TDU Chapter 322
Chapter 322 Soul Seizing Intent
Round twenty-seven.
Everything unfolded exactly as Chen Junnan had anticipated. The iron ball thundered from {-2} toward {3}, obliterating all the {even numbers} in its path. It had just passed the {White Dress Female} and now hovered ominously above the head of the person to her left.
In the room opposite Chen Junnan, a young woman dressed in white held a phone, her face adorned with a gentle smile as she waited patiently.
After a brief moment, she spoke, “Da ge, what did you say your name was again?”
“I–I’m Zhong Zhen...” he stammered.
“That’s a fine name, da ge,” the white-clad young woman nodded approvingly. “What will you choose this time?”
Zhong Zhen clenched his teeth, his lips paling as he pleaded, “Could you please stop tormenting me...?”
“What exactly do you mean?” the white-clad young woman chuckled softly. “You’re free to continue choosing {False} if you like. If you don’t believe me, we can try once more.”
The white-clad young woman covered her mouth as she smiled, and Zhong Zhen in the adjacent room mirrored the motion.
“I do! I believe you...” Zhong Zhen nodded frantically. “Whatever you say, I’ll agree. I can’t die just yet... Please don’t make me choose {True} again...”
“Hmm? I’m not sure I follow.” The white-clad young woman smiled, knitting her brows playfully. “Da ge, look closely. It’s you who insists on choosing {True}.”
Zhong Zhen lowered his head and immediately wore a look of utter despair.
His left hand, at some unknown moment, had stretched out toward the {True} button.
“Miss... please don’t... I can’t die now...” Zhong Zhen said in panic. “Let me obtain my {Reverberation} first... As long as I can kill someone I’m familiar with, I’ll be fine even if I die—”
“Oh?” The white-clad young woman brushed her long hair back. “Then you’d better pull your hand back quickly, too late and you’ll press it.”
Hearing this, Zhong Zhen threw the phone aside and desperately grabbed his left hand with his right.
At this moment, his left hand seemed possessed, advancing steadily toward the green button. With great effort, he managed to yank it back, but in the very next second, his entire body began to lurch forward.
{Bam}.
With a crisp sound, Zhong Zhen’s left hand ultimately pressed down on {True}.
His expression slowly darkened... What on earth was this strange force?
Could there really be such a domineering {Reverberation} in this realm?
“Da ge, shall we say our farewells?” the white-clad young woman laughed. “Looks like our time to talk is running short.”
Zhong Zhen sat listlessly in his chair, picking up the phone, and asked blankly, “How is it that your {Reverberation} is so well controlled? It never sets off the bell... How long have you retained your memories?”
“Haha, da ge, what makes you think I would reveal my trump card to you?” the white-clad young woman shook her head. “In this realm, there are only a handful of those who can freely wield {Reverberation} without triggering the bell. This is exactly our way of survival.”
Zhong Zhen pressed his lips into a tight line upon hearing this. “Is that so... If I had a choice, I truly wouldn’t want to forget someone like you. With someone this formidable lurking in the {End Point}, I have no room to ever let my guard down.”
“Unfortunately, that’s impossible,” the white-clad young woman continued, her sweet smile unwavering. "This is exactly why I never kill {Reverberatees}. As for you now…dead means dead."
“Alright then...” Zhong Zhen forced a bitter smile. “Since my time is near, could you at least tell me what your ability is?”
“Does it really matter?”
“I’m not sure,” Zhong Zhen shook his head. “But perhaps, just perhaps, there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance... I’ll remember you.”
“Very well.” The white-clad girl nodded in acknowledgement. “Da ge, since you are on the verge of death, I’ll let you die knowing the truth. I am {Soul Seizing Intent}.”
“Soul... Seizing Intent...?” Zhong Zhen forced a grim smile. He hadn’t expected the {Reverberation} he faced to be a three-word one. “How are you able to manipulate people?”
“That’s something I can’t reveal. Sorry.”
The young woman reached out and brushed her hair back, and strangely, at that very moment, Zhong Zhen in the other room also raised his hand to smooth his nonexistent long hair.
“So you used that power to manipulate the people in the nearby rooms into making forced choices?”
“I’m not that powerful; my control is limited,” the white-clad young woman explained. “Besides my {Reverberation}, I rely on my intellect. Only when both are at play can I dominate every Terrestrial-grade game.”
“Impressive indeed,” Zhong Zhen ultimately showed a relieved expression. “If I survive... I will make it my first priority to kill you.”
“Are those your final words?” the white-clad girl asked, inspecting her nails with composure. “You chose {True} yourself. What odds do you think you have now? At best, there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance some random {Reverberatee} turns up, but in this round, the one marked for death this time is you. And theoretically, your death wouldn’t trigger anyone else’s {Reverberation}.”
“Haha!” Zhong Zhen twisted his lips into an unsightly smile, then reached to undo the top button of his shirt. “But perhaps, exceptions exist for everything. Since this is a gamble with my very life, I must seize every shred of chance. Though no new {Reverberatee} may appear, isn’t there a {Reverberatee} still up on display?”
The white-clad young woman paused thoughtfully. Indeed, the display screen outside still listed a {Reverberatee} named {Penalty Proxy}.
“You’re counting on this {Penalty Proxy} to show up and save you?” The white-clad young woman covered her mouth as laughter escaped her. “Good heavens, why are you so optimistic?”
“That’s what you’d call a {last-ditch hope},” said Zhong Zhen. “When someone’s truly desperate, they’ll grab at anything.”
“In that case, may you hold that ‘last-ditch hope’ tight.”
The white-clad young woman set the phone down, closed her eyes, and sat in quiet meditation. After a while, a slow smile spread across her lips. “You all might as well die...for only Judgment’s Domain can guide the way.”
…
At the other end of the arena was Yun Yao’s room.
She remained rooted to the spot for several moments. Chen Junnan’s words during their phone call had left her completely baffled.
“Superstar, it seems our greatest enemy is the young woman in the white dress across from me. If I’m not mistaken, she’s about to kill the person to her left.”
“But that matter’s already beyond our control, no?”
“No, quite the opposite...” Chen Junnan replied. “In this arena, the one who can control the iron ball isn’t only her, there’s also me.”
“You...?”
“Do you believe that from this moment on, I can disregard all rules and make the iron ball land wherever I please?”
“Huh?!” Yun Yao was momentarily at a loss. “You–You have such an ability? But what purpose does it serve?”
“I plan to save the person to the left of that woman,” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “If I rescue him now, he might become your strongest ally.”
“Become {my} ally...? What exactly are you planning?”
“That, I can’t say, revealing it might lead to failure.”
“This…” Yun Yao’s face showed concern. “How confident are you about this?”
“How confident?” Chen Junnan craned his neck. “{Confidence} has never been this young master’s guide. If I succeed, call me CEO Chen and we’ll rendezvous in Dubai. If I fail, just call me Whatever Chen and we’ll meet again in ten days.”
TL Note: The mention of Dubai is a running joke in China because it's known as a playground for the super-rich. In other words, Chen Junnan will hit it big if his idea works out.
