Chapter 319: The Controller

The next question unfolded exactly as Chen Junnan had anticipated. The iron ball overhead raced forward like an out-of-control train, coming to a halt directly above Yunyao's head.

Seizing the opportunity during this call, Chen Junnan shared his deductions with Yunyao. He explained that Di She was hidden among the "even numbers," and the coordinates were most likely "-2." However, both Yunyao and Chen Junnan knew they were probably powerless to change the current situation.

Chen Junnan also mentioned another suspicion: they needed to be cautious of Men Sheng Nan. This unassuming man was likely the one who had impersonated Di She earlier.

After all, during the rounds when someone was impersonating Di She, only he could alter the questions. This meant that, without knowing the full picture, he had already completely figured out the game's progression, proving he was no minor player.

In the subsequent rounds, he had successfully eliminated "1."

From this perspective, "3" had always been an empty room. Men Sheng Nan had pretended to receive a call from "3" to change the question, but he hadn't anticipated that the Du Ming Fa Qi Zhe was right in front of him, which exposed his scheme.

Right before Men Sheng Nan was San Jiao.

This San Jiao had also killed before, taking out the previous "3."

The two men in front of Yunyao were no ordinary people, making her upcoming situation extremely dangerous.

In the fourteenth round, a strange line of text lit up on Chen Junnan's screen. It looked like a question but made no sense at all.

"A flower collapses amid the snowflakes."

After seeing the question, Chen Junnan picked up the phone and dialed Xu Qian. This round was just like the ones before—despite looping back to the fourteenth question, their predicament remained unchanged.

The iron ball ultimately hung above Chen Junnan's head, with the next round's question determining his survival.

As Yunyao had said, this iron ball that had already claimed lives was completely different from the one at the start.

It hovered there with a thick scent of blood, faintly revealing its massive, icy outline, as if it could fill the entire room.

"Can't stop it at all," Chen Junnan said with a laugh. "Di She... why are you in such a hurry?"

The fifteenth round began, with Xu Qian as the "first person," and Chen Junnan receiving Yunyao's call last.

But Yunyao's tone was odd, as if she were prompting him to leave his final words.

"Chen... Chen Junnan..." Yunyao said, "I... I've already chosen 'no.' You should select 'no' too later. Maybe then you'll survive..."

"Alright, I understand," Chen Junnan replied calmly. "I'll choose 'no.'"

"You... you're really not afraid of death?" Yunyao asked nervously. "The iron ball is right above your head now..."

"Honestly..." Chen Junnan sighed, "I've become quite indifferent to 'death.' Even knowing I might really die, my heart remains utterly still. All these years, I've only worried about my friends dying, never about myself."

"But you..."

"Besides, my view differs from yours," Chen Junnan said, holding the phone and slowly tilting his head up to look at the ceiling. "I have this strange premonition... I feel I won't die in this round."

"Why...?"

"Because I've figured something out," Chen Junnan said, narrowing his eyes. "In the early rounds of this game, I was leading the way, but at some point... the one in control shifted."

"Are you saying... someone has taken control of the game?"

"Yes, big star. There's a very clever person in play now. If I'm not wrong, he's on par with Lao Qi." Chen Junnan reached out a hand and touched the layout diagram on the wall. "This person has probably seized a large area opposite us, roughly from '2' to '6' as his territory. And right from the start, he deduced 'Di She's participation in the game' and 'Di She's exact position.' From then on, he's been trying to seize the initiative."

Chen Junnan's words left Yunyao stunned.

Could there really be someone that capable in the world?

"So... what about it?" Yunyao asked.

"So, he's constantly directing the iron ball toward '-2.' If all my guesses are correct, in this round, he'll make everyone choose 'no,' switching between 'even numbers' and 'odd numbers,' so I might not die."

"That's a bold assumption," Yunyao said, furrowing her brow. "If even one guess is wrong, you'll disappear forever."

"Exactly because I've teamed up with Lao Qi before, I have a high estimate of people's limits... When dealing with smart people, you have to fully trust their methods." Chen Junnan laughed. "Big star, do you think that person has figured out that I'm the Du Ming Fa Qi Zhe?"

"Even if he has guessed you're the gambler, what difference does it make?"

"Then he should know that if I die, the Du Ming ends. Di She might be released from the room and return as the 'referee,' and who knows if he'd seek revenge or show gratitude. So the best move is to keep me here."

Yunyao swallowed hard, feeling that Chen Junnan was overly trusting of clever people. Could there really be someone sitting alone in a room, seeing the entire game clearly?

"Big star, do you know that man named Zhong Zhen? Is he that clever?" Chen Junnan asked.

"He's not a fool, but he's nowhere near as clever as you describe," Yunyao replied cautiously. "His biggest trait is being cold-blooded. I've played in a few games with him, and he's killed plenty of teammates—even me once. Chu Tian Qiu once said he recruited Zhong Zhen into Tian Tang Kou precisely because of that."

Chen Junnan nodded. "In that case... the one pulling the strings must be someone else."

Yunyao pondered as well. They had faced all the participants, but who could have such capabilities?

"Big star, let's leave it at that," Chen Junnan said. "After all, I'll know soon enough if my theory is right."

He hung up the phone and solemnly pressed "no," then murmured to himself:

"Let me see what you're capable of."

In what felt like an eternity of just a few seconds, Chen Junnan watched as the words on the screen faded and then gradually lit up again.

The verdict on his life or death was delivered.

"The final answer for this question is—'no.'"

"I guessed right..." Chen Junnan's eyebrows shot up, and he heard the massive chains clanking loudly, pulling the giant iron ball away from him.

From that moment, the iron ball turned like a tank swiveling its cannon, now targeting Di She.

Chen Junnan also sensed a hidden connection forming between him and someone on the other side.