Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 405

Chapter 405

Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 405 Bookworm

Yun Yao glanced at Zhang Chenze, and only after a long pause did she finally nod.

“I understand. The paths (道) we walk are not the same,” Yun Yao remarked. “If our ideals differ, then we cannot work together. I can only wish you well.”

“Yun Yao…is it?” Zhang Chenze asked to confirm.

“Yes.”

“I may not know the details of your plan, but I have gone through multiple games alongside Lin Qin, Qin Dingdong, and Su Shan. I believe they are people who can be trusted.” Zhang Chenze spoke with gravity. “You have never fought through a game with Lin Qin, have you? Then you shouldn’t pass judgment on her actions.”

Yun Yao’s gaze dimmed, and after a moment she said quietly, “You’re right. I apologize. But this is a hurdle I cannot cross. {Judgment’s Domain} has cost me teammate after teammate. The pain of that is unbearable.”

“It’s alright…” Lin Qin nodded. “The {Judgment’s Domain} now is no longer the {Judgment’s Domain} of the beginning. My way of doing things is not the same as theirs.”

She then cast a wistful glance at Su Shan’s corpse before turning back to Yun Yao. “Have you decided where you’ll go?”

“Mm…” Yun Yao nodded. “When I participated in Terrestrial Snake’s game before, I remember the venue was huge, divided into many small rooms. I’m thinking of making that our first base.”

At this, Tian Tian stepped forward and glanced over their injuries. “You all look badly hurt… are you sure you won’t come with us?”

Standing behind her, Li Xiangling looked at Lin Qin’s right leg and said softly, “Jie, I… know some orthopedics; I can give you basic treatment.”

Lin Qin exchanged a glance with Qin Dingdong. Their impression of Yun Yao wasn’t particularly good, but dragging these broken bodies back to {Passage to Heaven} would certainly be troublesome.

“Even if we don’t see Doctor Zhao…” Lin Qin said, “we still need to go back and find Qi Xia. There’s something we need his opinion on.”

“Qi Xia?” Yun Yao shook her head lightly. “Qi Xia didn’t return to {Passage to Heaven} last night. He went to {Cats} together with Qiao Jiajin and Officer Li. Later, Chen Junnan followed as well. They should still be there now.”

“What? That bastard Chen Junnan went too?!” Qin Dingdong froze. “Is that punk avoiding me? When I look for him, he goes; when I arrive, he leaves. So f*cking unbelievable.”

“So, what do you all say?” Li Xiangling asked. “Lin Qin jiějiě’s injury isn’t minor; walking back now could be quite hazardous…”

“Since Qi Xia isn’t at {Passage to Heaven}, there’s no real need for us to return there.” Lin Qin glanced at Li Xiangling after speaking. “Can you help me brace my right leg? Later I’ll go to {Cats} to find Qi Xia.”

“No problem, Lin Qin jiějiě.” Li Xiangling nodded.

“In that case, can we go along with you to Terrestrial Snake’s venue first?” Lin Qin asked Yun Yao.

“That… would be fine,” Yun Yao replied. “Don’t mind what I said earlier, I just—”

“It’s nothing.” Lin Qin smiled faintly. “From your micro-expressions, I can tell what you’re thinking. You’ve simply been betrayed too many times.”

Yun Yao gave a bitter smile and nodded.

The six had just settled on leaving when they turned—and suddenly saw a strange man standing before them.

His figure didn’t seem to have appeared out of thin air; rather, it felt as if he had been standing there all along. At this moment, he was staring blankly at the screen.

The man’s complexion was deathly pale, his hair unkempt, and a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses perched on his face. In his left hand he clutched a copy of ‘Game Theory’, while his wrinkled white button-up was tucked into his trousers, an old-fashioned style that contrasted with his youthful appearance.

“Excuse me… terribly sorry…” he stammered. “Just now I heard you mention {Terrestrial Snake}, yes? May I ask… I mean, though I may be intruding… do you have any information about him?”

At the sight of his face, Qin Dingdong drew in a sharp breath and, feigning nonchalance, edged half a step back.

These past few days had been nothing short of absurd.

‘Nothing like meeting several consecutive ghosts roaming in broad daylight…’ she muttered sarcastically, her gaze flicking around as she calculated the odds of slipping away unseen.

Yun Yao, upon seeing the man, furrowed her brows slightly. She knew well that anyone who could appear without a sound nearby was no ordinary figure. Even Li Xiangling, with her instinctive keenness, had failed to sense his presence. He was not to be taken lightly.

“We… did indeed mention the {Terrestrial Snake} just now,” Yun Yao said calmly. “We were saying we planned to join his game. Do you wish to come along?”

“Oh, yes… right…” The man nodded, then pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You female comrades… you people should participate in Terrestrial Snake’s game… Terrestrial Snake indeed has a game. That is logical.”

From that brief exchange alone, Yun Yao had the impression he might be an {indigenous inhabitant}. His thoughts seemed not quite aligned with ordinary reason. And yet, she sensed no trace of {Reverberation}.

“So, you intend to go as well?” Yun Yao pressed.

“Me? Am I going?” The man glanced at her in embarrassment, stammering once more. “Ah, no—I won’t go. My presence there would be useless. I… I’m looking for someone.”

“Who… are you looking for?” Yun Yao asked.

“Who… who am I looking for?” The question seemed to stupefy him. His expression went vacant. “Who was it again? I’m… looking for someone I don’t know. Right. If I don’t know them, how do I find them…”

“And the reason you’re looking?” Lin Qin interjected from the side.

At that, the man’s expression slowly hardened, his voice dropping into a colder register. “My research materials… my experimental samples have run out… Without Terrestrial Snake, without him, my work cannot continue… What am I to do…”

He raised a trembling hand to his head, clawing at his already disheveled hair until it looked all the more wild and ragged. “What am I to do?! How many Terrestrial Snakes remain?! The experimental samples must not run out!”

How many Terrestrial Snakes… remain?

The women exchanged uneasy glances, brows furrowed. Could it be that this man had dealings with several Terrestrial Snakes?

“Don’t mind him…” Lin Qin murmured under her breath. “This man is strange. Let’s leave.”

“Mhm.” Yun Yao nodded slightly, then cast a meaningful look at Tian Tian and Li Xiangling.

Just as the group prepared to depart, they noticed Qin Dingdong had already edged several steps back.

“Eh…” The man turned his head toward her, squinting as though to scrutinize her more closely. “Pardon me… but why are you standing so far away from me?”

“Huh?!” Qin Dingdong froze. “I… I’m not! I’ve been standing right here the whole time…”

“Wait a moment…” The man pushed his glasses up, narrowing his gaze at Qin Dingdong. “Excuse me… what did you… just say?”

“I said I’ve been standing right here the whole time…” Qin Dingdong repeated.

“You said you saw me… eight years ago?!” The man’s eyes flew wide as he shouted, voice cracking with hysteria. “You’re trying to deceive me?!”

“Motherfu—!” Qin Dingdong felt a surge of dread, spun on her heel, and bolted.

But the man’s eyes bulged wider; with a slight flick of his hand, vines sprouted from beneath Qin Dingdong’s feet, coiling upward to ensnare her legs, sending her crashing hard to the ground.