CH 94

The casino’s entire color scheme was nouveau riche gold, the wall lamps were gold-plated and emitted dazzling rays of light, and the oil paintings and furnishings nearby all appeared to be rather expensive. Furthermore, there were sexy bunny girls on both sides, and whenever a player passed by, they bent over and said hello sweetly.

It’s a shame the players didn’t get to appreciate it. 

There were relatively few players who could walk away from the game table unscathed. The majority of the participants were missing arms and legs, and many more had already bet their lives on the gaming table.

When he heard the wretched screams one after the other in his ears, Fang Qi couldn’t help but tremble.

If it hadn’t been for his fast thinking in an emergency to solicit outside help, he might have ended up exactly like these players.

A sweet feminine voice could be heard in the casino. 

“Regrettably, today’s fun time has come to an end. We ask that all players return tomorrow.”

Fun time…

Wasn’t it a little wrong to use this term to describe this experience?

The players were spent after a night of gambling with their lives, and many dropped on the ground.

The casino’s service may be described as attentive. Those players who couldn’t stand after betting away their legs were graciously sent back to their rooms by the bunny girls.

Fang Qi was not in a hurry to return to the room and instead went to the restaurant to eat first. After all, his physical strength had been depleted by his anxiety for the entire evening, and he needed to restore it.

He opened the menu and stated, “This casino is alleged to have everything. There is nothing the casino cannot offer as long as you mention it.”

Shen Dongqing had been stuck in the train for two days without eating anything tasty. He was now ordering everything on the menu at breakneck pace. 

The waiter smiled politely, but his expression remained unchanged.

“Do they really have everything?” asked Shen Dongqing.

“As long as you dare to gamble, you can have anything,” said Fang Qi, “it’s only that I don’t dare to.”

Shen Dongqing pondered for a minute before asking, “What about the key to exit the game?” 

Before Fang Qi could react, the waiter next him smiled and said: “Everything else is available except the key to exit the game. Any request can be fulfilled as long as you win the gambling game.”

“Take this bunny girl, for example. If you want, she will immediately kneel in front of you and let you do whatever you want…”

Miss Bunny Girl didn’t have any dissatisfaction and even blew Shen Dongqing a kiss.

Shen Dongqing’s face was full of questions: “Why kneel in front of me?” 

Fang Qi: …

Waiter: “Of course to…”

When Zhou Wenyan set down his fork, the collision of metal and ceramic produced a “clang,” interrupting the waiter’s next words.

The waiter’s back felt cold for some reason, and his hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. Fortunately, the dishes were sent up by the kitchen and saved his little life in time. 

“He hasn’t explained it yet,” Shen Dongqing remarked.

“It’s time to eat,” Zhou Wenyan said as he placed the food in front of Shen Dongqing.

Shen Dongqing’s attention was quickly drawn to the fragrant feast, and he forgot about the topic at hand.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Dongqing rubbed his stomach and strolled back to the lodge area alongside Zhou Wenyan. 

Fang Qi was overjoyed with his new lease on life and jabbered away: “This casino is quite opulent. In my entire life, I have never lived in such a magnificent room. It could be said to be basking in the light of the game…”

While he was speaking, he ran into two people who were hiding in the shadows of the corridor.

One was a player, while the other was a casino bunny girl. The player was rather wretched in appearance, with one eye missing. The bunny girl was tall and had European looks, and if she was exposed online in the real world, she would undoubtedly be popular.

This was an odd pairing. 

Shen Dongqing looked at them with interest for a time, his gaze never leaving them.

“Come here…” Zhou Wenyan coughed lightly.

Shen Dongqing turned his head and said to Zhou Wenyan, “Oh, so that’s what the waiter meant just now!”

Zhou Wenyan was helpless: “…don’t look at them.” 

Shen Dongqing was only inquisitive, so he didn’t look at them again after a few glances.

The one-eyed person appeared to sense their stare and swore while speaking, “Don’t you see we’re busy? Do you want laozi to do it and demonstrate it to you?”

“Too ugly, won’t look,” said Shen Dongqing, shaking his head.

The one-eyed man: “You—” 

The casino had a regulation that said players could not kill each other. For a long time, the one-eyed man continued muttering “you” before sneering, “Boy, wait until we’re at the gambling table.”

He dragged the bunny girl into a room after he finished speaking.

Fang Qi said: “This one-eyed man has been at the casino for quite some time. He is claimed to have had good luck in gambling and has lasted until now.”

The casino’s game rules were different from those of other game instances. 

In other game instances, players would leave the gaming field as soon as they met the clearance conditions, but in this casino, players could stay as long as they wished. They could stay till they died because there was no such thing as timeout obliteration.

After clearing the game instance, a tiny proportion of players choose to stay. After all, they’d have to fight for their lives in other game instances, so why not stay in the casino and lead a befuddled life?

“His hobby is pretty unique,” Shen Dongqing said, looking away from the room’s door.

Fang Qi was perplexed: “Huh?” 

Zhou Wenyan spit out three words softly: “Painted skin ghost.”

For a brief moment, Fang Qi was stunned. When he finally reacted, cold sweat poured down his back.

That bunny girl was a painted skin ghost. In the truest sense, she possessed all the looks you desired. She could be ever-changing as long as she wore a bit of human skin.

Lf mbeivc’a tfiq yea gfpblmf. Lf kjr obgaecjaf ab yf alwlv, rlcmf batfgklrf tf kbeiv tjnf mbfgmfv j utbra… ktja atf tfii! 

Mjcu Hl’r wlcv kbgxfv delmxis: “Ktfc fnfgsbcf lc atlr mjrlcb lr j…utbra?” Mbg ofjg bo yflcu bnfgtfjgv, tf rjlv atf olcji kbgv lc tertfv abcfr.

Vtfc Gbcudlcu: “Zbgf bg firf.”

Fang Qi had suspected it previously, but he didn’t anticipate it to be so shocking, and it took him a while to process this fact. So when he met the service staff, he had an extraordinarily good attitude.

“Excuse me, please, could you help arrange a room for these two of my friends?” 

“No,” said the service personnel, staring woodenly at Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing with pitch-black eyes.

Fang Qi: “Ah? Why not?”

Service staff: “Those who have not been invited are not allowed to check-in.”

Fang Qi: “But…” 

Zhou Wenyan stopped him: “Forget it.”

He and Shen Dongqing were deemed illegal intruders in this gaming instance, but Fang Qi had utilized a prop card, making them a semi-legal existence.

This was a tricky scenario. They were not required to fulfill the game’s objectives. They only had to wait quietly for Fang Qi to clear the game instance. However, if Fang Qi died here, they would be unable to leave.

However… 

Fang Qi’s death was made more difficult by the presence of Shen Dongqing and Zhou Wenyan.

Fang Qi felt a rush of frigid wind blow past his nape for some reason. “Fortunately, my room is rather large…” he said as he shrank his neck.

Fang Qi’s standard room was the presidential suite, which included three rooms, two halls, and a gym. The decor was European in style, and he guessed it would have cost several thousand dollars per night in the real world.

Shen Dongqing took a seat on the sofa and practically sank into it because it was so plush. He struggled to straighten up, stabbed a piece of fruit from the fruit plate on the coffee table with a fork, and shoved it into his mouth. 

“The treatment here is extremely nice,” he added while eating, one side of his cheek bulging slightly.

It was a hundred times better than the previous train, and even the resort hotel couldn’t compete.

“Uhm, it’s amazing, but you need to have your life to appreciate it,” Fang Qi said bitterly.

Fang Qi thought his life had been cut short by at least ten years after spending two days in this game. The gambling table was far too tiring. 

“What have you played these two days?” Zhou Wenyan inquired, sitting next to Shen Dongqing and ruffling his hair momentarily.

Fang Qi: “It’s all about who rolls the highest, and that shouldn’t change tomorrow.”

It sounded simple enough, but he wasn’t expecting the dog NPC to cheat.

“Perhaps,” Zhou Wenyan said meaningfully. 

Fang Qi: “Ah?”

“Too few people died; maybe the difficulty will increase tomorrow,” explained Zhou Wenyan.

If the death toll in a game instance was always zero or excessively low, the game’s difficulty would rise proportionately.

This was most likely due to the fact that the quota could not be met, thus it insisted on seizing an opportunity. 

Fang Qi immediately knelt: “Big Boss, save me.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Zhou Wenyan said calmly.

Shen Dongqing was even less stressed: “First, let’s go to bed.”

The two chose a room at random and walked in, leaving Fang Qi seated on the sofa, staring blankly at the backs of the two individuals, feeling sorrowful. 

Why did he feel indescribable sadness despite the fact that having a big boss carrying him meant he could lie down and still win? Don’t tell me it’s because I’m a single dog.

The next day, the players met in the lobby, rested and rejuvenated. It appeared to be rather bustling, what with the staff and bunny girls shuttling everywhere.

However, the majority of the players appeared to be at a funeral, lamenting and mourning, and the mood was a little dismal.

Shen Dongqing took a seat on the edge, and as soon as he sat, he felt a sinister stare. He turned around and happened to meet the one-eyed man’s gaze. 

The one-eyed man grinned and made a slashing gesture over his neck with his palm.

“Does he want to commit suicide?” Shen Dongqing asked, blinking.

Fang Qi: …No, he is threatening you.

Zhou Wenyan, who was standing next to him, smiled and replied, “Mn.” 

Fang Qi: Whatever you say.

He silently muttered a rebirth mantra for the one-eyed man, hoping that in the next life, this person would have significantly superior eyesight, allowing him to quit being blind and foolishly provoking those who shouldn’t be offended.

When all of the casino’s players arrived, a woman in provocative attire walked up to the throng and announced over a microphone, “Everyone should have had a chance to enjoy the casino’s delights after two days. I’m sure you’re all reluctant to leave this paradise, aren’t you?”

Delights… 

Fang Qi took a look around. The elder brother closest to him had his legs amputated, the elder sister next to him had her face scarred, and someone’s nose had been severed. It was really utterly delightful.

The sexy lady kept speaking as if she couldn’t see the gathering of people below who were missing arms and legs: “Our casino has introduced a new mode to let all guests feel at home. It can be played by multiple people, allowing everyone to have a good time!”

The overhead lights turned out as soon as she ceased speaking. Only the crystal chandelier in the hall’s center shone brightly, showing the many square tables underneath it.

The area where the players were situated was dim, and they could just make out the sight in front of them. 

A bunny girl approached in high heels, bowed politely, and handed Fang Qi a number plate.

Fang Qi examined it in the light of the crystal chandelier and noticed the number “1” written bold on the number plate.

He turned his head to see what number the two bigshots were assigned, but the bunny girl disregarded the two men and strolled over to the next player.

The sexy lady’s body was veiled in the darkness, her voice growing more animated: “Dear guests, please take your seats!” 

Fang Qi wanted to question why they didn’t have a number plate, but he didn’t have time, so he had to settle for his seat based on the number plate. His opponent arrived not long after he sat down.

The one-eyed man grinned at Fang Qi, displaying his yellow teeth that had dried up. His number plate was also number 1.

Fang Qi’s heart stopped beating.

God alone knows how many rounds this one-eyed man had played in this casino. He was afraid that this guy’s talents had advanced to the point where he, a noob, wouldn’t be able to last even two rounds. 

Fang Qi was about to lose his cool when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he could see Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing standing beside him, flanking him on both sides.

Fang Qi instantly calmed down.

The one-eyed man wasn’t sure what was going on on the other side, so he raised his hand and said, “Isn’t he breaking the rules? Why are there still guests who are not seated?”

The croupier, who stood in the midst of both sides, was calmly cutting cards. He lifted his eyes and looked over after hearing the one-eyed man’s questioning: “They are not guests.” He lowered his head again after speaking and resumed cutting cards. 

The one-eyed guy: “Illegal immigrants?” His remaining eye lit up. “Hahaha, wait till I win this game instance and report to the game system after I leave. I can get rewards, and maybe even get out of this hellhole. Haha—”

The one-eyed man had been in the casino for several years. In actuality, he was a gambler who could cheat and knew all the tricks used on the gambling table, which was how he was able to live till now.

So he was fearless.

It was merely that this space would be sealed off at the start of each gambling game and would not be opened until the winner or loser was established. The one-eyed man could only report after the game had concluded. 

It didn’t matter, though. The casino was limited in size, and the game could always locate players.

The one-eyed man felt proud of himself.

Zhou Wenyan did not feel anxious at all and stated, “You can’t win.”

The sexy lady over there began describing the rules of the game: “Tonight’s game is – Old Maid!” 

“There are 54 cards in a deck of playing cards. The ‘Red Joker’ is removed, leaving 52 cards and one ‘Black Joker’. The guests will draw each other’s cards. If there are any pairs, they can be drawn and flung on the table until only the lone ‘Black Joker’ remains.”

“Do you know, the Black Joker likes liveliness. It’ll be quite angry when left alone. If a lucky guest draws the ‘Black Joker,’ they must play with it.”

After all of the regulations were stated, the sexy lady bowed to the crowd and withdrew.

At the same time, the croupier handed the two players two stacks of similar-looking cards. 

Fang Qi swallowed his saliva and comforted himself with a dry smile: “It sounds quite simple, haha…”

It was the simplest card game that most people had ever played, and it all came down to luck and psychological quality.

In general, whomever had good mental strength could win by not letting the opponent know they had the Joker card.

It was just that Fang Qi’s psychological quality wasn’t all that great. He shook as he drew five cards from the deck in front of him. 

Fortunately, no Joker appeared in the first round, only regular cards.

Fang Qi secretly glanced at the one-eyed man seated across him.

It has to be mentioned that the one-eyed man’s mental strength was far superior to Fang Qi’s, and he carelessly threw paired cards on the table with an unchanging cold smile.

Not to be outdone, Fang Qi drew out all the paired cards as well. 

The stack of playing cards progressively shrank, and more and more pairs of cards were scattered about the table.

Fang Qi never drew the Joker. He automatically relaxed until it was time to draw the last card, seeing that the stack of cards in front of him was almost nothing, “I can’t be so unlucky, can I?” he whispered to himself.

Then he grabbed it and froze.

He was truly unlucky, as the final card was the Joker! 

This Joker card was not like the ordinary playing cards. The clown inside the card was vivid and realistic, as if he was mocking the person outside the card. It seemed as if its twisted laughter could be heard.

Fang Qi unconsciously sought assistance from the two bigshots behind him.

The two bigshots had each moved a chair and sat behind him at some point.

Shen Dongqing and Zhou Wenyan, however, didn’t care about the current situation at all. They summoned a bunny girl and requested that she bring some fruit and snacks. 

The bunny girl was in charge of serving the guests. She originally wanted to reject these two non-guests, but after being stared at by Shen Dongqing’s “sincere and kind” eyes, she eventually surrendered and fetched some refreshments.

Shen Dongqing: “I want to eat apples.”

Zhou Wenyan took an apple from the fruit plate and a fruit knife. His slender fingers were placed on the knife, giving him a sharp imposing air even though he was just peeling an apple.

However, the peeling was done flawlessly. With the rotation of the apple in hand, the peel just slipped off, and the apple was neatly peeled in no time. 

Shen Dongqing bit into it from Zhou Wenyan’s palm; it was crisp and sweet. He took the fruit, leaned over, and fed it to Zhou Wenyan.

Fang Qi, who had been observing for quite some time: ???

Didn’t you say you’ll carry me so I’d lie down and win?

The croupier had already begun to indicate that they might begin drawing cards from each other on this side. 

Fang Qi could only turn around and take one of the one-eyed man’s cards.

It was a club that happened to match one of Fang Qi’s cards, but it was completely meaningless. After all, as long as he had the Joker card, he would still lose in the end.

Fang Qi looked at the one-eyed man expectantly, wishing he’d draw the Joker card from his hand.

The one-eyed man was not in a hurry. He carefully stretched out his hand, which landed on one of Fang Qi’s cards. 

It just so happened to be the Joker.

Fang Qi’s breath caught and he continued to pray in his heart.

But perhaps his actions were too obvious. The one-eyed man smirked, a glint of mockery in his eyes. Instead, he drew the card next to the Joker.

Fang Qi realized his mistake. In this situation, the battle was between mental fortitudes. He couldn’t let the one-eyed man see his weaknesses. 

It’s a shame his abilities were so limited. No matter how hard he tried, the one-eyed man could always see right through him. After ten minutes, the two men had less than five cards left in their hands, but Fang Qi still had the Joker card. It had never moved.

Fang Qi became anxious and glanced behind him.

Great.

After consuming the fruit, those two men began breaking melon seeds. 

Fang Qi was on the verge of crying from anxiety.

“Looks like your pals don’t want to help you,” the one-eyed man laughed.

Fang Qi disregarded the one-eyed man and focused his attention on the cards in his hand. He only had four cards, therefore he only had three opportunities. He couldn’t afford to waste this 25% chance.

“Draw a card,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. 

The one-eyed man stroked each card while staring at Fang Qi, waiting for his face to alter before drawing a card.

As before, it was not the Joker card.

Fang Qi was virtually desperate, and the Joker card in his hand was taunting him by laughing “heeheehee.”

He made up his mind and chose to trust these two bosses. After all, there was no other option except to trust them. 

Fang Qi drew a card from the one-eyed man, paired it, and tossed it on the gambling table.

The one-eyed man had just one card left in his hand, whereas Fang Qi still had two cards in his hand, with a 50% probability.

Even the one-eyed man wouldn’t dare to draw a card casually at this point. After all, he didn’t want to capsize in the gutter, so he hovered between the two cards with caution.

Fang Qi’s mind twitched, spilling the beans. 

The one-eyed man burst into loud laughter: “You lost—” He was going to draw one of the cards, and it wasn’t going to be the Black Joker.

Fang Qi was completely paralyzed.

But the one-eyed man had only gotten halfway through drawing the card when he was abruptly pushed back.

The one-eyed guy: “You!” 

Snap—

Shen Dongqing didn’t control his strength well, and he directly broke the one-eyed man’s hand.

The one-eyed guy gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and wished to switch hands, but Shen Dongqing was one step ahead of him. He removed the Joker card from Fang Qi’s hand and stuffed it in the one-eyed man’s hand.

The one-eyed man had not anticipated such deception. His remaining eye which was about to erupt in flames widened as he fixedly stared at the Big Boss. 

“You’re welcome, I’m pleased to help others,” Shen Dongqing remarked. He was quite ‘helpful,’ taking the A of Diamonds from the one-eyed man’s hand and putting it into Fang Qi’s.

This was good. He’d gotten rid of the Joker card, and Fang Qi now had a pair of cards, which he tossed on the card table, leaving him with no cards in his hands.

“I won!”

The one-eyed man yelled at the same time: “He fouled!” 

The croupier said indifferently: “There is no foul, you lose.”

There was nothing in the rules that said such a thing couldn’t happen, thus it wasn’t a foul.

And the casino was more than happy to see players plotting and slaughtering one another.

The one-eyed man hurled the Joker card down and yelled angrily: “It’s obviously a foul! I’m not convinced! I want a rematch!” 

“There is no foul, you lose,” the croupier continued saying like a broken record.

The Joker, which was lying on the gambling table, was also cackling.

The one-eyed person appeared to have remembered something, as he grasped the Joker card with the intention of returning it to Fang Qi.

However, he was too late. A silhouette stood behind him, its head resting on the one-eyed man’s shoulder, showing a clown face that appeared to laugh and cry. 

“Come have some fun with me hehehe…”

The one-eyed man had not expected to fall here and said hurriedly, “No, no!” He was desperately attempting to flee.

The Joker stood there, his face somewhat distorted, and he murmured in a strange tone: “Are you unhappy? Clowns make everyone happy; why aren’t you smiling?”

The one-eyed man on his way out looked to be gripped by an invisible hand, and his entire body lay still on the ground, unable to move an inch. 

The Joker leapt and bounced on his splayed feet, the blade in his hand flashing sharply in the light.

“Come on, smile, smile—”

The dagger stabbed over and over again, forcibly drawing a smile on the one-eyed man’s face.

The Joker laughed wildly: “This is awesome, come play with me!” 

The one-eyed man could no longer speak and could only keep a smile on his face. As the clown dragged him into the darkness, he made “mmph mmph” sounds.

After a while, a bizarre laughter erupted from within, sounding both like the clown and the one-eyed man.

“Today’s game is over,” the croupier announced.

Fang Qi sat on the chair, paralyzed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stated solemnly: “Please, can we not do this again? I’m so scared that my legs are soft.” 

Translator:

Hello there, readers! It’s my first time translating an unlimited flow novel. Please let me know if any terminology is mistranslated; I’ll gladly make the appropriate corrections. That being said, I hope you enjoy my work.

See you soon~