The work of the Go master

"No problem, everyone is welcome." Hoshino's attitude contrasted sharply with that of Harujima.

And so, Shizuru Fuchigami infiltrated the Seishima Group.

Next was the awards ceremony. Since the entire 9-dan group had already been packed up and sent to Europe, Hoshino was chosen to present the awards.

If Star Bride wins, then Shizuka will present the trophy.

This practice of awarding prizes to the winners by the losers has a certain dark humor unique to the chess world.

A series of camera shutters clicked, and the three girls in the lens were all very happy. Harushima Kaoru held the trophy high with both hands, while Hoshino hugged her from behind and lifted her even higher, and Fuchigami Shizuru smiled and clapped on the side.

In an extremely rare scene, the princess, the fairy palace, and the Yue maiden, the three giants of the female stream, appeared in the same frame. There was no sense of palace intrigue like in a girls' dormitory. Instead, it was more like a group of female warriors standing shoulder to shoulder for a common goal.

"Hey, if I remember correctly, this competition is called the Rising Stars Tournament, not the Women's Cup, right?"

"The chess world is currently experiencing a serious imbalance between women and men. In a recent new star tournament, the top three were all women."

"In the end, it's all Ke Zhiguang's fault!"

"That's right, it's Ke Zhiguang's fault. Although I don't know exactly what he did wrong, it's definitely right to pin the blame on him!"

The audience outside the venue remained very active today.

"Quick, get people together! Book seats! We have two champions today, let's make this a big event!" After the awards ceremony, Harushima Kaoru excitedly announced to her friends.

Just as everyone was getting started, Hoshino arrived at the hotel: "Yo, Senior Harushima, congratulations."

"You've arrived just in time. Where is Ke Zhiguang? He's already taken his seat at the banquet venue."

"Well... it's a bit of a shame, he can't come right now. Let's celebrate tonight, and he'll come for the second round tomorrow," Xingcai said.

"What? He's not coming tonight? What's he going to do tonight?" Harushima Kashiwa couldn't think of a reason for him skipping the banquet.

“I don’t know either. He only said that he had something important to deal with tonight.”

"Something very important?"

"Although the original sentence wasn't urgent, it was very important. Although it didn't need to be done immediately tonight, he was already impatient to do it."

......

.......

A little over an hour ago, as dusk transitioned into night and the sunset was just beginning to paint the sky, Ke Zhiguang had already won the game and stood amidst the fluttering ribbons.

His opponent in this round, Kosugi Yasuhiro, seemed to have been given anesthesia in his neck, and lay back in the sofa seat with his eyes closed.

But soon he woke up, as if from a nightmare, looking around with unease and confusion.

"What...what did I do?" Kosugi Yasuhiro touched his face in horror, as if trying to confirm whether he was really himself.

Seeing the other person suddenly wake up, Ke Zhiguang was stunned.

Based on the experience of Shika Harushima fighting Ikumi Furuya, even if the possessor is defeated, it only falls into a temporary slumber. When the possessed person wakes up, it is still in a lifeless, mechanical state.

It seems that my attack just now did indeed help Jiang Yongqing pass on.

Perhaps, only I possess this power to deliver the souls of the dead.

While the surrounding staff were busy preparing to pack up and relax, and few people were paying attention to what was happening, Koji Hikaru whispered to Kosugi Yasuhiro, "Do you remember what happened back then?"

Although the reference to "at that time" is unclear, I believe the other party can understand this abstract answer.

As a professional 7-dan player, Kosugi Yasuhiro quickly calmed down: "It was at night. I had heard that playing Go at night was dangerous, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I was seriously preparing for the tournament those nights... Then one day, while I was playing a game, someone dressed in ancient clothing suddenly came to me."

"And then you played chess with him?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

Kosugi Yasuhiro shook his head and said, "It can't be said that I played against him voluntarily, but rather that I was forced to play this game against him. If I hadn't played against him, I would have been judged to have lost directly... In the end, I lost to him, and my body was in a state of being half occupied."

"Can you recall the time when his body was possessed by you?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Yes, my movements are stiff and my consciousness is blurred, but it does not hinder my daily life or interpersonal communication. But I am puzzled as to why others cannot notice that my behavior is abnormal."

"I have a general understanding."

After the questioning ended, Kosugi Yasuhiro tacitly continued to lean back in his chair, pretending to be very upset about losing the game. Since it was inappropriate for others to interview him, he took the opportunity to slip away.

This is the normal reaction. An Yongxin's behavior of happily making a peace sign for the camera while bearing the title of runner-up is simply inhuman.

After listening to Kosugi Yasuhiro's description, Keji Hikaru had a better understanding of the dangers of nighttime.

Fortunately, to put it simply, it's just playing a game of chess with the ancients, a routine matter.

However... how many ancient people have actually come to life in this way so far?

If, as Hoshino said, the danger started spreading in mid-August and has lasted for more than a month now, surely only Furuya Ikumi and Kosugi Yasuhiro have developed symptoms in this long period of time?

When the word "symptom" was uttered unintentionally by Ke Zhiguang, he felt a chill run down his spine.

It's like we're racing against the virus, a nostalgic trip back to 2020.

How many people play chess at night, their bodies possessed by the ancients?

How many people have been defeated by the ancients who possessed their bodies?

Just like Tokyo is now, back then, there was absolutely no way to know the specifics of the illness.

Of course, this is just a wild association.

At least there's a solution to the current situation—take down Yagami Kunikyo.

Soon Ke Zhiguang stood on the award stage and raised the uniquely shaped trophy.

[The Path to the Ultimate [5/5] Completed!]

The perfect gift has been sent.

Just like the upgraded halo effect, a flower-like effect also spread around Ke Zhiguang, accompanied by beautiful music.

The moment has finally arrived.

When the true veil of the god of quantum mechanics is lifted!

"Congratulations, senior, you've taken another step closer to becoming Tsar. As for the upcoming victory banquet..."

"Excuse me, Xingcai, I have some things to take care of tonight. You and the others can have the celebration banquet first. I'll wait for the second celebration banquet tomorrow."

"This... a second celebration banquet?" Xingcai's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if she had heard a rather intriguing term.

“Very good, I knew you wouldn’t object to me standing people up tonight!” Ke Zhiguang nodded earnestly.

A surge of blood pressure welled up in Xingcai's heart, making her fists clench slightly.

This is like the famous Soviet joke: A loving father walks into the meeting room and says, "Today there are two issues: one, execute all the political commissars; two, paint the Kremlin green."

Some people asked in surprise, "Why paint it green?"

The loving father said, "Very good, I knew no one would object to the first question."

Xingcai sighed helplessly, "Alright, I'll let you off the hook tonight, but can you tell me what urgent matter made you unable to attend the celebration banquet?"

"It's not urgent, but it's very important. Although we don't have to do it tonight, I can't wait any longer."

And just like that, Ke Zhiguang made a quick getaway. With the activation of [Shadow of the Crane], all the media ignored him, watching as this hot news subject got into a taxi and drove away.

......

......

When the taxi arrived, Ke Zhiguang rushed upstairs, arrived at his own door, and hurriedly opened the door.

This feeling is like when your roommate goes home during school holidays and can't wait to take out the women's clothing box under the bed, and then... cough cough, of course, Ke Zhiguang has only heard that many people do this.

The door opened, and the cozy little house looked quite different from usual. A sense of anticipation swirled in the darkness, acting like a catalyst to stir one's emotions.

In the past, when I opened my front door at night, all the lights inside would be on, but today it was pitch black.

It probably already knew it was about to appear, and it was showing some signs of being eager to make a move, deliberately creating an atmosphere.

Ke Zhiguang walked into the house, and the door closed automatically behind him. The two Border Collies, who should have been excitedly running over to lick him, were now very calm.

Arriving at the chessboard, he lifted the curtain in one go, revealing the simple rewards for this Dream Paradise battle.

An ordinary-looking NES console is placed in the center of the chessboard.

There was nothing displayed on it; it seemed to be just an ordinary game console that had just been bought from a store.

But this is just appearance.

Ke Zhiguang inserted a game chip cartridge from his desk drawer into the game console, and it fit perfectly.

The patterns on the eerie green chip glowed as if electrified, clearly indicating that it was reacting.

The "mysterious game cartridge" that was leaked from Mr. Hanno before can be basically identified as being used with this game console.

Alright, all the conditions have been met. We might only need one last step to summon the god of quantum mechanics.

Although he wasn't given explicit instructions on how to take this final step, he did indeed act as if he had been given a mental suggestion.

This is a small ceremony.

Ke Zhiguang took all the ultimate fragments he had collected so far out of the drawer and placed them on the chessboard.

The [Humanoid Medium] obtained by defeating Harushima Deer.

The [Proof of Entry] obtained by defeating Ghidorah.

The [Butterfly Wings] obtained by defeating the Star Bride.

The [Mark of Despair] obtained by defeating Gatanothor.

And finally... this Dream Paradise trophy.

Ke Zhiguang placed all five props on the chessboard, covered the black curtain again, and waited for the changes to occur.

In the dark room, Ke Zhiguang held his breath, counting the passing seconds.

One second, two seconds... every second was on the beat of my heart, like the interlude before the chorus of the climax.

What will happen next? Is it really a dog-eared girl?

Or is something terrible going to happen?

Or perhaps it continues its game of riddles, revealing a treasure map that allows it to continue its riddle-solving game?

Countless questions overlapped, and all the suspense was revealed at the moment the seconds reached fifteen.

Light and shadow floated on the curtain, filling the room like fluorescent water. The buoyancy made the curtain rise, and the data-like light and shadow swept over Ke Zhiguang.