Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 392 A 50/50 split?

"You actually dare to fight back?"

Looking at Ethan's counterattack, Yi Zheng's face inexplicably showed a playful smile, but his eyes revealed a hint of reminiscence.

He couldn't help but recall the time when they were playing practice chess in private, and how Master Ke had pinned him to the ground and pounded him, then mocked him afterward.

The enemy not only refused to surrender, but also dared to fight back!

The same phrase applies here, referring to a family splitting up.

Ethan not only refused to surrender, but he also dared to fight back against me!

If Ethan heard what Yi Zheng was thinking, he'd be spitting blood. "You've gone this far, and I'm not even going to fight back?! Even a clay figure has some temper! Are you even human?!"
Yi Zheng's answer was: No!
Just like what Mr. Ke often said.

I'm not going to be human anymore!
"They're entangled again! Ethan charged straight at Duan, trying to surround Yi Zheng!"

"You're wrong. Because of the flaw in Ethan's previous board position, it appeared that he had surrounded Yi Zheng, but in reality, he was surrounded by Yi Zheng!"

The two commentators broadcasting the match couldn't help but start arguing about whether Yi Zheng had locked down Ethan or Ethan had locked down Yi Zheng.

Ethan kept tugging at his blond hair as he looked at the situation on the chessboard. Every battle with Yi Zheng felt like a painful experience. It seemed that no matter what methods he used, Yi Zheng always had a perfect setup on the sidelines, preventing him from making the best move he thought he should make.

This forced Ethan to settle for a move he wasn't entirely satisfied with, and in this process of constantly settling for less, he eventually reached the point of failure.

Just like now, Yi Zhengzi has the advantage, so he can't be sharp and can only take a step back and choose to fly.

"It forced out two of my breakpoints."

Ethan let out a barely audible groan, his voice dry and rough like sandpaper.

He had been thinking, agonizing, and calculating intensely for nearly four hours straight. The immense mental strain had left his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for several nights, and there was even a morbid excitement in his eyes.

Sweat beaded on his temples, making it seem as if Ethan had reached his physical limit.

Nevertheless, after more than forty minutes of mentally taxing calculations, he felt he had gained the greatest confidence.

Although the situation remains tense, after I repaired the breakpoint next to me, if Yi Zheng wanted to force a war through the remaining breakpoint, in his estimation, it shouldn't be bad for him.

Because of Ethan's own actions, Black's liberties have increased. After Ethan filled one of the cuts, Yi Zheng wanted to fight through the other cut. Ethan felt that he would at least not be at a disadvantage.

Looking at Ethan, who wanted to fight him, Yi Zheng pursed his lips slightly. Ethan had been thinking for at least forty minutes, probably all about how to fight him.

Yi Zheng even estimated that Ethan's brain was now running hotter than the graphics cards in the mining area, but it was probably still effective, as Ethan should have a pretty clear understanding of this.

That being the case...

Move 96, White, extend!

Yi Zheng adopted an extremely calm strategy, which even Ethan considered utterly ruthless!

He sticks his head out, forcing Ethan to make another cut, but he just won't fight you.

Seeing Yi Zheng stride straight out, Ethan felt like he was going to vomit blood. He had thought Yi Zheng would definitely fight him here, but who knew he would actually run away!

He actually ran away!
So all those forty-odd minutes of my time were wasted?! All those calculations were useless?!

Yi Zheng: It's not a waste of time. You can choose not to replenish and continue fighting me. But that's impossible. Ethan knows that if he doesn't replenish, Yi Zheng will step forward and cut off the remaining pieces, and he won't be able to kill any of the three pieces surrounding him. Ethan will have no choice but to commit suicide.

So even though he was unwilling, knowing that he was being completely fooled by Yi Zheng, Ethan could only helplessly make up for it.

It's still a single official supplementary statement.

98th move, White, move the knight!

Yi Zheng did not fight Ethan for two reasons. First, he judged that fighting here would not be advantageous for him after Ethan's liberties increased. Second, once Yi Zheng extended his liberties, all of Ethan's black stones in the center would be dead.

Ethan was naturally aware of this as well. He was confident that his methods of securing isolated groups of black stones were not bad, but dealing with both groups of black stones when neither of them were alive was no longer a difficult problem!

Ethan now realizes that neither of his pieces is alive, which means he will definitely be entangled and attacked by Yi Zheng.

But Ethan knew that no matter what, he had no choice but to take the gamble!

"Ethan's strength is actually that strong? This order is really well done..."

Watching Ethan's coordinated efforts in dealing with the orphans on both sides, Miao Jun, sitting outside, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

In this situation, Ethan's ability to withstand the pressure and try to turn the tide is truly remarkable; getting this far is already quite an achievement.

Even those around them couldn't help but discuss, "They actually managed to cut off the five white stones at the bottom, that's a huge gain!"

"At least in the overall situation, the disadvantage is slowly being reversed, and it may even have gradually reached a balance."

"As expected of Ethan, who was once hailed as the future world number one, he might actually be able to break Yi Zheng's unstoppable winning streak."

"Didn't you say before that Ethan, that piece of trash, was just a bird's heart?"

"Don't you dare slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

Seeing Ethan's counterattack, many people thought that Ethan was gradually turning the tide, but the top experts in the hall still looked solemn.

Because of this series of exchanges and changes, Ethan seems to have gained a lot, but there has also been a dramatic change in the thickness of the central area.

Ethan stared intently at the chessboard. Although he knew that the thickness of the center had changed, he felt that it shouldn't have a significant impact now.

Or rather, he feels this is the closest he's ever been to victory!
Ethan, this may be my greatest chance to defeat Yi Zheng!

Ethan, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that he had successfully made contact.

The current situation is at least 50/50!
Yi Zheng glanced at Ethan, who was breathing heavily, and knew that the other party was probably having some kind of illusion. It was time to put some pressure on him.

The foreshadowing from before is about to be unleashed!

Move 140, White, cut!
Upon seeing this, Ethan's face instantly changed from flushed with excitement to deathly pale.

I didn't see it! I didn't see this step at all!
How could this step even happen!

How could this have happened!

Even from Ethan's perspective, the entire chessboard had already collapsed.

(End of this chapter)