Qi Xia once said that the “character” on Kim Won-hoon might be “卒” (pawn), which is extremely important to them and requires a full-scale assault within the remaining time.

Now, without quite realizing how, he had ended up entering a “Human Snake” game with him. Was this part of the plan?

Since this kid Kim Won-hoon would become as slippery as a loach once he gained “Echo,” it was the perfect opportunity to corner him in this room and seize his “character.” That way, even if he started acting up later, it wouldn’t matter.

“Very good, very good…” Chen Junnan nodded.

“Good what?” Human Snake said. “Since we’re in the game arena, we still have to play the game.”

“Oh, right.” Chen Junnan turned to Kim Won-hoon. “Little Kim, you dare?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Kim Won-hoon replied. “Bro, I’m not completely scared, you know.”

“You still haven’t caught on, kid?” Chen Junnan said with a laugh. “Didn’t you see me secretly colluding with the referee just now?”

“What… what collusion?”

“Private communication,” Chen Junnan said. “We’re in cahoots.”

“What… cahoots?”

“Watch your words! Who’s in cahoots with you?” Human Snake interjected. “Weren’t you in a hurry earlier? Not anymore?”

“Hey, now that we’ve got the ‘character’ back, there’s really no rush,” Chen Junnan said to Kim Won-hoon. “This referee, Brother Snake, has known me for over twenty years. We grew up together. He’s planning to fix the game and award your ‘character’ to me, so you might as well admit defeat now.”

“Omo…” Kim Won-hoon was stunned. “Is that for real?”

Human Snake didn’t answer but instead looked at Kim Won-hoon with slight curiosity. “Korean?”

“Jilin, Yanbian,” Kim Won-hoon corrected.

“Then this game might be tough for you,” Human Snake said with a laugh. “This is a quiz game. As a Chinese person, if you can’t even speak Mandarin fluently, how are you going to participate?”

“I can understand almost everything!” Kim Won-hoon insisted. “I’m just not very fluent when speaking. My parents speak Korean at home.”

“Hold on a second!” Chen Junnan let go of Kim Won-hoon and approached Human Snake. “Brother Snake, are you really going through with the game?”

“…Why wouldn’t I?” Human Snake asked.

“You don’t have any game props here. What kind of game are we even going to play?” Chen Junnan questioned.

“I am the game prop.” Human Snake pulled a notebook from his pocket and slapped it on the table. “Later, I’ll ask both of you questions. Whoever answers correctly wins.”

“Questions?” Chen Junnan glanced at the tattered notebook on the table. “Can I take a look at it in advance?”

“Sure.” Human Snake nodded.

Chen Junnan was taken aback, as if worried the other might change his mind, and quickly flipped through the notebook. He found it filled with questions.

The handwriting looked somewhat familiar.

Not wanting to be left out, Kim Won-hoon hurried over to Chen Junnan’s side to look at the question book together.

“To…day…two…pla…ces…may I ask…who?” Kim Won-hoon mumbled as he read.

“Little Kim, if you can’t read, just stop. Step aside for a bit, and I’ll explain it to you later.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Kim Won-hoon retorted with a frown, continuing to stare at the words in the notebook.

Chen Junnan skimmed through it quickly. Most of the questions were logic puzzles, some of which had even been asked in the interview room. Those questions were marked with a check in pencil.

Chen Junnan was all too familiar with this kind of book. Every kid had stacks of them back in school. Out of habit, he flipped to the last page.

The last page was also filled with logic puzzles.

“…?”

“What’s wrong?” Human Snake asked.

“Where are the answers?” Chen Junnan held up the notebook.

“What answers?”

“The answers to the questions! Where are the answers to these questions?”

“How should I know?”

“Huh…?” Chen Junnan was stunned for a moment before quickly catching on. “I get it. You keep the answers and questions separate? Pretty sneaky.”

“No, I only brought this notebook,” Human Snake replied. “Isn’t this enough to stump both of you?”

“It is. Wait, no—what’s the point of stumping us?!” Chen Junnan exclaimed. “Besides, do you even need these questions to stump this kid here? One sentence like ‘A blue cloth cotton door curtain hangs on the door’ would leave him stumped for a whole day.”

“Hey! Bro! You…” Kim Won-hoon wanted to say something, but he hadn’t quite understood what that sentence meant, let alone repeat it.

“Which is why I said he’s at a disadvantage in this game,” Human Snake said. “Are both of you ready? If so, I’ll begin. Three questions. Whoever gets two right wins.”

“Hold on!” Chen Junnan knew this wasn’t his strong suit and quickly pulled Human Snake aside, whispering, “Didn’t we have a deal? Can’t you cut me some slack?”

“Slack?” Human Snake whispered back. “How?”

“Tell me the answers to the first three questions in advance,” Chen Junnan muttered quietly. “Otherwise, I doubt I can win.”

“Didn’t I make myself clear earlier? I said, ‘How should I know?'” Human Snake replied. “I don’t have the answers.”

“…?”

Chen Junnan was speechless for a moment, feeling like he hadn’t been wrong after all. In this damned place, he often found himself bewildered.

Every time he managed to clear his thoughts, it was only to set himself up for the next, even greater confusion.

But could he really blame himself? It seemed like all the absurd things in the world just happened to cross his path.

“Are you fucking kidding me…?” Chen Junnan said. “If you don’t know the answers, what’s the point of asking?”

“After you answer, I’ll think about whether it’s right or not,” Human Snake replied honestly.

Chen Junnan fell silent for three seconds before asking, “I think I might have misheard. Let me get this straight…”

“Go on.”

“You ask the questions, we guess, and then you decide whether the answers are right based on our guesses.”

“Correct.”

“So, whoever you think is right, is right.”

“Correct.”

Chen Junnan blinked. “Then why won’t you fix the game for me? Don’t you still need to see Old Qi? What good does it do you if I lose?”

“Ah, although I really want to see Qi Xia, this isn’t about fixing the game,” Human Snake said. “First of all, we ‘Zodiacs’ have our own rules. I can’t be unfair. Second… I genuinely want to know the answers to these questions.”

“Aren’t these just ordinary logic puzzles?” Chen Junnan said. “You can find tons of them online. What difference does it make if you know the answers?”

“This is a ‘ticket,'” Human Snake said.

“A ticket…?”

“It leads to a very distant future,” Human Snake explained. “Although it’s far away, I want to catch a glimpse of it.”

Chen Junnan and Kim Won-hoon exchanged puzzled glances. The quiz game hadn’t even started yet, but they were already struggling to understand what Human Snake was saying.

But now, by sheer coincidence, he’s ended up in a “Human Snake” game with him—was this part of the plan?

Since Kim Won-hoon, once he gains “Echo,” would be as slippery as a loach and impossible to catch, now’s the perfect time to pin him down in this room and take the “character.” That way, even if he starts bouncing around later, it won’t matter.

“Great, great…” Chen Junnan nodded.

“What’s so great?” Human Snake said. “Now that we’re in the game area, we still have to play.”

“Oh, right.” Chen Junnan turned to Kim Won-hoon. “Hey, Kim, you up for it?”

“What’s there to be scared of?” Kim Won-hoon replied. “Bro, I’m not completely afraid.”

“You still don’t see the problem here?” Chen Junnan grinned. “Didn’t you notice me making secret deals with the referee just now?”

“What… what deal?”

“Private negotiation,” Chen Junnan said. “Collusion.”

“What… collusion?”

“Watch your words! Who’s colluding with you?” Human Snake interjected. “Weren’t you in a hurry? Not anymore?”

“Eh, now that we’ve got the ‘character’ back, no rush.” Chen Junnan turned to Kim Won-hoon. “This referee, Snake Bro, has known me for over twenty years—we’re childhood friends. He’s planning to rig the game and award me the ‘character’ on your body. So you might as well surrender now.”

“Oh my…” Kim Won-hoon blinked. “Is that for real?”

Human Snake didn’t answer, instead eyeing Kim Won-hoon with mild curiosity. “Korean?”

“Jilin, Yanbian,” Kim Won-hoon corrected.

“Then you’re at a disadvantage in this game,” Human Snake chuckled. “Mine’s a quiz game. As a Chinese, if you can’t even speak Mandarin fluently, how are you going to compete?”

“I can understand most of it!” Kim Won-hoon protested. “I just don’t speak it smoothly. My parents speak Korean at home.”

“Hold on!” Chen Junnan let go of Kim Won-hoon and stepped toward Human Snake. “Snake Bro, you’re seriously going ahead with the game?”

“…Why wouldn’t I?” Human Snake replied.

“You don’t even have any game props here. What kind of game are we playing?” Chen Junnan asked.

“I *am* the game prop.” Human Snake pulled out a notebook from his robe and slapped it onto the table. “I’ll ask you two questions. Whoever answers correctly wins.”

“Questions?” Chen Junnan glanced at the tattered notebook. “Can I take a look first?”

“Sure,” Human Snake nodded.

Chen Junnan hesitated for a second, as if worried Human Snake might change his mind, then quickly flipped through the notebook. It was filled with questions.

The handwriting looked familiar.

Not wanting to be left out, Kim Won-hoon hurried over to peek at the questions too.

“To… day… two… who… asks…” Kim Won-hoon mumbled as he struggled to read.

“Kim, if you can’t read, just step aside. I’ll explain it to you later.”

“Mind your own business!” Kim Won-hoon retorted with a frown, stubbornly staring at the notebook.

Chen Junnan skimmed through the pages—mostly logic puzzles, some even from the interview room. A few had checkmarks in pencil next to them.

Chen Junnan was all too familiar with books like this. Every kid had a stack of them in school. Out of habit, he flipped to the last page.

It was still just logic puzzles.

“…?”

“What’s wrong?” Human Snake asked.

“Where are the answers?” Chen Junnan held up the notebook.

“What answers?”

“The answers to the questions! Where are the answers?”

“How would I know?”

“Eh…?” Chen Junnan paused, then quickly caught on. “Got it. You keep the answers separate from the questions, huh? Pretty sneaky.”

“No, I only brought this notebook,” Human Snake replied. “Isn’t this enough to stump you two?”

“Sure is. Wait—what’s the point of stumping us?!” Chen Junnan exclaimed. “Besides, do you even need these questions to stump this kid here? A simple tongue-twister like ‘A blue cotton curtain hangs on the door’ would wreck him for a whole day.”

“Hey! Bro! You—” Kim Won-hoon wanted to argue, but he didn’t even understand what Chen Junnan had just said, let alone repeat it.

“Which is why I said he’s at a disadvantage in this game,” Human Snake remarked. “Are you two ready? If so, let’s begin. Three questions—whoever gets two right wins.”

“Hold on!” Chen Junnan knew this wasn’t his forte and quickly tugged at Human Snake’s sleeve, whispering, “Didn’t we have a deal? Can’t you give me a backdoor pass?”

“Backdoor pass?” Human Snake whispered back. “How?”

“Just tell me the answers to the first three questions,” Chen Junnan muttered under his breath. “Otherwise, I doubt I can win.”

“Didn’t I make it clear earlier? I said, ‘How would I know?’ I don’t have the answers.”

“…?”

Chen Junnan stared blankly, feeling like he’d heard wrong. In this damned place, he was constantly bewildered.

Every time he thought he had things figured out, it was just to set himself up for the next wave of confusion.

But could he really be blamed? The world just kept throwing the most absurd situations at him.

“Are you messing with me…?” Chen Junnan said. “If you don’t know the answers, what’s the point of asking?”

“After you answer, I’ll think about whether it’s correct,” Human Snake replied matter-of-factly.

Chen Junnan fell silent for three seconds. “Let me get this straight…”

“Go on.”

“You ask a question, we guess, and you decide if it’s right based on our answers.”

“Correct.”

“So whoever *you* think is right, is right.”

“Correct.”

Chen Junnan blinked. “Then why *wouldn’t* you rig it in my favor? Don’t you still need to see Qi Xia? What good does it do you if I lose?”

“Look, as much as I’d love to see Qi Xia, this isn’t about rigging the game,” Human Snake said. “First, we ‘Zodiacs’ have our own rules—I can’t be unfair. Second… I genuinely want to know the answers to these questions.”

“Aren’t these just ordinary logic puzzles?” Chen Junnan said. “You can find tons of them online. What’s the big deal if you know the answers?”

“This is a ‘ticket,'” Human Snake said.

“A… ticket?”

“To a very distant future,” Human Snake murmured. “It’s far, but I’d like to take a look.”

Chen Junnan and Kim Won-hoon exchanged glances. The quiz game hadn’t even started, and Human Snake was already speaking in riddles.