Chapter 153.3 The Horror Club
Boss Mei mentioned earlier that tonight might not result in anyone’s death, suggesting that some scenarios wouldn’t provide immediate results.
The more chips players put in, the fewer they had left to keep themselves alive. This increased their chances of winning the current round but reduced their chances of survival in the long run. However, if the gambling round started immediately, this issue didn’t exist, as it all came down to luck.
Unfazed, Bank President asked from the other end, “So, what does the second rule mean?”
“When the stakes reach a critical point, the volatility of the gambling round increased, increasing uncertainty.” She made another hypothesis, this time using someone from Wen Shi’s side as an example. “It’s like asking, between the Mirror God’s incarnation and the Mirror God themselves, who will ultimately consume the other?”
Boss Mei seemed to have insight into everything happening in the game. Thankfully, she didn’t directly reveal who the Mirror God’s incarnation was. Wen Shi’s eyelashes fluttered, thinking that the fewer people knew about Song Yan’s ability to transform into a mirror, the better. Otherwise, it would pose a significant security risk for Song Yan himself.
Boss Mei leisurely adjusted her skirt. “So, can you provide an answer?”
Wen Shi didn’t answer.
He understood Song Yan quite well. He was also one of the few players who had interacted with the Mirror God. However, Wen Shi couldn’t be certain about the outcome between the true spirit and its incarnation.
Boss Mei tilted her head. “In this situation, while it’s based on the player’s personal information to generate the scenario, the theory of guaranteed victory for the player making the first move doesn’t apply.”
Wen Shi and Bank President almost simultaneously asked, “How much change in quantity leads to a qualitative change?”
Boss Mei smiled but didn’t answer.
She looked as though she were sitting on a dial, with no actual weight. The plum blossom on her shoulder remained in a half-real, half-illusory state.
After a while, Boss Mei spoke again, “Now that you understand the rules, the game shall begin.”
She lightly tapped the metal lever, causing the scale to sink considerably, ensuring that both sides could place their chips on it.
Finally, Boss Mei looked at Wen Shi. “If you lose, besides losing all your chips, you’ll also pay with your life and soul as compensation for causing trouble in my establishment.”
Wen Shi nodded in agreement.
There wasn’t much choice but to agree.
He couldn’t refuse, especially when facing Boss Mei, who could easily access information related to players. Trying to use the【Come to My Place】trick to lure her into his homestead was impossible.
More than worrying about the consequences of losing, Wen Shi was currently more concerned about how to win.
In essence, in this game, Boss Mei was the biggest capitalist. She didn’t mention taking a cut, but as she mentioned when she first appeared, the Money Scale thrived on countless gambling scenarios, and the larger the wager, the more it benefited the Money Scale itself.
The method of winning looked quite simple–become the first mover. Although the second rule might reduce the chances of the first mover winning, at least being the first mover meant having access to information and not being entirely passive.
Wen Shi closed his eyes.
This game was highly disadvantageous for him. He was almost in an overwhelmingly unfavorable position.
Another plum blossom-stamped note flew over.
This time, it was a list. When Wen Shi read the contents, he was slightly taken aback.
【10,000 points = 5 coin chips】
Small Cloak = 10 coin chips
World Shard = 50 coin chips
Key*1 = 50 coin chips
……】
The list was quite extensive, including even the Wandering Corpse and homestead functions. Once used as chips, they couldn’t be utilized before the game started.
Wen Shi’s expression grew solemn. He opened his backpack, and some items were followed by a small marker indicating a chip, while ordinary items had nothing behind them, indicating they lacked value as chips.
Just then, the scale suddenly began to tilt as Bank President had already placed five chips worth ten each.
After a brief thought, Wen Shi placed the chip generated from the World Shard onto the tray.
Bank President remained composed and set down the same value of chips as before.
Boss Mei applauded his generosity and looked at Wen Shi. “Are you still in?”
Inwardly, Wen Shi didn’t want to continue. The key to playing betting games was knowing when to cut your losses. However, based on their current chip investments, if a gambling scenario were generated according to Bank President’s personal information, he would be certain to meet his demise.
Wen Shi placed the chip generated from the key into the tray.
The more chips Wen Shi placed, the happier Bank President seemed. It proved that this long-anticipated target was indeed a fat sheep.
Bank President’s wealth appeared boundless as he added another four chips with a value of ten.
Wen Shi still had a key from the Big Factory, albeit incomplete, worth exactly forty coins.
Only extremely valuable items were considered chips. By taking out so many chips, Bank President might have felt a hint of pressure. While he could easily outmatch Wen Shi in wealth, once the chips were frozen, the future rounds would become more challenging.
It was unclear how much was needed to achieve a qualitative change, but having invested so many chips, both of them were now similar to desperate gamblers. They were determined to become the first to act.
This time, Bank President didn’t immediately raise the stakes but instead asked, “If others are willing to join the bet, would the rules allow it?”
“Of course, the bigger the gamble, the better!” Boss Mei’s face pressed close to the plum blossom branch. “Only you two can be the main participants in the gambling round, but chips can be stacked. After one side wins, those who bet alongside them will become the【Guardians of the Money Scale】. Having this title comes with incredible benefits! The more you bet, the greater the rewards.”
Boss Mei spoke in an exaggerated tone but without a hint of jest.
After receiving a clear response, Bank President glanced at the other players who had come along and exchanged a few words with them.
These players had prepared for both hands in advance upon hearing about gambling and chips on their way here. Wangcai Bank rarely engaged in losing deals, and the players were willing to take on a certain amount of risk as long as it was within reasonable limits.
“I’m in,” said a female player as she stepped forward.
Boss Mei lightly touched a flower bud, and the next moment, a plum blossom bloomed on the female player’s shoulder. Instantly, an identical-priced list was generated, listing all her valuable items, just like Wen Shi’s.
After careful consideration, the female player placed four chips worth five coins each in front of Bank President.
This already amounted to forty thousand points. As for rare items, the female player wasn’t going to bet on them solely based on Bank President’s words.
Then, another player stepped forward and placed the same chips.
Wen Shi fell silent for a moment, took out the【Small Cloak】and【Burial Shroud】, but even with these, it wasn’t enough. He also placed【Wusa Kingdom】among the chips.
During the freezing period, the kingdom couldn’t have new subjects.
Snap.
Just as Wen Shi was about to place the chips, Bank President suddenly clapped his hands. The bank’s employees stared provocatively at Wen Shi. Bank President walked up and placed a chip worth ten coins.
Bank President taunted, “It seems like what you have isn’t enough.”
Wen Shi remained silent, lowering his head to look at the list with a string of text below it, listing achievements, auras, and skills—all of them clearly priced.
Unlike the other party, he had no way out. In this gamble, it was either life or death. Only by becoming the first mover could he maximize his chances of survival.
Bank President knew how to apply psychological pressure effectively. “If the gamble doesn’t start immediately, and the chips get frozen, you’ll eventually meet your end before me.”
His following words were cruel yet realistic. “Because compared to a group of people, you don’t have much to begin with.”
Joining the game too late, Wen Shi hadn’t accumulated many points. Everything he could use for betting was a last-ditch effort to save his life.
Just as he had thought earlier, without the balance of the Money Scale, Bank President was also impatient to join this gamble. Faced with the test of wealth, Bank President had no intention of losing.
Wen Shi pursed his lips, not paying attention to his opponent’s words, and continued to calculate the difference between the two sides. Everything listed with prices were his most frequently used skills.
He took out a transformation item from among them. He had fifty thousand points in total, and Wen Shi put down forty thousand, still making selections.
At the same time, his brain rapidly considered other alternatives. All of this had started to save the host, who had sent a【Pen Stylus】, which must have had some value. Perhaps he could try to contact the host through the live stream and temporarily borrow some items as collateral.
The game also served as a postal service, and as long as he paid the shipping fee, he could ask the other party to send something. That would provide a way out in this gamble.
On the other side, the players watched Wen Shi’s futile struggles coldly, while the leading Bank President wore a friendly smile.
The shattered chandelier above them flickered with dim light, completely separating the two sides. In the half-light, everyone’s faces looked magical and excited.
Wen Shi sighed, realizing that his hope of relying on the host was slim. He prepared to complete this round of chip placement, and just as he was about to put down the chips, a series of crisp chimes suddenly sounded in his ears.
His hand froze mid-air as a heap of chips rained down from above, landing neatly on the tray in front of him. Surprisingly, all the chips were worth five coins each. The starting bid for important items was usually ten coins, and typically, this currency value could only be obtained through points redemption.
There were a total of one hundred chips that fell, equivalent to the other side offering a whopping one million points.
Who could be so extravagant?
Wen Shi was completely stunned.
Li Nan stood not far away, holding a list that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Bank President’s smile froze on his face.
After two seconds, he narrowed his eyes slightly, “Since when did Guild Leader Li develop such a spirit of helping others for pleasure?”
It seemed he found the notion of helping others for pleasure somewhat ironic. Li Nan shook his head slightly, his demeanor calm. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten what my vice leader’s skill is.”
The atmosphere on the field immediately shifted, and many people’s nerves became highly strung at the sound of that statement.
The First Commandment Guild ‘s Vice Leader, Qi Qi, possessed the【Divination】skill, something Wen Shi was aware of. Before embarking on the standalone instance, Li Nan had brought Qi Qi to the Second Commandment Guild, using the results of divination to convince Yu Xingzhou.
That was exactly what worried everyone else.
Qi Qi shouldn’t be in this instance, but it couldn’t be ruled out that Li Nan deliberately entered this instance. Otherwise, why would he so coincidentally end up in a low-level instance like this? High-level players almost never enter these C+ instances. “The Horror Club” was an exception because it had potential for rising in difficulty. However, this still seemed too coincidental.
Could it be that before entering the instance, Qi Qi divined something? Li Nan had been waiting for this gambling session to happen all along.
But this explanation felt far-fetched. No matter how powerful the【Divination】skill was, it shouldn’t have anything to do with divining events related to the Money Scale.
Regardless of the truth, after Li Nan placed his bet, the uncertainty of the whole situation increased, and other players dared not follow suit lightly.
Bank President maintained his composure, but his jade finger ring was almost crushed in his hand.
Ding!
The elevator doors suddenly opened again, and Xiao Hua, with her casually tied ponytail, stepped out of the cabin. “Late at night, and you’re disturbing my beauty sleep.”
She glanced at the Money Scale. “What’s everyone playing here? I want to give it a try too.”
Wen Shi hadn’t touched his phone, so it was likely that Li Nan had called her here.
The cunning expression that had usually been in Bank President’s eyes was replaced by a sense of hostility. If Xiao Hua, this crazy woman, were to join the gambling, she would definitely do so recklessly.
He quickly analyzed the reasons behind Li Nan’s bet from various angles.
Taking everything into account, it couldn’t be ruled out that Li Nan decided on a high-risk investment on a whim. Mentioning Qi Qi’s skill might have just been a bluff to make Pei Wenwei the first mover and increase their chances of winning.
However, everyone in the virtual world knew that this guild leader was known for his cautious style. A million points was no small figure, and Li Nan wouldn’t recklessly place such a bet. Reviewing his previous instances, he had always played it safe.
It was only at this moment that Bank President realized that, despite considering himself in control of various player data, he was feeling uncertain at a critical moment.
Li Nan didn’t seem to care about the president’s struggle. He casually added another chip with a value of fifty coins to his pile, flipping the chips between his fingers with ease. He asked in a calm tone, “Are you still in?”
A flood of data surged through Bank President’s mind. He even began to consider using his skill to calculate Pei Wenwei’s survival rate.
But fearing the consequences of using his skill, especially in the context of the gambling, he ultimately didn’t dare to do so.
At this moment, the situation had turned around, and the people standing on opposite ends of the Money Scale had changed their expressions. Bank President’s facial muscles twitched slightly, while the cat-eared dealer, standing across from him, lowered his gaze as if contemplating something.
Xiao Hua had just exchanged for her chips. The enigmatic smile on her red lips seemed to be hiding some calculations.
“Are you still in?” Li Nan asked again.
Bank President stared fixedly at the chips in Li Nan’s hand, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
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