Chapter 1: Demon
Night fell, lights dimmed, and the slanted moon ascended. Beneath a street lamp, in front of a chess stand, Ji Xing deftly twirled the second cannon with three fingers, executed a mid-board maneuver, and defeated the red seven pawn. He raised his head and remarked, "Master, that horse just now shouldn't be taken. Now I'm driving the cart; you can only dodge the car. If you dodge the car, the positional advantage will be lost.
The cannon acts as a general at the bottom, only a sergeant. I'll maneuver the cannon again. The heavy artillery is lethal. You can only rely on veterans. If you're not a seasoned player, you won't withstand it. Checkmate."
This was a standard tactic of sacrificing the horse for a counterattack in the game of backhand screen horse (referring to the strategic use of sacrificed pieces to gain an advantage or initiate a quick attack). Ji Xing had played this tactic over a thousand times and could execute it with his eyes closed.
It's said that it's better to lose a piece than to lose initiative.
Struck by the tactical maneuver, Zhuge Liang and his second uncle couldn't salvage the situation.
Observing the gray-haired old man on the opposite side, silent and deep in thought, and the onlookers shaking their heads, Ji Xing added, "If you sacrifice the chariot to save the elephant, you might hold on for a while, but... you see, it's getting late. I'm closing the stall and heading home. Peace is the top priority for us. I won't charge you for this game. How about it?"
The sign next to the chess stand read: '5 yuan per game of broken chess, 50 yuan for cracking, 10 yuan for each regular game, 50 yuan for a victory, 20 yuan for each instructional game. Small business, no credit.'
"Okay, old Zhang, don't even think about it. You can't beat me. How about playing with Xiao Ji?"
"The first two sets were obviously attempts to deceive you. Do you really think you have a chance to win?"
"Xiao Ji is quite amusing. I won't charge you for this game. Consider it a 20-yuan lesson. Go home, go home."
The chess players around also urged Uncle Zhang, but he remained silent.
Ji Xing looked at him strangely, noticing the redness in the old man's eyes, his heavy breathing, and even burst veins on his forehead, in addition to the deep lines. Angry over losing two chess games?
Ji Xing paused for a moment, his expression changing dramatically.
Trouble, he fell for a trap!
Winning three chess games for 20 yuan, but the old man lay on the ground, and 200,000 yuan might not be enough!
He hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhang..."
Rip!
The sound of tearing fabric interrupted Ji Xing's words. On the opposite side, Uncle Zhang's fingertips extended with black nails, his arms swelled and thickened, sleeves torn, and thick black hair sprouted!
His ordinary old-man face twisted, and simultaneously, a foul stench filled the air as his entire body transformed into a two-meter-tall black-haired monster!
"Oh, crap!"
Ji Xing almost fled in terror, throwing the chess stand at the monster's face and running away.
The monster swiped its claws, shattered the chessboard, and charged ferociously towards Ji Xing.
"It's a monster!" Chess spectators scattered, fleeing in all directions as Uncle Zhang transformed.
Seemingly forgetting the game and his grudge, "Uncle Zhang" had eyes only for Ji Xing, swiftly closing the distance with hairy legs.
At the critical moment, a crescent moon streaked through the air. The running monster's head and neck separated, running two meters further before collapsing with a thud, spewing black blood.
Ji Xing ran over ten meters before daring to look back. Seeing the defeated demon, a handsome boy of sixteen or seventeen stood nearby, wielding a black knife. Ji Xing breathed a sigh of relief, panting rapidly.
"This is the first time I've seen a foolish monster exposed because of a chess loss..." The boy waved to Ji Xing. "It's okay; we'll handle it here. The hunters will protect everyone."
Ji Xing took a deep breath and gave the boy a thumbs up. "Great!"
"Huh?" The boy, surprised by Ji Xing's reaction, smiled shyly after a moment of hesitation.
Ji Xing glanced at the monster's corpse and the abandoned chess stand, walking home with lingering fear.
The town, quiet and peaceful under the night, welcomed people returning from work with smiles. Smoke rose in the distance, just a street away, and the appearance of monsters didn't trouble anyone.
Some acquaintances asked Ji Xing, "Did you close the stall?"
Ji Xing replied, "It's taken care of."
After locking the door at home, Ji Xing cursed under his breath, "Damn world, scared me to death."
He was a time traveler.
Nearly a month had passed since he arrived on this 'Monster Continent' from modern society.
On this demon continent, demons and humans had coexisted since ancient times.
Demons fed on human brains, consuming them and inheriting memories and identities to disguise themselves in human society.
Uncle Zhang was a case in point.
Evidently, the demon had adopted Uncle Zhang's habit of playing chess, preferring a stinky atmosphere and even lowering its defenses when losing.
Without a specific reason, it was nearly impossible to see through the disguise by observing changes in personality or habits.
Speaking of chess, Ji Xing found many similarities in this world.
Though the historical development diverged from the world before his time travel, chess, army chess, go, and other games were prevalent. The inventors and invention times were unknown, making him suspect that others like him had time-traveled to the distant past.
In the small town named 'Yangliu' where he lived, various races coexisted. Yet, whether it was Uncle Zhang or Uncle John, everyone spoke perfect Chinese with the same accents and even shared language habits. Occasionally, a few dialects popped up, but overall, the language was consistent.
Technological progress seemed to be at the end of the 19th century or early 20th century. As far as Ji Xing knew, it had maintained this level for several hundred years.
Perhaps the two worlds differed?
Before time travel, there were no monsters, or perhaps larger cities had already employed some high-tech methods, but remote towns like this hadn't been exposed to them?
Ji Xing hadn't had the chance to explore other places yet. The wilderness was said to be demon territory, and he lacked the money and strength to travel.
Having spent just a month here, he was still adapting and surviving, with no time to think about anything else. All that remained from his predecessor was an empty house.
Unemployed and without family or purpose, he needed to make money to survive.
Before time travel, Ji Xing was an ordinary person. The world had soap and glass, but he didn't know where to start with inventions. Moreover, this world had extraordinary powers.
Part-time jobs were out of the question.
Upon reflection, he realized that his greatest strength might be gaming.
Ji Xing loved to play and was skilled at various online and board games. He excelled in sports like football, table tennis, and badminton. Even in emerging board games and escape rooms, he was a formidable player.
Most of his skills seemed useless. After two days of investigation, he chose to set up a chess stand to make a living temporarily and accumulate some wealth.
In this world, there was no urban management.
Accepting what came his way and charging reasonable fees, Ji Xing believed it was safe. Indeed, he had accumulated a small amount of wealth after a month.
Never did he expect that setting up a chess stand would attract non-human opponents. This world was too dangerous!
Although demon hunters patrolled the town, emergencies remained hard to predict.
Just like Uncle Zhang—wasn't his brain replaced by infiltrating demons that quietly devoured his brains?
Even on the street, if Ji Xing had reacted a bit slower and run a bit slower, he might not have waited for the demon hunters to rescue him at all!
In that case, he might...
Ji Xing shuddered, facing the mirror, and stuck out his tongue to lick the beads of sweat on his forehead.
Perhaps he, too, was a monster...
Exposed!