I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 142: Rising from the Brink of Death

“The situation… has reversed?”

Su Yiming stared at the board, momentarily dazed. The black and white stones reflected in his pupils, as if flickering with an elusive brilliance.

“When did this start?”

“Was it when I recklessly invaded White’s territory despite the risks?”

“No… even though I forced my way in, I didn’t make any mistakes. White’s responses were airtight, but every move was still within my calculations!”

“Then… when did it happen?”

Tap. Tap. Tap…

The sound of stones landing on the board echoed continuously within the playing room, time slipping away with each move.

At Table One, an eerie silence filled the air.

Everyone was fixated on the board, struggling to understand why the game had reversed and when exactly that shift had occurred. But the more they thought about it, the deeper their confusion grew.

Perhaps Black had made a misstep—but if so, it was imperceptible, buried within the flow of the game. Only a detailed review and analysis might uncover the flaw.

And if even they couldn't discern Black’s mistake after all this time—then how did White find it?

After what felt like an eternity, Su Yiming suddenly took a deep breath and reached into the Go box once more.

Click.

The crisp sound of stones colliding sent a shudder through everyone present.

With a sharp gaze, Su Yiming gripped a stone and slammed it onto the board.

Tap!

Column 16, Row 7—Attach!

“Attach?”

The crowd gasped.

The upper battle had already reached a ferocious climax, yet Black had abruptly ignored it, choosing instead to invade the lower area—even at the risk of having their upper formation shattered!

“This move…”

As the spectators analyzed the situation, their expressions changed dramatically.

“No! White is one move short!”

“If White ignores this, Black will stabilize the lower position, which will then strengthen the upper group’s capturing race. If that happens, the fight in the upper area will shift into Black’s favor!”

Everyone held their breath, feeling a chill creep down their spines.

“Black… isn’t waiting for death.

Instead of reinforcing passively, he’s striking at White’s weak points, trying to regain control. This… is the only move!”

Yu Shao studied the board for a moment before swiftly placing his stone.

Tap!

Column 17, Row 5—Peep!

The room fell into stunned silence.

Black’s attach was already razor-sharp, but White’s response… was even deadlier.

Faced with Black’s fierce invasion, White didn’t try to dismantle the upper group.

Instead, White ignored the lower attack entirely and launched a counterstrike at the upper-right, unleashing a vicious killing maneuver!

Tap. Tap. Tap…

With each move, the board became more and more chaotic—an entangled mess of fierce clashes and dangerous traps.

The intensity of the game exceeded anything the spectators had imagined.

Every stone that landed made their chests tighten, as if an invisible force were pressing down on them. Even catching a glimpse of the hidden complexities within the position sent a chill through their bodies.

And yet—

Yu Shao and Su Yiming remained immersed in the storm, locked in a brutal battle of wits.

"Black is fighting back!"

"The situation is dire, but can Black turn the tide?"

—

Table Ten

"He had the advantage in the opening. Even after a tough mid-game battle, he still held the upper hand."

Zhuang Fei clenched his teeth, his face dark with frustration as he stared at the board.

He had known from the start that losing this game could mean elimination, and that pressure had unsettled his mind. Flashes of Yu Shao and Su Yiming’s previous games kept replaying in his head.

That distraction led to mistakes early in the game.

Against an average opponent, it might not have mattered.

But Fang Haoxin was no ordinary opponent.

Even after regaining his composure and trying to catch up, it was already too late.

"As long as I can kill this group, the game will be decided!"

Zhuang Fei reached into the Go box and slammed a stone onto the board.

"There’s no way… I’m leaving this tournament without ranking!"

Fang Haoxin, watching the board intently, was visibly tense, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. After a brief pause, he picked up a stone and made his move.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

As the stones continued to fall, Zhuang Fei bit down hard on his lip, clenching his fists tightly.

"I…"

His lips trembled slightly, but in the end, his head dropped in bitter defeat.

“…I lost.”

Zhuang Fei… was eliminated.

“Thank you for the game.”

Hearing those words, Fang Haoxin finally exhaled.

His back was soaked with sweat.

This game had been a grueling struggle, even for him.

Zhuang Fei sat in silence, his head bowed.

Fang Haoxin stood up and turned toward Table One—but all he saw was a dense crowd of players surrounding it.

His expression turned serious.

Without hesitation, he moved toward Table One, squeezing through the gathered players, and finally caught sight of the board.

But when he saw the position—

He froze.

His eyes slowly widened in shock.

“This… this is…?”

The board had become an indescribable battlefield.

A chaotic storm of life-and-death struggles, every corner riddled with killing formations.

A single misstep would collapse the entire structure.

"How… how did this game even reach this point?"

"I can’t understand a thing!"

"White—Yu Shao. Black—Su Yiming."

"And yet… White is in control? Black is being pressured?!"

A dull ringing filled Fang Haoxin’s head as he stared in disbelief.

After a long pause, he turned to look at Pu Weize, who stood beside him.

Pu Weize was completely fixated on the board.

He hadn’t blinked once.

Sweat had already formed on his face.

Fang Haoxin reached out and gently tugged his sleeve.

Pu Weize didn’t react.

Fang Haoxin pulled again.

This time—

Pu Weize finally snapped out of his trance and turned to look at him.

Fang Haoxin stared at the board, his heart still pounding. He took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and asked, “Bro… how did this game end up like this?”

Pu Weize blinked in surprise, glanced at Zhuang Fei, who was still seated at Table Ten, then leaned in and whispered two sentences into Fang Haoxin’s ear.

The moment he heard them, Fang Haoxin’s eyes widened, his entire body jolting as if struck by lightning.

“Avalanche in the lower-left corner?”

“And in the upper-left… Demon Blade?!”

Fang Haoxin whipped his head up to look at Pu Weize, only to see him nod solemnly before turning his gaze back to the board, unwilling to miss a single move.

Fang Haoxin forcefully suppressed the storm in his heart and focused on the board once more.

Avalanche and Demon Blade.

Either one of these would be nightmarishly difficult to unravel—their variations were so unfathomably complex that they had driven countless Go players to madness.

And yet—

This game contained both at the same time?!

At that moment, Fang Haoxin finally understood why this match had escalated to such an unprecedented level of chaos and intensity.

Because the positions involved Avalanche and Demon Blade!

“But… something feels off.”

Although traces of Avalanche and Demon Blade were visible, they didn’t fully resemble their standard forms. It seemed that both players had only set up the basic frameworks of these formations, but how they evolved after that… was a complete mystery.

Fang Haoxin’s heart refused to calm.

Su Yiming was playing as Black, yet his position was now overwhelmingly difficult. Given how absurdly complex the game had become, his position could collapse at any moment under White’s relentless assault!

Tap. Tap. Tap…

The stones continued to rain down on the board.

As Fang Haoxin watched the game unfold, waves of shock crashed through his mind.

"Even in such an impossibly tangled situation…

Even when White's advantage is clear as day…"

"Black, though teetering on the edge of defeat, is refusing to crumble under White’s ferocious onslaught—

Holding on with sheer, unyielding tenacity!"

At that moment, Black played another move.

Column 14, Row 8—Flying Press!

“Flying Press?”

Fang Haoxin froze for a moment before his expression suddenly shifted.

He had realized something.

Black didn’t choose the safer, more stable extension…

Instead, he went for Flying Press, deliberately keeping the situation as volatile as possible—even when he was already on the verge of collapse!

Because—

Only by stepping into the abyss can one rise again!

Fang Haoxin’s expression was filled with emotion.

He could feel the unbreakable fighting spirit behind this move—

"Black… still wants to counterattack!"

Yu Shao stared at the board, contemplating briefly before placing his move.

Tap!

Column 17, Row 10—Connect!

"Connected…"

Su Yiming locked eyes with the board, his thoughts racing.

After a brief moment, he reached into the Go box once more and swiftly played another move.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Black and White remained locked in an intense struggle.

Even with the position so overwhelmingly against him, even amidst this chaotic battlefield, Black refused to yield—clashing head-on with White in a relentless deadlock!

Aside from the sound of stones hitting the board, the room was utterly silent.

And yet—

Everyone’s hearts were racing.

Yu Shao remained laser-focused on the board, analyzing the situation.

“That Flying Press move has made Black’s left-wing group incredibly difficult to handle.

If I invade now, Black might have the option to sacrifice stones and drag me into a do-or-die brawl…”

Although White's advantage was undeniable, securing an overwhelming victory was proving impossible—

Because Black was fighting tooth and nail, trying to carve out a path soaked in blood!

"If I just control the board until the endgame, winning would be easy.

But if I want to completely crush Black…

Then playing it safe isn’t an option."

Yu Shao reached into the Go box.

As he lifted a white stone, a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.

"Rising from the brink of death…

Black can do it—so why can’t White?"

And then—

The stone landed.

Tap!

Column 7, Row 9—Flying Press!

"Then I’ll burn my bridges,

Throw myself into the fire,

And fight to the death—

Until the true victor emerges!"