Chapter 6

Before the middle-aged man looked up, Qingchen thought the man was deaf, as the commotion around him didn’t seem to affect him at all.

However, when the middle-aged man finally looked up, Qingchen almost thought he himself had gone deaf, because the previously noisy square suddenly became silent, without a single extra sound.

The surprise and some inexplicable emotions in the eyes of the surrounding crowd seemed to highlight the identity of the middle-aged man.

Because in the past, this middle-aged man had never paid attention to anyone’s pleas for help.

Suddenly, Qingchen let out a sigh of relief, as everything proved that he had made the right bet.

The middle-aged man didn’t say anything to him but calmly moved the red pawn forward on the chessboard.

And the black side, which the middle-aged man held, chose to retreat the elephant from five to seven, killing the red pawn that had just advanced.

Qingchen watched the chessboard from a distance. The Four Bandits Capturing the King endgame is also a famous endgame on Earth, with two layout forms. The one in front of him was the more dangerous one.

An endgame generally refers to a situation where the black side must win, and the red side can’t even achieve a draw. If a draw is achieved, it is considered that the endgame has been solved.

However, Qingchen was not satisfied with a draw.

The Four Bandits Capturing the King endgame is somewhat peculiar. The four red pawns have already crossed the Chu River and reached the baseline, and both chariots are present.

The situation seems to be evenly matched, but in fact, this endgame is full of danger and traps. The black side can win with just one move, while the red side can only struggle desperately, and a moment of carelessness can lead to a false sense of victory, resulting in a counter-kill.

This is a seemingly hopeful but ultimately hopeless endgame.

"Continue," the middle-aged man said calmly.

Qingchen said, "Pawn two to three."

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up. At this moment, he seemed genuinely interested and was too lazy to move the pieces on the board, so he closed his eyes and played blind chess with Qingchen: "General six to one."

Qingchen also closed his eyes: "Rear chariot forward four."

"Elephant seven to nine."

By the sixth move, Qingchen suddenly said, "Chariot one forward seven!"

The middle-aged man, who had his eyes closed, opened them again and looked at Qingchen in surprise: "Elephant five to seven."

The first five moves were unremarkable, but after the sixth move, both sides began to exchange pieces step by step!

You kill me! I kill you! Blood flowed like a river, and the battlefield was filled with sorrow!

Both sides on the chessboard showed extreme ruthlessness and decisiveness.

The two were like the most calm and composed generals on the battlefield, willing to sacrifice everything for the final victory.

In the Four Bandits Capturing the King endgame, the two managed to bring out a fierce and brave spirit, but behind this bravery lay deep calculations.

At the beginning, the red side, represented by Qingchen, seemed more formidable with the four pawns that had crossed the river, but he sacrificed each of the four pawns to achieve other plans, leaving only the last one!

Chariot one to four.

General four to five.

Cannon four to five.

Chariot three to five.

On the fifteenth move, Qingchen finally let out a long breath: "Pawn five forward one!"

The plot thickens.

Capture the King!

It was only at this moment that the Four Bandits Capturing the King endgame finally revealed its indescribable charm. The situation on the chessboard, where the two sides were fighting to the death, made the middle-aged man feel as if he were really on a battlefield, facing a strategist.

Each move in this game was extremely dangerous.

What surprised the middle-aged man the most was that the young man in front of him, despite his young age, showed no hesitation in sacrificing pieces to change the game.

Not giving up is important, but war is war, and war inevitably involves sacrifices.

He quietly looked at the young man in front of him, who was also looking back, with a serious and stubborn expression.

It seemed as if he was trying to fight his way out of a desperate situation and carve out a new life for himself.

He understood that he was playing chess, while the other was trying to survive in an environment surrounded by steel beasts, so their attitudes were different.

No one noticed that at this moment, 81 of the 210 surveillance cameras in the prison fortress had turned to focus on Qingchen.

The black lenses of the surveillance cameras were swirling, as if trying to focus on Qingchen’s face.

No one knew who was behind the surveillance cameras, focusing on him.

The middle-aged man smiled and turned the black general upside down on the chessboard: "Interesting. There aren’t many people who can play chess these days. Let’s continue tomorrow."

With that, he walked away with his hands behind his back toward the reading area, leaving the chessboard on the table, which no one dared to touch.

The gray cat on the table stood up and quietly followed the middle-aged man.

When the cat was curled up, it looked like a ball of fur, not very big.

However, when it stretched out, Qingchen realized that the cat was over a meter long and very agile.

Ordinary cats walk lightly, known as cat steps, but this cat walked with the posture of a tiger.

Everyone on the square who was paying attention was stunned. The young man had actually won the endgame?

To be honest, they didn’t understand chess, and when the two started playing blind chess, they couldn’t follow it at all.

In this era, there are too many forms of entertainment, each more stimulating and enjoyable than chess.

They could use chips to directly obtain pleasure and log into the virtual network with their consciousness. This was an era where happiness was very cheap, and few people played chess. Even if they did, how could they play better than artificial intelligence?

However, what surprised them the most was that the middle-aged man, in their eyes, how could he lose?

Whether in chess or in battle, how could he lose?

To be honest, Qingchen was also a bit surprised. This middle-aged man didn’t even have mechanical limbs, and neither did the two attendants by his side. Why did he have such high prestige in this prison fortress, where steel beasts roamed?

The young man who had blocked Qingchen earlier blinked at him: "Impressive. I’m Lin Xiaoxiao, he’s Ye Wan. See you tomorrow."

With that, he and another young man named Ye Wan followed the middle-aged man’s steps and left.

Qingchen still didn’t know the middle-aged man’s name, but he had learned the names of the two attendants. This was undoubtedly a good start.

The tense atmosphere on the square didn’t dissipate until the middle-aged man, Ye Wan, and Lin Xiaoxiao all went to the reading area.

The prisoners who were welcoming the new arrivals were still trying to pull the new inmates into the cells. Including Qingchen, there were 12 new inmates, and 9 had already been pulled in.

At this moment, when Qingchen looked at the prisoners, no one was trying to target him anymore.

Suddenly, a young man with mechanical legs ran to Qingchen and said in a panic, "We’re all new here. Help me, and I’ll follow you forever."

The surrounding prisoners watched coldly. They were still unsure of the situation. Qingchen was definitely off-limits, but if the young man wanted to protect other new inmates, they wouldn’t allow it.

However, Qingchen ignored the young man’s words, his face calm as if he hadn’t heard anything.

The prisoners laughed and forcibly pulled the young man away.

The young man shouted, "My uncle is a board member of Ming Company in City 17, you..."

Before he could finish, the other prisoners laughed: "Except for the five major companies, no other company is worth mentioning. Even if your uncle came to this prison fortress, he would have to behave."

Qingchen listened quietly, absorbing all useful information. He had just been identifying the identities of the new inmates, trying to see if there were any other Earthlings hidden among them.

He had no memory of this world, and he didn’t even know how many years he had been sentenced to.

Qingchen believed that the others also had no memory, so the young man who could talk about relationships outside the prison was probably not his "fellow countryman."

Among the 12 new inmates, the only Earthlings should be the young man who had broken down and himself.

For some reason, Qingchen didn’t feel depressed at all; instead, he was somewhat looking forward to his completely different... life.

A completely different life.

This phrase sounded very tempting.

When your own life is already a mess, and someone puts a button in front of you and says, "Press this, and you’ll have an extraordinary life."

But there are two possibilities after pressing it.

It might be better.

Or it might be worse.

Would you press it?

Qingchen felt he would.

On Earth, he had always felt like an extra. His father found him a burden, his mother had a new family, and his relatives rarely interacted with him.

Qingchen had spent two Spring Festivals alone.

So, if your past life was full of darkness, then no matter how dangerous, unknown, and terrifying the new world is, it would be somewhat appealing.

This world was different. Coming from Earth to here was like an adventure in a rebellious life, or a liberation from the past.

If not for this countdown incident, he would have studied hard, supported himself, and relied on his unique memory to get into a good and far university, never to return.

But such a life seemed meaningless.

He believed that the number of people from Earth who had crossed over was small, even if there were thousands or tens of thousands, compared to the total population, it was a very small proportion.

This made him feel special.

Countdown: 39:31:29.

Qingchen quietly observed everything around him, recording all the information he could see. He would analyze it later when he was alone in his cell.

Above a metal gate on the side of the square, a blue holographic projection displayed the time, AM 8:29.

The three-dimensional holographic image looked so novel and prominent, it was 8:29 AM.

At this moment, a young man took advantage of the others’ distraction and suddenly walked to Qingchen’s side, whispering, "You’re finally here. Just as the legend says, you’re very handsome. I’m Lu Guangyi, and Qing Yan arranged for me to come in three months ago. You can call me Xiao Lu."

Qingchen: "???"

He was stunned and looked at the other person.

Lu Guangyi was about 24 or 25 years old, with short black hair, a mechanical arm, and a mechanical leg. He also had a mechanical eye, and Qingchen could see the spiral patterns in his eye changing focus.

This set of mechanical limbs was different from most inmates, both in design and material, looking very high-quality.

Qingchen searched his memory, tracing the other person’s behavior.

At this moment, Qingchen realized that Lu Guangyi had looked at him 21 times in the past hour, and this was just the times he was in his field of vision.

Qingchen didn’t know who this person was, but the tone of his words clearly indicated that he knew him and used respectful language.

From Lu Guangyi’s words, it seemed that Qingchen’s entry into the prison fortress had a hidden purpose.

But Qingchen was afraid of revealing his穿越的事情, so he didn’t want to interact too much with Lu Guangyi for now: "I don’t need your help for now. I can handle some things myself."

Lu Guangyi shook his head vigorously: "No, no, I must serve you well."

Qingchen also shook his head: "No one’s personality is more noble than another’s. You don’t need to use such words."

At this moment, Lu Guangyi said flatteringly: "No, you can use me however you want. I’ll be your loyal dog, the kind that licks your feet!"

Qingchen was speechless. What kind of person would say such shameless things: "What if I have athlete’s foot?"

Lu Guangyi said without a hint of embarrassment: "I can lick it for you!"

Qingchen was silent for a moment: "…Impressive."

Even though he tried to control himself from speaking recklessly, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

Qingchen was a bit confused. He had clearly crossed over with his body and consciousness, so why did he have such a bizarre past relationship?

In other words, in the eyes of the people in this world, had he really lived here for many years?

Seeing that Qingchen wasn’t speaking, Lu Guangyi whispered: "This morning, I was wondering why you didn’t come to find me first. It turns out you planned to approach Uncle Li as a new inmate. That’s very clever. In this Prison Fortress 18, if we can get Uncle Li’s help, our plan will go more smoothly."

Qingchen: "…"

What plan?

What are you talking about?

Can you be more specific?

Lu Guangyi continued as if talking to himself: "I’ve been here for more than three months and have gathered a group of people who can be useful. Don’t worry, they won’t let us down."

The young man chattered on.

Qingchen felt that Lu Guangyi was a bit of a chatterbox, and he just listened quietly, not knowing how to respond.

It was like playing "Who is the Spy" and getting a blank card. You have to wait for everyone else to speak before you can say anything. Otherwise, if everyone else’s cards say "urine" and you say you can drink it, it would be a big problem.

He searched his memory and found that during breakfast, there were over a hundred people around Lu Guangyi, each with mechanical limbs.

It seemed that these were the "followers" Lu Guangyi had gathered since he came in.

Seeing that Qingchen still didn’t speak, Lu Guangyi asked again in a low voice: "But you have to be careful with Uncle Li. Dealing with such people is like trying to get the skin off a tiger. It could put us at a disadvantage… Sorry, I’m talking too much."

At this moment, Qingchen realized that the Uncle Li Lu Guangyi was talking about was probably the middle-aged man.

Lu Guangyi saw him immediately go to find Uncle Li to play chess and mistakenly thought he had a mission.

But Qingchen’s approach to Uncle Li wasn’t for any plan; it was for survival.

"What instructions did you bring this time?" Lu Guangyi suddenly asked.

Qingchen slowly turned to look at the young man: "A lama came from the south."

The young man: "???"

Qingchen didn’t respond and walked away, leaving Lu Guangyi standing there, stunned: "A lama came from the south? What lama?"

...

Chapter 6 has been released, please recommend and vote.

Thank you to Nangengchen, Yangtu Xiaoxiong, Shenyin, Bailitongyun, and Gugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugug