Arriving once more in the rest hall, the numbers were noticeably fewer than before.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Bai Youwei and Shen Mo’s group spotted Tan Xiao’s brothers in the rest hall.

They were with the white-gloved man.

Tan Xiao was stunned. Without a second thought he went straight over to confront them: “…Mountain-bro, how did you end up getting recruited by this guy?”

The subjects on the white-gloved man’s side immediately bristled.

“Who are you calling ‘this guy’? Hey — watch your mouth!”

Tan Xiao was taken aback, but he was never one to back down. He puffed up his chest immediately and growled: “What’s wrong with my mouth? That’s just how I talk, always have — who are you to lecture me? Just who the hell do you think you are?!”

“Damn! You little punk — you looking to die?!”

Hu Dashan hurried to step in and smooth things over: “We’re all from the same base — why go stirring up bad blood? It was just a few words of misunderstanding. I’ll explain it clearly to him and it’ll all be fine…”

Saying that, he pulled Tan Xiao to the side and quietly advised him: “Why’d you pick a fight just now? Those people over there are serious characters — are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Tan Xiao felt a bit aggrieved. He looked at Hu Dashan with a sulky expression: “Mountain-bro, didn’t we already agree? You and Little Qi were supposed to come to our side — why’d you end up going over there?”

Hu Dashan looked left and right, lowering his voice even further, and said to Tan Xiao: “Don’t you want to come with us too?”

Tan Xiao went momentarily blank, his expression growing even more deflated. “Mountain-bro, why did you go over there, anyway? You didn’t even say a word to me — that really wasn’t cool. Are we still brothers or not?”

“Tan Xiao, it’s because I consider you a brother that I’m telling you this…” Hu Dashan shot him a meaningful look and said in a hushed voice, “Since we’re going to be subjects, of course you pick the King with the highest win rate. You see that Ye Chong over there? Those white gloves of his aren’t afraid of fire or water — they’re completely impervious to blades and bullets! Isn’t following him better than following someone who can’t even walk?”

Hearing this, Tan Xiao felt a complicated mix of emotions churning inside him. He hadn’t expected that Hu Dashan had changed his mind at the last moment due to this kind of thinking.

“My Sister Wei is way more impressive than him.” Tan Xiao said, brows knitted, his tone dead serious.

Hu Dashan smiled and said: “Sure… if you think so, then she is.”

By the look of it, he clearly didn’t believe it.

“I won’t say more — I’m heading back.” Hu Dashan gave Tan Xiao a pat on the shoulder. “If you want to come over, just let me know — that’s all.”

With that, he turned and went back to his group, then waved at Tan Xiao, gesturing for him to hurry back.

Tan Xiao watched for a moment, then dropped his head and shuffled back, downcast, to Bai Youwei’s group.

Shen Mo asked him: “What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much — I just asked him why he went over there…” Tan Xiao sneaked a glance at Bai Youwei, a little afraid she might get angry. “Mountain-bro said, the win rate over there… is higher.”

—

Bai Youwei heard this and gave a faint smile. “The win rate is pretty high, true enough — but it also depends on who the opponent is. If they run into me, heh…”

Nobody said a word.

At a moment like this, nothing was quite appropriate to say.

On the other side of the hall, the Clown, the Ball, the Comic-Strip Man, and the Gray-Robed Elder — the four supervisors — stood as they always did before the glowing squares, waiting for the Kings to enter the battlefield.

The Rabbit-Headed Gentleman surveyed the assembled group and announced with a smile:

“The second battle is about to begin. A total of 14 Kings are participating.

6 Kings have chosen ‘Battle 1.’

4 Kings have chosen ‘Battle 5.’

2 Kings have chosen ‘Battle 10.’

2 Kings have chosen ‘Battle 20.’

Please note, all Kings: a game victory returns all wagered puzzle pieces in full and earns you the opponent’s wagered pieces; a game defeat deducts wagered puzzle pieces. If the number of puzzle pieces is insufficient to register for the next battle, you will be eliminated immediately.

Each battle may not be chosen again once completed. After four battles have concluded, the decisive final match will begin.

And with that — please everyone, enter the battlefield —”

The Kings filed one by one into the glowing squares behind the supervisors.

Bai Youwei deliberately held back until last.

She watched the white-gloved man lead his subjects into the Battle 10 battlefield. Her arched brows immediately rose, and her expression became intrigued.

“Interesting.” Bai Youwei curled the corner of her lips. “He’s also in Battle 10.”

—