Chapter 1043: Undercover Life

Wen Qiaoyun and Han Yimo exchanged a glance before walking toward the nearby door.

“Qiaoyun jie… that side is…?”

“It's fine. Let's go.”

Ren Zhu, who had been stunned for a while, finally snapped out of it and called out to them.

“Hey!”

“Hmm?” The two turned to look at him.

“It's not that way.” Ren Zhu shook his head as he looked at the door. “That's the path I use to leave. Your 'Men' is over here.”

He pointed to a lone “Men” in the dark corner behind him.

“I'm a bit curious.” Wen Qiaoyun pointed to the door beside her and said, “Where would we end up if we went through this door?”

“Where…? Well…” Ren Zhu thought for a few seconds before replying, “Naturally, it would mean 'quitting.' Not only would you exit this game, but you could also quit your life altogether.”

“I see…” Wen Qiaoyun nodded. “I won't go out, but can I just open the 'Men' and take a look?”

Ren Zhu paused for a moment before responding, “Of course you can. After all, it doesn't really matter to me even if you do decide to leave.”

He knew that if the “participants” escaped through that door, the ones who killed them would be Zhuque or Qinglong. Although it was a shame, it wouldn't count toward his own record. So Ren Zhu wasn't lying—it truly didn't make much difference to him which door they used. The only reason he offered a warning was to avoid giving his room a bad reputation as a “black shop.” If someone entered his room and didn't return the way they came, others wouldn't visit anymore.

Seizing the rare opportunity before Ren Zhu could change his mind, Wen Qiaoyun quickly opened the door in front of her. A slightly dazzling dark red light seeped in, revealing nothing more than an ordinary street in the “Zhongyan Zhidi.” Ordinary streets, small rooms scattered about, frantic judges, and makeshift games. This was the rest of the “Cangjie Qi.”

“It's just a street.” Wen Qiaoyun said, “Would walking out count as 'escaping'?”

“Yes.” Ren Zhu replied while tidying up the table. “You seem like a smart person, so you probably know what happens if you escape from the game, right?”

Little did Ren Zhu realize that the Wen Qiaoyun before him was entering the game for the first time in her memories.

“I have a rough idea.” Wen Qiaoyun said casually, gently closing the door.

Han Yimo clearly had some lingering attachment to what was outside the door, but after thinking about the possibility of being killed upon leaving, he silently followed Wen Qiaoyun.

“Then we're leaving.” Wen Qiaoyun had gathered enough information and saw no need to waste more time.

The two went through the “Men” they had entered from, which led back to the “Cangjie Qi” game area. They didn't exchange any more words with Ren Zhu and left after entering. Ren Zhu stepped forward and slowly closed the wooden door, hoping he had left a decent impression on the two and that they might send some return customers his way.

After leaving, Wen Qiaoyun headed straight for Chu Tianqiu without looking back, but Han Yimo quickly grabbed her before the surrounding doors unlocked.

“Qiaoyun jie… don't forget our agreement…”

“The agreement…” Wen Qiaoyun paused. “I won't forget. Don't worry. As long as you bring me the second 'character,' I'll make sure the whole team accepts you.”

“Good… that's great…”

Once the doors unlocked, the two parted ways and hurried back to their respective “Beizhan Qu.” Since Wen Qiaoyun was still in enemy territory, she had to stay vigilant against the risk of being ambushed again. But when she reached the “Hedao,” the first thing she saw was Zhang Shan lying on the ground.

She was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly scanned the surrounding walls, which were almost entirely covered in large patches of blood. Had Zhang Shan been taken down? With his massive build, he was like a dead tiger—could an ordinary person really have done that…? Given the amount of blood, it must have been a group attack, overwhelming him.

Wen Qiaoyun wanted to approach and check on Zhang Shan, but she reached into her pocket and felt the two “characters” inside, realizing it wasn't the right time. She had come out from the rightmost room, but Zhang Shan's body was far to the left. Though it was only about a dozen steps, anything could happen in that distance. Even if she confirmed whether he was alive or dead, there was no way she could help him up.

With that in mind, she set Zhang Shan aside for now and stepped forward to open the door directly in front of her. After making sure no one was inside, she quickly returned to the “Beizhan Qu.” As she moved, she seemed to hear some argument in their team's “Zhanchang Qu,” but the soundproofing was so good that she could only catch muffled echoes, unable to pinpoint the location.

…

Han Yimo arrived at the “Beizhan Qu” panting. Qi Xia and Zhang Chenze were standing together talking, while Qiao Jiajin lay in the corner, covered in blood.

“Huh…?” He was slightly stunned, feeling as if something major had happened in the short time he was away. With the main character absent, things still went haywire… Was this some kind of side story?

Qi Xia turned to glance at Han Yimo, quickly verifying his identity.

“What happened to him…?” Han Yimo pointed at Qiao Jiajin and asked.

Identity confirmed—he wasn't Xu Liunian.

“He's resting.” Qi Xia said. “What about you? Any results?”

“I…” Han Yimo lowered his head in frustration. “I'm sorry! I lost!”

“Good.” Qi Xia showed no surprise, just nodded and turned away without saying more. “Zhang Lvshi, please go to that room and keep watch for me.”

Qi Xia pointed to a map on the wall. “Chen Junnan is invading alone right now, but I believe he'll throw the other side into chaos. Tian Tian and Zheng Yingxiong are holding the flanks, but the middle is weak. Go and hold out until Chen Junnan returns. If you run into anyone, retreat quickly.”

“Got it.” Zhang Chenze nodded and left the “Beizhan Qu.”

Han Yimo thought Qi Xia might say something to him after sending Zhang Chenze away, but instead, Qi Xia walked over to check on Qiao Jiajin's injuries. Based on the trend, it seemed Qi Xia wasn't planning to acknowledge him.

Wait, no—Han Yimo sharply realized that Qi Xia wasn't ignoring him; he was waiting for the main character to say something to trigger the plot.

“You have no idea how badly I lost just now!” Han Yimo said. “That woman is no ordinary opponent—she's like an ancient powerhouse.”

Qi Xia examined Qiao Jiajin's nostrils to ensure the blood hadn't clogged his breathing and softly uttered three words: “You've worked hard.”

“It wasn't that hard!” Han Yimo replied. “Although I lost to that woman, I found a way to counter her. Now I'm confident—if you give me another chance, I can definitely make her retreat in defeat.”

Qi Xia turned back with a cool expression and asked Han Yimo, “Have you been to the 'Hedao'?”

“The… 'Hedao'?” Han Yimo shook his head. “No.”

“Good. Stay in the 'Beizhan Qu' for now.”