Chapter 159.1 Frank Hospital
Frank Hospital officially opened its doors.
The icy system prompt instantly ignited the recently quiet virtual world. Ordinary players watched with curiosity, while top guild members quickly began to brainstorm ways to enter the instance.
The commotion outside didn’t concern Wen Shi. Whether he liked it or not, as a World Shard owner, he had to enter this instance. Unbothered by the notification sound, Wen Shi carefully tallied his chips and asked about the redemption procedure.
Boss Mei, seemingly aware of the newly launched super-tier instance, looked at him with a somewhat ambiguous smile. “You sure can keep your composure.”
In reality, Wen Shi had long been mentally prepared.
Ever since he learned that the Lord of Terror had long made the first move, he understood that the game couldn’t possibly give the Lord of Terror much time to grow. Otherwise, the Lord of Terror would surely find ways to turn on the green light for himself in the instance. Now that the 3S instance had come online, perhaps both parties would flawlessly die together in the instance, leaving the game the ultimate victor.
“After leaving the Golden City, your chips will turn back into assets.”
After Boss Mei’s explanation, a series of notification sounds played one after the other.
“Congratulations on winning the betting game under a qualitative change state.”
“You have gained the favor of the Money Balance. You will receive the Money Balance’s branch godly weapon— Super Abacus. Those who bet with you will become【Guardians of the Money Balance】.”
【Guardians of the Money Balance: Guardians have one chance to pave a way using money. This way can transport you to a specified location in the same-dimensional space at any time.】
It was a pretty strong lifesaving skill. Even in the face of a strike from a true spirit, one could retreat at any time, but whether they would be caught after retreating was another matter.
Wen Shi felt a bit envious. Only those who had placed their bets with him could enjoy this benefit. He didn’t have the title of a Guardian.
“Paving a way once will cost this much.” Xiao Hua gestured, and upon seeing it, Wen Shi’s envy disappeared instantly.
“The abacus belongs to the bank. You have no right to take it!” When he lost his chips, Bank President could still hold back from arguing with Boss Mei. However, when the【Super Abacus】disappeared from his backpack, he completely lost his composure. The abacus was the bank’s lifeline, and without it, the bank would eventually decline.
Boss Mei just stared at the small floral pattern on her skirt, not bothering to speak.
Other players instinctively stepped back from Bank President, not wanting to provoke him in his furious state. After all, a thin camel was still bigger than a horse. At least for now, they couldn’t afford to offend the current bank president. However, a few of the players who had placed bets on him were already dissatisfied. He had promised confidently that they would win, but with so many twists and turns in between, they ended up losing not only their wife but also their troops [t/n: a big lost].
With bloodshot eyes, Bank President stared fixedly at the small abacus that had appeared out of thin air in Wen Shi’s hand.
After the initial anger subsided, he realized the problem. The game hadn’t intervened. It almost seemed to tacitly approve of Boss Mei’s actions.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand why, with Lord of Terror seemingly dead as shown in the water curtain, it was still declared a victory. Was it an illusion?
Some were happy, and some were not. Currently, Wen Shi was among the happy ones, fondly fiddling with the little abacus.
“Don’t get too smug too soon,” Bank President almost ground his teeth as he sneered, “The 3S instance is now online. If you die inside, eveything will be in vain. You…”
“Oh my,” Wen Shi’s eyes sparkled, completely ignoring his words, “Whose godly weapon with long legs has walked over to me?”
Without immediately stashing the godly weapon in his backpack, Wen Shi opened the abacus’ introduction page.
【Super Abacus: Under debt relationships, you have a certain probability of inheriting the debtor’s legacy.
Note: The more debt relationships you establish, the bigger your business expands, and the higher the probability of successful recovery.】
Wen Shi raised an eyebrow. No wonder this chubby man wanted to develop a bank. Just like how the Money Balance relied on gambling, the Super Abacus similarly required numerous debt relationships to thrive. But this thing could definitely be used as a national godly weapon. If Ji Yuanzhi gained control over it, Wusa Kingdom would soon have a complete financial system.
The water curtain was withdrawn, and all the scattered plum blossom petals on the tiles began to vanish, causing the ground to tremble and distort.
The Money Balance sank as Wen Shi cleared a hefty debt in this chaotic monster paradise, where he had been wreaking havoc.
Boss Mei maintained her usual smile before vanishing. She gazed at Wen Shi and said, “As a token of gratitude for providing me with an entertaining show, here’s a free piece of advice: common characteristics.”
Common characteristics?
When Wen Shi repeated those two words, both Boss Mei and the Money Balance vanished underground.
With the betting game concluded, the electronic watch display returned to normal. Surprisingly, many of the usually impatient monsters remained in the livestream room.
“What just happened? I had a thunderstorm here.”
“Same here, it’s like I vaguely heard something, but I dare not say.”
The most dedicated of them was Scissor Granny. “Tired, waited from the start of the live stream until now.”
There was no need to linger in the underground floor anymore. Ignoring the grumpy Bank President, Wen Shi headed toward the elevator. When he pressed the button, he began to cue Patient 109, but 109 responded first.
【I will, as agreed earlier, temporarily prevent that damn journalist from reincarnating.】
After all, it was a bet personally certified by the game administrator, so there was no room for changing one’s mind.
“There’s one more important thing,” Wen Shi mainly wanted to remind him, “Make sure to tell him who saved his life…”
Wen Shi lowered his voice, “Once you mention the name Aaron, he’ll know.”
These patients from the deep zones had no idea who Aaron was.
Over the next few minutes, Wen Shi was like a broken record, repeatedly reminding and instructing. He asked if this live stream was recorded. If so, it would be best to show it to the host. He wanted the host to know who was quietly making sacrifices and who was the kitty who got his back!
【Patient 109: ……】
This was the first time he witnessed someone trying to leave a crazy mark while doing a good deed.
While stressing one thing verbally, Wen Shi was actually thinking about something else. As the “Golden City” chapter neared its end, the monsters would soon leave the live stream one by one. This meant they no longer had to worry about story characters subtly manipulating the plot. It was the point when their guard would be at its lowest.
He had only one opportunity to ask a question, and it had to be phrased in a way that wouldn’t raise suspicion among the NPCs while still extracting information related to the hospital.
As the discussion on thunderstorms dwindled and the number of viewers decreased rapidly, Wen Shi finally stopped procrastinating and pretended to casually ask, “Can you really guarantee my friend’s life? Your number is just 109. What if you encounter patients numbered four or five hundred? Wouldn’t you all be doomed together?”
Being questioned like this, Patient 109 got angry on the spot.
【You idiot! Numbers aren’t the measure of strength. It’s the symptoms that matter. Symptoms are the real *】
The rest of the message was blocked by asterisks.
The live stream suddenly went black, with only a small line of eerie blue text in the center of the screen:【Due to technical issues, your live stream will temporarily pause.】
The electronic watch display blinked out of existence, making Wen Shi’s lips curl up. The game purged the audience with a single click, indicating that the information previously blocked was indeed crucial.
If he wasn’t mistaken, what Patient 109 wanted to say in the end was that symptoms were their true abilities. For example, a patient with delusions might actually have the power to create illusions, while someone with schizophrenia might have multiple personalities.
So, he had to watch out for sources like medical records, newspapers, or any material that could provide patient information. In case of a conflict, he wouldn’t be too passive when under attack.
After reaching the first floor of the casino, Wen Shi mentioned to Xiao Hua and Li Nan that he had already accumulated one billion.
“I think I’ll be out of the instance before you guys.”
The difficulty of The Horror Club had escalated to S level, and with the new instance going online, the game couldn’t afford to waste any more of his time.
Xiao Hua sniffed and briefly harbored some envy.
Wen Shi: “Once the chips turn back into points, I’ll repay you guys.”
Xiao Hua and the others had gained the title of Guardians, but currently, all the chips were concentrated in Wen Shi’s hands.
“One billion!” Xiao Hua sighed deeply, still pondering the previous matter.
Wen Shi: “Money earned with your own hands is the most meaningful.”
“…Look at me in the eyes while saying that.”
It was very impolite to lie while looking into someone’s eyes, so Wen Shi cleared his throat and bid farewell, “In the virtual world.”
Xiao Hua and Li Nan nodded.
Wen Shi took the elevator back to his room first, and during this time, A’Yu lightly patted his shoulder and said just four words, “Be careful in everything.”
It felt good to be cared for by someone. Wen Shi nodded with gratitude but had to point out a fact, “This is the fourth time you’ve stolen my hair.”
When she first arrived, she casually plucked one. When she was ringing the bell for him, she discreetly brushed his hair with her fingernail. She was even stealing while walking down the street.
Not expecting to have been noticed, A’Yu showed a hint of embarrassment on her face but tried to reassure him first, “Don’t worry, Mom doesn’t have a hair-collecting obsession.”
“I understand, you’re probably doing this so that someday, if I’m gone, you can try to summon my soul back.”
A’Yu paused for a moment, surprised that he knew her so well. She hesitated and asked, “Do you find my behavior strange?”
Summoning souls was definitely not a good thing. Short-term summoning was manageable, but if one wanted a soul to linger for a long time, it might change its nature and even become a malevolent ghost.
Wen Shi waved his hand, “I have a son who wants a zombie parent-child package. My grandmother also mentioned resurrecting me. She practices witchcraft and has way more extreme methods than you.”
Not to mention that Jian Qingrong always carried contaminants with him. If it came down to the worst-case scenario, as long as it kept Wen Shi alive, even if it turned him into a monster, Jian Qingrong would surely choose to do so.
Compared to them, A’Yu could be considered democratic, civilized, and peaceful. Wen Shi even praised her with a few words.
“……”
He went back to his room primarily to take another look at the shrine. Just like in the morning before heading out, it sat quietly on the bedside table. The longer Wen Shi stared at it, the more he felt the urge to make a wish.
Wen Shi lingered in front of the shrine for a bit longer. The demon didn’t appear. In this instance, the demon had already provided too many conveniences for him. The game had just suffered a major defeat, so celebrating the reunion at this time wouldn’t be a good thing.
There was another reason that Wen Shi wasn’t aware of. After devouring a part of the Merfolk King’s body and developing new abilities, Jian Qingrong’s memories about the Lord of Terror were gradually returning. He was now engaged in a silent tug-of-war with the game, debating whether to enter the 3S instance as a slice or as his whole self.
Finally, Wen Shi wiped off the dust from the shrine and whispered, “Make a wish, and your wish will be granted.”
After saying that, he turned and left. Some time passed after he closed the door, a faint wisp of black mist appeared in the quiet room.
The black mist hovered over the shrine for a long time and let out a soft sigh, “What I wish is you.”
Unfortunately, Wen Shi had already walked far away by this time and didn’t hear those words.
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