Chen Junnan and Yun Yao waited for over two hours before the scattered participants gradually gathered.
Glancing around, Chen Junnan only felt a vague familiarity with a few faces in the crowd, but it had been far too many years—he couldn’t recall a single name.
Yun Yao counted the attendees—there were already eleven people. Just one more was needed to start the game, but the closer they got, the longer the wait seemed to stretch.
“Dang it!” Chen Junnan muttered under his breath. “Should’ve dragged Old Qi along.”
Yun Yao glanced at him curiously. “You’ve known Qi Xia for a long time?”
“Yeah,” Chen Junnan nodded. “Getting to know that guy is a pain—every time, I have to reintroduce myself.”
“What…?” Yun Yao froze slightly. “You mean he…?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Chen Junnan caught her subtle reaction. “Big star, seems like you know something?”
Unsure of Chen Junnan’s stance or whether she should mention the phrase she’d heard that night—*”Endless reverberation”*—Yun Yao hesitated before shaking her head.
The last to arrive was a man in a suit. Yun Yao frowned slightly upon seeing him.
He was a familiar teammate, someone from the same room as Li Xiangling. His name was Zhong Zhen. He nodded at Yun Yao before stepping forward to hand his *”Dao”* to Earth Snake.
“Zhong Zhen… Why are you here?” Yun Yao asked.
“I could ask you the same, Yun Yao,” Zhong Zhen chuckled. “I figured only *‘Snake’* games suit me, so I’ve been looking for one.”
“Oh… I see…” Yun Yao forced a smile. “What a coincidence…”
Zhong Zhen grinned back. “Yeah, yeah, really *too* much of a coincidence. Yun Yao, have you *‘echoed’* yet?”
“I… haven’t,” she replied.
“That’s a problem…” Zhong Zhen feigned concern. “If this game has rules about backstabbing… I might hesitate to act.”
“Ha…” Yun Yao scoffed. “*Hesitate*? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“You’re right, haha.” Zhong Zhen’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Chen Junnan noticed Yun Yao’s unease and whispered behind her, “You good, big star?”
“I’m fine,” she murmured back. “I don’t know what you’re capable of, but be careful with that man.”
“Huh? The suit guy?” Chen Junnan shot a dismissive glance. “What’s his deal?”
“He’s ruthless,” Yun Yao said bluntly. “To win, he’d kill anyone without hesitation—teammates or friends.”
“Sounds great to me,” Chen Junnan grinned. “Means he’s easy to read.”
“Is that so…?” Yun Yao smiled faintly, lost in thought. She could only pray she’d *”echo”* quickly in this game—otherwise, things might get dangerous.
Chen Junnan studied Zhong Zhen but drew a blank. He stood and walked up to Earth Snake.
“Old man, we’re all here. Let’s get this started.”
Earth Snake scanned the group, visibly disappointed at the male-dominated ratio. But one woman stood out—exceptionally beautiful, worth four or five people in his eyes. Revitalized, he announced, “Fine. Follow me.”
The twelve of them entered the massive building behind him.
Inside was a circular arena with a small podium at the center, atop which sat an old-fashioned computer.
Encircling the space was a round wall with wooden doors spaced every few meters—apparently, twelve rooms lay beyond.
“Listen up,” Earth Snake clasped his hands behind his back. “My game is called *‘Minority vs. Majority’*—a simple Q&A. Each of you gets a room. Once the game starts, I’ll lock the doors, and you’ll answer from inside.”
Seeing their confusion, he walked to a door and opened it.
The room was a small square with a chair and a monitor in the center. In the corner hung an ancient telephone, mounted on a tiny shelf for convenience.
Earth Snake led them inside. Chen Junnan and Yun Yao examined the monitor—custom-made, propped up by a metal pole in front of the chair.
It had two buttons: green on the left, red on the right.
“The questions are straightforward—only *‘Yes’* or *‘No.’*” Earth Snake explained. “Press the corresponding button. Green for *‘Yes,’* red for *‘No.’* For fairness, answers follow *‘majority rules’*—the more popular choice wins.”
He then picked up the telephone.
“This is a special line,” he said. “Your rooms form a loop. At any time, your phone can only connect to the next room on your left.”
Pausing, he added, “If someone’s eliminated, the call will skip to the next living player after ten rings.”
Zhong Zhen frowned. “How do we get eliminated?”
“You’ll know when it happens,” Earth Snake smirked. “If you sense death coming, female participants can beg me for mercy. If you please me, I *might* spare you.”
“What about the men?” Zhong Zhen pressed.
“Men can die directly.” Earth Snake said coldly.
“Old man,” Chen Junnan cut in, “what’s the phone for? What’s this *‘connect to the next room’* business? Can we call for help during answers?”
Earth Snake shook his head. “Not *‘help.’* Each round, I’ll give the question to one player. After answering, they’ll relay it by phone to the next person on their left. Once all twelve answer, the round ends.”
Chen Junnan eyed the phone, a bad feeling creeping in.
This was a *‘Q&A’* game, but the *‘questions’* might not come from the *‘referee’*—they could be passed between players.
And *‘Snake’* games were usually one of two types: *‘Q&A’* or *‘Deception.’* This one likely blended both, creating unpredictable chaos.
“I have forty-eight questions—forty-eight rounds,” Earth Snake declared. “Survivors split forty-eight *‘Dao’* when it’s over.”
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