TDU Chapter 313
Chapter 313 Thirty Percent
Having given himself a mental dose of reassurance, Terrestrial Snake looked up at {Black Tortoise}.
"Which room…should I enter?"
"Two are no longer among the living..." Black Tortoise cast her gaze about. "Select a room from the deceased."
As she spoke, she gave a casual wave of her hand and the door to Xu Qian’s room slammed shut.
At last, Xu Qian collapsed onto the ground.
Too terrifying. Someone of {Black Tortoise}’s caliber had been just a few steps away from her, and that overwhelming aura of danger was impossible to ignore.
This was also the first time she had ever been caught up in a {Terrestrial-grade} life-staking gamble.
"Qian jie, you alright?" Chen Junnan’s voice came through.
"I–I’m fine…" Xu Qian exhaled, "I’m starting to think you really are crazy… Don’t you think the situation is dangerous enough already?"
"Dangerous?" Chen Junnan replied equivocally, "I’ve thought this whole game has been dangerous from the start."
"Then why did you pull {Terrestrial Snake} in as a participant?!" Xu Qian snapped, "He knows the game rules inside out. How are we supposed to compete against him?"
"Hey, this is just the beginning," Chen Junnan chuckled. "Don’t forget, I was the one who declared the life-staking wager. If we lose, the punishment falls on me alone."
"Well…"
"Stop hesitating. Help me find out which room Terrestrial Snake entered," Chen Junnan said solemnly. "Black Tortoise told that old creep Terrestrial Snake to pick one of the deceased’s rooms… One dead participant is {behind} me, another in {front} of me. The room he picked will affect how I plan my subsequent strategy."
"Unfortunately, I don’t know either…" Xu Qian sighed. "They shut the door to my room."
"Oh…?" Chen Junnan was momentarily stunned. "Already…?"
Besides Chen Junnan and Xu Qian, the other participants in the room began murmuring among themselves.
Up to this point, it seemed to be the first {intermission} in the game.
The {question} hadn’t circulated further, nor had any phones rung. Thanks to excellent soundproofing, the rooms remained very quiet, which made everyone’s nerves fray slightly.
During this time, Yun Yao had tried calling Chen Junnan several times, but curiously, the line was occupied.
What exactly was going on?
Why was there such a long pause after the second death?
After waiting a few more minutes, Yun Yao’s phone suddenly rang.
{Brring-brring——!!}
"Hello…?"
"Ah!" a young woman exclaimed, "I was so anxious but I finally received the question!"
Yun Yao hummed in acknowledgment. "Why the long pause? Do you know what happened?"
"I don’t know... I waited for a long time before the call came through."
"So... what’s the question?"
"Well..." The anxious young woman hesitated for a moment before saying, "The question was told to me by the tacturn man before me. Although he delivered it clearly… I still find it very strange."
"Let’s hear it."
"Alright, listen carefully..." The young woman recalled, "{I, orange, murderer, on the Mountain of Tai Hang, don’t eat fruit}."
"Huh…?" Yun Yao had never imagined the question could be as absurd as a line of code. "Are you really sure that’s what he said?"
"Yes, that da ge said his memory is very good; he only took a few seconds to remember these words, but he didn’t know what they meant, so he carefully taught them to me, hoping someone later could crack the code."
"Ca–Can you say it to me again?"
The young woman repeated the words to Yun Yao, who quickly wrote them down.
She still didn’t quite understand, how is this a binary-choice question?
They sounded more like random words a child might type on a computer.
Yun Yao could only choose the answer {False} for now, then dialed Chen Junnan.
She laid out those words to Chen Junnan, completely and clearly.
"Pfft..." Chen Junnan burst out laughing.
"Chen Junnan..." Yun Yao sighed, "Can you please be more serious? The game stopped for so long just now; maybe something unexpected happened. There could be something hidden within these—"
"Superstar, don’t overthink it," Chen Junnan interrupted. "The real game is just about to begin."
"What...?"
"I just did something big," Chen Junnan chuckled. "I want to ask you: since {Passage to Heaven} was founded, how many Terrestrial-grade {Earthly Branches} have you managed to take down?"
"Um..." Yun Yao fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "Not a single one. We tried once, but the outcome was too tragic. Since then, the plan has been shelved, and we could only stake our lives against Mortal-grade {Earthly Branches}."
"Not a single one? That’s almost pitiful. Then, are you interested in taking down a Terrestrial-grade with me?"
"Huh?"
Yun Yao’s eyes widened slowly, then she covered the phone and whispered, "Chen Junnan... y–you actually staked your life against Terrestrial Snake?"
"Yeah."
"That’s way too dangerous!" Yun Yao said. "If you don’t have absolute certainty, staking your life against a {Terrestrial-grade} is just reckless! If you lose, you become one of the indigenous inhabitants."
Chen Junnan let out a dry chuckle. "Superstar, do you even know what {stake} really means? There’s no such thing as a {foolproof} gamble in this world; even Ole Qi can’t pull that off."
Chen Junnan’s words jolted Yun Yao awake.
"Superstar, if you keep waiting for a {foolproof} chance, I advise you to change your path early, or you’ll never get out—no matter how long you wait."
"You might be right," Yun Yao smiled bitterly. "Maybe I’ve been too cautious all along..."
"So, have you made up your mind?" Chen Junnan asked. "Shall we take him down together?"
"Okay." Yun Yao nodded in agreement. "If you need any help... just say the word."
Seeing Yun Yao agree so readily, Chen Junnan smiled. "There is one favor I do need from you."
"What is it?"
"If I die, don’t forget to pass today’s events on to Ole Qi. Better yet, embellish it a bit, make sure he knows that this young master is no ordinary man."
"What are you talking about?" Yun Yao was instantly puzzled. "You just announced you’re staking your life against Terrestrial Snake, and now you’re already giving your last words?"
"So? What’s wrong with that?"
"I refuse to deliver your message," Yun Yao said firmly. "If you want a message delivered, do it yourself."
"Heh, unfortunately, this young master might not see the day."
A growing unease gripped Yun Yao. "Chen Junnan… you’re putting your life on the line against Terrestrial Snake, but right now you don’t seem confident at all… can you really see this through?"
"Didn’t this young master already say?" Chen Junnan chuckled. "I’m purely {gambling}. My chances of winning are at most thirty percent."
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
