Gu Jueye's gaze swept across the large room, and he whispered to Bai Qianmo.
"We are being watched from the shadows."
Bai Qianmo felt the same way as Gu Jueye; from the moment she entered the basement, she sensed that there seemed to be other people there.
Logically, given her keen senses, she should be able to easily detect the location of anyone following or monitoring her within a hundred meters.
However, in this storage room of only a hundred square meters, there was no way to detect where the other party was hiding.
However, after carefully considering what the shopkeeper had just said...
If, over the past thirty years, someone has come multiple times but left empty-handed, then the person hiding in the shadows at the pawnshop must be no ordinary person.
Before coming to the pawnshop, she had actually heard about this magical place.
On the antique street, or even in the entire capital city, Shi Pawnshop is the top choice in the antique world.
Its main reason for fame is not pawning, but treasure hunting.
As long as you can name any antique, calligraphy, painting, or rare treasure in the area, Shi Pawnshop can tell you where such treasures are.
However, the price for buying this information is astronomical, and it's not something ordinary people can afford.
The second point is the safekeeping of treasures. In the past hundred years, there has never been a single case of a customer leaving their treasures at Shi Pawnshop.
Therefore, the storage costs are also very high.
However, tonight, Jiang Xiaoyu and several of his men easily subdued the shopkeeper, without noticing anyone else in the process.
This is already highly suspicious.
Pulling herself back to reality, Bai Qianmo walked toward the unfinished chess game.
Gu Jueye followed closely behind.
Both of them were very skilled at Go, and after a quick glance, they already had a general idea of what was going on.
Jiang Xiaoyu peeked into the chessboard.
"Brother Ye, do you understand this game of chess?"
"This is a very clear endgame. If the white pieces make two more moves, the black pieces will have nowhere to retreat."
Gu Jueye added, "But clearly, the person who left this game unfinished didn't have that idea."
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and smiled: "It seems you two are quite skilled at Go. Why don't you try playing a game together?"
Bai Qianmo looked at Gu Jueye, who was also looking at her at that moment.
They didn't speak a word to each other, but they could accurately convey each other's thoughts.
Now that things have come to this point, even if they don't play this game and give up what's in the safe, getting out of here won't be so easy.
"Since we're already here, we should give it a try!" Bai Qianmo took her seat first.
Gu Jueye chuckled and sat down opposite her.
"It's been a long time since we played against each other, so let's treat this as practice."
The two of them looked exceptionally relaxed and at ease.
Bai Qianmo's side is black. She picked up a black piece and her eyes moved swiftly across the chessboard.
It's almost impossible for them to turn the tide and win this game.
Judging from the movement of the black and white pieces on the board, the white pieces are launching a strong attack, and the black pieces are at their wits' end with nowhere to retreat!
"Young lady, think carefully before you place your piece. It seems that Black only has two chances. If you make a mistake, you will lose the whole game!"
Bai Qianmo's eyes brightened slightly; the shopkeeper's words suddenly reminded her.
Black only has two moves in this game. From the overall perspective, Black is bound to lose, and it is unlikely that Black can turn the tide. However, there may still be a way out.
Bai Qianmo's gaze fell on one of the positions, and she seemed to have made a decision, neatly placing the black piece on the chessboard.
Seeing where Bai Qianmo placed her piece, Gu Jueye blinked.
He quickly understood Bai Qianmo's intention in making this move.
The two appear to be playing a game of chess, but in reality, they need to work together to turn the tide of the entire game.
Neither the black pieces nor the white pieces can be allowed to lose, so the final outcome should be a draw!
Thinking of this, Gu Jueye picked up a white piece and placed it on the chessboard.
Looking at the changes in the game now, with just two small pieces, the entire situation has undergone a subtle change.
The shopkeeper stared at the chessboard thoughtfully for a while, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Bai Qianmo and Gu Jueye went back and forth for more than half an hour.
The game ended in a draw.
This reminded Bai Qianmo of a time when she and Gu Jueye had played chess at the Gu family's old house, and coincidentally, that game also ended in a draw.
Gu Jueye understood the purpose of her first black piece on the board, so he followed her wishes and played the game to a draw with her.
Clap clap clap! A round of applause rang out.
"Thirty years have passed, and this is the first time I've seen someone achieve a draw. Hehe, my mission is finally coming to an end." The shopkeeper was overjoyed and clapped his hands in approval.
"You... the rope in your hands..." Jiang Xiaoyu stared at the shopkeeper's hands in shock.
The rope had long since broken into several pieces and was scattered on the ground.
Didn't you even hear the rope break?
How could this emaciated man have broken the rope so silently?
"You think you can trap me with a rope? Little girl, you're too naive."
"So, you deliberately let me tie you up from the very beginning?"
"Haha, this game looks so fun, of course I have to give it a try!" The shopkeeper stood with his hands behind his back.
He wasn't tall, but he exuded an imposing aura.
This is when he reveals his true self.
Bai Qianmo respectfully asked, "Senior, since we drew the game, may I now reveal the password to the Life-Severing Lock?"
The shopkeeper smiled knowingly: "The password is inside the chessboard! You'll need to search carefully!"
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