Our enemies have never been the players.

 

Yan Hebi opened his mouth, with countless questions in his chest, but after holding back for a long time, he finally only asked, “Can a player’s identity still be exposed?”

Xing Ye sighed , “I have always advocated that as players, we should not be too arrogant. We should not think that just because we have initial skills and QR codes, we are inherently superior in the game world. We should not treat the people in the game world as mere NPCs. Think back to the worlds you have experienced—putting aside the surface-level endings, how many times have the true endings required players to risk their lives?”

Yan Hebi thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. “That’s true, especially in the world where I met you. One careless move, and even reaching the surface-level ending could have cost us our lives. We weren’t fighting against players at all; we were always battling the bosses of the game world. And in reality, if we had been fighting against players, they would never have been able to harm us so severely.”

Xing Ye remarked , “Putting aside the fact that this is a game we physically participate in, let’s just talk about real-world video games. Have you ever played a game that makes players feel like gods? The ones who truly control a game are always the developers. The weapons and equipment players use are all provided by the game itself. The same goes for us. Have you noticed that every QR code we obtain is always found within the game world? Their abilities are designed to counter the monsters or bosses of that particular game world, but they are never more powerful than the boss itself.”

Yan Hebi had experienced more worlds than Xing Ye, but he had never considered this issue. Now that Xing Ye had pointed it out, he reflected on his past experiences and realized that Xing Ye was absolutely right.

Without the QR codes found in the game world, relying solely on their initial skills and previously acquired QR codes, they would have been unable to clear the level.

Xing Ye continued, “The Beginner World, the Melee World, and the Advanced World—these three types of worlds progress in difficulty step by step. The Beginner World has very simple storylines, sometimes even loosely written, giving players a certain degree of freedom. The Melee World has fixed endings, but with both true and false endings, it still provides some choice for players. But in the Advanced World—whether it was the gladiatorial arena we experienced before or the casino we are in now—do we have any real choices?”

No.

They couldn’t even freely choose to team up with their past companions. They were trapped in this casino, forced to gamble as their only means of combat, and anything outside the established rules would result in a player’s destruction.

“In your previous game world, what role did the NPCs play?” Xing Ye asked.

“Spectators—nobles watching us fight to the death—and the guards who escorted us gladiators,” Yan Hebi responded, suddenly feeling an eerie sense of realization thanks to Xing Ye’s prompting. “Only we were slaves. Only we held the lowest status!”

“When your team won, you left the game world. But what do you think happened to the body you once used in that world?” Xing Ye continued.

Yan Hebi’s expression changed slightly. “After winning, we got better treatment—food, medical care. But then… we continued forming teams to fight against other groups, forever remaining slaves, endlessly battling for their entertainment until death.”

“Do you still think we players are superior?” Xing Ye asked. “On this cruise ship, the ones who truly cannot afford to lose are not the passengers—it’s us. The passengers are all wealthy people; losing some chips means nothing to them. But us? Can we afford to lose?”

Yan Hebi suddenly realized something. “When I was in the gladiatorial arena, I had a clear status. They called us gladiators. But in the casino, the dealer never gave us any choice. He simply divided the players into two teams and told us we could enjoy the cruise’s services. He never explicitly told us what our status was.”

Xing Ye said, “We live on the third level of the cruise ship, while the noble district is on the level above. Without Madam Lin’s invitation, Ning Xinyao was stopped outside the noble district—you could only go out to meet her, but you had no right to bring her inside. What do you think we, the so-called guests of this casino, are in their eyes?

“Even at the very beginning, the dealer already hinted at the distinction between us and the passengers. He said, ‘Our cruise ship’s passengers are merely here for leisure, unlike you players, who have tasks to complete.’ What do you think that means? And why are all our duels held in separate, enclosed, and publicly viewable duel chambers?”

Xing Ye’s words hit Yan Hebi’s heart like a hammer. He thought through everything carefully and came to a conclusion: “There’s no difference from the gladiatorial arena. We are still slaves—just dressed up in a more refined way to make us look like people. But in reality, our fights and self-destruction over the past few days have only made us clowns in their eyes.”

“Exactly,” Xing Ye sighed deeply.

That was why, from the moment he set foot on the cruise ship, he had been carefully observing, trying to explore every corner of the ship instead of rushing to gamble. His plan was to first understand what kind of world the Advanced World truly was and what its underlying purpose was before engaging in the games.

But Shao Lin acted too fast. Twice, he caught Xing Ye off guard, forcing him to divert his attention to dealing with Shao Lin.

Xing Ye’s real opponent was never the Red Team—it was the entire game. The players were never his focus; instead, he was paying close attention to the masked dealer in black and white.

He opened his phone and showed Yan Hebi a game system prompt. “The system has already warned us.”

Yan Hebi read the message. The system’s description of the game world was extremely simple:

"Our cruise ship is the most luxurious in the world, with countless wealthy passengers onboard. The money they carry is far greater than that of the poor little players. Friendly reminder: The casino also has an external betting system!"

Xing Ye underlined, “We are the ‘poor little players.’ The casino has an external betting system. Now tell me, what do you think they are betting on?”

“…Us.” Realizing the truth of this world, Yan Hebi felt a chill in his palms.

Players thought they had superpowers, that they could travel through different worlds. But in this world, they were nothing more than entertaining insects in the eyes of the NPCs.

“I suspect this game has hidden rules, but the dealer will never tell us. Even if we figure them out, he won’t admit it—we have to find them ourselves,” Xing Ye said, pointing at the tie clip on Yan Hebi’s chest. “Madam Lin is a clue. You gained her favour, and her words have been subtly warning you to be aware of your situation.”

Yan Hebi looked at the tie clip and recalled the conversation he had in Madam Lin’s room earlier that night. His face flushed slightly.

Honestly, he had almost lost control. Madam Lin was too beautiful—she looked fragile and slender, yet her every move exuded charm. Even something as simple as holding a glass of water was enough to draw his gaze.

He didn’t even know how he managed to walk out of her room. My god, he must have been possessed by a divine presence to have remained calm in front of a woman like that.

Xing Ye said, “I remember every word the dealer said on the first day. I’ve been thinking about one thing—he never once mentioned when we would be able to leave the cruise ship. The dealer said that the Red Team and the Green Team would duel, and the team with the most chips in the end would be considered the winner. The losing team wouldn’t be punished—just one less QR code draw. When the game world was generated at the start, it was also stated that victory and defeat were determined by the world’s rules: winners receive QR codes, while losers still face no punishment.

“But if someone is caught cheating, all their points will be erased. Do you really believe that losing has no punishment? Do you trust what this casino says?”

The more Yan Hebi listened, the more terrified he felt. He looked at Xing Ye.

Xing Ye continued, “I’ve never been able to figure this out, but Madam Lin’s words reminded me. From beginning to end, the game only talks about winning—it never once mentions the words ‘leaving the cruise ship.’ Every hint in Madam Lin’s words suggests that you might be trapped on this cruise ship, unable to leave.

“If you lose, you can’t draw a QR code. And under what circumstances would we be unable to draw a QR code? If we can’t return to the system space, we’ll never be able to draw another QR code again.”

Yan Hebi took a big gulp of water, moistening his throat before he finally felt a little better. He said, “So the passengers knew who we were from the very beginning. They treat our battles as entertainment, place bets, and enjoy watching us. In the end, the losing team will be trapped in this game forever, never able to leave. Maybe they’re even worse off than those who lost all their chips early on—at least those people might still return to the Beginner World.”

“Yes,” Xing Ye said. “So in this world, winning according to the dealer’s rules doesn’t mean true victory at all.”

 

Translator : DarNan