Chapter 322: Soul Snatcher

Round Twenty-Seven.

Everything unfolded just as Chen Junnan had anticipated. The iron ball rolled relentlessly from “-2” to “3,” obliterating every “even-numbered” room in its path. Now, it had swept past the “girl in white” and hovered menacingly over the head of the person to her left.

In the room opposite Chen Junnan, a woman dressed in white held a phone to her ear, smiling as she waited.

Before long, she spoke. “Big brother, what did you say your name was again?”

“I—I’m Zhong Zhen…”

“That’s a nice name, big brother.” The girl in white nodded. “What’s your choice this time?”

Zhong Zhen clenched his teeth, lips pale as he asked, “Can you… stop tormenting me…?”

“How could I?” The girl chuckled. “You can keep choosing ‘No.’ If you don’t believe me, we can try again.”

She covered her mouth with a laugh, and in another room, Zhong Zhen did the same.

“I believe you… I believe everything…” Zhong Zhen nodded frantically. “I’ll agree to anything you say, I can’t die yet… Just don’t make me choose ‘Yes’ again…”

“How could I?” The girl smiled, feigning confusion. “Big brother, look for yourself. You’re the one choosing ‘Yes.'”

Zhong Zhen lowered his gaze, and his face twisted in despair.

Without realizing it, his left hand had extended toward the “Yes” button.

“Girl… please… I can’t die now…” Zhong Zhen stammered in horror. “Let me achieve ‘Echo’ first… If I can kill someone I know, then dying wouldn’t matter…”

“Oh…?” The girl in white smoothed her long hair. “Then pull your hand back quickly. If you’re too late, you’ll press it.”

Zhong Zhen threw the phone aside and desperately gripped his left hand with his right.

But his left hand seemed possessed, straining toward the button with unnatural force. Just as he mustered all his strength to hold it back, his entire body lurched forward.

**Snap.**

A crisp sound echoed as his left hand finally pressed “Yes.”

Zhong Zhen’s expression darkened. What kind of cursed power was this?

Could there really be such an overpowering “Echo” in this place?

“Big brother, want to say your goodbyes?” The girl in white smiled. “Seems like we don’t have much time left to chat.”

Zhong Zhen sat motionless in his chair, numbly picking up the phone again. “How… how do you control your ‘Echo’ so precisely? You never trigger the bell… How long have you retained your memories?”

“Hah, big brother, what makes you think I’d reveal my secrets?” The girl shook her head. “In this land, the number of people who can freely use ‘Echo’ without triggering the bell can be counted on one hand. That’s how we survive.”

Zhong Zhen pressed his lips together tightly. “So that’s it… If possible… I really don’t want to forget you. With someone as terrifying as you in the ‘Land of Finality,’ I should always stay on guard.”

“But you won’t get the chance.” The girl’s smile remained sweet. “That’s why I never kill ‘Echoers.’ The current you? Dead is dead.”

“Then…” Zhong Zhen forced a bitter smile. “Since I’m about to die, can you at least tell me what your ability is?”

“What’s the point?”

“I don’t know.” Zhong Zhen shook his head. “But maybe, just maybe, there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance… I’ll remember you.”

“Fine.” The girl nodded. “Big brother, since you’re about to die, I’ll let you go in peace. I am ‘Soulstealer.'”

“Soul… stealer…?” Zhong Zhen’s face twisted into an ugly grin. He never expected his opponent’s “Echo” to be a three-word ability. “How do you control others…?”

“That, I can’t say. Sorry.”

The girl reached up to adjust her hair—and at the same moment, in another room, Zhong Zhen’s hand mimicked the motion, brushing through nonexistent locks.

“So you used this ability to control everyone around us… forcing them to make choices?”

“I’m not that strong. My range is limited.” The girl shrugged. “Besides ‘Echo,’ I rely on my intelligence. Only when both are in play can I dominate all Earth-level games.”

“Incredible.” Zhong Zhen finally exhaled in resignation. “If I survive… I’ll make sure to kill you first.”

“Is that your dying declaration?” The girl examined her nails, expression serene. “You chose ‘Yes’ yourself. What are the odds you’ll live? Even if there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance, it’d only be if some ‘Echoer’ suddenly appeared. But since you’re the one dying this round, theoretically, no one else’s ‘Echo’ should trigger.”

“Hah!” Zhong Zhen let out a hollow laugh, then undid the top button of his shirt. “But maybe there’s an exception. When it’s a life-or-death gamble, you cling to every shred of hope. Even if no new ‘Echoer’ emerges… isn’t there still one name left on the leaderboard?”

The girl paused slightly. Indeed, the leaderboard outside still displayed one remaining “Echoer”—”Scapegoat.”

“You’re pinning your hopes on ‘Scapegoat’ saving you?” The girl burst into laughter. “Oh my, how can you be so naive?”

“That’s what they call a ‘lifeline.'” Zhong Zhen sighed. “When all hope is lost, people grasp at even the flimsiest straws.”

“Then I hope you hold on tight.”

The girl set down the phone, closed her eyes, and sat quietly. Soon, a faint smile curled her lips.

“Just die, all of you… After all, the ‘Extreme Path’… is the only true way here.”

—

On the other side of the arena, in Yun Yao’s room.

She had been frozen in place for a long time.

Chen Junnan’s words during their last call left her utterly bewildered.

“Big star, I’ve figured it out. Our biggest threat is the girl in white across from me. If I’m right, she’s about to kill the person to her left.”

“But that’s beyond our control now, isn’t it?”

“On the contrary.” Chen Junnan’s voice was firm. “In this arena, I’m not the only one who can control the iron ball—so can I.”

“You…?”

“Do you believe me when I say that, from now on, I can ignore all rules and make the ball land wherever I want?”

“What?!” Yun Yao was stunned. “Y-you have that kind of power? But… why would you do that?”

“I’m going to save the person to the girl’s left.” Chen Junnan chuckled. “If I save him now, he might become your strongest ally.”

“My ally? What are you planning?”

“Can’t say. If I do, it might fail.”

“This…” Yun Yao bit her lip. “How confident are you?”

“Confidence?” Chen Junnan cracked his neck. “Listen, when I do something, I don’t think about ‘confidence.’ If I succeed, call me Boss Chen, and we’ll meet in Dubai. If I fail, just call me Chen Whatever, and we’ll regroup in ten days.”