Confrontation

“I choose…” Wen Yiqian said tentatively. “Black…?”

“Just as expected of you.” Fang Yu tossed the phone to him. “All the information I’ve prepared on the black pieces is right here.”

He raised his chin slightly, confident. “These pieces all have fatal weaknesses that I hold. They’re absolutely obedient. You can command them through the contact information in the phone.”

“These pieces you’re talking about: are they the people robbing the street next door?” Wen Yiqian looked at the phone, finally catching on.

“Stop pretending. I don’t want to play these boring games with you.”

Fang Yu glared at him, as if Wen Yiqian had just uttered another remark that insulted his intelligence.

“The rules are simple. Control these pieces and kill the squad leader. You win.”

“If I help the police eliminate these pieces before you kill the squad leader, then I win.”

There’s no such thing as too arrogant. Only more arrogant.

Openly discussing how to kill a squad leader inside a police station auditorium was simply insane.

Wen Yiqian’s heart lurched. The phone in his hand felt like a hot potato: impossible to hold, impossible to throw away.

He had just received the Outstanding Citizen Award, and now he was being asked to kill a squad leader. Wasn’t that absurd?

“Actually, I think this is a bit unfair,” Wen Yiqian said, fishing for an excuse to refuse. “You designed the game. No matter how capable I am, I can’t possibly win against you.”

“You can insult me, but don’t insult my character. If I wanted to win through despicable means, I wouldn’t need to go this far.” Fang Yu put on a righteous, solemn expression. “I want to beat you fair and square. I want you to accept defeat wholeheartedly.”

“Character?” Wen Yiqian’s eye twitched slightly.

He couldn’t understand how this man could carry himself like a gentleman while making Wen Yiqian feel like the despicable, sinister villain.

“No matter how upright you are, I’m still at a disadvantage as the participant. You can’t deny that,” Wen Yiqian pressed.

“That’s why I let you choose first,” Fang Yu said. “I assumed you’d pick the overwhelmingly advantageous white side. I never expected you’d choose black with such immense confidence.”

What confidence? I had no idea what you were talking about and picked one at random! Wen Yiqian screamed inwardly.

He lowered his head and sighed. “Forget it, let me—”

The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly realized something.

The phone in his hand was solid evidence. All he had to do was take it and report everything. Why risk his life playing along with this lunatic?

The problem was that most of the officers had rushed to the robbery scene. Finding someone to report to would take effort.

And Fang Yu wasn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t just stand there and wait to be caught.

On top of that, the man had come alone, which meant he couldn’t possibly be unprepared.

After turning it over in his mind, Wen Yiqian concluded he had neither the ability nor the nerve to apprehend him directly.

What if Fang Yu had a gun? A bomb? Making a move would be suicide.

The most sensible option was to play along for now, then use the phone as evidence and report it later.

“Let you what?” Fang Yu asked, puzzled. “You want to choose again?”

“No.” Wen Yiqian shook his head quickly. “I just want to think about it a little more.”

“What’s the wager?” he asked, keeping his tone casual, trying to act normal and earn the other’s trust.

“The winner deals with the loser however they please.” Fang Yu’s eyes blazed with murderous intent.

The humiliation from last time had to be washed away with the other’s life, or he would never be able to hold his head high again.

“Fine.” A chill ran down Wen Yiqian’s spine, but he gritted his teeth and nodded.

He planned to report it later anyway. He just needed to get through this first.

It was then that Wen Yiqian realized an extremely serious problem.

What if he reported it and they failed to catch Fang Yu?

Then he would face Fang Yu’s most frenzied retaliation.

An open challenge was already a headache. If the man fully turned to the dark side and abandoned all limits, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The deeper he thought about it, the more his head ached.

He was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

He touched his forehead lightly, felt the bandage under his fingers, and an idea began to take shape.

“How about setting the deadline for tonight before midnight?” Seeing the agreement, Fang Yu couldn’t hide the excitement in his expression.

“Actually…” Wen Yiqian pointed to the bandage on his forehead. “You must have noticed: I’m injured. Quite seriously.”

He tested the waters. “Why don’t we wait until I’ve recovered before having a proper match? Otherwise, even if you win, it wouldn’t be a fair victory.”

Noticing Fang Yu’s gaze growing increasingly strange, Wen Yiqian hurried to add, “I injured my head. Whenever I try to think about something now…”

He clutched his head, feigning pain. “I get a headache.”

During his rampage the previous day, he had recklessly headbutted the homeless man. Thanks to his thick skull, he hadn’t actually come away badly hurt.

“Do you think it’s fun to mess with me?” Fang Yu’s eyes turned icy. “Since you have a headache, let me help you find relief.”

With that, he actually pulled out a handgun and aimed it directly at Wen Yiqian’s head.

Staring into the dark muzzle, Wen Yiqian felt every hair on his body stand on end.

A sensation called death pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

“No, no, no…” His voice trembled. “I was just… joking with you…”

“Don’t be angry… let’s just… follow your rules…”

“But I want to switch to the white side!”

“Fine. The game officially begins.” Fang Yu snatched the phone from Wen Yiqian’s hand with a menacing air, then turned and strode away without another word.

He had clearly exhausted his last shred of patience and had no interest in wasting another second on nonsense.

Having a gun pointed at his head was like being choked by death itself. Truly terrifying.

Wen Yiqian’s legs gave out. He sat in the chair for a while, catching his breath, before he finally calmed down.

He turned and looked at the “Outstanding Citizen” banner with a complicated expression.

That squad leader from earlier was actually a decent man. If Fang Yu were to kill him, Wen Yiqian really couldn’t accept that.

“It’s just a life-or-death bet. It’s not the first time. Let’s play along.”

Wen Yiqian did his best to sound resolute.

Unfortunately, that deeply ingrained cowardice was impossible to shake. It was a perfect illustration of what it meant to say the boldest words in the most timid voice.

The banner was too awkward to carry, so he left it where it was.

Everything else could wait until the dust had settled.

Wen Yiqian got up and rushed toward the exit of the auditorium, then stopped, struck by the sudden feeling that something was missing.

Halfway there, he realized what it was.

“Wait. Where’s my bonus?”

(End of Chapter)