Die Now Episode 18 Recap
> Die Now Recap
Experts discovered vulnerabilities in the complex and unencrypted interference waves, allowing individuals to enter the game by synchronizing their brainwaves with these waves. Jia Li spotted Xia Chi on a list, and after he became a formal player, her mission was to infiltrate his group and uncover the secrets of Duan Nao.
Xia Chi's attack was part of this mission, as the two deceased assassins, upon returning from "Win World," entered "Lose World" and were subsequently protected, revealing "Win World" to be a virtual space. Meanwhile, at an experimental base, staff reported Jia Li's request to disconnect. Jia Li, connected to her brainwaves by blue lines while lying in a recliner, suddenly awoke.
She informed others that she possessed crucial information regarding the location of the Duan Nao game base, which Meng Qin had revealed to her: the Duan Nao game hall was supposedly airborne, featuring a vast star sea and auroras visible from its windows when Meng Qin first entered. Xia Chi declared his intent to rescue the real Qing Zhi, despite the Qing Zhi in "Win World" urging him not to leave. Xia Chi remained resolute.
Meng Qin disclosed the secrets of the Duan Nao game to Xia Chi, but Xia Chi still prioritized saving Qing Zhi. Meng Qin argued that Xia Chi should save the world and more people, leading to a heated disagreement. Unable to convince each other, Meng Qin eventually conceded. Xia Chi made Meng Qin promise to persevere and thwart the conspiracy behind Duan Nao should he fail to return from the game.
Xia Chi then entered the game, returning to the castle to undertake the "Hand-in-Hand Ring" mission. Bo Bian also arrived at the castle, formally dressed, and the two commenced a pre-mission duel. An invisible little girl served as referee, explaining the rules: the arena consisted of 36 small fields separated by 49 pillars. Players would take turns creating partitions by simultaneously placing their hands on two pillars to form an interval.
The objective was to trap the opponent in a square, making them unable to move. Physical attacks were strictly prohibited, with rule-breakers facing disqualification. The duel began. In the first round, Bo Bian demonstrated the standard winning rule of a three-sided blockade. In the second round, he experimented with common draws, utilizing "sets" and "fixed patterns"—fundamental elements in chess-like games, with all victories being variations of these patterns. Xia Chi lost both rounds, bringing the score to 0-2.
Xia Chi anticipated Bo Bian would introduce new tactics. Indeed, Bo Bian suddenly proposed "vision deprivation," which was accepted. Bo Bian meticulously memorized the board layout, making the challenge a test of strategy, memory, and spatial imagination. He deliberately circled Xia Chi to distract him. After Xia Chi's memory adapted, Bo Bian still had more partitions remaining, and Xia Chi lost another round, maintaining the score at 0-2.
Finding the game uninteresting, Bo Bian shared his secret with Xia Chi: focus memory on continuous partitions and position oneself on the side with more squares to ensure an undefeated state. In the subsequent round, Xia Chi opted for a quick victory, using imagination to convert memory and block counts into the number of isolation points. Xia Chi won the round, equalizing the score at 2-2.
However, Bo Bian then revealed that he had been controlling Xia Chi from the game's outset, stating it was merely a small psychological game and that he had intentionally lost to lead Xia Chi into habitual thinking. For the final round, Bo Bian requested an increase in difficulty: the referee could only announce directions (East, South, West, North) instead of numbers. With Bo Bian's acute hearing, Xia Chi still faced defeat.
Xia Chi proposed a condition: if he could extend the game for ten rounds, Bo Bian would change the terms, preventing Xia Chi's elimination. If he failed, Xia Chi would agree to two of Bo Bian's conditions. At this point, Xia Chi had sealed off most of the squares. He moved to "Thirteen South." Bo Bian advanced to seal "Eighteen North" but inadvertently touched a partition, resulting in Xia Chi's victory, 3-2.
It was then revealed that Xia Chi had placed his shoes at "Thirteen South," standing barefoot in front of Bo Bian's position. For the "Hand-in-Hand Ring" mission, Chun Xuxiang and Bo Bian chose to cooperate with Xia Chi. This round was a standard single-player decryption game. Players wore disguises that could not be removed under any circumstances, and each wore a number plate (from one to six) that they could not see due to a special mask.
Cooperating players observed through their subjective viewpoints and were granted three one-minute opportunities to communicate. The masks disguised voices, and players were prohibited from revealing any number plate information by any means. The safe keyboard featured an automatic identification system requiring each person to input their own number for a successful entry. All players had to successfully input their numbers to open the safe. There was only one attempt; any incorrect input resulted in failure. The first person to touch the ring would obtain it. The game then began.
