The magnificent shore flowers bloomed in the air.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned.
Just moments ago, they thought this round was lost.
The old man was unethical; not hurting anyone was the best outcome.
They never expected it to turn out like this.
"Was that cannon so powerful?"
"Ultimate cannon? No, ultimate move??"
"It must be a ghost artifact given by the Lord of the Underworld! But why does this shore flower look so familiar..."
Shore flower, shore flower...
A viewer stared at the screen, frowning and murmuring.
They felt like they had seen it somewhere before, but couldn't quite recall.
...
The smoke of battle gradually dissipated with the shore flowers in the sky.
Without Xia Qing needing to say anything, the surviving soldiers proactively searched for the enemy commander.
They followed the deep pit on the ground and poked into it with sticks.
There was no movement.
Then, a soldier volunteered, tied a rope around his waist, and descended into the pit.
At the bottom of the pit, they found the old man, smashed into a fragmented ghost.
"We won! We won!"
The soldier climbed up, holding the old man high.
He shouted excitedly.
"We won! We won!"
All the surviving soldiers couldn't help but show joy, waving their weapons.
They cheered: "We're going home! We can finally go home!"
With five times the military pay, they could go home for the New Year!
Seeing this scene,
Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her once dirty face.
They had won.
She had been wondering what would happen if that shot hadn't succeeded.
With the old man defeated and unconscious, unable to fight,
His underworld currency was all drawn by an unknown force and flew towards Xia Qing.
Xia Qing kept her promise and paid each soldier five times their military pay.
"Thank you, General!"
"I knew following you, General, would mean good fortune!"
"General, you're so kind, sob..."
The soldiers cheered after receiving their fivefold military pay.
Some emotional ones even wiped their eyes, choking up.
No matter how fierce Xia Qing had been, she was just playing a game seriously.
She was still a child at heart.
Seeing grown men with red eyes thanking her, the scene was too impactful.
It felt as if they weren't just chess pieces, but living beings.
She became a bit flustered and stammered:
"You can go home for the New Year... be happy."
Yes, be happy.
She didn't know when she would be able to go home.
Thinking of this, her eyes also turned red.
She hadn't been back for so long, her parents must be worried.
"General, we're going home."
The soldiers put away their money, their faces lit up with smiles as they looked at Xia Qing.
"Happy New Year, General."
"General, you should go home soon too."
Xia Qing nodded, playing along: "Yes, I will."
Go home properly.
Give her parents a big hug.
...
"So real, it reminds me of the soldiers on the front lines QAQ."
"Everyone, stay safe!"
The viewers in the live stream, looking at those young faces, felt a pang in their hearts.
They had the most sincere smiles on their faces,
And in their eyes, a longing for the future and for ordinary life.
As the viewers watched, their eyes suddenly welled up.
If possible, who wouldn't want to grow up under peaceful skies?
To have a wife, children, and a warm home without fighting?
"Sob sob sob... my tears."
"To everyone on the front lines, please stay safe too!"
The live stream was filled with tears.
But unexpectedly,
In the next moment,
The viewers' eyes widened involuntarily, momentarily losing the ability to speak.
...
In the scene,
The soldiers stood around Xia Qing, bidding her farewell.
As Xia Qing nodded,
Those young figures gradually faded, faded...
Then transformed into specks of light, disappearing into the air.
One, two, three...
The soldiers vanished before her eyes one after another.
Xia Qing was also stunned.
After the competition ended, shouldn't everyone return to their original state?
Where was the chessboard?
Xia Qing looked around. Could it be because the old man had lost his combat ability and couldn't compete?
Something was wrong, something was wrong...
Xia Qing felt very strange, but she didn't know what was happening before her eyes.
Just then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
The right guard, the frail strategist, looked at her, "You did very well."
"General."
On the other side, the left guard, holding his sword, turned to look at her.
He said with relief, "This land, we have defended it."
Xia Qing blinked her large eyes blankly, watching the two guards gradually disappear.
Until finally,
All the soldiers vanished.
Only the mess on the battlefield remained.
And the unconscious remnant soul of the old man.
No,
Xia Qing looked down.
A transparent, invisible armor had appeared on her.
No one explained, but she just knew,
It was a gift left by the soldiers.
"Why is this? Did I succeed in passing the trial, and this is the reward for winning? Are they real people? Or chess pieces?"
In that moment, Xia Qing's mind was filled with questions.
Her heart was a mix of emotions.
Sadness? Happiness? Emotion?
Before Xia Qing could think further, the power of this realm began to push her outwards.
Until she exited the chess room.
Bang!
The door closed.
...
"Huh? You...?"
The qipao-clad woman in the corridor looked at the little girl who was locked out, stunned.
She then looked at the other doors, and then at the little girl.
What was going on? Why did she come out early?
The qipao woman felt something was wrong and wanted to open the chess room to inquire.
Her hand was on the doorknob, but she couldn't open it.
With both hands on the knob, the wooden door remained unmoving.
"What did you do?"
The qipao woman had no choice but to ask Xia Qing.
Her gaze scanned her from head to toe.
She didn't look like someone who had lost all her money.
"..."
Xia Qing opened her large, grape-like eyes and looked back at the other person with the same bewildered expression.
She didn't know either.
...
[This kid is amazing, she actually got rid of the chess pieces.]
[A complete victory.]
[Oh well, this old man's chess room is now closed for business.]
[Who would have thought, looking like the smallest and most harmless, she's actually the biggest hunter.]
[If she keeps this up, she'll definitely make it into the top ten dark horses this year!]
...
Guo Dong, in Xia Qing's pocket, peeked at the bullet comments on the ceiling.
Then he relayed the information to her.
Closed?
Chess pieces gone?
Top ten dark horses?
Across from her, the qipao woman openly scanned the bullet comments on the ceiling.
She wasn't afraid of the players seeing them at all.
Only they, the internal NPCs, knew that this ghost building was always being live-streamed.
After reading the bullet comments,
Both the person and the ghost had guessed some information.
Looking at Xia Qing again, the qipao woman adjusted her falling jaw.
Her beautiful eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
One should not judge a person by their appearance...
So this was how the culture of this world was used.
...
(ps: It's a new year again. 2023, please take care of me ❀.)