The next problem unfolded just as Chen Junnan had anticipated.
The iron ball overhead surged uncontrollably to the left like a runaway train, coming to a halt above Yun Yao’s head.
Seizing the opportunity of this call, Chen Junnan shared his deduction with Yun Yao: Dishe was hidden among the “even numbers,” most likely at coordinate “-2.” But by now, both Yun Yao and Chen Junnan knew they were powerless to change the situation.
Chen Junnan also voiced another suspicion—to be wary of the “Silent Man.” This unassuming man was likely the one who had impersonated Dishe earlier.
After all, during the round where Dishe was impersonated, only he could alter the question. This meant that despite not knowing the full picture, he had completely deduced the course of events—definitely no small player.
In the subsequent rounds, he had also successfully killed “1.”
From this, it seemed that “3” had always been an empty room. The “Silent Man” had pretended to receive a call from “3” to change the question, but he hadn’t anticipated the “Gambit Initiator” being just ahead, exposing his scheme.
And just before the “Silent Man” was “Triangle.”
This “Triangle” had also taken action, killing the previous “3.”
The two men ahead of Yun Yao were anything but ordinary, and her situation was growing increasingly perilous.
By the fourteenth round, Chen Junnan’s screen displayed another eerie line of text—seemingly a question, yet utterly meaningless.
**”A flower crumbles amidst the snowflakes.”**
Upon seeing it, Chen Junnan picked up the phone and dialed Xu Qian. This round was just like before—despite completing a full cycle and reaching the fourteenth question, their predicament remained unchanged.
The iron ball finally hovered above Chen Junnan’s head. The next round’s question would determine whether he lived or died.
Just as Yun Yao had said, the iron ball that had already claimed lives was nothing like the one at the start.
It hung there, reeking of blood, its massive, icy outline faintly perceptible—so vast it seemed capable of filling the entire room.
“Completely unstoppable,” Chen Junnan chuckled. “Dishe… why the rush?”
The fifteenth round began. Xu Qian, as the “first person,” was the last to receive Yun Yao’s call.
But Yun Yao’s tone was strange, almost as if she was asking for his last words.
“Chen… Chen Junnan,” she stammered, “I… I’ve already chosen ‘No.’ Later, you should choose ‘No’ too. Maybe then you’ll survive…”
“Got it,” Chen Junnan replied calmly. “I’ll choose ‘No.'”
“You… really aren’t afraid of dying?” Yun Yao asked nervously. “The iron ball is right above you now…”
“Honestly…” Chen Junnan sighed. “I’ve grown numb to the idea of ‘death.’ Even if I knew I might really die, I still feel nothing inside. All these years, I’ve only ever feared my friends dying—never myself.”
“But you—”
“And my perspective differs from yours,” Chen Junnan said, lifting his head to glance at the ceiling while holding the phone. “I have a strange premonition… that I won’t die this round.”
“Why…?”
“Because I’ve realized something.” Chen Junnan narrowed his eyes. “In the early rounds, I was leading the game. But at some point… the reins were taken by someone else.”
“You mean… someone’s controlling the game now?”
“Exactly. Big Star, there’s an incredibly sharp mind in play right now—someone who, if I’m not mistaken, is on par with Old Qi.” Chen Junnan reached out, tracing the layout map on the wall. “This person has likely seized control of a significant portion of the opposite side, roughly from ‘2’ to ‘6.’ And from the very start, they deduced both ‘Dishe’s participation’ and ‘Dishe’s exact location.’ Ever since, they’ve been working to seize the initiative.”
Yun Yao was stunned.
Could someone *that* formidable really exist?
“So then…?” she asked.
“So they’ve been steadily guiding the iron ball toward ‘-2.’ If my assumptions are correct, this round they’ll have everyone choose ‘No,’ switching between ‘evens’ and ‘odds.’ That’s why I might survive.”
“That’s an incredibly bold assumption,” Yun Yao said, frowning. “If even one guess is wrong, you’ll be gone forever.”
“Precisely because I’ve teamed up with Old Qi, I know how high the ceiling for human intellect can be. When dealing with the truly brilliant… you have to trust their methods completely.” Chen Junnan grinned. “Big Star, do you think that person has figured out I’m the ‘Gambit Initiator’?”
“Even if they have, what does it matter?”
“Then they’d know that if I die, the ‘gambit’ ends. Dishe might be released from the room and reinstated as the ‘referee.’ Who knows if he’d retaliate or show gratitude? The best move is to keep him trapped here.”
Yun Yao swallowed hard. Chen Junnan’s faith in this unknown genius felt reckless. Could someone truly sit alone in a room and grasp the entirety of this game?
“Big Star, you know Zhong Zhen. Is he *that* sharp?” Chen Junnan asked.
“He’s no fool, but he’s nowhere near as brilliant as you’re suggesting,” Yun Yao said cautiously. “His defining trait is his ruthlessness. I’ve played a few games with him—he’s killed plenty of teammates, even me once. Chu Tianqiu once said that’s exactly why he recruited Zhong Zhen into ‘Paradise Port.'”
Chen Junnan nodded. “Then the mastermind isn’t him. It’s someone else.”
Yun Yao pondered. They’d met all the participants earlier—but who among them could pull this off?
“Big Star, let’s leave it at that for now,” Chen Junnan said. “After all, I’ll soon find out if my theory holds.”
He hung up, pressed “No” with deliberate gravity, then murmured:
“Show me what you’ve got.”
The next few seconds stretched like an eternity. Chen Junnan watched as the words on the screen dimmed—then slowly brightened again.
The verdict determining his fate had arrived.
**”The final answer to this question is—’No.'”**
“I gambled right…” Chen Junnan’s eyebrows shot up as the deafening clatter of chains echoed overhead. The massive iron ball lurched away from him.
From this moment on, the iron ball was like a tank slowly rotating its barrel—now aimed squarely at Dishe.
And Chen Junnan felt an invisible bridge form, linking him to someone on the opposite side.
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