Congratulations to the green team for taking the lead for now, and keep up the good work, red team!

 

"By the way, boss, you haven't completed your three gambling sessions yet, have you?" Yan Hebi said, "How about I gamble with you? I can lose 10,000 points to you first, and then you can win them back."

Losing first meant giving the points to the other person, and whether you could win them back depended on the credibility of your teammates. By saying this, Yan Hebi was indicating to Xing Ye that he was harmless.

"No need," Xing Ye said.

"Why not?" Yan Hebi asked, puzzled.

Even Xing Ye's phone vibrated, as Lu Mingze was also worried about Xing Ye.

Xing Ye picked up his phone and patted the phone case reassuringly before explaining, "Actually, the idea that the casino might take action after deducting points continuously until the seventh day is just my speculation. It's not entirely certain, but Shao Lin seems to have made the same inference. His actions serve as evidence that this speculation is quite likely."

"If there's danger, shouldn't we try to avoid it?" Yan Hebi asked.

Xing Ye replied, "If you always follow the rules, you'll be protected by them. That's why I suggest everyone complete three gambling sessions each day. But sometimes, following the rules completely can turn you into a puppet. I have some other guesses about the advanced world, but I'm not sure yet, so I want to test it out."

He wanted to see what would happen if he spent 10,000 points every day until the seventh day.

But this was a risky move. Xing Ye was willing to take the risk himself but didn't want to involve others.

Yan Hebi was worried, but he knew he couldn't help much, so he asked, "What can I do?"

After entering the advanced world, he realized that the old model of completing tasks with like-minded players no longer worked. Ning Xinyao's change made Yan Hebi realize that he had been too naive in the past. The only good thing about that naivety was probably meeting Xing Ye in the hospital world.

Xing Ye said, "Don't worry. I dare to take this risk because I'm confident I can win. What you need to do now are two things. First, stay in touch with the other players in our team, but don't get too close. Just remind them if something comes up. If they want to cooperate with us to defeat the red team, then accept it. If they just want to gamble and make money, then keep your distance for now. Second, continue to stay in touch with the noblewomen."

He was really curious about how Yan Hebi's path would turn out in the end, and he felt that it somehow aligned with some of his own thoughts.

It was almost midnight, and Yan Hebi knew it wasn't appropriate to disturb Xing Ye any longer, so he prepared to leave.

At that moment, Xing Ye said to him, "Why don't you sign a contract with me like Lin Si did? That way, if one of us ends up with zero points, the other can at least help redeem the initial skill."

This was a form of insurance.

Yan Hebi signed a contract with Xing Ye, agreeing that if either of them ended up with zero points, the other would use their extra points to help redeem the initial skill.

"Have the other members of our team sign similar contracts with each other. You can get binding blank contracts from the dealer," Xing Ye instructed. "Also, if you have contact with Ning Xinyao, remind her. If not, forget it. Try not to interact directly with members of the red team. I'm afraid Shao Lin might exploit your relationship."

"Okay," Yan Hebi agreed. "I have Xinxin's contact info. We added each other after we recognized each other."

After sending the message, Yan Hebi left. After he was gone, Xing Ye placed a mirror on the bedside table. It was an oval-shaped mirror, about 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide, taken from the dressing table. It was just the right size to see Lu Mingze's face.

After lying down, Xing Ye saw Lu Mingze appear in the mirror, looking somewhat dejected. "My initial skill is useless in this world again," Lu Mingze said.

This wasn't a game that required solving mysteries or combat. After finding the other players, Lu Mingze hadn't discovered any useful information.

At most, he could help Xing Ye place bets, but in games like blackjack or poker, he couldn't help increase Xing Ye's luck.

"I also went to Shao Lin's bedroom," Lu Mingze said. "His room is 316, quite far from ours. I could only move around in the mirror in his room and didn't see anything. He's very cautious."

Xing Ye frowned slightly, concerned. "Don't wander around next time. I'm worried Shao Lin might have initial skills and items beyond our imagination. If he's taken other players' initial skills in different worlds, he might have a skill that can detect you. For now, let's just observe him with the projector."

However, the projector was passive, with limited usage time and unable to observe Shao Lin in real-time. It could only help analyse things afterward.

Lu Mingze said, "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I have good luck. When I entered his room, Shao Lin wasn't there. He won't notice. By the way, will Dong San die?"

"Probably not," Xing Ye said, leaning against the pillow and looking at Lu Mingze. "When it comes to life and death, 10,000 points should be manageable. But without an initial skill and having to return to the beginner level, future worlds will be a disaster. If your mindset is strong, you might manage, but if not, you could easily collapse and even go insane in the game.

"Also, if the initial skill is like the one Teacher Ding had in the campus world—'Cunning Rabbit's Burrow' or 'Betraying Friends for Survival'—losing it wouldn't affect the real world much. But for skills like my 'Repainting Brush,' which are related to the player's real-world abilities, we don't know if losing the initial skill would also cause the player to lose that ability in the real world."

In other words, Dong San was unlikely to die, but his future path wouldn't be easy.

Lu Mingze sighed. Life wasn't perfect, and he knew that. But encountering such things would make anyone unhappy. Of course, some people become numb after seeing too much. Lu Mingze had seen a lot in the advanced world, but he couldn't become numb.

"Players are actually quite pitiful," Lu Mingze said softly. "Forced into this game, forced to accept their fate, forced to hurt others and be hurt."

Xing Ye looked at him and said, "Forced into the game... Speaking of which, how did you end up in the game? Among the three known methods, sneaking in isn't an option. Have you ever felt world-weary or scanned someone else's QR code?"

"I've never felt world-weary," Lu Mingze shook his head. "And I wouldn't casually scan someone else's QR code. I asked the black-and-white cube why I ended up in this game, and it said it was fate. It's all very mysterious, and I don't know what it's trying to do."

This was something Xing Ye had also been puzzled about. After discussing it with Lu Mingze for a while, he decided to set the topic aside for now, as clues might emerge later.

"Let's not talk about those troubling things," Xing Ye suggested. "Apart from your real-world body, I rarely see you this big. Usually, you're a mini version, in a compact mirror or a phone case, so tiny."

"It's like the difference between watching a video on a phone and on a laptop," Lu Mingze said, extending his hand. "Don't you dare kiss me. I've accepted your pursuit, but there are still many things I haven't figured out yet. I haven't returned to my body, so don't take advantage of me."

Xing Ye laughed. "I wasn't planning to take advantage of you. I just think it's nice to hold you in my hand when you're small, and it's also nice to see you more clearly when you're bigger."

Lu Mingze felt like he had been taken advantage of again, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He sat in the mirror, sulking for a while.

However, his anger came and went quickly. Xing Ye noticed the intimacy level on his phone drop from 93 to 91, then return to 93, and couldn't help but smile secretly.

Xing Ye decided not to discuss things that could lead to misunderstandings and instead shifted the conversation back to serious matters. He asked, "What do you think about Shao Lin?"

Lu Mingze's intuition was always accurate, and Xing Ye wanted to hear his opinion.

He first shared his own thoughts: "I think he's very calm and cautious. He seems to harbour malice toward following Fate players and prefers to act alone rather than team up, probably because he doesn't trust others."

Lu Mingze thought for a moment and said, "I don't think he has malice toward following Fate players. I think he despises all players. I always feel like he eats sweets to suppress his emotions. Isn't there a saying that eating sweets makes people feel better? Maybe he eats sweets because he's in a bad mood?

"Also, after talking to you earlier, he threw the goblet of pomegranate juice into the trash. I checked the dining area, and there are specific cups for drinks, but he always uses expensive wine glasses for his drinks and throws them away after use. It seems a bit wasteful."

"Why did you notice that?" Xing Ye was curious about Lu Mingze's perspective.

Lu Mingze said, "It just felt off. His actions show that he knows the rules but deliberately breaks them. It's like he's saying, 'I know this glass is for wine, but I'll use it for juice.' It's not exactly anti-rich, but... He gives me the vibe of someone who wants to take all the good things in the world and then destroy them. Like Dong San's initial skill—skills are more meaningful than points and can help you clear levels. Did he trick Dong San just to get his skill? But after going through all that trouble to get it, he exchanged it for points."

Xing Ye summarized, "He works hard to obtain things only to destroy them, and he despises players who rely on luck to reach the advanced world but lack the skills. This guy isn't easy to deal with..."

"Why do you think that? I don't think he's as smart as you," Lu Mingze said.

Xing Ye replied, "Sometimes, a person's strength isn't about intelligence but rather their motivation and purpose. In this game, every player has a purpose, and having a purpose makes them easier to understand and even control. Most players want to leave the game and strive for the elusive final level, while many others want to earn more points to exchange for money.

"But Shao Lin isn't after money or the final level. It seems like he just wants to toy with the players."

After chatting for a while, Xing Ye gradually fell asleep.

He kept his phone by his side while sleeping and left a dim light on for Lu Mingze.

Lu Mingze looked at his sleeping face and quietly moved into the phone case. Using all his strength, he moved the phone and gently touched Xing Ye's face through the phone case.

His heart was beating a little faster.

Lu Mingze, covering his heart, transferred back to the dressing mirror on the bedside table, pretending as if nothing had happened.

*

The next day, Xing Ye slept in a bit longer and didn't get up until eight o'clock. By 8:50, he had finished washing up and was having breakfast. While eating, he met up with Yan Hebi, and the two waited for the early morning points settlement.

At exactly nine o'clock, their phones ‘ding’ sounded. Xing Ye opened his phone to check the message, which read:

First Day Settlement of the High-Stakes gambling Cruise:
Red Team: Player Dong San has been eliminated. Four players remain. Total passenger chips won: 2,145. Player chips won: 20.
Green Team: Player Liu Yi has been eliminated. Four players remain. Total passenger chips won: 4,152. Player chips lost: 37.

Congratulations to the Green Team for taking the lead for now. Red Team, keep up the good work. See you tomorrow at 9 a.m.

"What?" Yan Hebi stared at his phone, the bread in his mouth falling out. "When was Liu Yi eliminated?"

At that moment, Shao Lin walked over to Xing Ye with a tray, smiling calmly. "Congratulations to the Green Team for taking the lead. You're truly impressive. I am really willing to bow down. "

 

Translator : DarNan