TDU Chapter 329
Chapter 329 Retribution
"Since we got the same goal…" Chen Junnan said, "it doesn’t really matter whether I’m an {Adherent of Judgment’s Domain} or not, no? So let’s cooperate?"
"Alright. {All hail Judgment’s Domain} will guide us to victory." Yan Zhichun smiled. "I’ll activate my ability now. Although the person to my left is already deaf, I can still seize control of the one directly before me. In the next round, you and I will both choose {True}. That leaves six players, meaning we still need two more to select {True} as well."
"Leave that to me. Aside from myself, there’s another trustworthy ally." Chen Junnan gave the wooden ceiling a casual tap and said to Yan Zhichun, "Chun jie, if this works out, don’t rush off, this young master will treat you to a meal."
"I’ll hold you to that."
..
In the thirty-sixth round, Chen Junnan was dropped into a vacant room at random. Without hesitation, he pressed {True} on the screen before swiftly scaling back up to the rooftop. Navigating along the massive iron chain, he crept toward the vicinity of Terrestrial Snake’s room, positioning himself in the shadows to observe in silence.
He mentally calculated the current state of the vote. Yan Zhichun’s neighboring players were Xu Qian and Zhong Zhen, both potential {True} voters. With himself and Yun Yao also locked in on {True}, this could very well mark the first unanimous decision.
Even if one of them faltered, the tally would still stand at four against two. Victory in this round was virtually assured.
Just as anticipated, Terrestrial Snake’s screen flickered faintly, then slowly displayed the message:
"The verdict for this round—{True}."
Terrestrial Snake trembled. He rushed to the screen, then cautiously lifted his gaze toward the ceiling only to immediately lock eyes with Chen Junnan lurking above.
"Punk…!!" Terrestrial Snake ground his teeth fiercely. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Sending you to hell," Chen Junnan smiled. "Die, you old creep."
With that, he slowly shifted his body to get closer to the center of Terrestrial Snake’s room, then deliberately closed his eyes, muttering, "This young master is…so f*cking unlucky."
The words had barely left his mouth when a massive iron ball materialized soundlessly above Terrestrial Snake. Not a single clink of chain preceded its arrival, it was as if the iron weight had been lying in wait all along.
"You motherf—!!" Terrestrial Snake roared, but before he could finish, the iron ball came crashing down with a deafening impact.
Because Chen Junnan had positioned himself close to the spiked wōwotóu, his body was brutally slashed across broad swaths of flesh, deep wounds tearing open like crimson blossoms. Yet he remained eerily unfazed, fully aware that the iron ball’s descent was only possible if he was directly over Terrestrial Snake’s room.
{Boom——!!}
The iron ball never struck the ground. Instead, it hovered—suspended, as though caught by some invisible force.
"Still clinging to life, are you…?" Chen Junnan growled, blood trickling from his lips as he clutched his injuries. "Give it up, you old scoundrel. Just die already…"
"Punk… I–I won’t die…" Terrestrial Snake hissed through clenched teeth, his arms trembling as he held the massive iron weight aloft. "As long as I make it out alive… you’ll be the very next to die."
Chen Junnan lifted his gaze, his face tightening with unease as he studied the chains suspending the iron ball. Something was undeniably amiss.
Why hadn’t the chains snapped?
Could it be that Yun Yao’s plan differed from what he thought?!
"Superstar… did you fail?"
A sinking dread settled in his chest. Yun Yao’s part in this gambit appeared to have faltered.
"Yun Yao!!" Chen Junnan shouted loudly, "Where is your {belief}?!"
His shout reached Yun Yao’s room, where she sat drenched in sweat, eyes clenched shut.
She had gravely underestimated the complexity of the situation.
She had never laid eyes on that massive, steel-porcupine-like spikey wōwotóu, nor the iron chains tethering the iron ball. How could she hope to dismantle such a device through mere imagination?
A spikey… wōwotóu?
"Just… give me a moment more…" Yun Yao murmured, eyes still tightly shut. "Grant me one more chance…"
At that very instant, the iron ball began to ascend slowly—the assault had ceased.
Within moments, Chen Junnan grasped the grim reality.
For Yun Yao, attempting to seize full control over something that did not truly exist was an insurmountable challenge.
Chen Junnan’s mind raced, then suddenly he looked up and exclaimed, "Awesome!!"
His voice thundered down from the ceiling into Yun Yao’s room, jolting her from her reverie. She blinked upward, a blank expression crossing her face, uncertain of what had transpired.
"Superstar, you really pulled it off!" Chen Junnan said. "How did you manage that? One of the links on the spikey chains loosened just enough to let the iron ball drop."
"Ah…?" Yun Yao’s tension eased slightly at his words. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Chen Junnan replied. "Luckily, the chains had been used many times and had started to rust. Otherwise, your {Reverberation} might not have worked at all."
His eyes fixed on the iron chains above Terrestrial Snake’s head. There, unmistakable corrosion was spreading.
What Chen Junnan described aloud was simultaneously taking shape within Yun Yao’s mind. Once her mental image perfectly matched reality, {Potent Luck} would awaken.
"Superstar, how did you even pull this off?" Chen Junnan frowned and continued, "How did you just so happen to know the sixth iron ring from the bottom was rusted?"
‘The sixth…?’
"And you just happened to make the chain break right there! You’re incredible, Superstar!"
A chill of unease slithered through Terrestrial Snake’s heart. The man perched above him appeared to be orchestrating a grand scheme… Was he amplifying someone’s {Reverberation}?
"Punk… I’ll kill you!!"
As the iron ball began its slow ascent, Terrestrial Snake suddenly lunged upward, his calloused hand reaching out toward Chen Junnan.
Chen Junnan’s expression hardened instantly. Dropping into a half-squat, he swung his foot downward with precision, connecting squarely with Terrestrial Snake’s face. A sharp sting radiated from his sole, as if he had struck a jagged stone.
{Thud}!
With a harsh crack, Terrestrial Snake was knocked clean out of midair, crashing heavily onto the floor. The blow did little lasting harm, but it sent him tumbling uncontrollably.
Chen Junnan knew his fortune had narrowly spared him. Had that kick missed, or worse, if Terrestrial Snake had seized him, death would have come instantly.
His gaze flicked upward again toward the iron ball, now hovering. The sixth ring from the bottom teetered on the edge of collapse, nearly corroded through but still holding firm. If the chain snapped belatedly, while the ball remained misplaced, all their efforts would be in vain.
"Wow, Superstar!" Chen Junnan shouted urgently, "The break you made is so clean! Like it was sliced with a f*cking knife! Now, finally… this scumbag, this rapist, child kidnapper, evil-incarnate, deserves-a-thousand-cuts bastard of a Terrestrial Snake can finally meet his end at our hands!"
{Clack!}
A sudden click of clarity resounded sharply within Yun Yao’s mind.
For the very first time, her conviction blazed forth, pure and unyielding.
Indeed, Terrestrial Snake deserved death; he had forfeited any right to continue existing in this world.
The iron ball’s fall was certain, an unassailable judgment poised to crush him utterly.
Retribution awaits all who do evil.
Under Chen Junnan’s excited gaze, the iron chains holding the ball finally snapped. Freed from all restraint, it plummeted directly into Terrestrial Snake’s room.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
