I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 267: A Mysterious Stone Appears

The battle in the lower part of the board hadn’t even wrapped up yet, and now Black was forcefully attacking the upper-left White stones, leaving White no choice but to respond.

Which meant the next phase of this game was likely to grow into a complexity beyond anyone’s imagination.

The earlier fierce battle in the lower-right corner had already been mind-bogglingly complex, but compared to this new confrontation triggered by Black—it was child’s play.

That was just a local skirmish.

But now, since the lower battlefield hadn’t been resolved, this conflict was bound to ripple across the entire board.

On the sidelines, the recorder and two referees were so tense they could barely breathe.

“This mutual kill will plunge both sides into danger. No one has the upper hand. It could involve the entire board... Yu Shao has already played eight games in a row, while Lu Yihong is just now stepping in fresh!”

They truly couldn’t understand why Yu Shao would be the one to initiate a board-wide war, a brutal fight of this magnitude. Clearly, the one in peak condition—Lu Yihong—had the advantage in such a kill fight.

If the score difference had been massive, and chaos was the only way for Black to find hope, then okay, it would make sense.

But after the mutual double life in the lower-right, the board was still very close—Black had a bit more territory, White had more potential. It was still a balanced fight.

Black could’ve secured life but instead chose to not make life—to risk death, all to force a kill on the upper-left White group!

Even so, seeing Yu Shao—clearly exhausted from eight grueling matches—still have the courage to provoke such a mind-blowing confrontation... they were completely shaken by his sheer tenacity and willpower!

Even Lu Yihong was no exception.

Moments later, Lu Yihong took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and forced down the turmoil in his chest. His eyes flashed with resolve as he grabbed a stone and slammed it down.

Clack!

Column 12, Row 8 — Hane!

The battle between Black and White resumed with full intensity.

“If he Hanes, I’ll Jump. If he dares to Attach, I’ll sacrifice stones and go all in with him!”

Lu Yihong stared hard at the board, his mind churning through follow-ups. His jaw had unconsciously tightened.

At this moment, even he didn’t know exactly what he was thinking. His hand just kept reaching into the Go bowl, dropping stones at lightning speed.

Clack!

Column 7, Row 8 — Jump!

Yu Shao stared at the board. After thinking it over, he picked up another stone and played it.

“If it’s going to be complicated—then let it be utterly complicated. So complex that no one could possibly read it all!”

Lu Yihong grabbed a stone again, his eyes fierce as he placed it.

“I’ll create another ko fight! Let’s drag the whole board into a dragon-slaying brawl!”

Clack!

Column 3, Row 15 — Atari!

That move opened up a small ko fight, and neither side could afford to concede it. The board was plunging into chaos, more unpredictable than ever. There were too many variations—too many unknowns.

On a board like this, anyone could collapse. No one could fully calculate it.

This match—because of how entangled Black and White had become—was destined to end with one side utterly defeated.

Time ticked by. The situation was now explosive—everywhere on the board was a cutting point. The board looked like a war-torn battlefield.

It had grown so complex that no one could give a clear positional judgment anymore.

Yu Shao grabbed another stone and played it.

“Cutting would’ve worked too, but he chose to Extend. That... puts on more pressure.”

Seeing where Black played next, Lu Yihong’s expression darkened.

Although the board was chaotic and hard to evaluate, both players had their chances.

Still, as the one playing White, Lu Yihong could faintly sense... his side was falling behind in this mutual kill.

Even he found that hard to believe.

Like with this Extend—Cut would've been fine, but Extend was just slightly better. In most cases, it’s hard to think of that.

But Black made it anyway!

“Luckily, the situation is still very complex, with plenty of room to maneuver. If I launch a counterattack on the left, I can break free and drag him into a prolonged fight!”

Lu Yihong pressed his lips together and dropped another stone.

Clack!

Column 3, Row 7 — Small Knight’s Move!

On the other side, Yu Shao reached into the Go bowl and gently dropped his stone.

Column 6, Row 7 — Push!

“He’s pushing there. I just need to apply pressure on this side.”

Seeing where Black landed, Lu Yihong calmly placed another stone.

Yu Shao followed up immediately.

Seeing this move, Lu Yihong wasn’t surprised. He composed himself, eyes sharp, and made his next play.

Clack!

Column 14, Row 7 — Peep!

Clack! Clack! Clack!...

The stones continued falling in quick succession.

Soon, Black placed another stone on the board.

Clack!

Column 2, Row 8 — Extend!

“He Extended here... I see. As long as I Cut here, then when Black Presses, I’ll Hane... It’ll form a capturing sequence, and then I—”

Lu Yihong instinctively looked toward the lower-right corner of the board and reached for a stone, when his thought process abruptly froze.

His hand, midway to the bowl, stopped in the air.

Next to him, the female recorder and two referees had already involuntarily opened their mouths slightly.

They stared at the board—specifically at the bottom-left corner—and couldn’t look away.

“This...”

Not just in the Handtalk Room—everyone watching the livestream also froze.

A single move—one that had been played so long ago it was nearly forgotten—suddenly re-emerged in everyone’s memory.

And it shook them all to their core—almost taking their breath away.

---

At the Chinese team’s Review Room—

Everyone stared at the screen in disbelief, a chill creeping up their spines.

Su Yiming, too, looked at the board with a shocked expression.

---

In the American team’s Review Room—

The players were drenched in cold sweat, staring at the TV screen, their scalps tingling.

“How... how is that possible?”

Zeng Jun looked at the black stone on the screen, unable to believe his own eyes.

---

“Yu Shao, 2-dan, just played an Extend—a great move. White’s next move will definitely be to Cut, and then...”

In the broadcast studio, the female commentator had been explaining the move, but suddenly froze, staring blankly at the board. The words died in her throat.

She seemed frozen in place, overwhelmed by the storm in her heart.

Beside her, the male commentator also stared at the full board, a buzzing in his head. He, too, saw what was about to unfold, and pushed up his glasses instinctively.

“Wait a second... why is there a Black stone there?”

---

Silence.

The entire world fell silent.

On the board, at Column 6, Row 14, sat a seemingly ordinary black stone—yet it had drawn the gaze of the entire world.

Everyone’s eyes were locked on that single black stone, as if they were witnessing something otherworldly.

At this point in the game, it was still hard to say who had the advantage. The outcome was far from certain.

Normally... that would be true.

It should be true.

But—

That Shoulder Hit after the Unassailable Corner—the black stone that had Jumped afterward... now, after half the game had passed, it exploded in value!

It had landed in the perfect spot, playing a role of divine precision—cutting off White’s path to life!