Chapter 318: Evil Serpent Appears

“Ah…?” Chen Jun-nan pondered for a moment and suddenly understood.

When the iron ball is about to fall, if the answer is not “yes” but “no”, then the iron ball will shift one space to the right.

The death target will also switch between “Shuang Shu” and “Dan Shu”.

“Big star… I never knew you were so good at studying?”

Yun Yao sighed: “I didn't expect your studies to be so poor.”

Chen Jun-nan was glad to have Yun Yao there; their minds complemented each other perfectly. He handled the ideas, while she refined the details. With their teamwork, the full picture of the game had emerged.

Until the next “falling question” with a “no” answer appeared, all the “Dan Shu” positions carried an inescapable threat of death, while all the “Shuang Shu” ones were absolutely safe.

“So that's how it is… Great.” Chen Jun-nan said.

“Good…?” Yun Yao paused, stunned. “Chen Jun-nan, didn't I make it clear? You're in a 'Dan Shu' position right now—you could die.”

“Will I die?” Chen Jun-nan feigned surprise but responded casually. “Oh… Thanks for the reminder.”

“You…?”

“Big star, I fear many things, but not death.” Chen Jun-nan said. “In this 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di', I'm ready to die at any time.”

“But you're gambling with your life!” Yun Yao said. “If we die, we're just dead, but if you die, you'll vanish completely.”

“It's fine.” Chen Jun-nan yawned. “It's all the same. Losing a life gamble with 'Di Ji' just means existing in a different form—I'm still part of 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di'.”

“You know about that too?” Yun Yao asked, puzzled.

“Young master knows a lot of things.” Chen Jun-nan laughed. “Let's not get sidetracked. What's the question this time?”

“Just as you said, it's still random text with no meaning.” Yun Yao replied helplessly.

“Got it.” Chen Jun-nan said. “Leave the rest to me.”

“Do you want to choose 'yes' or 'no'?” Yun Yao asked.

“You… What do you hope I choose?” Chen Jun-nan countered.

“I don't know.” Yun Yao answered. “For my own safety, I'd prefer the answer to be 'yes' this time, so the girl to my right would die, and I'd be safe for the next few rounds.”

“Yes, that would be the right choice.”

“But I won't interfere with your decision.” Yun Yao said. “You're the one initiating this life gamble, after all. Having the iron ball hang over the 'Dan Shu' positions puts you in great danger. If you want to change the answer to 'no' and switch between 'Shuang Shu' and 'Dan Shu', that would be perfectly reasonable.”

“Is that so…?” Chen Jun-nan smirked. “Then I understand.”

“Mm…” Yun Yao should have hung up the phone, but she kept holding the receiver, unable to let go.

“What's wrong, big star?”

“Chen… Chen Jun-nan…” Yun Yao whispered, “The girl next to me isn't someone I'm close to—her life or death doesn't matter much to me. But I have a feeling that next time, it could be you who dies…”

“Stop, stop…” Chen Jun-nan shook his head quickly. “Sis, are you just inviting trouble when you're bored? Can't you say something nice?”

“But… but I really have that feeling.”

“No, no, no.” Chen Jun-nan shook his head like a rattle. “How can your thirty-six-degree mouth say something so cold? Do you think I'll change my answer to save you? You're too naive—better hang up now.”

Chen Jun-nan hung up the phone, then turned and selected “no”. He picked up the phone again and dialed Xu Qian, completing the actions smoothly.

Yes, he couldn't choose “yes” this time. Even if it would keep Yun Yao safe, he absolutely couldn't choose “yes”.

The phone was answered.

“Qian Jie.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Someone's about to go on a killing spree. If we choose 'yes' this time, people will start dying uncontrollably.” Chen Jun-nan said, pausing for a few seconds before continuing, “You handle the question this time. The goal is to make the person after you choose 'no'.”

“People will start dying uncontrollably…?”

“Yes.” Chen Jun-nan nodded. “I won't say more. Remember, choose 'no'.”

“I… I understand.” Xu Qian said hesitantly and hung up the phone.

Although Chen Jun-nan had done his best to steer the answer toward “no”, he knew the chances weren't great.

A few minutes later, the screen lit up as usual.

“The final answer for this question is—'yes'.”

“Boom—!!”

The sound was very close, as if right in front of them.

“1” died—the anxious girl.

This was the twelfth question, but it seemed everyone already knew the rules. Although it was only the second day, this game had an unusually high number of smart players. It hadn't even reached the halfway point, and already three people had died.

Now, the “Dan Shu” and “Shuang Shu” had formed two opposing factions. If the “Shuang Shu” could work together in the upcoming rounds, they could wipe out all the “Dan Shu”.

“This is really going to be…”

Chen Jun-nan hadn't finished speaking when a flash of insight pierced through his mind.

At that moment, he finally understood where Qi Xia's brilliant ideas came from. It seemed that ever since he chose to gamble with his life, his intelligence had clearly improved.

“Old Qi… It's because you don't have 'Hui Xiang', so every death feels like a real 'death', which is why you've always been walking on thin ice…”

Chen Jun-nan smiled; he had figured out the true location of Di She.

The answer was simple… Why was the “Shuang Shu” side so strong now?

Every answer had gone their way, which meant there were more people on the “Shuang Shu” side.

In the previous two games, “-2” and “3” had died, so logically, both “Shuang Shu” and “Dan Shu” should have lost one person each, keeping the factions balanced.

But ever since Di She joined the game, the numbers had changed.

The “Shuang Shu” had grown stronger.

With that, Di She's position was completely confirmed.

Chen Jun-nan stood up, faced the wall to his left, and flashed an evil smile.

“You… So you're this close to me?” He slowly placed his hand on the wall, his eyes growing more excited. “Between us… who do you think will stay here forever?”

On the other side of the wall, Di She turned to face his right. Although he hadn't answered any calls since entering the room and hadn't revealed his location, he suddenly felt a chilling killing intent coming from the wall on his right.

He placed his palm on the wall, the two of them facing each other through it.

“Kid…” Di She gritted his teeth. “You're way too dangerous—you absolutely can't be left alive.”