Chapter 192
There was only 30 minutes left.
Tang Mo pulled the young woman aside and quietly whispered a few words into her ears. Bai Ruoyao’s ears pricked but he couldn’t hear anything. He asked, “Ning Ning, you see that Tang Tang is speaking. Such a close distance yet we can’t hear anything… is he really talking to that woman?”
Ning Zheng glanced at him and remained silent.
Bai Ruoyao wasn’t really expecting an answer from Ning Zheng.
He looked at Tang Mo’s back with interest. It was unknown what he was thinking about.
On the other side, the young woman’s expression was constantly changing. In the beginning, it was filled with intense expectations, then horror and finally it became pale. Her gaze towards Tang Mo was complicated. She was suspicious of Tang Mo but she had no choice in this situation.
She didn’t believe in Tang Mo and couldn’t clear the game.
She believed in Tang Mo and might not be able to clear the game.
They were all dead ends…
“Okay, I understand. I will trust you.”
Tang Mo looked up at Bai Ruoyao. Bai Ruoyao immediately waved excitedly.
Tang Mo’s eyes narrowed as every encounter with this psychopath passed through his mind. He was thinking when a voice entered his ears, “Tang Mo, China’s first official player to clear the third and fourth floors of the black tower. I know you. A month ago, I was watching the East Third Ring Road from a distance and didn’t dare go closer. Still, I know that you are a very powerful senior player.”
Tang Mo turned to look at the woman, seeing her seriously for the first time.
This was an ordinary looking woman around 25 years old. If the black tower hadn’t happened then she might be a white-collar worker, living an ordinary life every day like her peers. Now she was steadfast. Despite knowing that she was the weakest player in this group and likely to face death after 30 minutes, she could make a firm decision and trust the strange player in front of her.
“My name is Bai Lu.” The young woman gave her name for the first time. “Tang Mo, I want to know… why are you helping me?”
Tang Mo remained calm. “I’m not helping you.”
The young woman was surprised. “What?”
Tang Mo’s lips curved imperceptibly. “I just don’t want that psychopath to win. By the way, I also don’t want his teammate to feel good.”
Half an hour was left. Every second counted for the other two groups.
Most players were shocked and confused when they saw that Mu Huixue had failed. Some players quickly figured out the key and took the time to clear the game. However, Tang Mo’s group was the same as usual. Bai Ruoyao didn’t seem afraid of failing the game and kept throwing the die into the sixth grid, inviting Tang Mo to fight.
On the other hand, Chen Shanshan’s die turned back into 2 points.
Mu Huixue gave the number 5 die to Chen Shanshan but she couldn’t hold it. As long as someone activated the duel stage, she could only give it away. Fu Wensheng’ s strength was higher than Chen Shanshan and he managed to hold it for one round. However, the two children were too lacking compared to other players. In the last half an hour, the dice for both of them had turned into 2 points.
Fu Wensheng hurriedly asked, “Sister Shanshan, what can we do? The danger was terrible with the number 5 die. Now we have the number 2 die. How can we move through nine grids?”
Chen Shanshan told him, “I said it is impossible for us to clear the game.”
Fu Wensheng, “…”
He suddenly remembered Chen Shanshan’s previous remark.
The child was depressed. “Sister Shanshan, how can you remain so calm?”
Chen Shanshan thought for a moment. “Xiao Sheng, do you want to get a better reward?”
Fu Wensheng replied, “Of course I do. However, we can’t even pass the game…”
Chen Shanshan pulled Fu Wensheng to her and made two gestures to Fu Wensheng. Fu Wensheng was stunned. “Just like this?”
Chen Shanshan nodded. “That’s it. Go.”
“Are you sure Brother Tang will understand what I mean?”
The short-haired girl smiled helplessly. “Go quickly before it is too late.”
A minute later, Tang Mo saw a short figure. He glanced over and saw that Fu Wensheng was squatting in front of the red light barrier arranged by Santa Claus, constantly tapping on it to attract his attention.
Tang Mo quietly walked over and looked blankly at Fu Wensheng.
Fu Wensheng stretched out both hands. The left hand raised an index finger, like the number ‘1’, while the right hand raised the thumb vertically. Fu Wensheng didn’t understand what these gestures meant but Tang Mo’s eyes changed and he quietly glanced in Chen Shanshan’s direction. After a moment, his lips curved and his right hand gave a thumbs up. Then he turned and left.
Fu Wensheng ran back and showed Brother Tang’s gesture to Chen Shanshan.
Chen Shanshan muttered, “I see.”
Fu Wensheng wondered, “Sister Shanshan, what drugs are you and Brother Tang selling? Can we get a better reward from a thumbs up?”
“Not yet but it will be available soon.”
“?”
Chen Shanshan took two steps forward before she suddenly stopped, the short-haired girl’s face showing a rare trace of shyness. Chen Shanshan coughed and her voice lowered. “Xiao Sheng… have you ever asked for someone?”
Fu Wensheng was shocked. “Eh????”
10 minutes later, a pleasing Merry Christmas song was heard. Santa Claus sitting on the huge lollipop turned to look behind him. He saw that behind him, a handsome man wearing thick military boots gently kicking a white die on the ground.
The little die flew up and was caught by him.
Fu Wenduo raised his eyes and glanced at Santa Claus. Then he asked in a low voice. “Did I clear the instance?”
Santa’s mouth was open for a long time before he muttered in a sullen manner, “How are the players so strong?” Then his expression changed and he put on a happy smile. “Child, you are so smart. Yes, you’ve cleared the game. Congratulations on finishing Santa’s Hopscotch game!”
The words finished and exclamations filled the entire space.
Most of the players in Fu Wenduo’s group noticed the order of his hopscotch and scrambled to the starting line. Fu Wenduo had cleared the instance. As long as they followed his order, they would definitely be able to pass. In the other two groups, most players hadn’t paid attention to Fu Wenduo’s situation.
They were annoyed but the players weren’t in a hurry. They stared at Fu Wenduo’s group, wanting to find out the correct order from the remaining players.
Mu Huixue played first only to have someone else clear the game ahead of her. It was quite refreshing. She played with the small die while smiling. It was unknown what she was thinking. The next moment, she turned and looked behind her. She spotted the two children before they got close.
Mu Huixue smiled at the two children and asked, “Why? Is there something?”
Fu Wensheng had heard Mu Huixue’s identity and lowered his head, not speaking.
Chen Shanshan raised her head. “Yes, there is something.”
Mu Huixue raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter?”
The little girl saw that she was reasonable and spoke bluntly, “Please help us clear the instance.”
Mu Huixue, “…”
The games of the other two groups were in full swing. Perhaps because there were more players, the people were eager to play the game and not waste time. The middle group was quieter. Tang Mo, Bai Ruoyao, Ning Zheng and the young woman, none of them went first.
Until the last round of the game, Bai Ruoyao and Ning Zheng took turns challenging Tang Mo, draining his strength and injuring him. Now there were only 10 minutes left.
Ning Zheng no longer hesitated. He stepped forward and started his own game.
The group was terribly quiet.
Ning Zheng threw the die into the first grid, the second grid, the third grid… then it was the sixth grid. He jumped into the sixth grid, his expression complicated. He looked up, his eyes glancing over the three people. Finally, he said, “I choose him.”
Tang Mo was prepared. He walked to the sixth grid and stood in front of Ning Zheng.
Two red Christmas socks appeared in mid-air and Tang Mo and Ning Zheng stepped forward to throw their dice into the socks. At this time, Tang Mo held his die in mid-air and and smiled. “Your alliance with Bai Ruoyao doesn’t seem very solid.”
Ning Zheng’s body froze. He threw the die into the sock and didn’t speak.
Tang Mo spoke in a loud voice. “This group has four people and only me and you have the 6 points dice. The number on the lucky die relates to the penalties and traps that will be triggered next. Santa Claus might want to destroy us but he must abide by the black tower’s rules. Players with a number 1 die will be punished more times than players with a number 6 die.”
Santa was listening with relish and he made a disgruntled expression when he heard this. “Child, I don’t want to kill you. Santa Claus is most fond of children.”
Santa’s words were heard by all players. Then a player said, “There isn’t a B number in your heart…”
Santa wasn’t ashamed and just smiled proudly.
Tang Mo continued to say to Ning Zheng, “You chose me to fight on the duel stage because we are the only ones with 6 points. The woman’s strength might be clearly below yours but you don’t want to take any chances. She might have an unexpected prop that can beat you. It might be only a 1% chance but you still won’t let that happen. Thus, you chose me.”
Ning Zheng asked, “What do you want to say?”
Tang Mo pointed to the rear. “Why don’t you choose him?”
Bai Ruoyao pointed to himself. “Hehe, Tang Tang, are you talking about me? Yes Ning Ning, I also want to know why you didn’t choose me. We are good friends.”
Ning Zheng’s expression was ugly.
Tang Mo answered himself. “It is because you don’t trust him. He has 1 point and is likely to beat you. As long as he doesn’t admit defeat, you will lose your die and your game will also fail. You have to come back. You trust me more than you trust him, Ning Zheng. Previously, every game you wanted to consume my physical strength. Now you are serious. There isn’t enough time. You don’t want to die so you have to clear the game. This duel, you must win and also give the 6 points die.”
Ning Zheng said, “Tang Mo, I don’t…”
“Then I will fulfill your wish.”
Ning Zheng’s voice stopped and he stared at Tang Mo.
Tang Mo smiled and released his fingers, the die firmly falling into the Christmas sock. The moment the die fell in, Tang Mo declared, “I admit defeat.” Then he put his hand in the Christmas sock and took out his die.
Ning Zheng stared blankly as Tang Mo put the die in his pocket and headed to the starting point. He didn’t turn back but Tang Mo waved as if he knew Ning Zheng was watching.
Ning Zheng frowned. He turned to get his die and continued the game.
Soon, the second Merry Christmas song filled the space. Ning Zheng stood in front of Santa and glanced at Fu Wenduo with relief. He turned and looked behind him. It was unknown when but Bai Ruoyao was standing by Tang Mo’s side, saying something unknown. Tang Mo ignored him and pushed the young woman to the starting point. “You go.”
Bai Ruoyao’s smile stopped. “Tang Tang, are you going to have a once in a century fight with me?”
Tang Mo wondered, “A century?”
Bai Ruoyao replied, “Hehe, yes, just me and you. The game is very simple and almost everyone knows the right order. Still, knowing the order is one thing. Being able to clear it is another thing. Now you are the only person with a number 6 die left on the field. If the number becomes 1… Tang Tang, can you cope with the hell difficulty punishment?”
The implication was that he would surely take away Tang Mo’s die.
Tang Mo asked directly, “You want to fight with me?”
“You don’t want to?”
Tang Mo said, “Then I’ll be waiting for you in the sixth grid.”
Bai Ruoyao was about to say something when a trembling female voice was heard. “I…I pick him!”
Bai Ruoyao reflexively turned to look and saw the young woman pointing to Ning Zheng standing beside Santa Claus!
Bai Ruoyao was surprised. “Is this also possible?”
The young woman stuttered, “San… Santa Claus didn’t say that we can’t challenge players who already cleared the game. We are all god children who like Santa Claus. The game is entertaining and Santa Claus said the duel stage is a place for us to exchange feelings. Even if… even if they cleared the game, can’t they still play?”
Santa Claus touched his beard. “It is true that you can challenge players who have cleared the game. It is a hidden rule. Very few people will pay attention to this. You are a clever child.”
Bai Ruoyao smiled. “You are really clever. You know that if you have the number 1 die, you won’t be able to walk two squares without dying. Thus, you threw it directly into the sixth grid to try and change your die. Tang Tang, is this what you taught her?” He leaned towards Tang Mo and provoked him. “But Tang Tang, how can she beat Ning Zheng? She should’ve chosen you. Then you could’ve conceded and given her the die. Aren’t you partners who trust each other?”
Ning Zheng went to the sixth grid and took his die out of his pocket. The young woman headed towards him with trepidation. Ning Zheng looked down at the opponent and suddenly felt that he had been too cautious. How could a player like this have a hidden prop to defeat him?
He shouldn’t have chosen Tang Mo. He should’ve chosen this woman.
However, he chose Tang Mo and Tang Mo quietly said that sentence to him at the end.
Ning Zheng’s eyes were dark as he threw his die into the Christmas sock. The young woman took out her most powerful prop. As soon as Ning Zheng acted, she would avoid it while admitting defeat. Unexpectedly, Ning Zheng said lightly, “I concede defeat.”
The smile on Bai Ruoyao’s face suddenly froze.
Ning Zheng took the young woman’s number 1 die from the Christmas sock and walked back to the ninth grid.
Everything happened so quickly that the young woman stayed where she was, still stunned.
Bai Ruoyao’s fingers tightened and sly laughter emerged from gritted teeth. “This is why your deliberately provoked the relationship between Ning Zheng and I. it is to make him take the initiative to give up. Tang Tang, I didn’t know you were such a gentle person. Even if this woman has the number 6 die, with her strength, there is only a 10% chance of her clearing the game. What makes you think that both of you can clear the game? Besides, can she hold onto this die?”
Tang Mo wondered, “Why can’t she hold onto it?”
Bai Ruoyao replied, “Her round just finished. According to the rules, she can’t play again immediately. Only you and I can play the game. If I play, I will definitely throw the die into the sixth grid and choose her, taking back the number 6 die.”
Tang Mo’s eyes narrowed. “Both of us have the number 6 die. Why choose her instead of me?”
Bai Ruoyao laughed. “Tang Tang, do I look like a fool?
This was the second time Bai Ruoyao said this to Tang Mo.
Bai Ruoyao was afraid of death, afraid of dying.
In order to pass the game, he wouldn’t pick Tang Mo and would choose the path that was 100% guaranteed to save his life.
Tang Mo quietly looked at Bai Ruoyao. “I will let her smoothly pass the instance.”
Bai Ruoyao smiled. “Then you can try it.”
“I am different from you. The things I promise others will come true.” Tang Mo paused before asking, “Do you want to go first or should I?” He didn’t look very willing.
Bai Ruoyao wanted to roll the die first and directly grab the number 6 die from the young woman to hit Tang Mo’s face with it. He hadn’t yet opened his mouth when he changed his mind. He thought of a more interesting game. He deliberately said, “Ladies first.”
Tang Mo smiled. “You remind me of a black tower boss.”
“Who?”
“A person who like you, isn’t very likeable.”
Tang Mo wasn’t polite. He threw the die into the first grid, obviously intending to play seriously. The die fell into the grid and Tang Mo jumped in, slowly reaching towards the die. He bent down to pick it up but didn’t get up. He directly sat down.
Across the red light film, Tang Mo held the die and smiled at Bai Ruoyao.
The smile disappeared from Bai Ruoyao’s face as an unknown premonition filled his heart. He slowly opened his mouth, “Tang Tang, what are you doing? Do you want to sit down a chat with me? There are five minutes left. You still have time to clear the game. Even if you have time… does your female companion have time?”
Tang Mo sat cross-legged on the ground, occupying the grid and not moving. “Santa’s Hopscotch Game has a total of nine grids, of which the ninth grid is the end. Each grid is the same size as the room. In other words, it is a very large map. Every time, the player can only leave one footprint. Otherwise, it is a violation of the rules and they will be punished. However, the grid that the die is in is different. The player has to get the die back so Santa doesn’t specify how many steps can be taken. He also didn’t specify how long we can stay.”
Bai Ruoyao suddenly realized something and his eyes darkened. He spat out two words from gritted teeth. “Tang Mo!”
Tang Mo laughed. “Thus, you can’t control how long I stay in this grid.”
Bai Ruoyao laughed angrily. “Tang Tang, are you doing this so that I don’t pass the instance? Didn’t you say you will keep your promise? You promised this woman that you would let her clear the instance. This is how you are planning to do it?”
“Bai Ruoyao, are you afraid?”
Bai Ruoyao remained silent as he stared coldly at Tang Mo, revealing a killing intent.
Tang Mo smiled and said again, Bai Ruoyao, tell me, are you afraid now?”
“Tang Mo!”
The situation took a dramatic turn.
Tang Mo held his chin and smiled. “There are still four minutes left. With our strength, we can still make it in time. Tell me, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of not clearing the game and dying here? Do you want to beg me to continue playing and don’t pull you down with me?”
Bai Ruoyao’s nails were deeply embedded into the palms of his hands. After a second, he smiled. “Yes, I am afraid of death. I am particularly afraid of death. Tang Mo, continue your game. Is it worth it to let yourself die here for someone like me?”
Tang Mo stood up and Bai Ruoyao’s eyes brightened,
The next moment, Tang Mo just adjusted his posture and sat down again.
“It is worth it.”
Bai Ruoyao, “…”
“Tang Mo!!!!”