novelraw Chapter 399: Stall, Just Keep Stalling! Where Did This Expert Come From?
Chapter 399: Stall, Just Keep Stalling! Where Did This Expert Come From?
In Room 8 at this moment.
Jiu Tian faced a black shadowy figure, the two sitting opposite each other.
The other party was completely shrouded in black smoke, devoid of any other color except for a large red mouth on its face that remained stretched wide as if smiling.
But now, it seemed unable to maintain that smile.
The red mouth on its face was tightly shut.
Xie Antong's guess was correct—this was a Divine Emissary of Despair's Chosen.
Its purpose was to bring despair, to savor and absorb despair, but now it was feeling slightly despairing itself.
Jiu Tian was the second "weakling" whose location it had confirmed. It came here to harvest points, along with despair.
Yet the person before it appeared completely composed, showing no panic upon seeing it, instead looking utterly calm and collected.
The character in Jiu Tian's room was "Wen" (Literature).The moment he saw Despair's Chosen before him, he knew he was probably doomed, and almost instantly pulled out his Exit Coin.
Moreover, due to the nature of the Chosen, he instinctively felt a tinge of despair.
Opening his game livestream interface, the Dragon Group's mission instructions were extremely simple:
—Stall!
Stall by any means possible.
After seeing the barrage of comments flooding the screen, his heart immediately settled somewhat—at least the entire organization was watching, he wasn't fighting alone.
Furthermore, as a Dragon Group operative, personal safety was paramount. The Dragon Group would never ask you to sacrifice meaninglessly.
As long as the Exit Coin was used when necessary, even if all his abilities were lost, there were still benefits.
After submitting the report and going through approval procedures, he would be recognized as having contributed to Wei Country, with lifelong security and living arrangements absolutely guaranteed.
And now, the entire Dragon Group was watching him. As long as he stalled to the best of his ability, he wouldn't even need to write that report himself!
Losing didn't matter—consider it early retirement. He wasn't that keen on risking his life daily against a bunch of freaks anyway.
So he maintained a peaceful mindset—winning or losing didn't matter, as long as he completed his mission.
Despair's Chosen thought this guy before it was so calm because he assumed "literary combat" wasn't dangerous.
Thus, before the game began, it deliberately added in a sinister tone:
"Literary combat can also make you despair."
Jiu Tian: ......
He had nothing to say, simply holding the Exit Coin in his hand, waiting quietly.
Amusing.
Whether literary or martial combat, theoretically players could negotiate the format—as long as both sides agreed, it could begin.
But generally, agreements couldn't be reached, so literary combat meant randomly selecting a topic where the opponent must have the ability to complete it.
Since Despair's Chosen's emissary represented the game's rules, it basically won against anyone.
So without much thought, it randomly selected something resembling a Q&A game to start with Jiu Tian.
These questions touched the soul—a unique skill of Despair's Chosen that prevented the other party from lying.
All questions were paradoxes or unanswerable dilemmas.
Like whether an omnipotent God could create a stone too heavy for Himself to lift, or variations of the trolley problem.
The goal wasn't to get answers or debate, but psychological warfare—to see whose mind collapsed first, whose rationality vanished first.
But the problem was, Despair's Emissary exploited the game's rules—it only asked questions, never needing to think.
Combined with despair's power, this quickly shattered the opponent's psyche.
And when someone's mind died, they effectively died too, providing ample despair.
Hence its initial warning—don't think "literary combat" is harmless.
"Heh heh, let the game begin," Despair's Emissary announced, then started methodically.
"Can an omnipotent God create a stone too heavy for Himself to lift?"
Omnipotent, yet unable to lift it?
This format of literary combat was new to Jiu Tian, sparking instinctive curiosity.
Hearing this question, he subconsciously began pondering.
This paradox...
But the moment his eyes started glazing over, he violently shook his head.
No!
Who said anything about actually engaging in literary combat?!
He wasn't here to debate, and who knew what tricks the game itself had? Why invite trouble?
He knew himself well—he wasn't "Sin," not one of those top-tier players who could challenge the game.
His job was to fulfill his role.
So he slowly spoke:
"This God you mention—actually, what is God? This requires dialectical examination. Regarding the term 'God,' what is its background..."
Despair's Emissary: ?
"Stop! You're digressing. Assuming God is omnipotent, can He create a stone too heavy for Himself to lift?"
"Oh, that." Gradually affected by the power, Jiu Tian's mind began emptying.
"This matter, first of all, is quite complex. Simple means not difficult, while complex means difficult. Difficult implies not easy, and not easy means complex..."
To maximize stalling, Jiu Tian spoke slowly, endlessly circling.
Though Despair's Emissary was clouding his mind, Jiu Tian found his instinctive rambling surprisingly smooth.
It seemed almost reflexive, requiring little thought.
After fifteen minutes of nonstop talking, Despair's Emissary was the one feeling despair!
Had this guy's brain already broken?
Should this count as my win?!
"Stop, I said stop!" it hastily interjected.
"Change topics! What are your thoughts on the trolley problem?"
"Thoughts?" By now Jiu Tian seemed mentally vacant, but clinging to his mission, he kept stalling while gripping the Exit Coin.
"State your opinion!" The emissary grew impatient.
"Ah, this matter... If you want me to say a few words, then I'll say a few."
"Which few words should I say? Then I'll say these few..."
"And which few are these few?"
"......"
Jiu Tian—an overlooked character even Xie Antong hadn't noticed—had firmly pinned Despair's Emissary here!
In this game, top players had their brilliance, but Jiu Tian was giving his all too.
In Room 3, Xie Antong frowned, sensing something amiss.
Why was it so quiet? Perfect Life had already lost.
This lack of reaction puzzled her. Had it gone straight after Sin?
But getting stalled elsewhere was impossible... Was there another expert?