Chapter 986: Unexpected Choice

Han Yi Mo naturally couldn't answer this question and could only guess that it might be caused by some "Hui Xiang," though he had no idea whose "Hui Xiang" it was.

"The main general Chu Tian Qiu has selected Zhao Hai Bo to enter Cang Jie Qi for assistance. Accept the order and step inside the door; refuse and step back five steps."

"Ac... accept... the order...?"Zhao Hai Bo was stunned for a long time, pointing a finger at his own nose tip."Me?!"

At that moment, Qi Xia inside the door looked toward Chu Tian Qiu. From his perspective, the person they should be selecting wasn't Zhao Hai Bo, but Yun Yao.

No matter the type of game, as long as it involved determining a "victory or defeat," "Qiang Yun" was an excellent weapon.

"So you have the same concerns as I do..." Qi Xia thought to himself.

In Qi Xia's mind, if someone was "refused" during the "Dian Jiang" process, it wasn't just a simple loss of "life"—it could permanently reduce their team's numbers by one.

That's why Chu Tian Qiu hadn't chosen the uncertain Yun Yao for the fourth spot and had gone with Zhao Hai Bo instead.

From Chu Tian Qiu's viewpoint, Zhao Hai Bo, as the deputy leader of "Tian Tang Kou," was at least one of their own.

But Qi Xia felt Chu Tian Qiu's thinking was a bit simplistic, since he and Zhao Hai Bo had gone through the "Bing Qi Pai" game together.

Zhao Hai Bo wasn't a bad person, but he was timid and weak-willed, with poor execution and underwhelming performance in critical moments.

Though he had many flaws, his identity as a neurosurgeon proved his knowledge wasn't shallow. This contradiction meant he could cast a stable "Li Xi" with his extremely cowardly personality—nothing like a strong opponent, but still a troublesome figure.

The upper limit of such a person's abilities largely depended on their leader's upper limit.

When Chu Tian Qiu chose Zhao Hai Bo, he was imagining that this game wouldn't be a simple "fight," and it might involve "props," with Zhao Hai Bo being the nemesis of all "props."

After hearing the voice from the earth dragon, Zhao Hai Bo slowly stepped back and muttered, "What 'assistance' or 'main general'... what does this have to do with me?"

Han Yi Mo scratched his head beside him. "Didn't the voice from inside the door say... this is Chu Tian Qiu's instruction?"

"It's precisely because it's from Chu Tian Qiu that I find it ridiculous." Zhao Hai Bo said. "He knows I'm not the type to rush into battles. Is he really planning to drag me into a game? And I've never seen such a strange summoning method—it feels like there's a trap."

"Uh..." Han Yi Mo thought for a few seconds. "So, what are you going to do...? Refuse?"

"Of course I'll refuse! What's in it for me?" Zhao Hai Bo said, stepping back again. "Let the people who enjoy games go ahead. I'm definitely not cut out for this!"

With that, he started to step back as if he didn't even need to think about it.

"Wait... hold on..." Han Yi Mo stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Hai Bo. "Refusing might not be a good idea, right? Didn't you hear what that door said earlier?"

Just as Zhao Hai Bo was about to step back further, he was startled by Han Yi Mo's words and asked shakily, "Wh-what did it say?"

"It's like a military order!" Han Yi Mo said. "Don't you read novels?! You know, 'military orders cannot be disobeyed'!"

"No... novels...?" Zhao Hai Bo gave a bitter smile. "I read more serious literature..."

"Who's talking about that with you?! Just because you have a high education, you think you're better?" Han Yi Mo snapped. "Old Zhao, I'm trying to save your life here! That's how it's written in a lot of novels!"

"But how does what's in novels relate to this door...?"

"Of course it does!!" Han Yi Mo exclaimed. "Don't you believe what the protagonist says? This has to be a 'Chuan Song Men'! Once you go in, it's a battlefield. In novels, only two kinds of people die on the battlefield... one is the brave fighter, and the other is the deserter!"

"...?"

Zhao Hai Bo was stunned after hearing this, feeling a bit confused.

"Based on what you're saying..." Zhao Hai Bo blinked. "As soon as this 'military order' appears, I'm done for?"

"Uh..." Han Yi Mo seemed to realize the contradiction and muttered quietly, "Well, that's just how it's written in novels... On the battlefield, people who are too loyal die, and people who don't follow orders die too."

"So what should I do...?" Zhao Hai Bo asked.

"Maybe... maybe you should go and check it out?" Han Yi Mo said. "I feel like if you refuse right now, you'll die immediately, but if you go in and play along for a bit, you might delay the death."

"But isn't that still dying?"

"No, no, no..." Han Yi Mo thought for a moment. "Actually, characters like you—side ones—often get 'Qi Yu' in situations like this... As long as you have a 'Qi Yu' on the battlefield, not only can you survive, but you can even get stronger."

"Uh..."

Zhao Hai Bo always felt like he couldn't quite understand Han Yi Mo's words.

He had been an excellent student since childhood, got into medical school with top grades, and became a neurosurgeon—always the "neighbor's kid" everyone talked about. Yet Han Yi Mo always managed to make him sound like just a side character in a few sentences.

But after thinking it over, Zhao Hai Bo realized Han Yi Mo's points weren't entirely wrong. If this "Zhao Hai Bo accept the order" was indeed a "military order" in some game, refusing on the spot would have bad consequences.

Besides, he already had a cooperative relationship with Chu Tian Qiu, so from every angle, Chu Tian Qiu should protect him.

"Fine... in that case, I'll go."

"Hold on..." Han Yi Mo grabbed him at the last moment.

"What is it?"

"Don't forget about the 'Ji Dao' matter..." Han Yi Mo said. "That woman hasn't come for us yet!"

"I haven't forgotten." Zhao Hai Bo said.

Zhao Hai Bo took a deep breath to steel himself, then slowly walked into the door with a timid expression.

Seeing this, Qi Xia nodded. "Not bad... a very impressive 'Dian Jiang'."

"Oh...?" Chu Tian Qiu smiled. "What do you mean by that? Complimenting me?"

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "This 'general' was selected perfectly—I didn't see it coming."

"How could that be...? Did I take one of your people?"

After saying that, he pretended to be surprised and slapped his forehead. "My memory... Zhao Hai Bo is from your room!"

"Yes." Qi Xia said. "So what are we going to do about that...? You took someone from my room... How about I take one from yours?"

"My room...?" Chu Tian Qiu frowned slightly but quickly smiled. "Of course, tit for tat."

Even as he said this, Chu Tian Qiu was quickly thinking through his strategy in his mind.

The people Qi Xia knew well and who were from his room were basically just two: "Hua Xing" Xu Liu Nian and "Qiang Yun" Yun Yao.

What would he choose?