TDU Chapter 316
Chapter 316 Phase Through Walls?
"You know my past…?" Yun Yao furrowed her brows. "You also know Tian Tian’s story?"
"More than that," Chen Junnan smiled. "{Potent Luck} and {Skillful Object}—both are indispensable to us."
"{Skillful Object}…?" Yun Yao lowered her head, reflecting for a moment before nodding. "I understand. This time, let’s join forces. Perhaps you can help me find the will to live again."
"Ha!" Chen Junnan laughed. "That’s the spirit."
"But…" Yun Yao shifted her tone, "While I lied to you several times… this time, I haven’t."
"Ah?!" Chen Junnan’s relief vanished in an instant.
"This was the question I received," Yun Yao said. "Terrestrial Snake really is on our right side."
"If that’s the case," Chen Junnan remarked, "that old creep Terrestrial Snake is even more of an idiot than I gave him credit for. He’s clearly acting out of desperation now."
"So what do we do next?"
"We choose {False}," Chen Junnan replied without hesitation. "Otherwise, you’ll be in danger. Leave the rest to me."
The call ended with a soft click. Chen Junnan stood still for a moment, then swiftly calculated the iron ball’s trajectory. His finger hovered only briefly before decisively pressing down on {False}.
The ball was currently at coordinate {2}. It had to make it back to {3}. If it didn’t, the consequences in the next round could be catastrophic.
Especially since Yun Yao was still at {0}.
Chen Junnan paused in thought before dialing Xu Qian’s number.
"Qian jie…" Chen Junnan pondered before speaking, "Did you relay the question down?"
"Isn’t that obvious?" Xu Qian snapped. "I personally saw Terrestrial Snake join the game! How could I not pass it on?"
"True," Chen Junnan conceded, though unease still clung to him. After what had happened with Yun Yao, suspicion had taken root; he no longer knew who to trust.
How he wished Qi Xia were here at this very moment, after all, one glance from him could see through everyone’s lies.
"Qian jie, help me relay this to everyone…" Chen Junnan hesitated before saying, "{Choose False, let Terrestrial Snake die}."
"Isn’t that a bit too blunt?" Xu Qian asked.
"Bluntness isn’t always bad," Chen Junnan replied coldly. "Right now, what matters is that everyone knows Terrestrial Snake is in play, and we need to kill him."
A long silence stretched on the other end of the line before Xu Qian finally spoke.
"I think your idea might be a little extreme."
"What?"
"Think about it…" she said slowly. "Isn’t it possible that not everyone actually wants Terrestrial Snake dead?"
Her words struck like a needle piercing an overinflated balloon; his certainty burst in an instant, leaving only the hiss of unraveling conviction.
He had made a grave miscalculation.
This was more than a gamble against Terrestrial Snake; it was a high-stakes game of {Sic bo}. The outcome was hidden beneath the cup, the dice waiting to be revealed. Each player clung to their own belief of {big} or {small}, silently wagering on the side they thought would claim victory.
And perhaps... not all of them were betting on him.
If they united to strike at Terrestrial Snake but failed to finish the job, the fallout would be catastrophic.
"So that’s how it is…" Chen Junnan chuckled. "At first, this young master thought everyone here was a brave soul, but it seems there are quite a few cowards after all."
"What?"
"Qian jie, can you do me a favor?" Chen Junnan asked.
"What favor?"
"I want to speak to the person on your left. When I call next, don’t answer."
"Huh?" Xu Qian was caught off guard once more by Chen Junnan’s unconventional thinking. "Is that even allowed? I’m still alive, and if I don’t answer—"
"I’ve already passed the question to you," Chen Junnan interrupted with a soft chuckle. "You’re not breaking any rules by choosing not to answer. Just don’t respond. Trust me."
Reluctantly, Xu Qian complied and hung up the phone. After all, she was already a {collaborator} in the life-staking gamble against Terrestrial Snake. For her, not killing Terrestrial Snake would only lead to greater danger.
Fortunately, she wasn’t a direct participant in the wager. Even if she died, she would likely reincarnate.
Soon, her phone rang. She deliberately ignored it, letting it ring through ten long times.
And just as expected, instead of the eleventh ring, the call abruptly cut off.
It seemed the phone system was mechanical; whether the person in the room was alive or dead, if no one answered after ten rings, the call would automatically transfer to the next room.
Chen Junnan waited patiently as the line rang out one final time before it was picked up.
"Hello? Hello?" The voice on the other end trembled with nervousness, just as Xu Qian had described.
"Hey there, da ge," Chen Junnan greeted smoothly, a subtle smile in his tone.
"Ah?!" The man was startled. "Wh–Who are you? Where’s that girl from before?"
"If you don’t mind, da ge, I can be that girl."
The nervous man fell silent for a long moment, then his voice trembled as he asked, "Is–Is she dead?"
"How could that be?" Chen Junnan realized the man still hadn’t grasped the rules. "Maybe she’s not dead, just feeling unwell and didn’t want to answer the phone. So my call went straight to you. Hope I’m not disturbing you?"
"What exactly do you want?"
"I want to talk to you…" Chen Junnan said with a smile. "Da ge, what question did that girl just relay to you?"
The man was about to speak but suddenly sensed something was off.
"Why do you ask that?" he countered. "Shouldn’t you already know what question she posed?"
"Heh, you’re pretty sharp, huh?" Chen Junnan chuckled. "To tell you the truth, that girl before you… I’ve already dealt with her. This young master is staking my life against Terrestrial Snake, so I’m on high alert. Can’t let anyone suspicious slip by."
"Ah?!" The man jumped in fright. "Y–You dealt with her?!"
His eyes darted nervously around the confined space he was trapped in, a cold wave of unease creeping over him.
"You don’t believe me?" Chen Junnan smiled, calm and steady. "Do you know why you’re hearing my voice right now? Think back to the rules."
The man hesitated, then his face paled as realization dawned. The rules clearly stated: only when the person in the room dies, and no one answers the call, would it transfer to the next player.
"You… you really killed that girl? You…" the man said bitterly, "She was a good person, always keeping me informed of the situation…"
Chen Junnan laughed. "Then just think of it as a mistake. If I can kill one by accident, I can kill a second just as easily. Da ge, do you want to die?"
"I–I definitely don’t."
"This is the crucial moment in my wager against Terrestrial Snake," Chen Junnan said steadily. "Everyone here has only two choices: be used by me, or be killed by me. After all, my {Reverberation} is f*cking {Phase Through}."
"Ah?!" The man jumped up from his chair in fright. "Y–You can {Phase Through} walls?!"
"Exactly," Chen Junnan said, calm and collected. "Just gimme a sec. This young master will phase through right now and finish you off."
"N–No need…" The man forced a shaky laugh. "Honestly, you sound scarier than Terrestrial Snake. I’m definitely on your side."
"All right," Chen Junnan whispered into the phone, voice low and cold. "Then I’ll show you mercy. You’re my underling now."
"Huh?"
"When my call comes again, don’t answer it."
"Huh? Don’t answer the phone?"
"Or do you want to die?"
"No, no, no!"
Knowing the guy was spineless and unlikely to influence the game in any meaningful way, Chen Junnan dismissed him outright and promptly launched the third call.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
