The work of the Go master

There was no other relevant display, only a message saying "Sleeping".

But upon closer reflection, this seashell seemed strangely familiar, as if I'd seen it somewhere before...

It might be something from some tokusatsu drama.

Ke Zhiguang glanced down at the chessboard and only felt slightly relieved after confirming that the game had ended at around a hundred moves. He was sure he had won the game and hadn't fallen under some strange illusion.

The fear still lingered in my consciousness, but it would be fine after a good night's sleep; it probably wasn't some kind of debuff.

Applause came from the other side of the chessboard, accompanied by bursts of laughter, sometimes loud and sometimes soft.

After losing the first game of a best-of-three match, most ordinary chess players will sit in front of the board for a long time, reflecting on their mistakes. Those who can laugh out loud... are probably those who heavily bet on the outside and lost.

"As expected of you, Zhiguang, the man I have high hopes for, the one who has the ability to defeat me." He said, patting his shoulder as he laughed.

It was a truly chilling act. Watching his body twitching under his suit, you could feel that he was about to tear off his human disguise and reveal his true monster form.

Ke Zhiguang steadied himself and said, "No, you are the real tough opponent. There were several moments when I thought I was going to lose."

The referee stood by, bewildered, watching the two of them bickering, feeling rather odd.

"Tomorrow's match will be held at noon, and the order will be determined by a coin toss," the referee said.

"Let's end it here for today. I look forward to our match tomorrow." After saying this, Tatsumi Koshikawa got up and left, casually putting on the trench coat hanging on the marble statue next to him.

He hummed a classical tune and hopped away, making it seem to anyone who didn't know better that he had won the game.

After sitting quietly in front of the chessboard for a long time, Ke Zhiguang got up and left.

Because the match started suddenly, the interview team was unprepared. After leaving the match room, the corridor was dark, and most of the people on the ship were asleep.

As soon as he stepped out of the game room, Harushima Shika sidled up to him.

"Hmph, not bad. I was all prepared to comfort you after your first loss, but it looks like I'll have to save that for the second game," Harushima said, hands on her hips.

Hmm... Sure enough, her appearance brought an aura of cheerfulness, and Ke Zhiguang immediately felt the gloom dissipate.

"Did I... say something wrong?" Seeing that Kojima Hikaru hadn't responded for a while, this was her first thought, and she immediately cowered.

"Ah no, not at all. So here's the question: how are you planning to comfort me after my failure?" Ke Zhiguang replied in his usual tone.

"This...this is an important secret. You'll find out when you actually lose the second or third game." Harushima Shika coughed twice in a panic.

"Okay, then in order to be comforted by you, I've decided to sleep all day tomorrow and force myself to be judged as the loser."

"No, no! Win what you're supposed to win!"

"Just kidding."

At this moment, the other teammates also rushed over from the rest room.

"The final battle was fought brilliantly. If this momentum continues, we should be able to take it easily tomorrow!" Bamboo Blade Forger said excitedly.

“Senior Bamboo Blade, please stop this dangerous behavior,” Hoshino said.

"What's wrong? Is it dangerous?"

"Okay, do whatever makes you happy..."

Xingjia walked up and asked in a low voice, "Do you feel any unusual symptoms?"

Ke Zhiguang shook his head: "Not yet... Quick, let's review this. We don't have much time, so we need to hurry."

"Okay, while you're at it, let me also check if it's in good condition."

The group quickly returned to the lounge, set up the chessboard, and began a race against time to review the game.

In the room at the stern, the piano curtain was lifted, and the soaring piano music resounded across the sea.

"Boss's hobbies are really something else. He just lost a game of chess, and now he's playing the zither here. Is he planning to summon a mermaid to help him calm down?" Nishi Chiaki's teasing this time was quite bold, and carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

After all, they lost the first game, so as a teammate, he was definitely not happy and even wanted to question his leader about his abilities.

"The piece the boss played this time was several levels more difficult. Is it true that the boss can do anything as long as he's in the right mood?"

“Yes, it’s a huge loss for both the art world and the scientific community that he’s come here to play Go,” Nishi Chiaki could only sigh in agreement.

Just a few days ago they were a solid five-person team, but after today's battle, Gen-ok Tomosuke was lying in the infirmary, while Inoue Masakado seemed to have finally seen the light and was looking at the sea from the balcony of his room.

Only he and Fuchigami Shizuru were still working.

The eldest brother's words... seem really inappropriate.

The last key fell from the highest point, and the flood of notes came to an abrupt end, pausing at the climax.

Tatsumi Koshikawa rose from the piano, still savoring the experience, his expression one of blissful absorption, as if he had just been bathed in a sacred spring.

"I'm so sorry, Zhang, for making you so unhappy. I won't let you down tomorrow." He pressed his chest and then bowed slightly.

"Huh?" Nishi Chiaki was taken aback.

He dared to express his dissatisfaction because he thought the other person was so engrossed in playing the piano that they probably couldn't hear what he was saying...

"As you can see, Ke Zhiguang is a great opponent. He made me lose the first game, and now I'm backed into a corner with no way out. But that's precisely why the subsequent victories are meaningful, isn't it?"

Tatsumi Koshikawa raised his glass to the crowd, inviting them to join in the toast, while the sea outside the window behind him began to bubble and boil.

Nishi Chiaki swallowed hard.

Something is about to revive.

Inside Ryuki Koshikawa's body.

The next morning rose from the horizon—

However, it does not.

Today is the worst weather I've experienced since I started traveling.

The leaden sky felt oppressive, making it hard to breathe; the humidity was at its peak, and everyone's sweat was trapped inside their clothes.

The sea surface also showed signs of restlessness, with schools of fish blowing bubbles.

"Just bear with it a little longer, we'll be at our destination soon. The coconut trees and girls in swimsuits in Hawaii are waiting for us on the beach," the captain reassured the passengers.

The event organizers were running around the entire ship, and the chess players were all dressed formally. They came to the screen in the central lobby, and the atmosphere of the final was very lively.

Escorted by the camera, Ke Zhiguang once again arrived at the door of the luxurious game room on the top floor and pushed it open.

Tatsumi Koshikawa is ready.

Skipping over excessive formalities, Ke Zhiguang sat down directly, and both sides looked at each other with high-spirited eyes.

The viewership ratings are gradually rising, and the headlines are "The youngest dragon throne + the youngest 9th dan + the number one in China", etc.

Of course, there's a question mark following it, which will only turn into an exclamation mark after you defeat your opponent.

"Let's start with a guessing game!"

Grab it!

beat!

The results are in—

"Tatsumi Koshikawa will choose the color of the pieces."

“Hold the white one,” said Tatsumi Koshikawa.

In the commentary booth, the two commentators resumed their duties. Naosaka said, "As expected, both captains are vying to get white stones in their games, since both sides are undefeated when playing white."

"That's a pity, really, because we can't see them compete in their most perfect form." Da Mu shook his head.

"But on the other hand, if one side can defeat the opponent's white pieces with black, then the game can truly be considered won."

A piece has been placed on the chessboard—

Sea fog returns.

Moreover, the black sea fog will not turn into white fog just because Tatsumi Koshikawa holds white.

With a calm mindset, Ke Zhiguang slowly made his move.

Continuing into the sea fog...

The pieces... the fighting begins!

Every collision of chess pieces produced a sound like a beating from a tokusatsu drama.

Many people were watching the game with bated breath.

Teammates from both sides.

Nine-dan group.

Yagami Kyokyo.

This also includes Bai Meng and others who are far away in Tokyo but know nothing about the inside story.

With the psychological suggestion of fortune on a massive scale, tens of millions of people are watching the progress of this game.

War drums sounded quietly in the background, and blue flames ignited in all directions around the Colosseum.

"Tatsumi Koshikawa has chosen to force his pieces out to fight, and Hikaru Koshikawa has also chosen to run back and forth. This game will be a very exciting back-and-forth battle!"

"This... isn't good for Koshikawa Tatsumi. If he keeps moving his pieces like this, he won't be able to sacrifice any..."

Within the black mist, electric current pierced the sky!

Ke Zhiguang pinched the electric current with his fist and crushed it on his knee!

The abandoned gear sank into the sea, still bearing the flickering electric current.

Ke Zhiguang continued forward, searching for the location of the giant conch shell based on yesterday's memories. This time, he was determined to take it down.

Jump, prick, stick, jump again, prick again, stick again!

As more pieces are added, a dragon is taking shape on the board...

"Hey, boss, isn't this a bit much? You're just creating a lone piece out of nowhere for no reason," Nishi Chiaki said, frowning.

"Hmm, the boss seems to have realized the situation is not right and is now deep in thought..."

One of the tentacles was kicked away by Ke Zhiguang! It exploded in a circle on the sea surface!

It was simpler than expected.

Now that the game has progressed to nearly 50 moves, White has inexplicably created a "stick" of 10 pieces at the bottom, putting him in a very passive position.