Yan Hebi saw Xing Ye glance at him, and it was as if he had returned to the hospital world. He immediately explained, "Xiao Yezi, it's not what you think between Xinxin and me. I just ran into her at the exchange centre. When I saw her shouting loudly, I stopped her because I was worried she'd expose our player identity."

Xing Ye smiled faintly. "I didn't think anything."

Yan Hebi continued explaining, "As for blurting out your player identity, I was just too shocked when I saw you and spoke before my brain could catch up..."

He clutched his chest and said, "After all... it's only been 14 days. My wounds haven’t healed that quickly."

"This is easy to fix," Xing Ye said. "In the last world, I memorized a QR code called 'Scars of the Heart.' It's a type of mental-control code that transforms emotional wounds into physical scars. Once the scars on your body heal, your heart will too. Since we're stuck cooperating in this world, it's best for us to put aside any hard feelings. Otherwise, under these game rules, it's going to be very hard to win."

Yan Hebi shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no! I’m not wounded—I'm just stupid."

Xing Ye glanced at him and said, "You’re not stupid. You just lose your mind whenever you see a woman."

Yan Hebi accepted this criticism. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t still be missing Xiao Yezi after just 14 days apart.

"I hope you can properly understand the relationship between our two teams in the future," Xing Ye said. "Otherwise, I don't mind using our teammate connection to force you to spend your points on exchanging for your initial skill—and then buying it back myself."

The thought of his initial skill being purchased horrified Yan Hebi, and he couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Ye... Boss, what happens to a Fate defying player who loses their initial skill? If they’re thrown back into the beginner world, how do they clear it?"

There was indeed a way. If they were lucky enough to find a destiny-altering item in the beginner world like he had, it might be manageable. But for most people, they’d likely be trapped in the beginner level forever, with no way out.

Between the two of them, they had only exchanged 12 chips in total—10 from Yan Hebi and 2 from Xing Ye. Yan Hebi handed over all 10 of his chips to Xing Ye and asked, "What do we do next?"

"Go back to our rooms," Xing Ye said, holding up his room key. "Even if we lose 10,000 points on the first day, it's better to take time to observe the environment, the layout of the casino, and the people inside."

Yan Hebi nodded reluctantly, feeling the sting of the point loss. He still preferred to listen to Xiao Yezi’s instructions, rather than the overwhelming authority of Boss Xing Ye.

Xing Ye returned to his room first. The accommodations were exceptionally luxurious: a bedroom, living room, private bathroom, a bathtub for bubble baths, and a scenic balcony. Through the balcony, the endless ocean stretched out before them, offering a stunning view.

"Wow!" Yan Hebi exclaimed in awe. "This room is incredible! Downstairs, there's a buffet, a gym, a massage room, and even a movie theater. And everything on the cruise ship is free! In the real world, I could never afford a cruise like this in my entire life!"

Xing Ye remarked, "10,000 points a day is equivalent to 1 million yuan. A million-yuan-a-night room in the real world would be much better than this. It's nothing impressive. And in the real world, cruises like this would have entry fees in the tens of millions. Compared to that, this ship's conditions are just so-so."

The mention of the price shut Yan Hebi up instantly. It was indeed outrageously expensive.

"I thought I was amazing for earning 10,000 points in one go in the last world," Yan Hebi said dejectedly. "But now I realize 10,000 points is barely enough to get by in this one."

He went on to tell Xing Ye about his experiences in the last world: a Roman gladiator arena where they were divided into two teams to fight. Ancient nobles watched from the stands. In the end, their team won, and the captain earned 20,000 points while each team member received 10,000. The losing team had to forfeit one initial skill. Those who owned rare QR codes or items could exchange them instead of losing their initial skill.

Xing Ye had heard Little Mirror recount a few of his experiences in advanced worlds. They were typically similar: two teams engaged in battles or competitions for various reasons within diverse settings. Lu Mingze mentioned that sometimes he had earned an extraordinary amount of points in certain worlds—hundreds of thousands or even millions—but in others, he earned only 10,000 or 20,000, barely scraping by. He didn’t even know how he qualified to challenge the final level. One day, after returning to the system space, the black-and-white Rubik's Cube suddenly handed him an invitation card for the final challenge. At the same time, all the books on the reincarnation bookshelf disappeared, leaving him with only the invitation card.

Through the descriptions of Yan Hebi and Lu Mingze, Xing Ye had essentially figured out the structure as well as the reward and punishment systems of advanced worlds.

Xing Ye said, "If melee worlds only deduct points, the risks of advanced worlds are much greater—they can destroy a person’s will. Based on your experiences, I’d guess that the rewards and punishments in advanced worlds are more inclined toward stripping players of their initial skills. Players who lose their initial skills and return to the beginner world will find it nearly impossible to return to the advanced worlds."

Yan Hebi nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "But some initial skills are practically useless. I've seen plenty of Fate defying players who almost never encounter a world where their skills are applicable. My hacking ability, for example, only comes in handy once in a while."

Compared to their skills, Xiao Yezi's was practically a cheat code—it was far too powerful!

Xing Ye replied, "You're overlooking something. All of our initial skills are generated based on our personal traits and how we entered the game. They represent our abilities. If the initial skill disappears, would that affect us in the real world?"

Yan Hebi was startled by his speculation. He said, "Then my hacking ability, which comes from my college major—I'm a programmer and rely on it for my job—if the system takes it away, wouldn’t my life be ruined? I’d lose the one skill I rely on to make a living!"

Xing Ye said, "That’s a possibility. After all, failing in the advanced worlds of this 'Challenge Fate' game has consequences. In the real world, when we try to challenge our fate and fail, don’t we also lose everything?"

Countless people fall on the path forward. This road has always been cruel and doesn’t allow failure.

Yan Hebi collapsed onto the sofa, mumbling, "We can’t afford to lose in this world—really, we can’t."

"It’s good that you realize this," Xing Ye said. Seeing that Yan Hebi finally understood the gravity of the situation and was no longer being lax, he felt more at ease. At least Yan Hebi wouldn’t lose his mind at the sight of a woman. "But don’t stress too much. This game allows cheating. We don’t yet know the punishment for cheating or the extent of this world’s surveillance, so for now, we shouldn’t act rashly."

Yan Hebi suddenly had an idea. "Then could my hacking skills be used to manipulate the odds in games like roulette or slot machines? That way, we’d still have a chance to win. Or I could block the surveillance systems—if the cameras can’t see me, I could use QR codes to cheat! I have a QR code called 'Close-Up Magician.' You tested it in the hospital world before—it allows me to perform small tricks right under people’s noses. Huh, could that be why my initial skill is so valuable?"

"You’re not completely clueless," Xing Ye nodded. "I’ve considered those methods for cheating as well. They should work, but we have to be cautious and not rush into anything."

"Got it!" After their conversation, Yan Hebi once again found himself instinctively obeying Xing Ye’s orders, just like he had in the hospital world.

Xing Ye thought for a moment and said, "Don’t rush to exchange chips just yet. Your task today is to fully utilize your ‘ central air conditioning ’ ability. Go and chat with every woman on the cruise—wealthy tourists, kitchen staff, anyone. Chat with as many as you can. You don’t need to ask complicated questions; just make small talk about anything and everything. Record any information you gather and report back to me."

Yan Hebi stared at Xing Ye, dumbfounded. "Why?"

Xing Ye explained, "I have a theory about advanced worlds, but I’m not sure yet. I need to collect some intelligence. Your initial skill makes you an expert at this kind of task. Even when you’re not using it, you’re good at drawing out information. It may not be useful for gambling, but it’s perfect for intelligence gathering. Don’t worry—I’ll make up for any points you lose during the game once it’s over."

"Understood!" Yan Hebi accepted the task and immediately rushed out to gather information, determined not to waste a second.

There were over a hundred passengers on the cruise ship, along with various staff members. Yan Hebi needed to chat with more than a hundred women in one day, completing all these conversations within 24 hours… time was incredibly tight!

After Yan Hebi left, Xing Ye looked at the 12 chips in his hand.

Although he could sacrifice 10,000 points on the first day, sitting idly by wasn’t his style—he still wanted to test out some cheating methods.

The skill called "Kua Fu Chasing the Sun," was priced at 100,000 points. It could only be used for one minute within a 24-hour period. Xing Ye decided to test its power next.

As he lay half-reclined on the bed, lost in thought, his phone buzzed—it was Lu Mingze returning.

Xing Ye couldn’t help but smile as he picked up his phone and said, “The room is empty, and I’ve run into Yan Hebi. He confirmed there’s no surveillance in the rooms.”

Lu Mingze immediately emerged from the phone case, his excitement palpable. “This world is practically paradise for me! There are mirrors everywhere—even on the ceiling and walls as decorations! I’ve already identified four players, not including the two you mentioned earlier, Ning Xinyao and Shao Lin. I’ll point them out to you in the lobby later!”

“You’re amazing!” Xing Ye gave him a thumbs-up in genuine praise. “By the way, there’s a full-length mirror in the bathroom. Do you want to go check it out?”

Lu Mingze: “…”

 

Translator : DarNan