Players can also lend chips to each other.

Xing Ye briefly considered two options: "being discovered by Liu Yi as a Fate-Defying Player, giving rise to thoughts of sabotaging a teammate" versus "recognizing Liu Yi as a Green Team teammate and helping him earn chips." He flipped through his phone to confirm that the game did not provide any hints about the number of players with the Following Fate or Fate-Defying roles in this world, only stating that there were 10 players in total. With this in mind, he took out his identity card and approached Liu Yi.

"Hello," he greeted the frustrated Liu Yi, who had exchanged all his QR codes at the counter. Xing Ye flashed his identity card and said, "I've been observing you for a while and believe we're teammates."

Liu Yi, disheveled and pulling at his messy hair, wasn’t very enthusiastic about the interaction. He gave Xing Ye a half-hearted handshake before grabbing his chips and preparing to gamble again.

Xing Ye pulled him back and said, “You’ve been hit by a skill that reduces your luck. Don’t gamble for now—wait until the skill’s effect wears off.”

Liu Yi wasn’t stupid, though his poor luck seemed to have dulled his wits. After taking a moment to think about what Xing Ye had said, he calmed himself and reflected. About ten minutes later, he finally cleared his head and asked, “Did Shao Lin use an initial skill on me during the match?”

It had to be an initial skill because QR codes required manual input on a phone, and Shao Lin hadn’t touched his phone during the game. Thus, the skill must have been used directly in his mind.

There was also the possibility of a prop—it might not necessarily be a Following Fate prop but rather one obtained from perfectly completing a melee world. Those types of props were often one-time use, like the "Bai Xu’s Diary" that Guan Ling had obtained before.

Liu Yi’s state improved slightly. He cursed Shao Lin under his breath as Xing Ye extended his hand and introduced himself, “Xing Ye, Green Team, Following Fate Player.”

He decided to feign being a Following Fate Player to mislead Liu Yi.

Since the system did not reveal the number of Following Fate or Fate-Defying players, Liu Yi would have no way of discerning the truth unless he possessed a special initial skill.

Of course, Xing Ye also needed to synchronize his story with Yan Hebi.

He quickly sent Yan Hebi a message: "Delete this message after reading it. I’m claiming to be a Following Fate Player outwardly. If your former teammate Xin Xin or Shao Lin questions you, just say we planned this in advance. Tell them that my claim of being a Fate-Defying Player was a tactic to confuse the opposition. You can explain that if I pretend to be Fate-Defying, the enemies will underestimate me. If they see me experiencing misfortune, they’ll be less likely to use their initial skills on me, making it easier for me to strike back at the critical moment. Got it?"

This way, regardless of whether others believed him, it would confuse the other players and make them hesitant to act rashly.

Yan Hebi replied: "Got it! Don’t worry!"

A little later, Yan Hebi added: "Boss, I’m currently in the tea parlor with some wealthy ladies, playing poker with them. They’re all very friendly, and I didn’t even have to use an initial skill to gather key information. Many of them said they came to the casino alone to avoid their husbands who were playing outside. Is there anything specific I should be mindful of?"

Xing Ye’s eyebrow twitched. It seemed Yan Hebi’s storyline was turning further and further off the track…

He replied: "No need—just go with the flow. I trust you. Report the details back in the room tonight."

Yan Hebi: "Understood! Mission guaranteed to be completed!"

Yan Hebi had embarked on his new side quest with the wealthy women, and it was unlikely any players would show up at the tea parlor to challenge him. Xing Ye felt reassured for the time being.

At this point, Xing Ye and Liu Yi entered the casino together. Liu Yi, having exchanged all his QR codes for 20 chips, wandered around the casino aimlessly. Following Xing Ye’s advice, he bet two chips every hour to test whether his luck had returned, thereby gauging the duration of Shao Lin’s skill.

Having just lost everything, Liu Yi didn’t dare place big bets and stuck close to Xing Ye.

Xing Ye wandered through the casino and eventually arrived at the Big and Small betting area—a game he deemed ideal for confusing both Liu Yi and the other players.

Holding his phone, he whispered to the phone case, “I’m counting on you. In a moment, when I say ‘big’ or ‘small,’ vibrate once to tell me which one to bet on.”

Big and Small was a very simple game. There were three dice in a dice cup, shaken by the dealer. Before the dice cup was opened, players could bet on whether the total score would be big (over 9) or small (9 or less). If guessed correctly, the player would win the same amount of chips they bet. The game’s payout rate was generally low—betting two chips would only win two chips.

However, there was a much higher payout for betting on a “triple” (also known as a "leopard"). Different casinos had different rules for a triple, but at this casino, only a roll of three sixes counted. If a triple was rolled, it was considered a total loss—anyone betting big or small would lose, and all chips on the table would go to the dealer. However, if someone had bet on the triple and won, they would claim all the chips on the table.

Of course, the probability of rolling a triple was exceedingly low.

Liu Yi stood beside Xing Ye, watching but not betting. With only 20 chips and his initial skills remaining, he didn’t dare gamble recklessly. Each of his initial skills was worth 10,000 points, and exchanging them wouldn’t yield many chips. It was better to wait until his bad luck wore off.

Liu Yi wasn’t worried about losing everything—he was a Following Fate Player. As long as his luck returned, what was there to fear in a casino?

Xing Ye made no comment on Liu Yi’s optimistic attitude, though he somewhat understood why Shao Lin had chosen him as his first opponent. Liu Yi was probably the kind of Following Fate Player who had risen smoothly through the ranks, with incredibly low vigilance.

“Big or small?” Xing Ye murmured to himself, staring at the betting table while holding his phone.

When he said the word “small,” his phone vibrated once. Xing Ye then placed two chips on “small.”

Perhaps his bet was too small, as some gamblers around him cast disdainful glances in his direction.

When the dice cup was revealed, the result was “1, 1, 2”—small. Xing Ye won two passenger chips.

These passenger chips were worth only one-tenth of player chips, so gambling with passengers was highly unprofitable. A single loss would cost 2,000 points, while a win only yielded 200 points.

Xing Ye pocketed his two player chips and continued betting with the passenger chips. In the next round, he bet small again.

The result: “2, 1, 4”—small. Xing Ye won four more passenger chips.

Liu Yi followed behind Xing Ye, watching as he repeatedly placed bets. After retrieving his original two player chips, Xing Ye never touched them again, continuing instead with the passenger chips.

He watched as Xing Ye’s chips grew: 2 became 4, 4 became 8, 8 became 16, 16 became 32, 32 became 64, and 64 became 128...

Two hours later, Xing Ye’s chip count had climbed to 2,048. Liu Yi’s expression had shifted from suspicion to awe.

After reaching 2,048 chips, Xing Ye stopped betting. He decided to quit while ahead since he also wanted to test his coordination with the small mirror in other games. He gathered his chips and prepared to leave.

Seeing Liu Yi watching him intently, Xing Ye thought for a moment and handed him 48 chips. “Player chips exchanged from QR codes are too valuable. Here are 48 passenger chips for you to borrow. Use them to test if your bad luck has worn off.”

Liu Yi was stunned. He hadn’t expected Xing Ye to be so generous. He asked, “You’re just going to lend them to me like that?”

“Of course not. We need to write an IOU (NT: ‘I owe you’, written aknowledgement of a debt),” Xing Ye replied.

He wasn’t lending the chips out of pure generosity. Xing Ye wanted to use this loan to verify something.

Players could borrow points from the system in exchange for money, so what about loans between players?

Xing Ye said, “I’d like the IOU to be notarized. I also want to ask the dealer if there are any official rules about lending in this game. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to come with me to find the dealer.”

Liu Yi frowned slightly. He wasn’t keen on writing an IOU. But Xing Ye made it clear that without one, the chips wouldn’t be loaned. Moreover, Liu Yi couldn’t bear to use his precious player chips—if he lost all 20, he’d have nothing left but his initial skills.

Meanwhile, Xing Ye’s 48 passenger chips had an actual value equivalent to only 4.8 player chips. Even if Liu Yi lost them all, the loss wouldn’t be significant. He would only need to repay Xing Ye 5 player chips, and if Xing Ye didn’t charge interest, he would even return 2 passenger chips to Liu Yi.

After thinking it over for a few minutes, Liu Yi agreed to go with Xing Ye to find the dealer.

Xing Ye asked a casino attendant where to find the dealer. He also exchanged 2,000 passenger chips for larger-denomination chips, making them easier to carry.

With Liu Yi in tow, he located the dealer. The dealer, who wore a black-and-white mask, remained in his office. On his desk was a computer displaying a rotating view of the casino’s surveillance footage.

Inside the dealer’s office, Xing Ye unexpectedly encountered Shao Lin and another player, who belonged to the Red Team.

When Shao Lin saw Xing Ye and Liu Yi walk in, his eyes narrowed slightly. He greeted them amicably, but Liu Yi was so furious at the sight of him that he clenched his teeth. Unable to hold back, Liu Yi charged at Shao Lin, intent on attacking, but was stopped by the dealer.

“The cruise ship prohibits all acts of violence. Violators will be fined 100 chips,” the dealer said to Liu Yi.

Liu Yi reluctantly stopped, and at that moment, Xing Ye and Shao Lin spoke in unison: “100 chips? Passenger chips or player chips?”

After finishing, the two looked at each other and smiled simultaneously.

The dealer was quite surprised at how synchronized their actions were. He replied, “Passenger chips will suffice.”

Xing Ye then asked, “What constitutes being caught cheating, and what are the consequences if someone is caught?”

This was something that had always been on his mind. Xing Ye had a habit of preparing for the worst-case scenario, and he needed to know exactly what the so-called punishment entailed. He noticed that after asking this question, Shao Lin’s smile froze on his face.

“Oh?” the dealer said. “Generally speaking, we don’t disclose punishments to players. Revealing them would make players fear the consequences and hesitate to cheat, which would take the fun out of the game.”

Xing Ye replied, “Is that so? Then let me rephrase. I suspect someone has cheated against my teammate. Would it be possible for the casino to investigate and impose appropriate punishment?”

The dealer gazed at Xing Ye with his black-and-white eyes for a moment before smiling and saying, “I know this player. He was the one who dueled a Red Team player three hours ago. That match was conducted under the supervision of our casino dealer, and no cheating was detected.”

He used the phrase “no cheating was detected” rather than “there was no cheating.” Xing Ye pressed further, “How was this determined? What evidence do you have?”

The dealer explained, “Our casino’s gambling equipment is entirely unmarked. The playing cards used are custom-made for this casino, with no signs of being swapped out. This eliminates the possibility of players bringing their own cards. At the gambling table, players handle only their own cards, and the dealer wears white gloves. The cards carry only the fingerprints of the respective players, proving that neither player touched the other’s cards.

“Since it was a one-on-one duel, there was no possibility of collusion to cheat. Moreover, our casino dealers are impartial and do not favor any particular player. The surveillance footage also showed no irregularities. Therefore, as the dealer, I have concluded that the Red Team player, Shao Lin, did not cheat and won fairly. Do you have any further questions?”

He still avoided mentioning the punishment for cheating, deliberately sidestepping the issue.

Xing Ye glanced at Shao Lin. “Regarding cheating, I have no further questions.”

Shao Lin’s expression remained unchanged. Pulling the player he had brought along with him closer, he said, “Dealer, this is the Fate-Defying Player from our team. He’s lost everything, so I’d like to lend him some chips. Could the casino notarize this transaction?”

Both Xing Ye and Liu Yi turned to look at Shao Lin. The man had already anticipated the idea of lending.

The dealer replied to Shao Lin, “Of course, notarization is possible.”

He pulled a blank sheet of paper from a drawer and handed it to Shao Lin, explaining, “This is a binding contract provided by the casino. It can serve as an IOU or be used for other agreements. Once both parties sign, the handwriting will transform into a QR code that only the signer can decipher, ensuring safety and confidentiality. You can also specify on the IOU that if the borrower fails to repay the chips, the lender is entitled to take equivalent items from the borrower.”

“Interesting,” Shao Lin responded politely. “Could you give me a few more of these sheets?”

“Of course, that’s not a problem. These are merely binding sheets of paper. To be valid, both parties must willingly consent. Violence is not supported,” the dealer said while handing Shao Lin a stack of the paper and reminding him.

“Thank you.” Shao Lin accepted the paper and glanced at Xing Ye as he brushed past him.

As he left, he deliberately bumped into Xing Ye’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “It’s been a long time since I met someone who’s almost completely in sync with me. I wonder whether it will be the Red Team or the Green Team that wins in the end?”

After Shao Lin walked away, Xing Ye’s expression darkened as he stared at Shao Lin’s retreating back.

The dealer observed Xing Ye’s reaction and, in a mocking tone, remarked, “Player, your expression looks quite like that of a villain in a classic story~”

Xing Ye replied, “I’ve never considered myself a righteous person. I’ll need those contracts too. Please give me several copies.”

“Understood,” the dealer said, handing Xing Ye a stack of the same paper.

Xing Ye took Liu Yi to a quiet corner and lent him 48 passenger chips without charging any interest, with a repayment deadline of seven days.

The IOU was prepared in duplicate. After both parties signed, the text on the document transformed into a QR code, just as the dealer had described—completely illegible to others. Xing Ye tried scanning it with his phone and found that even he couldn’t retrieve the contents of the QR code, confirming its absolute confidentiality.

Liu Yi thanked Xing Ye and took the passenger chips to try his luck.

Meanwhile, Xing Ye returned to his room with 2,000 passenger chips. Although he hadn’t participated in any high-stakes games involving a win or loss of more than 10,000 points today, the chips he had accumulated were enough to offset his point deductions. He wasn’t in a hurry to gamble further—he needed time to think.

Lu Mingze transferred his consciousness to a mirror hanging on the wall of the room and said, “At this rate, we’ll have no trouble clearing this round! Was there a deeper meaning to all those questions you asked earlier about cheating?”

Xing Ye replied, “I wanted to figure out exactly how the casino detects cheating. As long as we can avoid those methods, we’ll be able to cheat successfully ourselves.”

 

Translator : DarNan