“May I ask what you two need?” the dealer asked, looking at Yan Hebi and Xing Ye standing in front of the exchange counter.

Yan Hebi’s emotions were complicated, but he didn’t say a word. He had already experienced over sixty worlds and knew very well that, compared to the tasks arranged by the system, the players themselves were far more terrifying.

That’s why he admired Xing Ye, someone who, while clearing the levels himself, still remembered to lend a hand to other players. He was willing to follow someone like that.

But he also knew that neither Xing Ye nor he could save Dong San. It wasn’t that they were indifferent or unwilling to help, but rather that they couldn’t save everyone.

Yan Hebi was feeling down, but he knew he couldn’t show weakness in front of Shao Lin. So he straightened his chest and stood beside Xing Ye. Both of them were tall, and with their striking appearances—one dignified, the other handsome—they made an imposing pair.

Seeing the dealer look at them, Xing Ye casually asked, “If the number of bets in a day isn’t enough, can the ship fees be paid with passenger chips or player chips?”

“Either is fine,” the dealer replied.

“In a bet between players, if the opponent stakes player chips, do I have to use player chips as well?” Xing Ye asked again.

“Of course not,” the dealer answered. “You can also use passenger chips worth ten times the player chips. After all, everyone’s number of player chips varies.”

Xing Ye continued, “On the morning of the seventh day at 8 a.m., the channel for exchanging passenger chips for points opens. After exchanging passenger chips for points, can I use those points to exchange for player chips again?”

“Of course you can. As long as it’s before 9 a.m. on the seventh day, you can play as many bets as you want,” the dealer said. “However, although the casino operates 24 hours, there aren’t many passengers in the casino before 12 a.m.”

“What happens if I haven’t exchanged my chips for points after the settlement by 9 p.m. on the seventh day?” Xing Ye asked.

“Players will still have the chance to exchange. Please don’t worry. You can play until the very last moment.”

Xing Ye: “Can duel cards be refused?”

“After completing three bets with over 10,000 points, players can refuse invitations from duel cards,” the dealer explained. “But if a player is willing to bet all their assets and has the courage to settle it in one game, the opponent must also bet all their assets and cannot refuse.”

“I understand,” Xing Ye said, taking out a duel card. “I will actively participate in this challenge.”

He had won ten consecutive rounds in a game of high-low and obtained three duel cards, which he could use.

Xing Ye had originally planned to play two rounds with Yan Hebi, a peaceful exchange where they would take turns winning and losing to complete the three rounds. Xing Ye wanted to resolve this world peacefully, ensuring that all ten players, regardless of winning or losing, could leave with a certain amount of points. Unfortunately, the peace he desired was destined to remain out of reach.

Yan Hebi looked at Xing Ye’s expression and said, “Xiao Yezi, your expression is terrifying.”

“I’ve realized I’ve been too nice,” Xing Ye said. “This time, I don’t plan to be a good person anymore.”

For the players who entered this world, Xing Ye had always felt a sense of empathy. He believed that the players were all like his younger brother Xing Shuo—innocent and caught in a situation beyond their control.

Unfortunately, his kindness had not been reciprocated.

Xing Ye said to Yan Hebi, “You’ve already completed three bets and aren’t restricted by duel cards. You’re free to move around. Go to the casino and find the other two players in our group, as well as Liu Yi. Tell them the rules of the three 10,000-point bets, the duel cards, and about Dong San’s situation. Have them complete three bets as soon as possible to avoid being forced into a duel by a duel card.”

“What about you?” Yan Hebi asked worriedly.

“I’m going to find someone to duel with.”

The little mirror had already helped Xing Ye locate the players from the red team. Hearing that Xing Ye was taking the initiative, it immediately told him where one of the players was.

Shao Lin happened to be playing a slot machine with this player. When he saw Xing Ye approaching with a duel card, Shao Lin smiled and said, “Want to duel me? Unfortunately, I’ve already completed my three bets.”

Xing Ye said, “I figured it. You won 50 chips from Liu Yi and have a large number of player chips. You only needed to play two more casual bets to meet the requirement. Someone like you, who loves to plan and strategise, would only choose the weak ones you’ve targeted, fighting battles you’re prepared for. You don’t dare accept duel cards from others, which is why you completed your three bets as soon as possible to avoid being challenged.”

“You think too highly of yourself,” Shao Lin retorted. “I just don’t like doing unnecessary things.”

Xing Ye took out the duel card and said, “Then duel me now. Do you dare?”

Shao Lin frowned slightly, ate a piece of cotton candy, glanced at the time, and said, “It’s already 11 p.m. How about we duel tomorrow?”

“Your skill is on cooldown, isn’t it?” Xing Ye mentioned. “That’s why you don’t dare to bet. You’re out of chips now.”

Shao Lin’s usually calm expression finally turned serious. He said to Xing Ye, “Are you trying to provoke me?”

Xing Ye shook his head. “I don’t need to provoke you. When I want you to bet, you can’t refuse.”

With that, he used a duel card on Lin Si, one of Shao Lin’s following Fate companions.

It was only the first day, and it wasn’t yet time to bet his entire fortune against Shao Lin. It was too early for that. For now, he would start by cutting off Shao Lin’s wings.

Lin Si hadn’t completed three bets yet, so he had to accept Xing Ye’s duel card.

However, he wasn’t panicked. He calmly said to Xing Ye, “You’re a Fate-defying player, aren’t you? A Fate-defying player trying to win against a following Fate player?”

“Who said I’m a Fate-defying player?” Xing Ye looked at Lin Si and took out 2,000 passenger chips he had won from betting on high-low. “The Fate-defying identity was just to confuse the red team. Would a Fate-defying player win so many passenger chips?”

Lin Si glanced at his own chips. Although he had been lucky at the casino, winning and losing here and there, he had only accumulated 1,000 passenger chips. Seeing Xing Ye with so many chips, he panicked.

But he had no right to refuse. The two of them, led by the dealer, entered a small room for the duel.

To prevent cheating, only the two dueling players and the dealer could enter the small room. Teammates who wanted to watch could only observe through the glass window outside. Teammates could hear the conversation inside the room, but the dueling players couldn’t hear their teammates’ voices. This was to prevent outside interference.

When Yan Hebi heard that Xing Ye had started a duel, he and Liu Yi went to the duel room. Shao Lin was also watching. When Liu Yi saw Shao Lin, his expression turned grim.

He had already heard from Yan Hebi how important player chips were. He had lost all of his, and no matter how many passenger chips he had, they were useless. He had to find a way to win back player chips from other players.

But Shao Lin was too ruthless. Their team only had one Fate-defying player, and to prevent player chips from leaking out, Shao Lin had immediately eliminated the Fate-defying player, Dong San. This left the others with no chance to act.

Who would have thought that Xing Ye would directly challenge Lin Si? A following Fate player challenging another following Fate player—what courage!

Liu Yi thought Xing Ye was a following Fate player and watched with amusement. However, Yan Hebi knew that Xing Ye was a Fate-defying player, and the kind with the worst luck. He was extremely worried.

At this moment, the dealer’s voice came from inside the room: “What kind of bet would the two of you like to choose?”

Xing Ye said, “Of course, one that relies on luck. I’ve only played for two hours and already won 2,000 chips. My luck is much better than his. A game with a higher luck factor will give me a better chance of winning.”

He piled his passenger chips on the table, looking fearless as he stared at Lin Si.

Lin Si looked at his 1,000 chips and knew he couldn’t match Xing Ye’s wealth. He would soon be forced to use passenger chips. He said, “No!”

Xing Ye looked at him and said, “Your luck isn’t bad either. Let’s play cards. We’ll just draw one card and compare sizes.”

The dealer said, “The specific game is decided by the challenged party.”

“Is that so?” Xing Ye looked regretful and tried to persuade Lin Si. “How about we compare dice sizes instead?”

Lin Si’s mind was in chaos. Seeing Xing Ye’s confident expression, he felt increasingly panicked. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he said to the dealer, “Do you have all kinds of games here?”

“From ancient to modern, domestic to foreign, we have everything you could want,” the dealer replied.

“Go!” Lin Si said. “Let’s play Go. We’ll count the final score.”

Although Go is a national treasure, few children learn it nowadays. Lin Si had studied Go since childhood and often played online as an adult, winning more than he lost. He was very confident. In fact, he was also good at chess, but chess was more common, and there was a chance the other person might know how to play.

“Go, huh?” Xing Ye said. “I’m not very good at Go.”

“Then it’s settled—Go!” Lin Si immediately said.

Xing Ye said, “I’ll bet 2,000 chips. One game to decide the winner.”

Lin Si didn’t have enough chips. He only had 1,000. To match Xing Ye’s bet, he would have to bet 100,000 points. His points, QR codes, and initial skills combined might be enough, but if he did that, he would definitely lose.

“I can bet less if you want,” Xing Ye said, taking back 900 chips. “I can bet only 1,100 chips, but on the condition that you sign a contract stating that you can never borrow money from others. In return, if you lose everything, I must help you redeem your initial skill after seven days. If you agree, I’ll only bet 1,100 chips.”

With that, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket—a contract he had obtained from the dealer.

At this moment, Shao Lin suddenly shouted from outside, “Xing Ye is cheating! The duel can’t continue!”

However, the dealer replied, “Mr. Shao, the duel hasn’t started yet. There’s no possibility of cheating, so we can’t make a judgment. The casino has rules: cheating must be caught on the spot.”

Shao Lin slammed his fist against the glass in frustration. He knew he had lost this round.

Lin Si seemed to have lost his mind, being led around by Xing Ye. Even suggesting Go as the game was not a normal state of mind.

Xing Ye must have used a QR code or initial skill related to mental control on Lin Si, which was why he was so flustered and made so many wrong choices.

As expected, twenty minutes later, Xing Ye won 1,000 passenger chips and 100 player chips from Lin Si.

Lin Si left the duel room dejected, while Shao Lin stayed behind and said to Xing Ye, “Mental control-type initial skills have long cooldowns. You’re lucky if you can use them once a day. If it’s a QR code, I can only say that using such a precious QR code on him was a waste.”

“Oh?” Xing Ye raised an eyebrow slightly. “You’re right. I should have saved that QR code for when I duel you. I really did use it too early.”

With that, he smiled at Shao Lin and left with a pile of chips.

 

Translator : DarNan