[Five minutes earlier]
[Number 1 in live streaming room popularity: Eni]
In another parallel X city, the man who had first run up to the third-floor platform swiftly threw out a rope.
The blond young man climbed the rope and easily jumped onto the platform. Above the platform, the blond woman and the other three partners in matching outfits were waiting for him.
Eni elegantly dusted off his clothes and glanced back, "If you ask me, there's no need to rush. That little girl in the red dress downstairs... she might be the final boss. Just kill her directly."
"To avoid any accidents, let's follow the regular procedure. Let's go to the third floor of the hospital first to check the situation and get all the clues we should." The man with gold-rimmed glasses spread out his kraft notebook in his hands. Even amidst an apocalypse, his attire was still meticulous, with not a single bloodstain or wound on his body, as if he had just walked out of a dance. His brain rapidly processed information for a moment before looking towards the staircase to the third floor.
In his clue column, clues one to eight, as well as the four quickly connected conjectures, were neatly placed together.
"I've fully figured it out," said the bespectacled man. "The nature of the mysteries of this world..."
"Leave the decryption type to you, Hubert," said Eni, yawning with a touch of weariness. "It's so boring... I thought it would be a bit more interesting, but it's just the same as the last time with Zhai Xing... There's not a hint of difficulty in this entire world."
"You can't measure others by your own standards, my dear Eni," said the blond woman with a smile as she twirled the end of her hair. "After all, not everyone is like you."
Eni's gaze drifted towards the opposite staircase: "Hurry up, Qiao Liya. I don't want to let others take the lead in such a simple game. I heard that Mizushima Kawa Sora is close to gathering all the clues in the hospital, and I certainly don't want to fall behind her."
Suddenly, crimson flames manifested around him, like obedient elves, floating down the dark corridor, illuminating a dark path.
A few people followed the trail of flames, walking forward until they reached the old staircase. A bulky man went up to test it out first, but he didn't see any hint of danger.
Once the man had gone straight up, Eni then followed with extremely steady steps.
The group gradually ascended, but only when they reached the third floor did they realize the path they had taken disappeared, leaving only a dark chasm behind.
"Heehee... heeheehee..."
A light, playful laughter echoed from all around, as defensive rings of flame appeared around Eni.
"So pretentious," he muttered, but a long sword appeared in his hand. Qiao Liya drew the whip from her waist, and with a "snap," Hubert closed the notebook in his hands.
Bloodstains gradually emerged on the walls, and once the white wall was nearly filled with the color of blood, the girl in red appeared in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Big brother, big sister." Duoduo's complexion was pale, but her smile was radiant. Her eyes stared directly at the newcomers, as if she had seen a delicious treat: "... You're different from the people I've seen in other X cities. You look so powerful."
"As if I needed you to tell me that," Eni said, lifting his chin.
"So powerful, so powerful... Therefore— even tastier!" She spread her arms, and the surroundings burst with color in an instant. In that moment, her smile was fervent:
"— Come, let's play chess! Impressive big brothers and big sisters!"
Eni and the others noticed that the environment around them had changed drastically. The floor turned into a chessboard of black and white squares, the eerie corridor was gone, replaced by a deep blue sky, like the Star Sea.
"A side instance?" he glanced across and couldn't see the end of it.
[You've entered the Perfect Pass route·World Chessboard]
[Current Combat Power (Individual): 291, Team Total Combat Power: 868]
[Perfect Pass Progress: 60%]
"Daddy director always liked to play chess," said Duoduo, standing opposite the chessboard with her head lowered, sounding a bit aggrieved. "Although he always said Duoduo didn't understand and wouldn't teach me... Duoduo understands. He was just afraid it would be too difficult for me.
Duoduo has always been good... Duoduo wouldn't go out, nor would I talk to anyone. Ever since I got off the operating table, all I wanted was to play chess... even though I never understood the rules and had no one to play with."
Suddenly, she lifted her head, her eyes sparkling:
"But now... none of that matters." Her smile was brilliantly radiant: "Big brother, big sister, let's play a game of chess. It might not be with Duoduo, but you can play with someone else~
—With your lives as Chess Pieces."
The next moment, Eni, Qiao Liya, and the others heard the system prompt:
[Ding-dong! Match successful!]
[Your team: Eni, Qiao Liya, Hubert, Hans, Selt (Total Combat Power 868)]
[Opposing team: Su Ming'an, Yuanyuan (currently incapacitated) (Total Combat Power: 210)]
[Please appoint positions for your team members]
[Available positions: Knight/Guard/Tower/Bishop/Queen]
Eni glanced at the opposing team's list of names, "Su Ming'an"; he remembered this was a player from Dragon Country who had bragged on the preliminary list that he would "make it to the end."
Being matched up with this person meant he could teach this guy a lesson.
He took another look at the list at "Su Ming'an."
For some inexplicable reason, he felt a sense of ceremony creeping into his heart... even though the opponent was just a nobody on the preliminaries list.
...But why did he feel a flicker of panic?
...
[World Game·Remaining Players: 332,546,809]