Chapter 1044: A and B

“Oh…?” Han Yimo was slightly taken aback.

What was going on? Had the plot taken an unexpected turn?

No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what he had said wrong.

“Wait… Qi Xia, did you not hear me clearly just now?” Han Yimo spoke again. “I’ve already found Wen Qiaoyun’s weakness. If we challenge her again, I guarantee we’ll win!”

“Found Wen Qiaoyun’s weakness?” Qi Xia glanced at Han Yimo with a calm expression. “Tell me, what kind of flaw would she reveal in front of you?”

“Eh, well…” Han Yimo blinked and hesitated before replying, “I can’t say it right now… But I really believe I can defeat her…”

“It’s okay, no need to explain,” Qi Xia said. “Rest.”

Now Han Yimo was troubled. He had clearly promised to bring the second “character” to someone… but now he didn’t have the “character” on him, so he couldn’t leave the “preparation zone.”

Wait… Why had Qi Xia asked earlier whether he had been to the “riverbank?”

Although the game venue with Wen Qiaoyun was right next to the “riverbank,” he had no reason to detour there.

Considering everything… something must have happened at the “riverbank.”

Qi Xia didn’t want him to go there.

But why? Han Yimo couldn’t help but wonder. Qi Xia didn’t even know about his undercover identity. Not allowing him to go now could only mean that danger was unfolding there.

Qi Xia wanted to protect him from harm.

Although he had his own ambitions, there was still some “savior” potential in him.

But Han Yimo couldn’t just let himself be manipulated. This small kindness might be a trap meant to lull him into complacency. He had greater things to do.

“So how long am I supposed to rest here?”

“You can take care of Qiao Jiajin for now,” Qi Xia said. “I’m tied up with something else at the moment.”

“Take care of… Qiao Jiajin?” Han Yimo turned his head to look at Qiao Jiajin, who was lying on the ground. The man looked like he was about to die… What was the point of taking care of him?

Wouldn’t it just be better to let him die and wait for the next cycle to reincarnate?

“Fine…” Han Yimo couldn’t find an excuse to refuse, so he walked over and slowly sat beside Qiao Jiajin. Looking at his wounds, he felt a bit horrified.

Although he had written many fight scenes before, only now did he truly understand what it meant for skin to be torn open and flesh exposed.

His face, body, and arms all had visible cracks. Much of the blood had already started to coagulate, but it still looked extremely painful.

Yet there were no “weapons” in this game at all. What had injured Qiao Jiajin like this?

Fists?

Han Yimo shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking he must be going mad. How could someone’s skin be broken by fists?

As he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt something in Qiao Jiajin’s pants pocket. There seemed to be a “character” inside.

Wait… He had fallen into a misunderstanding again. Why did he have to wait for Qi Xia to give him the “character”? Couldn’t he just steal one?

“Think carefully before you act,” Qi Xia said without even turning his head, staring at the characters on the wall.

“Oh…?” Han Yimo was startled.

“Leave yourself a chance. Don’t seek death needlessly,” Qi Xia said again in a calm tone.

Although Han Yimo didn’t fully understand the meaning behind Qi Xia’s words, he felt somehow threatened.

How strange was that feeling?

After that, neither of them spoke. They just sat quietly in the “preparation zone.”

…

Inside a room marked with the character “巳,” four people stood gathered, creating an extremely eerie atmosphere.

The four people were Dr. Zhao, Kim Won-hoon, Chen Junnan, and another Chen Junnan.

“No… I really am Xu Liunian!!!” One of the Chen Junnans almost screamed hoarsely. “I’ve been saying this for so long. Why won’t you believe me?!”

Let’s temporarily call this one Chen Junnan Alpha.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense!” The other Chen Junnan’s voice was even hoarser than the first. “I can even die to prove my innocence. Let me go see Tianqiu! He will definitely be able to tell who’s real!!”

Let’s call this one Chen Junnan Beta.

“Have you had enough of this act?!” Chen Junnan Alpha angrily shouted at Chen Junnan Beta. “Do you think pretending can fool everyone? No matter how well you imitate, you’re still fake!”

“Fake?!” Chen Junnan Beta was confused. “I’ve already said we can let Chu Tianqiu verify who is real. Why are you afraid to go?”

Dr. Zhao and Kim Won-hoon just stood silently in place, finding the situation incredibly bizarre.

Both of them claimed to be “Xu Liunian,” and both claimed the other was “Chen Junnan.”

But hadn’t they noticed that they were both wearing Chen Junnan’s face?

So now, who was the fake?

The two of them even wanted to go to Chu Tianqiu to determine who was real. Did they think Chu Tianqiu was the Buddha himself?

“I…” Dr. Zhao gave a bitter smile and said, “I have an immature suggestion… Whether you’re real or fake doesn’t really matter. Why can’t the real Xu Liunian just transform back?”

“I want to too!” Both Chen Junnans said almost simultaneously.

“Ahh?” Dr. Zhao was now at a loss.

Chen Junnan Beta: “I wanted to return to the ‘preparation zone’ to find Tianqiu just now, but the problem is I didn’t want to go back in this disgusting appearance. So I tried to control my belief in the room, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t transform back…”

Chen Junnan Alpha: “Just listen to his nonsense! It’s because the power of ‘echo’ here is too weak, so you can’t transform back! You two, stop blocking the way. Let us go directly to find Tianqiu!”

Dr. Zhao and Kim Won-hoon looked at each other in confusion.

If they allowed both of them into the “preparation zone,” they would definitely also bring in Chen Junnan.

But if they didn’t let them meet Chu Tianqiu… how could they determine who was real?

After thinking for a while, Kim Won-hoon said, “How about this… Dear ‘Xu Liunian,’ my doctor friend and I will go first. You two stay here and trigger the game scenario.”

Dr. Zhao quickly nodded, thinking this was probably the best idea.

“No!” Both Chen Junnans shouted in unison.

Dr. Zhao was startled: “Why not…?”

Chen Junnan Alpha: “Have you both gone mad?! The other one is Chen Junnan. He can even disguise himself as me to confuse you. Isn’t that devious enough? How can I possibly win the ‘Snake of Si’ game against him?”

Chen Junnan Beta: “You stole my words again! Dr. Zhao, Kim Won-hoon, I ask you… Even if we play the game and determine who wins… Even if only one of us can walk out that door, will you really be able to tell who is real and who is fake?”

Dr. Zhao and Kim Won-hoon scratched their heads simultaneously, feeling that they were in a big mess now.