TDU Chapter 192
Chapter 192 Unconcluded
Countless stones scattered in every direction.
Xiao Xiao erupted outwards like a bullet, her body cutting through the air with lethal speed. Unimpeded by any structures, she soared across a dozen low-rise buildings before slamming violently into the street below.
Such a brutal impact left no room for survival.
"Impressive..." Qiao Jiajin nodded in approval.
He had thought Zhang Shan would continue to kill Ole Sun, but instead, the man was slowly catching his breath.
"Hey, Buff luo... you alright?"
Zhang Shan's chest heaved as he fought to steady himself. After a moment, the distant toll of a bell echoed through the air—his {Reverberation} had faded.
"I'm fine... just a little tired," Zhang Shan said with a wry smile. "Seems like I overdid it a bit."
"Don't worry, leave the rest to me."
Only Ole Sun remained on the enemy's side of the bridge.
"Yer... yer two..." Ole Sun muttered, knowing full well that against the two before him, victory was impossible. With his {Reverberation} no longer effective, what chance did he have?
"Stone man, why didn't you give Buff mui any stones earlier?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"What?" Ole Sun blinked, confused.
"While Buff luo and I were tied down and couldn't move... Buff mui had the chance to kill us," Qiao Jiajin remarked with a faint smile. "But you never gave her any stones."
"Xiao Xiao asked me for stones, an’ I didn’t give ‘er any?" Ole Sun frowned. "How’d that happen... no, it couldn’t be..."
"You're not a bad person, so I don't intend to kill you," Qiao Jiajin cracked his neck and asked, "Now that your boss is dead, shouldn’t you be considering switching sides?"
"Switchin’ sides...?" Ole Sun’s brow furrowed deeper. "Mate... do ya even know what yer sayin’?"
"Maybe I’m just being too nosy," Qiao Jiajin mused with a nod. "You seem strong, and your mind is still intact, yet you insist on sticking with a bunch of lunatics..."
At this, Ole Sun slowly lowered his head, his voice tinged with resignation. "Our ultimate goals don’t match up. Even if I were to join {Passage to Heaven}, there’s no belief in yer cause with me standin’ by."
"I'm not talking about joining {Passage to Heaven}," Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "I'm talking about joining me."
"Join... you?"
At these words, Zhang Shan, standing nearby, couldn’t help but pause, a hint of surprise flickering across his face.
"Stone man, I'm not joking with you," Qiao Jiajin said, locking eyes with Ole Sun. "Swindler lad can't succeed with just my help. He needs manpower."
"That..." Ole Sun lowered his head, lost in thought. Silence lingered as he neither agreed nor refused
"Take your time to think about it," Qiao Jiajin said after a moment, his voice softening. "You can go. The game’s over. No need to throw your life away."
Upon hearing this, Ole Sun glanced at Qiao Jiajin, then at Zhang Shan, before nodding in silent agreement. With a final look, he turned and walked off the bridge.
As Ole Sun departed, Zhang Shan couldn’t help but ask, "Qiao Jiajin... what did you mean by that?"
"What do you mean {what do you mean}?" Qiao Jiajin replied.
"Since he’s joining us, doesn’t that mean he’s joining {Passage to Heaven}?" Zhang Shan’s confusion was evident, his brow furrowing. "Are you and Qi Xia leaving the organization?"
"I don't know," Qiao Jiajin answered. "I never said I was joining {Passage to Heaven}. I only said I'd cooperate with Swindler lad. If he stays, I stay. If he leaves, I leave."
Zhang Shan’s expression slowly shifted to one of gravity. He realized that both Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia were exceptional talents, far better suited to staying with {Passage to Heaven} than anyone else.
Now that Qiao Jiajin had obtained such formidable {Reverberation}... could they truly afford to let them go?
"Buff luo, let’s go touch the flag," Qiao Jiajin said. "And put an end to this game."
Zhang Shan, pulled from his thoughts, nodded in silent agreement. According to the rules, the game would only conclude once all surviving members of one side had crossed the single-plank bridge and simultaneously touched the opposing team’s flag.
"Let’s go."
Zhang Shan followed Qiao Jiajin, and together, they crossed to the other side of the bridge.
Ole Sun had already entered the elevator and left, leaving no one to stand in their path.
However, as both of them simultaneously grasped the flag, Terrestrial Tiger in the distance remained eerily unresponsive.
"Hey!" Zhang Shan called out after a moment’s hesitation, his voice rising. "Shouldn’t this be enough?"
Terrestrial Tiger cast a cold, disinterested glance at them, remaining silent.
"What’s going on...?" Qiao Jiajin frowned, equally puzzled. "Is this considered a win?"
"No..." Zhang Shan’s brow furrowed. "If everything went according to the rules, but the game hasn’t ended, then that means our teammate’s alive!"
"Kung Fu gal?!"
Qiao Jiajin’s eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned on him. If Xiao Xiao’s fall into the void and her subsequent return to the bridge hadn’t been caused by her {Reverberation}, it could only mean that falling into the void didn’t result in death in this game.
Xiao Xiao had climbed back up using her own skills.
The ropes below had slowed her descent, enabling her to survive the fall.
Both of them came to this realization simultaneously, their eyes meeting in mutual understanding.
"Oh no..." Qiao Jiajin murmured, his thoughts racing. Li Xiangling had fallen into the void with Luo Eleven. And Luo Eleven was likely the most ruthless of the three.
"Buff luo, wait here," Qiao Jiajin said, his voice steady as he turned back toward the bridge.
"What are you going to do?" Zhang Shan asked.
"I have to go down and check!" Qiao Jiajin said. "If we leave her be, the Kung Fu gal might get killed by that cheating man."
"But how are you going to get down...?"
"I’ll jump down," Qiao Jiajin replied without hesitation.
"Jump—" Zhang Shan froze, his eyes widening. "What if you die from the fall?!"
"If Buff mui can climb back up with a broken leg, how could I possibly die from a fall?"
Zhang Shan opened his mouth to argue further but stopped, realizing there was no other option left. At this point, there were only two ways to win the game—
One, Li Xiangling crosses the bridge. Two, Li Xiangling dies.
If one had to choose at such a moment, which option would most take?
The answer, though, was already clear from Qiao Jiajin’s actions.
"Then... be careful," Zhang Shan said.
Qiao Jiajin gave a brief nod, but his eyes were already on the vast expanse beneath him. His gaze hardened, his thoughts momentarily drifting.
The massive boulder that had been pressing down on Zhang Shan had fallen, severing many of the ropes. Leaping into the abyss now would be infinitely more perilous. The odds of surviving such a descent had become much slimmer. But despite the risks, he could not, in good conscience, allow his teammate to be slaughtered by the enemy.
‘I don’t want to lose another teammate.’ Qiao Jiajin thought, the harrowing image of Tian Tian’s self-inflicted death searing his mind. ‘That feeling... it was too painful.’
With that thought, Qiao Jiajin inhaled deeply and, without a moment’s hesitation, plunged into the abyss.
Zhang Shan, his expression etched with concern, approached the edge of the void, peering into the darkness below. To his astonishment, Qiao Jiajin displayed an agility that was almost animalistic, more akin to a nimble monkey than a man.
Rather than plummeting straight down, he deftly grabbed hold of a rope with both hands, hanging there effortlessly. As if mapping the terrain of the chasm in his mind, Qiao Jiajin began to swing, calculating his next move with precision. With a fluid motion, he leaped to another rope, continuing his descent with remarkable grace.
One rope after another, his form moved steadily downward, inch by inch, meter by meter.
It wasn’t until Qiao Jiajin’s figure had completely vanished from sight that Zhang Shan released a long, slow breath, tension easing from his body.
"That young man really loves to show off..." Zhang Shan muttered, shaking his head in reluctant admiration.
