I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 225: Why Haven’t You Given Up Yet?

Hearing those words, the director in the control room finally snapped back to reality. After a series of swift operations, the live feed on the big screen quickly switched to the first board’s game.

Without exception, everyone in the audience immediately looked up, their gazes locking onto the screen.

The last time they had checked this game, White had been in almost the exact same predicament as Yu Shao—after a 3-3 invasion, Black had flawlessly reinforced their outer influence, leaving no weaknesses to exploit!

But now, as everyone took in the current board position—

Silence.

Only silence.

Someone couldn’t help but swallow hard, their mind going completely blank.

No two Go games in history are ever the same. Yet, despite the drastic differences between this board and the previous one, the eerie resemblance was undeniable!

Black’s once-promising outer influence had not been shaken by White. However, instead of becoming a powerful force, it had turned into a deadweight burden!

Zhu Huai’an took a deep breath and stepped forward. Just like before, he used the whiteboard marker to rewind the moves, returning to the initial position. Then, he played them forward again, move by move, until they reached the present board state.

Gulp!

Somewhere in the audience, the sound of someone swallowing echoed.

Black’s every move had been solid, yet as the game progressed, they had been gradually outmaneuvered. Against White’s relentless attacks, Black’s position grew more and more strained until, in the end, they had completely fallen behind.

—Exactly like the previous game.

At that moment, inside Handtalk Room #7—

Behind the female recorder, Zhou Wei was already frozen in shock. He stared at the board, eyes unblinking, his face full of disbelief.

Click!

Amid the sound of stones colliding in the bowl, Yu Shao once again picked up a stone and placed it lightly on the board.

Tak!

Column 14, Row 12—Attach!

Across from him, Cao Xinghuai’s face had turned as pale as a sheet. His left hand unconsciously gripped his thumb, his back drenched in sweat. He could hardly believe that the game had reached this state.

"No... there's still a chance!"

Cao Xinghuai bit down hard on his thumb, oblivious to the pain. His eyes were glued to the board, as if he were trying to see through it.

"My outer influence is a burden now, but I still have a counterattack in the upper right corner!"

The next moment, Cao Xinghuai finally reached into the stone bowl and swiftly placed a move.

Pa!

Column 17, Row 8—Jump!

Yu Shao looked at the board, studied the move for a moment, then quickly picked up another stone and placed it down.

Tak!

Column 17, Row 7—Attach!

"Attaching? Is he trying to use his central influence to cut off my shape in the upper right?"

Cao Xinghuai’s face turned even paler. His left fist clenched instinctively. After a long, agonizing think, he finally reached for another stone.

Tak!

Column 12, Row 13—Invasion!

"White has invaded the center, trying to break apart Black's massive framework!"

On the side, Zhou Wei was also starting to sweat as he stared at the board.

Yu Shao’s attach in the upper right had been an exquisite tesuji, snuffing out White’s counterattack before it could even begin. If White insisted on a direct fight, Yu Shao wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice stones and engage in a full-blown battle.

But in such a fight, the power disparity between the two sides was simply too great—White had no chance of winning.

With no other option, White had to abandon the upper right attack and look for another path.

Black’s central formation was imposing, but it wasn’t completely secure. Now, White had launched a deep invasion, aiming to shatter Black’s grand framework and turn its stones into weak, isolated groups!

This was a desperate, do-or-die move. White had no other path left—a true fight with their back against the wall.

Only by doing this could a path to survival emerge!

Yu Shao quietly studied the board. A moment later, he reached into the stone bowl, picked up another piece, and placed it down.

Tak!

Column 10, Row 13—Block!

Tak! Tak! Tak!

Both players began placing stones in rapid succession.

The crisp sound of stones hitting the board seemed calm and controlled, yet each move carried a hidden killing intent, weaving an intricate web—like a net of barbed thorns tightening around its prey.

Cao Xinghuai took longer and longer to play each move, his hesitation growing with every turn.

Time passed, second by second.

And as time passed, the Handtalk Room grew quieter and quieter.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sound of a stone hitting the board once again broke the silence.

Yu Shao reached into the stone bowl, picked up a stone, and slowly placed it down.

Tak!

Column 14, Row 15—Press!

Seeing Yu Shao’s move, Cao Xinghuai’s lips trembled slightly. For a long moment, he didn’t make a move.

“I…”

Finally, Cao Xinghuai slowly lowered his head toward Yu Shao and spoke, his voice barely audible.

“I lost…”

—The game was decided.

Seeing Cao Xinghuai resign, Yu Shao nodded slightly and said, “Thank you for the game.”

A long silence followed before Cao Xinghuai finally responded in a weak voice, “Thank you for the game.”

Beside them, Zhou Wei stared at the board, speechless.

Faced with White’s all-or-nothing invasion, Black hadn’t made a single mistake. In fact, they had played even stronger moves, crushing White’s desperate attempt. Under the relentless siege of Black’s forces, White had ultimately failed to survive—completely wiped out!

"Two days from now, in the second round, my opponent will be…"

Zhou Wei took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His gaze flickered as he looked at Yu Shao, who was quietly putting away his stones.

"Yu Shao!"

—Meanwhile, in the broadcast studio.

As the screen switched back to Table 7, the audience caught the exact moment Yu Shao reached out to gather his stones.

“Yu Shao, 1-dan, has won as well!”

Even though they had already expected this outcome—seeing how badly Cao Xinghuai had fallen behind—when it actually happened, Zeng Chenlu still felt a wave of disbelief.

Just moments ago, Su Yiming had also won his match against Chu Jiang, securing his spot in the second round. And now, Yu Shao had defeated Cao Xinghuai, advancing as well!

With everyone now fully aware that if their opponent played a 3-3 invasion but didn’t follow up with a hane-connect, instead opting for a two-space crawl, their outer influence wouldn’t be thick enough—

Yet, both Yu Shao and Su Yiming, who had chosen the 3-3 invasion in the opening, still managed to win, successfully advancing to the next round!

A long time passed before Zeng Chenlu finally suppressed the emotions in her heart. Looking directly at the camera, she spoke loudly once again:

“Yu Shao, 1-dan, wins by midgame resignation against Cao Xinghuai, 6-dan, successfully advancing to the second round!”

Beside her, Zhu Huai’an stared silently at the big screen.

Ever since watching Yu Shao and Su Yiming’s games, he had noticeably become more reserved. Even when explaining the match afterward, his focus seemed distant.

For convenience, the big screen displayed a digital game record, while a smaller live feed in the bottom right corner showed Yu Shao packing up his stones.

Thus, even as Yu Shao collected the pieces on his board, the recorded board still displayed Black and White stones entangled in a deadly web.

“Coach Zhu, what do you think about these two games?”

Zeng Chenlu cautiously asked, “Did Cao Xinghuai and Chu Jiang make some subtle mistakes that are hard to notice?”

Zhu Huai’an furrowed his brows tightly, not answering immediately.

After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said, “I can’t say for certain just yet. I might need to go back and analyze the records carefully.”

Zeng Chenlu wasn’t surprised.

Players like Cao Xinghuai and Chu Jiang were incredibly strong. If they had made hard-to-detect mistakes, even someone of Zhu Huai’an’s level wouldn’t be able to spot them immediately.

But…

If they did make such subtle mistakes—wasn’t it just too much of a coincidence?

Why both of them?

Why did Yu Shao and Su Yiming notice these mistakes when even Zhu Huai’an couldn’t?

Sure, Yu Shao and Su Yiming had both made it into the Hero’s Pride Cup main tournament, so it wasn’t entirely impossible for them to notice something others hadn’t. But still—it seemed too convenient!

Why did both games with a 3-3 invasion turn out this way?

Could it be…

Was 3-3 actually a good move?

Zeng Chenlu wasn’t sure how much of a stir these two games would cause once the tournament was over.

But one thing she was sure of—countless people were already replaying and analyzing these two games!

—At that moment, the live feed switched to Table 6.

“Oh?”

Zeng Chenlu snapped back to reality, looking at the big screen.

“It looks like we’re about to see the fourth player advancing to the second round, following Yu Shao, 1-dan!”

In this round, the first player to advance was Le Haoqiang.

The second was Su Yiming.

The third was Yu Shao.

All three players from the Southern Region had advanced!

And now, the fourth player to reach the second round was about to be decided.

“Qin Lang, 6-dan, looks like he’s won!”

—Inside Handtalk Room #6.

Peng Zeyang clenched his fists tightly as he stared at the board.

But he didn’t make a move.

Instead, he simply gazed at the board in silence.

After a long pause, he finally looked up at Qin Lang, unwillingly lowering his head.

“…I lost.”

“So strong…”

The female recorder sitting nearby watched the board with lingering shock.

Peng Zeyang, 6-dan, had played a very strong game.

But against Qin Lang—he had been utterly powerless.

Even though he fought to the bitter end, he had still been completely crushed.

Qin Lang didn’t speak. He simply stared at Peng Zeyang across the board.

“…It’s happened so many times already.”

After a moment, Qin Lang finally spoke, his voice calm.

The people in the room blinked in confusion, turning to look at him.

What did he mean by “so many times”?

Qin Lang looked at the defeated Peng Zeyang, his gaze darkening slightly.

Then, he continued, “Why haven’t you given up yet?”

Peng Zeyang stiffened.

Then, his face turned bright red, his fists clenching even tighter—so tight that his knuckles cracked.

Qin Lang said nothing more. He withdrew his gaze from Peng Zeyang and swiftly packed up his stones.

A moment later, he was done.

Then, without another word, he stood up and slowly walked out of the room.