TDU Chapter 374
Chapter 374 Hidden Trump Card
“This {fortune stick} can save Qin…” Lin Qin decisively picked up {Water Recedes Without a Trace}.
If she could drain the floodwaters from Qin Dingdong’s chamber, her chances of survival would rise dramatically.
The crisis had grown dire. The simultaneous assault of flooding and hail had pushed Qin Dingdong closer to death. The rushing current, paired with frigid air, sapped body heat faster than even {Cold Wave}. To make matters worse, with torrents pouring in from two directions, the chamber was filling at twice the speed.
At this point, the most urgent task was to expel the water from Qin Dingdong’s chamber. Doing so would dramatically shift the odds in their favor.
After all, shattered ice posed far less risk of suffocation, and even if drowning remained a threat, the ice would need time to melt first.
“This has to be the one, right?” Lin Qin murmured, gripping a {fortune stick} in each hand. The game had entered its endgame, where every choice carried the weight of life and death.
She slowly lifted her gaze to Su Shan, then raised {Water Recedes Without a Trace}, as if awaiting her silent affirmation.
Su Shan stroked her chin, eyes fixed on the {fortune stick}. She was just about to nod in agreement, but suddenly, she paused.
A faint, elusive thought brushed past the edge of her consciousness.
‘Wait a moment…’ She gesturing with her right hand for Lin Qin to stop. Her expression tightened as she sank into thought.
The current situation… felt strange.
Could Terrestrial Dog truly be that foolish?
They had reached the penultimate round, it was practically the final confrontation. At this stage, Terrestrial Dog would be deploying his most devastating {Calamities}.
Yet after planting those {Calamities} in Qin Dingdong’s chamber, he had deliberately left an entire round open, giving the remaining {Four Seasons} a clear window to counter.
Under normal circumstances, all {rescue} efforts would be deployed in sequence toward {Winter}.
However, because the {Nian Beast} had launched its {Calamity} before Qin Dingdong made her {wish}, the {fortune stick} she held had just enough time to complete a full cycle and activate, allowing her a chance to save herself.
In other words, although this round appeared to be an all-out assault by the {Nian Beast}, its moves were riddled with calculated openings.
Another deliberate use of the {intentional gap in siege} strategy.
“This is far too suspicious…” Su Shan murmured, tapping her nose thoughtfully. “What is he playing at?”
On the surface, playing {Water Recedes Without a Trace} would resolve everything at hand; Qin Dingdong would survive, and they could advance smoothly into the final round.
At that point, no matter what {Calamity} emerged, all they would need was one complete cycle of {No Land Shall Lie Fallow} to extinguish the Nian Beast’s final light and claim victory.
“Is this what he wants, to push us into playing {Water Recedes Without a Trace}?” Su Shan murmured, a faint sense of déjà vu tugging at her.
She remembered it clearly: last cycle, Qi Xia had also quietly led her down a path straight into the abyss.
But she was different now. This time, she was calm. Clear-headed.
Looking at the situation from a wider angle, she questioned: Why would Terrestrial Dog steer them toward using {Water Recedes Without a Trace}?
Only one round remained. Terrestrial Dog had but a single {Calamity Stick} left to deploy.
And no matter what disaster that final stick held, it could be neutralized by {Torrential Rain Pelts Down Fiercely}.
{Torrential Rain Pelts Down Fiercely} was currently in {Summer}’s possession, the midpoint of the year, flexible enough to respond to crises across all seasons.
Even if the final round’s {Calamity} landed on {Spring} or {Summer}, and couldn’t be dealt with immediately, as long as they acted swiftly, they could still complete {No Land Shall Lie Fallow} in time.
Wasn’t that… essentially a guaranteed victory?
“Ah!”
Su Shan’s eyes flew open. A rush of warmth welled up and streamed down her cheeks before she could stop it, blurring her vision. She wiped the tears away hastily, then narrowed her gaze, eyes gleaming with sudden clarity.
“I understand now!”
Wasting no time, Su Shan looked up and made a sharp gesture toward Lin Qin.
She used the simplest sign language she could manage to urge Lin Qin not to play {Water Recedes Without a Trace}, but to choose {Flowers Bloom With Spring Warmth} instead.
Lin Qin kept second-guessing herself, convinced she’d misinterpreted Su Shan. Again and again, she raised {Water Recedes Without a Trace}, only for Su Shan to shake her head each time.
“What the…? Are you seriously sure about this?” Lin Qin muttered, disbelief creeping into her voice. “Shouldn’t we be dealing with the {Flood} first…?”
She flipped the {fortune stick} around, showing Su Shan the inscription printed on its surface. Su Shan studied it carefully, then shook her head once more.
“Are you insane…?” Lin Qin whispered, torn between frustration and helplessness. Her gaze darted toward Qin Dingdong’s chamber next door, where icy water had already risen to waist level.
Stop the {Hailstorm} first!?
Wouldn’t that mean leaving Qin Dingdong to drown?
“This… this…” Lin Qin bit her lip. She knew she wasn’t stupid, yet she couldn’t begin to grasp what Su Shan was thinking. “Fine… I’ll trust you on this.”
With a deep breath, she dropped the {fortune stick} into the slot.
Instantly, every gaze in the room, including Terrestrial Dog’s, locked onto Qin Dingdong’s chamber.
Su Shan, however, kept her focus squarely on Terrestrial Dog’s face, calm and unwavering. She was certain her deduction was sound.
It was a move as bold as it was perilous.
The torrent of ice overhead gave a final shudder before freezing in place, while water continued to surge through the room.
Terrestrial Dog’s brow furrowed. Slowly, he turned to face Su Shan.
“I should’ve expected nothing less from you…” His voice echoed through the broadcast, low and resonant. “This goes beyond logic, how did you see through it?”
Su Shan offered only a faint smile, giving Terrestrial Dog no response.
At last, the tide had shifted; their odds of winning this game had finally improved.
Terrestrial Dog lowered his gaze. “Player Three’s {wish} completed. Player Four, kindly {draw}…”
His voice no longer carried its earlier composure; even he hadn’t anticipated that his carefully constructed strategy would be unraveled.
Qin Dingdong, for her part, was completely stunned. She had assumed her teammates would target the {Flood}, but instead, they had dispelled the {Hailstorm}.
Her chamber was now in total disarray. The two {Defaults} bobbed amid the rising water, drifting alongside shards of shattered ice. The table lay submerged on the floor beneath the flood.
How was she supposed to {draw} now?
Before she could even begin to consider her next move, a {fortune stick} emerged from the submerged table, swiftly rising to the water’s surface.
“So this is how it’s going to be...?” Qin Dingdong furrowed her brow, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Jiejie’s makeup is now completely ruined.”
Braving the biting cold, she took a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface, firmly slotting a {fortune stick} into the hole on the submerged table.
“Round eight… begins,” Terrestrial Dog sighed deeply.
Seeing his reaction, Su Shan finally allowed herself to relax. From all indications, Terrestrial Dog’s last {fortune stick} was certainly not {Drought}.
While it made sense to counter {Drought} with {Torrential Rain Pelts Down Fiercely}, the match was imperfect.
Saving this {fortune stick} for the final round meant the last {Calamity} was far deadlier than {Drought}. Swift in its lethality, yet vulnerable to water.
Such as — {Wildfire}.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
