Chapter 118: The Foresight Drawing Paper, The General Devours the Pawn

Chapter 118: The Foresight Drawing Paper, The General Devours the Pawn

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself, Is this guy's intuition really that sharp?

He then averted his gaze, steering the conversation elsewhere.

"What about cleaning up this mess?"

"No need."

"Areas abandoned by players will be tidied up by the game's order."

The Horse Player wiped the blood off his glasses. "Since we're still within the Main Storyline Task, any killings between players can be written off as surgical accidents. It won’t violate the game rules."

"At this point, these guys are as good as dead."

"Over in the maternity ward, new Snake and Ox players are already being incubated. New players will seamlessly enter the Instance."

The Crying Mourner Supernatural Creature, controlled by the Tiger Player, suddenly lost control of its facial expression.

It turned to the Horse Player and said, "Old Horse, Wish Time is almost over. I should log off now. After I leave, the Crying Mourner will remain dormant for ten minutes."

"Stick to the plan and keep pushing forward."

"I’ll keep an eye on the Dragon faction."

"Oh, and that eyeball… handle it."

With that, the Crying Mourner's head slumped abruptly, its half-supernatural body collapsing onto the floor in an eerie posture.

"What eyeball?" Ji Yan frowned.

The Horse Player didn’t answer. Instead, he walked over to the Snake Player’s corpse—her neck twisted, her body still faintly warm—and rummaged through her voluptuous frame before finally prying out a pale, ghastly eyeball.

Horrifyingly, the eyeball was still vividly rotating in place!

"An eye that surveils everything."

The Horse Player crushed it without hesitation, flinging the milky-white pulp aside like spoiled lychee flesh.

"This is one of the Dragon’s Supernatural Artifacts."

"The Peeping Supernatural Eyeball. We’ve seen this thing before."

Ji Yan asked, "Peeping…? But weren’t these players all from his faction? What’s the point of planting a surveillance device among his own people?"

The Horse Player didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stared at Ji Yan.

Ji Yan immediately understood. "You’re saying these four were just Chess Pieces too?"

The Horse Player flicked away the Impurity on his palm. "One of the Dragon’s Wish Privileges is knowing all the zodiac players’ Wish Privileges—yet he didn’t fully disclose mine and the Tiger’s to them."

"Because of the Information Gap, they died horribly."

"This proves the Dragon was holding back from the start, treating them as disposable pieces."

"If they’d succeeded in taking your Sheepskin Scroll, great. Mission accomplished."

"But if they failed… well, this Peeping Eyeball—embedded without even the Snake Player’s knowledge—would serve its purpose."

Ji Yan arched a brow. "What purpose?"

The Horse Player smiled faintly. "To uncover the trump card you haven’t played yet."

"You’ve escaped his carefully laid traps multiple times, even countering his moves. If he’s not a fool, he’s already guessed you’re relying on more than just two Sheepskin Scrolls."

"Especially this time—four zodiac players plus a Crying Mourner, and you’re still alive!"

The Horse Player didn’t spell out what that unplayed card was.

But like the Tiger Player, he surely suspected it was a Talent.

A Talent is every player’s ultimate trump card.

Call it a life-saving ace—the higher the level, the less likely anyone would reveal even a hint of it to others.

Unless you're a D-grade with those cringy, utterly dispensable talents like guaranteed panty peeking, a ten-centimeter dick growth, or perpetual rock-hard boners, you wouldn't casually reveal your abilities to others.

"I've dealt with that Dragon guy before. He's meticulous—everything has to be foolproof, with no loose ends."

"He's analyzing your Talent, its activation conditions, general effects, and so on."

The Horse Player spoke while readjusting his glasses.

Ji Yan's expression flickered uncertainly.

Analysis…

How much could he deduce?

Logically, the Dragon Player would assume his Talent was S-level or SS-level, but he’d never guess it was an F-grade—a bug-like Talent that shouldn’t even exist.

Ji Yan changed the subject. "What’s your plan now?"

"Push forward with the Main Plot."

"The Dragon Player is waiting for us ahead."

"Now that he’s exhausted all his chess pieces, it’s time for him to make his move personally."

After all, the Dragon Player had long since completed the Main Plot and was now stuck at a certain stage, just waiting for Ji Yan and the others to cross paths.

Ji Yan nodded and turned toward Gu Meng.

Gu Meng seemed utterly disinterested, like a carefree queen who couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

"After helping you this time, we’re even. What happens to you afterward is none of my concern."

"Consider it repayment for that little trick I pulled on you last time."

Her tone was unhurried.

Ji Yan almost retorted that showing up just to strangle the Snake Player wasn’t exactly a huge favor, but he simply nodded and said, "Thanks."

"My help goes beyond just that."

As if reading his mind, Gu Meng raised her slender hand and lightly beckoned in the air.

The torn drawing paper fluttered without wind, landing in her palm and seamlessly reassembling.

"You didn’t really think this drawing paper’s only purpose was summoning me, did you?"

"Look closely at the content. It could save your life."

"Whether you can decipher it depends on how sharp your mind is."

She handed the paper over.

Ji Yan took it.

The original zodiac animals—Snake, Rat, Rooster, Ox—had faded away, leaving only the Dragon, Goat, Tiger, and Horse.

The image had changed.

The Dragon stood on the opposite side, coiled and majestic, its whiskers flowing, its roar shaking the heavens.

On the other side, the Goat lowered its head, horns ready for a desperate charge.

Beside it, the Horse reared up, neighing wildly, hooves thrashing.

Behind them, the Tiger bristled, fangs bared, its expression ferocious.

"Damn, a four-player final showdown!"

Ji Yan stared at the drawing, unable to resist muttering.

But beyond that, he couldn’t discern any deeper meaning.

"So, what exactly does this new drawing mean…?"

He looked up, hoping for more clues.

But Gu Meng was already gone.

Once the paper was delivered, she vanished at lightning speed.

Ding! Player has received a special reward from the Supernatural Patient "Gu Meng"—[Prophetic Drawing Paper]. Note: This reward is purely informational and has no quality rating.

"Isn’t the meaning of this drawing pretty straightforward?"

The Horse Player glanced at it from behind, speaking calmly.

Ji Yan said nothing, quietly tucking the paper away.

Then, before the Crying Mourner Supernatural Creature could wake up, they exited the operating room.

...

Meanwhile.

Deep within a dimly lit room.

Upon sensing that the eyeball he had planted had been crushed, the Dragon Player showed no trace of agitation.

His mind replayed Ji Yan's actions before his "fake death" over and over.

Soon, the corner of his lips curled up. "So that's how it is..."

"Does his Talent require touching a Supernatural Entity to activate?"

"Those four chess pieces weren’t wasted after all."

The tall figure in the darkness slowly stood up, cracked his neck, and picked up the white coat draped over the chair.

He then grabbed a chess piece from the scattered board on the table.

"Alright, it's time to step onto the stage."

"The final move of the game should be made—the general slays the pawn!"

With those words, he slammed the piece down with a sharp clack, crushing the pawn beneath it...

...

At the same time.

After completing the Main Storyline Task in Ward C001, Ji Yan and the Horse Player wasted no time engaging with the Supernatural Hospital Director to advance the Main Plot.

Before they could reach the elevator, however, they unexpectedly encountered the Supernatural Hospital Director.

Its towering figure, draped in a broad white coat like a battlefield general clad in a cape, exuded an oppressive aura. Its ashen skin was riddled with bulging veins resembling coiling dragons, making its presence suffocating.

In its arms, it carried a little girl—Chu Mo, whom they had just helped.

Both Ji Yan and the Horse Player were taken aback.

"Goat Doctor, thanks to you, my daughter has finally stepped out of her depressive, isolated world."

"Though not fully recovered, she has at least taken the first step."

"Weren’t you always eager to participate in the 'Tree of Creation' medical project? Follow me."

"Once the last root of this tree is connected, it will finally come to life."

After saying this, the Supernatural Hospital Director carried its daughter and strode forward.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player. For completing the Main Storyline Task and meeting the Supernatural Hospital Director’s favorability criteria, you have successfully unlocked the [Morgue] map section."

The previously unlocked underground morgue was now accessible again.

But this time, it held the ultimate secret of the entire [Main Storyline Task]!

Since the Horse Player had also participated in the Main Storyline Task, he was fortunate enough to unlock the [Morgue] as well. The two quickly followed.

Ding-dong.

The elevator doors slid open, and the Elevator Attendant pressed the floor button before respectfully stepping aside.

Though the elevator was spacious, the Supernatural Hospital Director’s massive frame made it feel cramped and tense, the air thick with unease toward the unknown.

The silence was heavy—Ji Yan could even hear his own heartbeat quickening.

He wondered: At what critical moment will the Dragon Player appear?

And what will his next move be?

Ding-dong.

As the elevator reached the second floor, the doors slowly parted. A blinding white light seeped through the widening gap, as if foreshadowing the layers of mystery surrounding the [Tree of Creation] being unveiled one by one...