Chapter 985: The Unchosen

Qi Xia watched as Chu Tianqiu hesitated before choosing the second person, a sudden sense of intrigue washing over him.

"How?" he turned his head and asked. "Chen Junnan is left for you, is it that hard to write those three characters?"

"Chen Junnan...?" Chu Tianqiu chuckled softly. "Qi Xia, what kind of joke are you making with me?"

"What kind of joke is this?" Qi Xia retorted. "We can only choose one person each time, and now I've left Chen Junnan outside for you to take. He's not like Qiao Jiake—Qiao Jiake would choose to die, but Chen Junnan should agree right away. If my left and right arms join your team, what am I supposed to do?"

"It's precisely because he would agree that the situation is so tricky," Chu Tianqiu said. "Once Chen Junnan joins my team, I can't imagine how the team would stay stable, or how the game could even proceed."

"Oh...?" Qi Xia feigned incomprehension. "Is Chen Junnan that formidable?"

"What do you think?" Chu Tianqiu replied. "A person skilled in 'gongxin' and 'daoluan' joining my team wouldn't be a good thing at all."

With that, he reached out and decisively wrote the three characters "Jin Yuanxun."

Chu Tianqiu fully understood Qi Xia's intentions. No matter what, Qi Xia wouldn't write "Chen Junnan" in the first round, because that would leave the chance to write "Qiao Jiake" for himself.

Once Qiao Jiake knew that Chu Tianqiu had chosen him, he would surely refuse, and Qi Xia would lose a key ally.

So, Qi Xia deliberately left "Chen Junnan" behind. This kind of person wouldn't make much difference in any faction; he would definitely side with Qi Xia.

Di Long turned back and opened the door again, and outside stood Jin Yuanxun.

After the situation was explained, Jin Yuanxun walked in without hesitation.

Qi Xia knew that Jin Yuanxun was more loyal to Chu Tianqiu and would make the team more stable.

Jin Yuanxun had impressive skills and a decent level of "yueqian." He was taciturn, not easily swayed, and would obey orders unconditionally, making him a formidable opponent.

"In that case..." Qi Xia said softly, "if you don't want Chen Junnan... then I'll take him."

"Go ahead." Chu Tianqiu replied with a blank expression.

Qi Xia reached out and slowly wrote the three characters "Chen Junnan," and Di Long turned back to open the door.

To the slight embarrassment of the three inside the dark space, Chen Junnan had only been out of sight for a moment and was now in a corner, facing away from the door as he used the restroom.

He whistled and busied himself for a while, then turned back calmly, only to be startled.

A dark portal lit up behind him, with the red letters "Chen Junnan Accept Order."

"Oh my...!!"

He quickly reached down to hold up his pants, flailing in panic to block the door. Then, thinking better of it, he covered his face instead.

"Wait a minute! Wait! Don't film me! I'm not ready!"

The three inside the door watched him expressionlessly, the atmosphere awkward.

Di Long smirked and said irritably:

"The commander 'Qi Xia' has summoned 'Chen Junnan' to join 'Cangjie Qi' as an ally. Accept the order and enter the door; refuse and step back five steps."

Chen Junnan blinked, glanced back at the damp wall behind him, and pointed at the portal, cursing:

"Step back? Where the hell am I supposed to step back to?! You ask Lao Qi if he's targeting me! Picking this exact moment to corner me like this? No privacy at all?!"

The portal remained silent.

"Damn it, others get to either enter the door or step back, but for me, it's either enter the door or step in piss. Is there any justice?!"

Chen Junnan took two steps forward, staring at the portal and saying:

"Lao Qi? Lao Qi, say something! Don't pull that King of Hell routine on me—tell me straight, life or death!"

Before Qi Xia could speak, Di Long couldn't help but say:

"Hey, can you at least pull up your pants first?"

Chen Junnan froze, apparently not expecting the portal to respond. He quickly turned around to fix his pants, and a few seconds later, smoothed his hair before turning back, muttering:

"Isn't it...? Could there really be a girl watching me...?"

He sighed helplessly, said no more, and stepped into the portal.

Qi Xia knew that choosing Chen Junnan wasn't all that important, since Chu Tianqiu definitely wouldn't bring him into his team.

But he wasn't sure about the situation in the "Bei Zhan Qu," and leaving Qiao Jiake there alone wasn't ideal.

Chen Junnan was quick-witted and could explain things to Qiao Jiake in the "Bei Zhan Qu."

What followed for the two of them was the real "dianjiang," as the "bixuan renwu" were mostly in place.

Qi Xia had plenty of people to choose from, but he needed to see what Chu Tianqiu decided first.

As the one going second, he aimed to pick someone who could counter whatever was chosen.

Both of them had a "beiyong pai" waiting outside: Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun.

These two served as pawns, each with their own uses.

If Wen Qiaoyun didn't enter the field, Chu Tianqiu couldn't awaken. If Yan Zhichun stayed outside, the "Ji Dao" belief would waver.

With the three already in the field, each side would select four more. Counting the two pawns, they only needed three more.

Chu Tianqiu's expression showed clear hesitation. The names he wrote next wouldn't be people he trusted one hundred percent, and he'd have more factors to consider.

"In that case..."

...

Dr. Zhao and Han Yimo followed the crowd down the street, both looking puzzled.

"Dr. Zhao... where are we going...?" Han Yimo asked.

"It's what that woman Jiang Ruoxue told us this morning," Dr. Zhao replied, exasperated. "If we want to carry out the task we discussed last night, we have to go with the flow of the crowd when it's moving."

"But this makes us look nothing like 'jiu shijie zhe'..." Han Yimo frowned. "We're just blending in with the crowd, like side characters..."

As they spoke, a black portal suddenly appeared in front of Dr. Zhao, with the words "Zhao Haibo Accept Order" in the center.

The sight stunned the two of them, but the passersby around them just glanced casually, as if they were used to such strangeness, pausing for a few seconds before continuing on their way.

"Damn..." Han Yimo muttered. "Those people act like seasoned veterans... what's with that?"

Dr. Zhao had no time to respond, staring at the portal and furrowing his brow: "Han Yimo... didn't you say you knew this place? What the hell is this...?"