TDU Chapter 373
Chapter 373 Combined Effort
Su Shan reconfirmed everyone’s {fortune sticks}.
Only three remained capable of countering {Calamity}: Qin Dingdong’s {Water Recedes Without a Trace}, Lin Qin’s {Flowers Bloom With Spring Warmth}, and Zhang Chenze’s {Torrential Rain Pelts Down Fiercely}.
The answers allow for a general deduction of the forthcoming {Calamities}.
The natural disasters not yet encountered were only a few types, so {Water Recedes Without a Trace} most likely corresponded to {Flood}.
{Flowers Bloom With Spring Warmth} deserves closer examination. It resembles {Radiant Sun Embraces the Earth} in wording, but the latter feels more intense in heat.
Then the {Calamity} it can counter should be very similar to a {Cold Wave}.
From this perspective, it’s nothing more than low-temperature disasters such as {Blizzard} or {Snowstorm}.
Following this logic, {Torrential Rain Pelts Down Fiercely} in Zhang Chenze’s hands must correspond to {Drought}.
Assuming the next three rounds brought {Flood}, {Snowstorm}, and {Drought}, the most dangerous of them all seemed to be {Flood}.
Its effect should be similar to a {Sandstorm}, flooding a certain {season}’s room gradually—a process that requires buildup. Therefore, Terrestrial Dog might prioritize deploying it.
Next was {Flowers Bloom With Spring Warmth}, corresponding to {Snowstorm}, which combined the effects of suffocation and cold. Unlike drowning, being buried under snow was not necessarily fatal.
The least lethal of the three should be {Drought}. Since its nature involved prolonged dehydration and high heat, it required more time to kill. With only three rounds left, using {Drought} to kill someone was quite difficult.
The three {wish sticks} were held by three different people—an ideal situation. Coupled with the {No Land Shall Lie Fallow} she held ready to play, the {Four Seasons} faction could take action each round.
At this moment, the {Four Seasons} seemed to have formed a tight encirclement, trapping the {Nian Beast} firmly in the center.
“Player One’s {wish} completed. Player Two, kindly {draw}.”
Seeing that Terrestrial Dog showed no sign of using a {Calamity stick}, Zhang Chenze, following Su Shan’s example, pressed down on the {Default} as soon as it appeared.
“Player Two’s {wish} completed. Player Three, kindly {draw}.”
Su Shan slowly furrowed her brows. ‘You’re still not going to use it?’
She had roughly figured out Terrestrial Dog’s tactic: this round would likely repeat the previous one, where Terrestrial Dog unleashed two {Calamity} sticks consecutively—one at the end of a round and another at the start of the next.
Sure enough, Lin Qin also followed suit, pressing down the new {Default}, treating it as a {wish}.
The sixth round was nearing its end. It was now Qin Dingdong’s turn.
Su Shan was already prepared; she sensed this time the {Calamity} would fall on herself.
“Everyone…” Terrestrial Dog finally spoke up, “This round’s {Calamity} is {Flood}.”
What surprised Su Shan was that Terrestrial Dog again did not target her, but instead aimed at Qin Dingdong.
“You motherf*cking relentless mutt!” Qin Dingdong shouted fiercely. The violent movements caused her to cough uncontrollably, and amid the coughing she yelled, “How many times now?! Just how many huh?! {Sandstorm}, {Poisonous Miasma}, and now {Flood}? What did this jiejie ever owe you?! Just f*cking cut me down with a rain of knives already! I’m done living!”
Everyone could see Qin Dingdong furiously pointing at Terrestrial Dog inside her glass chamber. Although they couldn’t hear her exact words, judging from her lip movements and expression, it was clear she was unleashing a tirade.
The next moment, water began to accumulate inside Qin Dingdong’s room.
This time, the flooding differed from previous {Calamity} events. Instead of water pouring down from above, it surged in from a pipe at the bottom. Judging by the rapid flow, the room would be filled within minutes.
Qin Dingdong glanced at her {Water Recedes Without a Trace} in hand, only to find—unluckily—a left-pointing arrow drawn on it.
Even she had assumed that Su Shan would be the one to suffer this time, so she kept this left-arrowed {fortune stick} with her. But when misfortune strikes, there's just no escaping it.
‘I must have caught it from that bastard Chen Junnan…’ Qin Dingdong closed her eyes, clutching her {Water Recedes Without a Trace}.
To survive, she had no choice but to resort to old tricks.
“It’s such a pity… this {fortune stick}… turns out to be fake as well…”
Moments later, Qin Dingdong frowned deeply. She realized her {subconscious} was no longer under control. Although she desperately wanted to believe this {fortune stick} was fake, she simply couldn’t.
How could it possibly be fake?!
Just moments ago, she had planned to use this {fortune stick} to save Su Shan, and now she was forced to call it fake.
Even if she had a good grasp over her {Reverberation}, it was impossible to trigger it in such a ridiculous scenario.
“Damn dog... can you really not see the {fortune sticks} we hold?” Qin Dingdong couldn’t shake the feeling that Terrestrial Dog was scheming from a higher vantage point.
Was Su Shan the opening he left behind on purpose to erode her resolve?
If that’s something he’s truly capable of, then he’s terrifying beyond reason.
“Whatever... it’s just {water},” Qin Dingdong remarked. “It takes a few minutes to flood the room, and I can hold my breath for over a minute... only two turns left, so it’s worth the gamble.”
Without hesitation, Qin Dingdong gifted her {Water Recedes Without a Trace} to Su Shan, leaving the next tactical move in her hands.
Before Su Shan could even {draw}, Terrestrial Dog’s voice echoed through the room: “Seventh round, I act first.”
Just as Su Shan had anticipated, Terrestrial Dog was aiming to maximize his {Calamities}. This time, it was definitely her turn.
After all, receiving a {Calamity} during one’s own turn meant having to wait until the next person’s move for a rescue, and with a bit of bad luck, the {rescue} would take a whole round.
Yet again, the situation took everyone by surprise.
Terrestrial Dog did not target Su Shan but instead directed this round’s {Calamity} once more at Qin Dingdong.
“This round’s {Calamity} is {Hailstorm}.”
“Huh?!” Qin Dingdong’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Terrestrial Dog had chosen the most straightforward strategy: disregarding all other seasons, he was now fully intent on eliminating {Winter}.
With no more extra {Firecrackers} left on the field, as long as Terrestrial Dog could eliminate {Winter}, he would be guaranteed an unshakable victory.
Within seconds, a loud mechanical clatter echoed above Qin Dingdong’s head, and countless shards of ice began to fall {crackling} down.
The fragments struck Qin Dingdong’s body before dropping into the water below.
“You’ve got combos yourself, huh?!” Qin Dingdong shouted, shielding her head with both hands, clearly furious. “All these f*cking tricks just aimed at me, right?!”
Su Shan knew her own hand couldn’t save Qin Dingdong, so she hurriedly passed {Water Recedes Without a Trace} over to Zhang Chenze.
Zhang Chenze had been ready by the table; seeing the {fortune stick} surface, she grabbed it and fed it into the gifting slot.
Now it was Lin Qin’s turn to decide.
She held two {fortune sticks}: {Flowers Bloom With Spring Warmth} and {Water Recedes Without a Trace}.
Qin Dingdong’s room faced two simultaneous {Calamities}, yet Lin Qin could only play one {fortune stick}.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
