Chapter 933: Chapter 887: Damn It
Anzhi Tianlan kept a close eye on the chess pieces of Group 2 starting to move.
"They are moving upwards..." she watched the direction of the Group 2 pieces, "With no intention to move to the right at all, they are heading straight up. Is Group 2’s Chess Player really intending to send the pieces to kill Group 1’s Chess Player?"
But she was still puzzled as to why the Group 2 Chess Player hesitated for so long when deciding the direction to advance in this round.
This lengthy hesitation had already given the Group 1 Chess Player ample opportunity to prepare.
Compared to the well-prepared Group 1 Chess Player, the Group 2 pieces, who were in the dark and unaware, were genuinely at a disadvantage.
If the Group 1 Chess Player were of better physical fitness, the Group 2 Chess Player might not even have time to react before being killed.
The next second, the little figure representing the Group 2 pieces appeared in Group 1’s initial room!
As Anzhi Tianlan anticipated, the Group 2 pieces stopped abruptly upon entering the initial room at first glance, obviously a bit caught off guard.
Meanwhile, the Group 1 Chess Player, who had been lying in ambush, rushed forward, and the figures of the two little people overlapped.
At the same time, a one-minute countdown appeared on the screen of Anzhi Tianlan, marking the countdown for the Chess Players’ actions. Group 2 had already finished their move, and now it was Group 3’s turn to act.
However, all the pieces in her group had already died, so she didn’t need to roll the dice or choose a direction to move; she just needed to click "skip" on the screen before the countdown ended.
But at this moment, she wasn’t focused on the countdown on the screen, her eyes were fixed on the situation in the No. 1 initial room, where the figures representing the Chess Player and pieces remained overlapped, with nothing else to see aside from these two little figures.
"The battle is quite intense. Group 2 doesn’t actually have an advantage in killing Group 1," Anzhi Tianlan reflected on her previous strategy, "Group 2 would have an advantage coming to kill me."
Just like when she previously dispatched pieces intending to kill Group 4’s Chess Player.
The order of actions for the Chess Players follows the sequence of Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each Chess Player has a one-minute countdown for decision-making. Once the previous group completes their move, the countdown for the next Chess Player begins. If someone from the previous group enters the initial room of the next Chess Player, causing the Chess Player’s death would be very straightforward.
"A piece from the previous group killing the adjacent next group’s Chess Player just needs to suppress the Chess Player for a minute, preventing them from making a choice before the countdown ends, resulting in the Chess Player dying due to a violation. But a piece from the next group killing the previous group’s Chess Player involves a direct confrontation," she remarked as she observed the square representing the No. 1 initial room, much like Group 2 wanting to kill Group 1’s Chess Player, they could only engage directly.
This grand battle extended for a lengthy duration, and no result had been determined yet.
Anzhi Tianlan’s countdown was about to end, and she thoughtfully reached out to click "skip," signaling it was Group 4’s turn to act next.
Seeing that no quick result was coming from the No. 1 initial room, she turned her attention to the current location of the Group 4 pieces.
"It seems like the Group 4 pieces have reached some agreement with Group 1 pieces. Since the fifth round, Group 4’s pieces have been following Group 1’s pair relentlessly..."
Anzhi Tianlan was a bit worried about the current positions of Group 1’s two pieces.
"They are quite close to me now." She glanced at the square containing the Group 1’s two pieces, "Now there are only four squares between us."
Recalling the actions of Group 1’s two pieces in previous rounds in the game—pillaging and burning—Anzhi Tianlan felt these two were difficult to deal with, wondering what to do if these two came idly looking for her.
Yet now, all the pieces in her group were dead, posing no threat to Group 1. The Group 1 Chess Player didn’t need these two people to deal with her.
Furthermore, whether the Group 1 Chess Player could survive to continue commanding was still a problem.
"There’s still no message in the group." Liu Ruyan observed the [Group Chat of Ten].
Since their actions this round, 007 hadn’t sent any messages in the group chat.
Gu Mian looked at the group chat devoid of new messages: "After our actions, Group 2 should have acted next. Now it’s been almost four minutes since our move, Group 2 must have finished their actions."
"Group 2 must have acted, yet 007 is delaying sending any information. Probably because Group 2 entered our initial room, and 007 is too busy dealing with them to send a message." Liu Ruyan looked away from the group chat.
They could basically confirm this.
"Speaking of," Liu Ruyan turned to Gu Mian, "didn’t you bring your chainsaw? I remember you seemed to have it when entering the instance."
"It’s in the initial room," Gu Mian replied.
Liu Ruyan clapped twice: "You left it in the initial room when I wasn’t paying attention. After reading the rules when entering this instance, players naturally think leaving the Chess Player in the initial room is the safest. But you realized there would be danger to the Chess Player from the start and left your chainsaw there?"
"Yes, after reading the rules, I realized the four groups were in a competitive relationship. The most direct way to win in such a competition was to eliminate the people who were competing with you. And the rules didn’t state that pieces couldn’t enter other groups’ initial rooms."
"Since your chainsaw is in the initial room, there shouldn’t be much doubt regarding the outcome. Knowing other groups’ pieces and Chess Players couldn’t communicate, the Group 2 pieces would undoubtedly be stunned for a few seconds upon entering our initial room. Within those few seconds, 007 has ample time to kill the opponent three times." Liu Ruyan stopped for a while, "But now it’s been a few minutes with no message in the group."
Gu Mian also found it strange.
Compared to the completely unprepared Group 2 pieces, 007 had an enormous advantage; ambushing the opponent was effortless.
But until now, no concrete news in the group—it’s as if the two hit it off and started chatting in the room? A bit odd...
While the two talked, the rest period ended for this round.
Rest time has arrived, which means all groups have completed their actions for this round.
The two didn’t see Hao Laoshi enter this room, so it seems the number rolled by the four groups’ Chess Players was one, and Hao Laoshi remained in the tired square in front of this room.
In that case, Hao Laoshi will be stalled for the next round, and the gap between them will widen further.
All groups on the field aren’t doing well right now, and Gu Mian hasn’t found a trace of the Evil God. He’s already entered three 605 rooms, none of which had the Evil God’s shadow. Gu Mian has almost confirmed that the Evil God is likely not in the 605 room.
Where could he be?
Gu Mian began to think about everything that happened from the start of the instance, not overlooking a single clue.
"Why isn’t he dead yet?" In the initial room of group two, Passerby A and I’m the Best in the World stared nervously at the chessboard.
Both of them were sweating from their foreheads, periodically checking the rest countdown on the screen.
"There’s only half a minute left on the halftime rest countdown. Why isn’t he dead yet! If he doesn’t die soon, we’re done!" I’m the Best in the World said frantically, almost jumping up as if they wished they could personally cheer in No. 1’s initial room.
"Who knew group one’s Chess Player would be so weak, failing to solve him after so long. I stalled for a full minute this round before letting him enter the initial room; this minute should have definitely allowed group one’s Chess Player to prepare!" Passerby A said anxiously, occasionally glancing at the countdown on the screen, now down to twenty seconds.
"Kill! Kill quickly! You’ve had so much preparation time, and in previous rounds, you noticed I wanted the piece to enter your room, right? Why haven’t you killed him after all this preparation?" Passerby A anxiously punched the screen edge, as if wanting to smash his fist into the screen and destroy the Iron Pot Stewed Chicken in the initial room.
Yes, the two players of group two aren’t cheering for their piece but hoping group one’s Chess Player kills their piece.
Only then will they have a chance to survive...
To give group one’s Chess Player ample preparation time, Passerby A stalled until the countdown was almost over before letting his group’s piece enter No. 1’s initial room.
Iron Pot Stewed Chicken had no idea which room he’d enter every round, but the Chess Player could clearly see who’s entering their initial room, making it easy to ambush whoever enters.
Passerby A and I’m the Best in the World thought they’d given group one’s Chess Player enough preparation time, and surely group one’s Chess Player could successfully deal with Iron Pot Stewed Chicken.
But against their wishes, the next round was about to begin, and group one’s Chess Player hadn’t successfully killed their group’s piece.
"Useless!" As the halftime rest countdown reached less than ten seconds, Passerby A couldn’t help but curse.
At this moment, he saw that the small figure representing Iron Pot Stewed Chicken in the initial room was motionless, while group one’s Chess Player returned to the center of the room.
"What’s going on! Iron Pot Stewed Chicken is motionless; has he been killed by group one’s people? But why is there no notification?" Passerby A’s eyes held hope as he stared at the square representing group one’s initial room.
Beside him, I’m the Best in the World looked grim, staring at the unmoving small figure in No. 1’s initial room square and the Chess Player back in room center, then at the countdown nearing "three": "We’re finished; he’s figured out our intentions."
Following his words, the halftime rest countdown officially hit zero, commencing the eleventh round.
"Strange." In the initial room of group three, Anzhi Tianlan stared at No. 1’s initial room, not expecting group one’s Chess Player and group two’s piece to be entangled for so long.
Group one’s two pieces seemed difficult, and she subconsciously thought group one’s Chess Player was the same type of person.
She didn’t expect that, with ample preparation, group one’s Chess Player would stall and be entangled with a mindless small piece for so long.
Could it be someone with high intelligence but extremely poor physical quality?
Then she saw the unmoving small figure representing the piece in group one’s initial room, while the small figure representing the Chess Player could still move, seemingly preparing for the next round in the room’s center.
"The piece isn’t moving? Did group one’s Chess Player kill him?"
No, that’s not correct.
There’s no notification of the piece’s death, no death mark on the small figure; it seems the piece isn’t dead but simply motionless.
"Did group one’s Chess Player restrict the piece’s movement without killing him?" Anzhi Tianlan was puzzled; compared to capturing someone alive, killing the opponent is evidently simpler.
Why would group one’s Chess Player go to such lengths to restrict the piece’s movement instead of directly killing him?
It can’t be compassion, unable to witness others dying.
People who’ve survived in the global game until now likely don’t have such sentiments.
While Anzhi Tianlan was puzzled, she suddenly recalled group two’s delay before entering the initial room.
In an instant, everything made sense.
Anzhi Tianlan sharply realized, with chills on her back: "It’s like this... so that’s it... group two deliberately sent the piece to die, thus delaying and giving group one’s Chess Player ample preparation time. And group one’s Chess Player saw through their intentions right from the start, which is why they deliberately didn’t kill group two’s piece..."
Linking all the information, Anzhi Tianlan seemed to see sixty-three squares on the chessboard darken, while the remaining one turned into a treasure box square.
