In advanced worlds, trust does not exist.

 

"Panic" was one of the QR codes that Xing Ye and others, led by the mirror, found in the spiritual world. It was assigned to Guan Ling. Its main use was to create panic, but since it was a psychological QR code, it didn’t cause much actual harm to opponents. Instead, it primarily induced mental panic. However, if the opponent had strong willpower, they could overcome it. The effect lasted for 30 minutes, but after redrawing, the duration was reduced to 15 minutes.

One thing Shao Lin didn’t anticipate was that Xing Ye didn’t use "Panic" on Lin Si—he used it on himself.

When under the effect of "Panic," Xing Ye, in order to suppress his emotions, displayed an aggressiveness completely different from his usual demeanour. Whether it was provocation or verbal attacks, there was a sense of bluster. The more he tried to conceal it, the more Shao Lin could see Xing Ye’s nervousness, leading Shao Lin to mistakenly believe that Xing Ye, after witnessing the incident with Dong San, had acted impulsively out of panic and rashly challenged Lin Si.

This mental state made it easy for others to underestimate him. Once underestimated, Shao Lin would let his guard down.

Before entering the duel room, Xing Ye went to the restroom to calm his panicked emotions.

In the restroom, Xing Ye applied a second QR code to himself—"Empathy."

"Empathy" allowed Xing Ye to synchronize his emotions with Lin Si, keeping Lin Si in a constant state of "panic." Due to Xing Ye’s exceptionally strong willpower, he could even transmit some thoughts to Lin Si through "Empathy."

The thought in Lin Si’s mind—"The opponent is extremely lucky, so I must absolutely avoid luck-based games and choose a puzzle game instead"—was actually transmitted by Xing Ye.

Xing Ye couldn’t be sure if the casino had a way to detect mental interference, but if such interference was used on himself, could it still be considered interference?

Xing Ye was also affected by the "Panic" QR code. He was able to overcome its effects solely because of his strong willpower. But did that still count as cheating?

The game of Go was chosen by Lin Si himself. Due to the halved effect of the redrawing pen, "Empathy" could only last for 5 minutes. By the time the Go match began, the effect of "Empathy" had already worn off. Even if Shao Lin figured out Xing Ye’s tactics, Xing Ye did not influence Lin Si’s mind during the match, so how could it be considered cheating?

From start to finish, Xing Ye only did two things: first, he made Lin Si choose Go, and second, he signed an agreement with Lin Si, prohibiting Lin Si from borrowing money. This eliminated the possibility of Shao Lin obtaining the initial skills of others.

The "Panic" QR code also had a time limit. Xing Ye calculated the timing so that the effect would end shortly after the Go match began. Throughout the match, Xing Ye remained clear-headed. In a contest that relied on skill rather than luck, Xing Ye could not lose.

Given his personality, Xing Ye had already played all the popular puzzle games from both domestic and international markets as a child. Even if Lin Si chose a game Xing Ye hadn’t played before, the rules would still be fundamentally similar. Xing Ye could drag the match into a best-of-three or best-of-five series, using the first few rounds to familiarize himself with the rules, ensuring his victory. However, since he had played Go before, there was no need for a best-of-five—a single decisive match would suffice.

After defeating Lin Si, Xing Ye took the duel card and looked at Ning Xinyao and another Red Team lucky player, Lu Qi, who had come to watch. Seeing Lin Si’s dejected expression, Lu Qi immediately took out a duel card and said to Ning Xinyao, "Let’s duel."

Ning Xinyao agreed readily, and the two ran off to duel each other. They took turns winning, and with the previous win against Dong San, they completed three 10,000-point duels, allowing them to refuse Xing Ye’s duel card.

Seeing them go off to duel, Shao Lin’s expression darkened, while Xing Ye left with Yan Hebi.

After this duel, Yan hebi was in complete awe of Xing Ye. However, he was puzzled by the contract Xing Ye had signed. When the two returned to Xing Ye’s room, Yan hebi couldn’t help but ask, "Xiao Yezi, did you force Lin Si to sign the contract to save him?"

Xing Ye shook his head and said to Yan Hebi, "You’re thinking of me as too kind. I was just trying to spoil Shao Lin’s plans. This contract may seem like I’m at a disadvantage, but it’s actually reasonable. By not allowing Lin Si to borrow money, I ensured that when he ran out of points to exchange for chips, he would have no choice but to exchange his initial skill, risking its loss. Therefore, it’s only fair that I, as the one making this demand, reduce his risk by helping him reclaim his initial skill.

"This way, no matter how badly Lin Si loses, Shao Lin will never be able to obtain his initial skill. Shao Lin is ruthless. If he were to gain too many initial skills and points in this world, even if we win this world, encountering him in future worlds would be much more difficult. I can’t let that happen.

"He controls Ning Xinyao and the others not just to exclude Dong San but also to have the Red Team’s players win passenger chips, using them to offset the daily 10,000-point consumption. By winning for seven days, the Red Team’s lucky players would be challenged by the casino for winning too much. Once everyone loses everything, Shao Lin can once again trick them out of their initial skills.

"But now, by humiliating Lin Si in front of Ning Xinyao and the others, I’ve instilled a sense of crisis in the Red Team players. They will now rush to complete three duels every day, effectively ruining Shao Lin’s plan."

Xing Ye’s strategy was intricately layered, using Lin Si to strike a blow against the entire Red Team and cause a sense of crisis in the lucky players.

A sense of crisis is a good thing—a lack of it makes one easy to manipulate.

After hearing Xing Ye’s explanation, Yan Hebi fell silent for a moment and then said, "But I still feel like you’re helping them. You could have taken Lin Si’s initial skill, which would not only have stopped Shao Lin but also strengthened yourself. But you didn’t do that. You’re not like Shao Lin."

Xing Ye replied, "I’m just not interested in taking things from others. If I don’t work hard to strengthen myself but instead always think about stealing from others, what’s the point?

"Also, if you call me 'Xiao Yezi' one more time, I’ll pawn off your initial skill."

Yan Hebi shuddered at Xing Ye’s glare and frantically shook his head. "I’ll never do it again!"

In his mind, "Xiao Yezi" was a cute, strong girl who needed his protection—an idealized woman he had fantasized about. The truth, however, was that Yan Hebi had been under Xing Ye’s protection all along. This wasn’t love at all.

Ah, his romance had withered away.

There was never a "Xiao Yezi"—there was only a powerful boss.

Xing Ye said, "Have you found the other players in our group?"

"I have, and I’ve added them as WeChat friends. Aside from Liu Yi, the other two are both Fate-Defying players. They actually trust me quite a bit. The three of us went off to duel each other, internally settling the points so the casino can’t take advantage," Yan Hebi said. "Actually, when you think about it, the way to counter the casino’s tricks is pretty simple. As long as you and I trust each other, you can lose 10,000 points to me, and then I’ll lose them back to you. It’s just like what I did at the ladies’ tea party."

"No," Xing Ye said. "Actually, that’s the hardest part. You need to realize one thing: the chips in our hands aren’t just fun beans or game currency—they can be exchanged for real money. Ten thousand points equal one million yuan. In the real world, would you casually play a game where you lose one million yuan to me and then I lose it back to you?"

Yan Hebi shook his head like a rattle drum: "Absolutely not! My money stays in my own pocket!"

Xing Ye sighed. "Actually, friendly duels between players are what I’m most worried about. None of us are close friends or family. Once one person harbours malicious intent, there will be no so-called unity within the team. The most insidious part of this game is that a team’s victory isn’t calculated based on individual wins and losses—it’s based on the team’s total points. So even if one person eliminates everyone else, it won’t affect the team’s overall victory.

"This is also why Shao Lin feels so confident in targeting his teammates. In his view, teaming up with people you can’t trust at all is worse than securing victory alone. A 5v5 victory can’t compare to a 1v9.

"You’ve just arrived in the advanced world and haven’t yet adapted to its rhythm. Once points can be exchanged for money, the nature of the game changes. The points in our hands are no longer the same as the points in the free-for-all world."

Xing Ye realized this as soon as he learned that points in the advanced world could be exchanged for money.

 

Translator : DarNan