Chapter 1087: Continuing

Chu Tianqiu stared with wide eyes, standing frozen in place. He had thought of countless ways to lose, but never this one.

"Tian Tian created... a 'Men'?" Chu Tianqiu said blankly. "She turned the original 'Men' leading to the 'Mao Tu' room into the 'Kui Tao Zhi Men'... "

"How about it?" Qi Xia said. "The structure is simple, using materials on hand. Even if it fails, it doesn't matter. After all, the only ones who would enter this 'Men' are your people. Even if the other side is a hell of oil pots, it still counts as her success."

For a moment, Chu Tianqiu was at a loss for words, as if he already knew where Jin Yuanxun had gone.

He turned back expressionlessly and saw, in the nearby shadows, Jin Yuanxun slowly approaching.

"Ge...?" Jin Yuanxun seemed to have spotted his savior. "You... how did you get here too?"

Chu Tianqiu had no face left to answer that question.

He should have realized it earlier—if someone wanted to disappear from the venue with a "Zi," the biggest possibility was "Kui Tao."

But because everyone assumed that "Kui Tao" meant "death," he could never figure out Jin Yuanxun's motive for it.

Now, it seemed Jin Yuanxun didn't even know he was "Kui Tao"-ing. It must have happened when he started using "Yue Qian" to control the people in the room, accidentally trapping himself and Tian Tian in the same room.

So Tian Tian quickly deceived him into going through the "Men," ultimately unlocking the room.

"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu turned back to look at him. "How exactly did you pull this off? Did you plan from the start to eliminate me, the 'Main Shuai,' in this way?"

"Well, how should I put it, Chu Tianqiu?" Qi Xia shook his head and replied from inside the "Men." "You're carrying so many 'Eyeballs.' Now that you've gained 'Hui Xiang,' if we really entered the game, I'd be the one to lose."

"You..."

"So I had to think of a way to make you lose before you could activate 'Hui Xiang.'" Qi Xia touched the doorframe and said. "I started planning this the moment the game began. Once we actually entered a game together, you could just use 'Tian Xing Jian' to kill me outright, right?"

"Though I hate to admit it, that's exactly what I would do," Chu Tianqiu said. "I even had the second 'Eyeball' from Zhang Shan in my hand, but your scheme left me no chance to use it."

"So, are you going to rush in and kill me now?" Qi Xia asked.

"I could, but I don't want to." Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "A loss is a loss. You gave me plenty of hints, but I didn't find the answer. This time, I've lost fair and square."

"Yes, I gave you more than enough hints." Qi Xia said. "From the beginning, I sent Tian Tian to a room with a 'Men' that could lead to 'Kui Tao,' where she kept observing the differences between the two kinds of 'Men.' Then, I learned from your camp how to gain 'Hui Xiang,' which Zheng Yingxiong passed on to her. Meanwhile, Chen Junan's and Qiao Jiujin's attacks were all to sow doubt among you all, making cooperation impossible."

The more Chu Tianqiu listened, the more incredible it seemed. It looked like he was making meticulous plans at every step, but in reality, he had been following Qi Xia's lead the whole time.

"As long as you didn't trust your own people, you might use 'Hua Xing' yourself. I figured the time was right, so I boldly made a bet with Yan Zhichun, giving you plenty of time to act." Qi Xia said. "Because among all of us, I figured you knew me the best. If you used 'Hua Xing,' you'd only turn into me. So I told Chen Junan that a 'strange me' would show up."

Chu Tianqiu shook his head helplessly. "So Zhang Chenze was your doing too. Her appearance directly led to our failure."

"Zhang Lüshi is a fascinating person." Qi Xia said. "No matter how dire the situation, she'll always respond with the coolest, most rational thinking, so she could quickly adjust and go alone into the enemy camp for repeated point deductions. That kind of precise, efficient approach—besides me, she's the only one in the team who could pull it off. No one else could."

Chu Tianqiu pressed his lips together tightly, saying nothing.

"But you got one thing wrong," Qi Xia said. "Zhang Chenze's appearance didn't directly cause your failure—it was to force you into this game venue. Deducting a few points would heighten your sense of crisis in the short term, and then Yan Zhichun would show up to tell you I was waiting for you at the 'He Dao.' You'd have no choice but to appear, and everything would fall into place. Though none of them were spies, they were all acting according to my plan, no different from spies."

"I didn't realize you'd already set up this 'Men,' and even sent Jin Yuanxun out midway." Chu Tianqiu said. "Rather than saying the 'Continuous Deductions' increased my crisis, it was Jin Yuanxun's disappearance that left me more confused."

"That was just a coincidence." Qi Xia said. "I didn't instruct Tian Tian on how to handle that situation—she decided on her own."

"What a clever decision on her own." Chu Tianqiu laughed. "My side's people were all making their own decisions, but in the end, it was like a pile of loose sand."

Qi Xia chuckled lightly after hearing that. "Do you know about octopuses?"

"Octopuses...?" Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brow. "Of course I do."

"Octopuses have nine brains." Qi Xia said. "One main brain in the head, and eight subsidiary brains in their tentacles. So each octopus acts like a captain leading eight teammates—the main brain gives orders, and the subsidiary brains receive and execute them independently. I don't try to control my teammates; I just issue instructions, and they decide how to carry them out. They're my limbs, and I'm willing to accept all the consequences."

"But I feel like I'm more like a shark." Chu Tianqiu said. "I have just one brain and one body, while the others are independent little fish. I have to say, your team is incredibly strong—even Han Yimo's presence left me helpless."

"Han Yimo?" Qi Xia shook his head. "Unfortunately, I never gave Han Yimo any hints. Like I said, everything is 'free development,' and I accept all results. Besides, I don't want to use Han Yimo's 'Hui Xiang' to win—it would make victory feel pointless."

Chu Tianqiu felt like all his efforts from start to finish had been wasted on something soft, like punching a sponge.

He had been so careful, guarding against spies and always watching Han Yimo's mindset, yet Qi Xia had never paid attention to Han Yimo's state or planted any spies at all.

"I've lost fair and square," Chu Tianqiu said.

"Truth be told, you can't really call this a loss," Qi Xia said. "This kind of game isn't your strong suit. Next, I have other tasks for you."

Chu Tianqiu's expression changed, and he asked, "You... you're giving me tasks?"

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "The others don't understand you, but I do. I know what situations bring out your full potential."