Chapter 153.2 The Horror Club
Boss Mei’s faint hum came from behind him. As the root cause of everything, Wen Shi quickened his pace, bypassing the numerous monster bodies, and prepared to enter the elevator.
“Finished gambling?” A ghostly voice drifted over.
A petite figure was leaning againts the outside of the elevator door. A’Yu looked towards his side with a smile that was somewhat eerie.
Face to face, both could see a trace of unexpectedness in each other’s eyes. Wen Shi felt in trouble, his scalp tingling, as he called out, “Mom.”
“Now you know how to call Mom…” A’Yu picked up a bell on her waist with her fingertips. “Why didn’t you call when you were being mocked for having no capital?”
Xiao Hua hadn’t been here for long, but she was certain there was no one around when she got off the elevator. Moreover, she hadn’t heard the elevator door open again. But from what this person was saying, she had been here for quite some time.
Knowing that A’Yu wasn’t pleased with his distant behavior, Wen Shi felt a bit awkward. He flexed his fingers slightly. Everyone’s lifelines were limited, and he didn’t like using people around him as chips.
The little triangular ears on his head drooped. A’Yu softened a bit, turning over this page willingly. She casually pressed the power button.
While waiting for the elevator, Wen Shi asked A’Yu, “Could you help me send them somewhere?”
During the daytime, he relied on the ghost children to complete the bodyguard quest. The spiteful little spirits had no intention of leaving, wanting to turn their “male mom” into a specimen. But now, the situation had changed. The ghost children had witnessed a whole floor of monsters being defeated instantly. They were afraid that if Wen Shi became unhappy, he would turn them into specimens in retaliation.
A’Yu nodded. “Where should I send them?”
Wen Shi sent her the address and gently patted the head of the ghost child by his side. This time, there was no hint of intimidation in his words. “There’s a suitable mother there to play games with you. I just donated some money, and soon there will be a better environment for you. It’s much more fun than hiding in an amusement park and killing people.”
The ghost child nodded innocently. As long as he didn’t have to use playing cards to cut their throats, anything was fine.
The elevator door opened.
One by one, they entered the elevator. When Wen Shi pressed the close button, he was almost eye-to-eye with Bank President.
Bank President didn’t need to place a bet. The initiative was in Wen Shi’s hands. Once Wen Shi decided which side to bet on, Bank President would automatically be classified on the opposite side.
Wen Shi sneered. “You’re much more likable now.”
Compared to that fake smile, this gloomy expression seemed more fitting for Bank President.
The elevator doors closed slowly. Boss Mei, Money Scale, and the ill-intentioned Bank President, along with the other players, were all separated in the space outside the doors.
Leaning against the elevator wall, Wen Shi’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and the tension that had gripped his mind finally loosened a bit.
Xiao Hua was urging Wen Shi to move quickly for a reason. “You’ve surpassed the bank president in chips. The twelve-hour period specially reserved by Boss Mei appears to be a deliberate advantage for first mover.”
Experienced players understood the game mechanics very well. “Using this time, we can trigger some quests for sure, which will allow us to make relatively accurate predictions about the outcome of the gamble.”
After reaching a certain floor in the elevator, A’Yu left with the ghost children. The internal area of the casino was not affected by the underground tremors, and the lounge area was still crowded.
Wen Shi and the others walked to the entrance of Golden Plum Casino to talk.
It was not a good thing to pry into other people’s secrets, but in this situation, avoiding some questions was impossible. After Xiao Hua stood still, she asked first, “Who was Boss Mei talking to just now?”
“The City Lord.”
Xiao Hua expressed her surprise without hesitation, “You persuaded the City Lord to place a bet?”
Wen Shi shook his head and explained in detail, “I went to the corner to make a prayer to he demon and asked if it had a solution. This demon charges very cheaply. Originally, I was willing to offer a strand of my soul as a gesture.”
Of course, offering a soul was just talk. The goal was to immediately create a standoff between the demon and Boss Mei.
Boss Mei appeared amiable but was not one to take any losses. She wouldn’t allow anyone to take a single inch from what belonged to her. When she proposed using her life and soul as additional chips, she wouldn’t let others take even a trace. The demon saw her as a wild card, but she had substantial abilities in reality.
Once these two sides started fighting, the situation could undergo new changes.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hua gave him a deep look. “It’s really impressive that you could come up with this method. What happened next?”
Wen Shi: “The demon didn’t take the bait. Instead, it let me pet its head and then provided a solution. I contacted the City Lord.”
He attempted to call back through the bodyguard invitation call he had received. Black-Clad Man on the other end picked up. He didn’t know if the demon had done something, but after speaking only a few words, the call was easily transferred to the City Lord.
The City Lord later proactively requested to speak with Boss Mei.
Xiao Hua: “Why did the City Lord help you?”
Wen Shi shook his head.
Feeling that the whole situation was quite surreal, Xiao Hua asked again, “What’s the connection between the Lord of Terror and the game?”
Wen Shi shook his head.
Xiao Hua impatiently shook his shoulder. “Wake up a bit and tell Big Sister, what do you know?”
Wen Shi shook his head for the third time.
“……”
Wen Shi turned his face to look at Li Nan. “Why did the City Lord help me? What’s the Lord of Terror’s connection with the game?”
He directly fired the original questions.
If Li Nan was willing to step forward, there should be some basis and reason.
Li Nan’s eyebrows twitched as he observed the perplexed expressions of this duo.
The lights of the Golden Plum Casino signboard were dazzling. Li Nan shifted slightly to the side and beckoned for a taxi while asking them in return, “Isn’t it worth placing a bet for the benefits of being a Guardian of the Money Scale, personally certified by Boss Mei?”
Xiao Hua: “But this round carries great risk, which doesn’t align with your usual approach.”
Li Nan: “With the advantage of making the first move, our chances of winning are already substantial.”
The taxi arrived, and just as Bank President and others exited the casino, they raised their eyebrows suspiciously upon seeing Li Nan preparing to leave at this hour.
Li Nan showed no signs of concern about his departure with the taxi. He didn’t instruct the driver to take a detour but rather straightforwardly mentioned the destination.
“Head towards the City Lord’s residence area. We’d like to visit and take some photos.”
Such requests were commonplace for the driver, as there were many residents in the Golden City who idolized the City Lord and even mimicked his attire.
After getting into the car, the three of them didn’t exchange any further words. The driver noticed the agile cat ears through the rearview mirror.
Because Wen Shi kept his head down, the driver couldn’t see his face clearly and didn’t connect him with the currently trending 3S-level bodyguard. The driver simply marveled at how even the dealers nowadays were flaunting their looks to earn money.
Wen Shi, who bowed to life, probably understood Li Nan’s meaning.
The other party shared the same assessment as Xiao Hua, believing that this betting buffer period could be used to trigger quests. Otherwise, making the first move would be meaningless. The complete turnaround of the Money Scale, thanks to a chip from the City Lord, meant they had to visit the City Lord to see if they could trigger any side quest and gain advantageous information.
As for Bank President, who was playing the second fiddle, even if he followed them all the way, he couldn’t trigger anything.
The support language from the monsters held some reference value.
Similar to how they used questioning to summarize the Mirror God, Boss Mei’s phrase “first move guarantees victory” wasn’t just a simple statement about a change in quality that could be easily overturned.
A loud bang interrupted Wen Shi’s thoughts.
The taxi’s tire suddenly burst, startling even the driver, who got out to inspect it while muttering curses.
Xiao Hua laughed.
There was no way the tire would burst by such a coincidence. It was clear that Bank President had dispatched someone to pull off these tricks, trying to delay their time.
Wen Shi also saw through this and didn’t waste time changing the taxi, knowing that they would encounter various ‘accidents’ in the future.
This time, he didn’t hesitate and directly called A’Yu, “Mom, a few little tramps want to corner me.”
“Ahem…” Xiao Hua couldn’t help but clear her throat.
Hearing Wangcai Bank’s president being described as little tramp, Li Nan couldn’t help but find it both amusing and exasperating.
Wen Shi vaguely heard A’Yu instructing the ghost children not to run around, threatening to use them to make liquor or feed wolves if they misbehaved. It made his temples throb.
“Shake the bell I gave you, I’ll be there soon.”
Wen Shi followed her instructions. Although A’Yu didn’t appear immediately, once the driver had replaced the spare tire, the taxi continued on its way without any further incidents.
The road they were on was unusually smooth, with hardly any other vehicles in sight. This area near the City Lord’s residence didn’t allow residential or disruptive entertainment establishments.
The farther they went, the wider the distance between streetlights, creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere. With his excellent night vision, Wen Shi could clearly see what lay ahead.
The City Lord didn’t reside in a Western-style villa but in a large mansion. Its outer walls, made of black bricks and stones, enclosed an area that seemed unimaginably spacious from a hundred meters away.
What surprised him was that the outermost gate of the mansion was wide open.
The driver, treating them as newcomers to the city, explained, “Many people come to visit the City Lord’s residence out of curiosity. Once you enter the outer gate, you’ll be in a little flower garden, where you’re free to take photos and explore. But you absolutely must not go beyond the second gate. From there onward, it’s the City Lord’s private domain.”
After thanking the driver for his warning, Li Nan settled the bill, and the three of them got out of the car and headed towards the entrance.
“It’s another classic case of entrapment operation,” Xiao Hua said, looking up at the courtyard. “Opening a gate like this is purely meant to entice people to cross the boundaries.”
The City Lord had some dark tricks up his sleeve, just like hiring of bodyguards. The City Lord himself had never faced much danger, but many bodyguards had lost their lives.
The wind was strong in the vicinity, and as they stepped through the gate, Wen Shi keenly caught a faint scent of blood carried by the wind. It was clear that there had been no shortage of deaths here.
Rockeries, black stones, and trees were the main elements constructing this area. Xiao Hua examined these dark, heavy stones and said, “They’re imbued with strong resentment.”
Wen Shi wasn’t familiar with such matters. “Do they serve any purpose?”
Xiao Hua shook her head. “It’s not certain. They could be specifically intended to nourish Yin energy, or they might be used to suppress something.”
The three of them continued walking forward, but before long, they found themselves back in the same place. The familiar rockery seemed to mock their helplessness.
A maze? It felt somewhat different from the mazes they had encountered before.
After some thought, Wen Shi transformed and agilely climbed a tall ancient tree nearby. From above, he looked down at the mansion, shrouded in a dark, heavy mist. Only the eaves were faintly visible. The nearby rocks formed a complex pattern. He said, “The arrangement of these stones seems to follow a pattern.”
Xiao Hua stepped back a few paces. After examining how the stones were connected as a whole, she said, “It’s a formation.”
None of them understood this stuff. Breaking it forcefully came with risks.
Li Nan was ready to use an item, but Wen Shi stopped him. “Let me try first.”
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