The work of the Go master

Black won this game by about one and a half points. Based on my memory, I was playing black in this game, and there was no handicap or advantage. It was a normal game with the pieces set up and played normally.

Having spent so much time invisibly with it, Ke Zhiguang could sense that its temperament on the chessboard was absolutely volatile. It would never hold back, and if it could win by one point, it would never lose by one point. There was no question of it wanting to receive guidance or care in a game.

In life, she might be a devoted maid, but on the chessboard, she's definitely a CCTV princess.

After clearing the chessboard, Ke Zhiguang began to review the game and found that he could indeed perfectly recreate it.

White played a surprising move with its black stones, placing them at the star point.

It was placed in a very high position and drifted to the sixth road.

My third move was to occupy a small position, while my opponent's fourth move was still to occupy a very high position.

The hands are held high and spread out at an angle, creating a very strong visual impact.

Spring breeze.

If I remember correctly, that's what it's called.

Ordinary layouts are carried out on three or four lines, while slightly more elaborate layouts are high-angle and outside-angle, which are five-way layouts.

However, Yangchunliu was even more unrestrained, flying directly onto the sixth line of the chessboard, as if spreading out its arms to embrace the center of the chessboard.

Although the first move of the Heavenly Origin is dazzling, as more people use the Heavenly Origin, its dazzling value diminishes. In comparison, the move of flying two Six-Road attacks right from the start is truly magnificent and eye-catching.

Based on my recollection, this school of thought doesn't exist in this world, but it did exist in a previous life.

Specifically, it was a highly individualistic tactic created by a fourth-dan player in a certain national second-tier league, and the style was eventually named after him.

Although its win rate is not high, it belongs to the artistic aspect of Go, where the focus is on the level of understanding and skill.

Ke Zhiguang continued to set up the board and review the game based on his feeling. On his fifth move, he chose to split his moves, while his opponent continued to play artistically, pressing down on him like a heavy snowfall.

But in the middle game, the opponent's fighting power suddenly increased, like an artist suddenly dropping his paintbrush and pulling out a warhammer from his backpack, a complete change in style.

I didn't seem to react to this sudden change for a moment, and inexplicably lost a piece of chess.

In the final endgame, the game was tightly contested, and the player ultimately won by a margin of one and a half points.

It was a game of very high quality, with a touch of artistry, making it a delight to watch and a minor masterpiece.

So, what exactly am I fighting against?

The room was so quiet that only the sound of my own breathing could be heard; the air seemed to be coated with a thick layer of glue.

A snowy night in a hotel, an empty room, a mysterious confrontation—just as Keiji had predicted, this kind of hotel often appears in Detective Conan...

If we use the process of elimination, my opponent in this round might just be some unknown entity.

After figuring this out, Ke Zhiguang felt much more at ease.

What is it? It's just a soul.

I have become accustomed to it.

Ke Zhiguang decided to go to sleep first, since he had already won the game anyway. However, because he had occupied the refresh point, he couldn't sell his items for a while and would have to wait for the refresh to come tomorrow morning.

Ke Zhiguang lay down like that. After the light was turned off, his hearing was amplified many times in the darkness, and he could faintly feel the wind howling outside the window.

Yangchunliu is currently the only clue to this opponent, just like the clue of the match against Ghost King, which was related to ancient Japanese chess. Although these clues are not very useful, they are all resolved in the end by watching the replay of a game.

But not needing to think too much about it doesn't mean not to guess.

When people hear the word "springtime," most will subconsciously follow it with "snow."

And what was falling outside the window was snow.

After staring at the snow scene in the courtyard outside the window for a long time, another answer came to mind.

Perhaps this time we'll be playing chess with the power of nature.

The hotel's imperial bath, the forging guy, the Cold War group, and the unknown adversary—everything has become...interesting again.

The night snow fell slowly, and the wind howled. By the latter half of the night, the wind had weakened, and the night scene was like a fairy tale... Of course, not a fairy tale with a tragic ending like "The Little Match Girl," but a fairy tale with a purely beautiful ending, making one inexplicably look forward to a wisp of smoke rising from the chimney of the little house.

And so, the night passed peacefully.

After soaking in the hot spring, Ke Zhiguang's sleep efficiency was quite high. He woke up quickly and the first thing he did was check the chessboard.

Haha, there's nothing here. I've been waiting for so long for nothing.

I'm sorry, but we'll have to pretend there's no task.

With a sense of relief, Ke Zhiguang pushed open the door leading to the courtyard, letting in a refreshing breath of cool air.

As a result, they discovered writing on the snow.

—We have been threatened, please help us.

The snow tracks on the ground looked as if they had been drawn with a stick, so fresh and clean as if they had just been left.

But there were no footprints nearby, so it's possible that some flying creature left these messages in mid-air.

Ke Zhiguang pondered the message for a moment. Putting aside the wording, just looking at its structure and format, it was clear that it was not a message left by the god of quantum mechanics.

After all, this sentence doesn't even have square brackets 【】.

us......

Who are we referring to?

What, then, is the threat?

Ke Zhiguang suddenly imagined a scenario where another world was being invaded by demons and urgently needed a transmigrator to save the world.

Perhaps it was the Snow God calling for help; maybe it was a relative of the God of Quantum Mechanics, both belonging to the divine lineage.

But that was all the message provided; there were no other prompts.

Maybe, as long as we follow the normal schedule, it will be fine?

.....

......

The rest of the team members woke up one after another. Breakfast was a special breakfast provided by the hotel, with salmon roe and sweet shrimp served on a small plate, sprinkled with seaweed, along with Hokkaido's specialty milk pudding, and finally, the indispensable miso soup. Everyone leisurely enjoyed all of this while admiring the snow scene outside the window.

Next up was the long-awaited skiing experience.

Around noon, after a whole day of heavy snow yesterday, the weather cleared up considerably today. The hazy sunlight blended into the clouds, and the entire sky was a leaden gray.

After a 20-minute drive, we arrived at the ski resort.

"Ahhh! Help me stop!" Harishima Deer stumbled down the ski slope, lost her balance, and could only brake with her buttocks.

"Wuhu~" Ke Zhiguang floated smoothly past her.

"How come you, a southerner, are such a good skier!" Harujima Deer continued to hold the sled steady, taking small, gliding steps downhill smoothly.

This skiing skill certificate was obtained by Ke Zhiguang from a middle-aged 5th Dan skier a few days before arriving in Hokkaido. The connection was that this person's wife was a ski athlete who had won an Olympic medal.

Although Ke Zhiguang, who inherited this skill, may not have the ability, he should be at least at the level of a junior coach.

Ke Zhiguang sped along the ski slope, the cold air rushing past him, leaving the snowy scenery far behind, the snow beneath his feet cutting through the snow like silk.

Finally, it came to a beautiful arc on the flat ground, splashing up dust and snow like waves.

This effect can only occur on naturally formed snow. If it is artificial snow, the density of the snow will be very high, and it will be firmly welded to the ground like a solid.

The deer on the scorching island seemed to have found the right way to move forward, using its rear end to rub against the snow as it moved down in small, quick steps.

Actually, it felt quite comfortable, like a massage, a tingling sensation...

"Why are you so good at skiing?" Harushima asked in surprise.

"This... I learned it in Hawaii... oops, I learned it in Harbin." Ke Zhiguang originally wanted to emulate the all-powerful Hawaii, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it would be a miracle to be able to ski on a tropical island.

"How does it feel to ski?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"It's alright, I guess. It's just that I wasn't in the best shape today and couldn't perform to my full potential." Harushima Kashima said with a flushed face and a puffed-out chest. "Don't forget, I come to Hokkaido all the time. Skiing is a piece of cake for me."

"Oh? That's amazing, that's amazing."

"Hmm... every time you repeat that kind of comment twice, it just sounds so sarcastic..."

"Where? Where? Is this the kind you're talking about?"

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

"Okay, I'll change it. I'll definitely do it next time!"

"Damn it, stop right there!" Harujima Deer said, raising her fist, but was then evaded by Koji Mitsuhiro with another "Wuhu" (a type of punch).

After the morning skiing session, lunch was served at the restaurant on the top floor of the ski resort.

The view from the top floor is quite nice, offering a panoramic view of the entire scenic area. There's also a cable car that runs through the air. It's said that if you go further west, you can see the Sea of ​​Japan, which has one of the world's richest fishing grounds.

After finishing a cup of hot chocolate, Ke Zhiguang returned to his travel-oriented mindset.

Winter plans are coming to fruition one by one: enjoying the snow, skiing, and soaking in hot springs. If you scroll down the list, there's probably also the local Hokkaido specialty, king crab.

"Sorry we're late. We said we'd meet at noon, and it's almost one o'clock now." Mizuki and Xiong Yingying walked in from outside the restaurant together.

With Bai Meng and Shao Gong in seclusion, she seemed to have successfully integrated into the team again.

"No need to say anything more, I roughly understand. It's probably just the two of you stalling for time again, right?" Harushima Shika said to Kuma Sakura and Takami.

"No, strictly speaking, it was those wicked staff members who disrupted my and Yingmei's battle rhythm. Otherwise, if we had decided the winner sooner, we could have arrived sooner," Xiong Ying retorted.

“I think so too.” Takami nodded.

"No matter how you look at it, it seems like the two of you got into a fight during a skiing competition and then got taken to the security room by the staff and given a lecture!"

After lunch, the afternoon skiing continued.

By the afternoon, the area was noticeably more crowded, and the ski resort was no longer as open as it had been in the morning. After skiing a certain distance, you had to take a detour to avoid bumping into other people. In Japan, if you accidentally bump into someone, it can be quite troublesome to apologize afterwards.

Under such circumstances, it is not easy for Ke Zhiguang to fully utilize his abilities.

At times like this, one can't help but use the voice of a chuunibyou demon king to say something like, "Humans reproduce too fast."

Just as he stopped to rest, a familiar voice came from the side: "It's been a long time, Ke Zhiguang. I didn't expect to run into you in a place like this for retirement and relaxation."

Turning around, I discovered it was Saito, also wearing a down jacket, hood, and goggles, clearly there to ski as well.

It was quite a surprise to meet him here.

Since the two-month intensive coaching session before the professional ranking tournament ended, Saito has been out of the public eye. Koji Mitsuko only learned about him from magazine interviews.