The work of the Go master

Soma Masae rubbed her forehead. She knew this was the woman's routine. Whenever she faced a male opponent, she would always act cute and get close to him before the match. It was a clever and subtle tactic. Including deliberately arriving a little late before the match and looking like a student rushing to class with bread in his mouth was also part of her strategy.

This person did the same thing in the last round, claiming that it would increase their win rate by 20%.

The cameras outside were also starting to get restless.

"Look over there, Ke Zhiguang is playing against a female chess player! And they're having a great chat!"

"Wait, I heard them talking about video games! Damn, they're definitely nightclub veterans, they're chatting so enthusiastically right from the start!"

"That's right. I heard he turned the entire Go club at their school into his harem."

"Hey, why are you guys so quick to confuse 'electric' with that kind of electric? You guys are the real nightclub veterans!"

The reporters behind the camera immediately started chattering away.

After the pre-match chat officially ended, Ke Zhiguang also expressed his approval of the woman.

She's a very sensible modern feminist, and we must deal with her with all our might! Only in this way can we truly respect her!

"Well then, nice to meet you." Maple Toast smiled sweetly, head bowed, while her inner personality whispered, "Fall in love with my sweet charm, Nan-ren!"

*Snap*, a swift victory with 78 moves in the Dragon Slayer event.

No mercy!

Maple Toast spilled a mouthful of blood onto the chessboard.

—How come this person is completely unaffected!

The match ended quite early today, and Ke Zhiguang jogged out, successfully avoiding the media's pursuit.

Floor number, happily going up another floor.

"I advise you not to use such tricks on Koji Mitsuaki. If you knew what kind of lovely girls he was surrounded by all day long, I think you would understand," Soma Masae said to Maple Toast after the match, the two of them in the same hotel room.

"I was wrong..." Maple Syrup Toast buried her head in the pillow, feeling dejected.

"Wait a minute! You're bragging, aren't you living in the same dorm as him?"

"Tch, your boasting got caught." Soma Masae curled her lip.

......

......

At the same time.

As Suga Seiichi entered the hotel's central lobby, the surrounding event organizers immediately recognized him and bowed to greet him, saying, "Welcome, Suga 9-dan."

He sighed and waved his hand: "Don't say anymore, I've already been demoted to the eighth dan, it's all my unfilial disciple's fault."

The organizers didn't know whether to smile wryly or burst out laughing; in any case... this was really funny.

From this perspective, the spot initially set for the third dan was indeed intended for Yabu.

9-dan players rarely joke about their rank unless they are truly certain of victory. Suga Seiichi was not the first person to gamble with his 9-dan rank, but he was the first to fail.

The biggest difference between the eighth and ninth dan is that the eighth dan does not have the power to make decisions on key matters. The difference between having no power and having power is quite significant.

"Could you come and take a look at where the trophies are stored?" Suga Seiichi asked.

"No problem, please follow me." The staff member didn't inquire about the matter, deciding it wasn't a big deal.

The staff opened the door to the trophy storage room for Seiichi Suga.

The trophy is located in the center of the storage room, placed on a marble pedestal like a work of art, which is quite ceremonial.

The trophy is shaped like a golden bow, full of tension and release, perhaps alluding to lofty ambitions such as aiming at the heavenly wolf in the northwest.

The entire storage room contains only this one item. It is said that this is a strict regulation from above, requiring that the New Star Wars trophy be placed in a separate room and on a marble pedestal. In the eyes of the staff, this is no longer a sense of ritual, but a religious rule.

It is said that the placement of the trophies for the three major titles is more ceremonial, and sometimes the staff even suspect that these Go players may be descendants of some ancient and mysterious organization.

"Could I step outside for a moment? I'd like to enjoy the atmosphere of the trophy alone." Suga Seiichi suddenly said this in a very mysterious way.

"You mean...being alone with the trophy?" The staff thought they had misheard.

“That’s right, I just want to be alone with the trophy for a while and feel the glory that is only bestowed upon newcomers.” Suga Seiichi stood with his hands behind his back in front of the trophy, appearing exceptionally solemn.

"Alright then, please be careful not to touch the trophy, we can't be held responsible if you break it." The staff thought it was just a fussing act typical of the elderly.

The staff left, and the door to the storage room closed behind Seiichi Suga, leaving him truly alone in the room with the trophy.

He sighed deeply at the trophy, then angrily swung his fist in the air.

"Damn it, that damned Yabu..." Suga Seiichi's eyebrows furrowed in anger as he gritted his teeth.

After cursing, he walked to the trophy and affixed an extremely malevolent rune to the bottom of the trophy, in a place where no one would notice.

"Sooner or later, he'll get me killed."

After he finished, he shook his head and walked out of the storage room.

Chapter 81 The Dragon is on its way with a sword (6000/6000)

On the fourth day of the competition, An Yongxin sat nervously in the match room, and every movement of his opponent's posture made him feel a chill run down his spine.

A small earpiece was plugged into his headset, and Yabu was controlling him to place the pieces on the other end.

Suddenly, the opponent sneezed.

An Yong, as if startled, flicked his knees and slammed the chessboard on the table.

"I'm sorry," An Yong apologized nervously, then restored the chess pieces to their original positions.

“If you keep doing this, you’ll attract those exceptionally sharp-eyed patrolmen,” Yabu said coldly.

"I'm so sorry!" An Yongxin's heart skipped a beat, and she apologized sincerely.

His opponent was stunned. Didn't you just apologize? Why are you apologizing again? Is this Korean guy so arrogant?

“You…” Yabu’s words caught in his throat, and he had a sudden urge to throw this person into the river on the spot.

An Yongxin didn't dare to speak this time.

The "proctors" are like the role played by Noriyuki Sasahara and Shunji Narita in the professional ranking tournament. These sixth and seventh dan players patrol the tournament like police dogs, looking for players who might be cheating and confiscating any cheating devices they have.

The boss opened up almost all of Yabu's inventory, which of course contained items with similar functions to this communicator, but bringing them in would definitely get him arrested.

Finally, the boss provided this high-tech prop.

What metaphysics cannot accomplish, must be left to science.

This high-tech equipment should not be within their detection range, but Yabu had a fleeting encounter with these two people last time, which left him with some lingering unease, making him almost as wary as Dihua.

He was in a hotel room, instructing An Yongxin via a television broadcast.

Although this receiver can bypass security checks, the signal is very weak, so it must be used to give instructions from a very close distance.

"13/9, leap out in elephant step," he commanded after thinking it over.

An Yongxin searched for the position of this move on the chessboard and found that it was a very bold choice.

The "elephant step jump" is self-explanatory. Just like the elephant in Chinese chess must move in a "田" shape, the "田" shape in Go has a larger space.

Usually, these kinds of moves, such as the elephant jumping in the center of the board, or the large knight's move or the three-space knight's move, are bold choices that can elicit a slight amazement from those around you after they are played.

However, the elephant's jump has a clear weakness: the center of the "field" shape is open, and the elephant's eye can be penetrated, making it a weak shape.

Ernst & Young doesn't care anymore; whether it's good or bad is none of their business.

After this move was made, the opponent was indeed stunned for a moment, and the person explaining the game also had a bright look in their eyes.

"Regardless of whether An Yongxin's move was good or bad, it was definitely an imaginative one. Based on that alone, I've raised my evaluation of him by several points. Let's analyze this move further to see if it truly is good or bad..." The commentator moved the pieces down the board, ultimately discovering...

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! An Yongxin is a genius!" the commentator exclaimed.

An Yongxin did the math and realized that this move actually worked.

Finally, he himself was taken aback, and looked at the move "himself" had made with a surprised expression.

Naoka Kuranosuke and Natsumi Fuei were also in a VIP room, peeling oranges and watching the game of Go.

"Is An Yongxin really that good? He can make such good moves so easily?" Xia Fuying scratched his beard in puzzlement.

“Yes, I’m not surprised that this kind of move came from Koji Mitsuaki, but it is strange that he could play this kind of move... It’s not that I’m questioning An Yongxin’s level, but the problem is that his playing style was not like this before.” Naosaka was also surprised.

Everyone has their moments of brilliance when it comes to performance, but style is something that can't always be replicated.

If I had to put it into words, it would be that Ernst & Young's mindset has undergone a complete transformation.

"His recent games have shown a significant change in style compared to his previous ones. Maybe... well, he really has adjusted his playing style recently," Xia Fuying speculated.

But the change in playing style is too drastic!

It's like they completely replaced the person!

"It seems that An Yongxin is also working hard behind the scenes. I really look forward to his final showdown with Ke Zhiguang," Naosaka said.

"I hope that the Japanese Go world will continue to produce a wealth of talent like it has this year."

"Yes, I hope Japan... Wait! These two boys aren't from Japan!"

The two elderly people chatted about this and that in the room, neither of them considering the possibility of a conspiracy or chaos.

However, Sasahara Noriyuki and Narita Shunji, who were present at the scene, sensed something was amiss. Based on their years of experience as "proctors," they felt that something was definitely amiss.

An Yongxin quickly won the game and gave an interview to the media.

"Mr. An Yongxin, when you were about 120 moves in, you made that step in the center of your eyes, like a step jump. You made that move in a very short time. What were you thinking at that time?"

“Ah? I think…” An Yongxin was speechless for a moment.

—I also want to know what I was thinking back then!

—That wasn't my piece at all!

Just as he was about to blurt out some polite words, Sasahara Noriyuki and Narita Shunji came up first, shaking hands and putting their arms around Anaga Shin's shoulders.

"Brother An did a great job! Congratulations on defeating your opponent."

"Wow, that's impressive. I didn't expect to win such a tough game."

Faced with such enthusiasm, An Yongxin felt a little smug and proud. She was praised for her skillful work, given a friendly interview, and even had her seniors trying so hard to get close to her. How could she possibly accept this?