Chapter 28

Now... only the mysterious character Lily remains outside of their grasp.

In this era, the bodies of artificial humans are removed by national factories, all of them the result of ultra-rapid cultivation technology.

Ultra-rapid cultivation means using a very short time to reach a high level of maturity in the body.

Therefore, whether raising a child or raising an adult, there is essentially no difference.

— With this understanding still in his mind, Xi Yu, since realizing that A Lan was also of the same kind, has felt less of that natural fondness.

But this wasn’t a reason to treat A Lan with violence.

The reason, though sad to say, is that artificial humans desire human rights, but ultimately are different from ordinary humans. For an ordinary person, treating a four- or five-year-old child cruelly is simply unacceptable; even if the audience understands that A Lan is manipulative, they would still feel sympathy for him.

Having tasted the sweetness of gifts, Xi Yu, unless there was a particularly important reason, did not want to anger the audience.

He was confident he could play many more rounds of this game in the future. If he could act the role of a "normal human" that people liked, he would gain more support. Why not?

On the other hand, regarding the betting, Xi Yu had more guesses.

This "humility" was, one day, a strategy to save up some betting funds, intentionally paving a way out.

In the morning, the red scorpion wind chimes swayed in front of Lin Ye and Wang Ge’s doors.

After winning a round last night, Xi Yu now had 11 points and still held 8 garli, so he was naturally calm.

He leisurely walked into the kitchen and found that Wang Ge was once again carrying out a system task — cooking.

Unfortunately, the fungi and honey-glazed vegetables on the floor had already rotted, starting to emit an unusually foul odor. The food cooked with these would be unsurprisingly awful.

Xi Yu felt nauseous, and his hunger diminished sharply.

Upon seeing him, Wang Ge was displeased and suddenly slammed the kitchen knife into the cutting board. "What do you want now?"

Xi Yu smiled and said, "Wang Ge, out of money, huh? If I’m not mistaken, you’ve lost for two days straight and only have two garli left."

Wang Ge would never respond to this, coldly grunting and turning to stir the purple porridge pot.

Xi Yu deliberately provoked him: "I believe you know as well as I do that holding onto money like this won't win you anything. Rather than shrink back and get eliminated, you might as well take one last gamble tonight. If you win, your two garli will become four."

"Heh, don’t try to fool me. As long as I keep my money until the last day, I won’t be eliminated," Wang Ge rejected firmly. "Money is life."As soon as these words were spoken, Xi Yu immediately knew his guess about their financial situation was correct. Thinking about the system's rule that every day adds 2 points, winning a round adds 5 points, and being eliminated deducts 8 points, he quickly calculated the current rankings.

A Lan — 11 points (alive for 3 days, won 1 round)

Xi Yu — 11 points (alive for 3 days, won 1 round)

Wu Zhi — 6 points (alive for 3 days)

Zhao Zhusheng — 6 points (alive for 3 days)

Wang Ge — 6 points (alive for 3 days)

Lin Ye — 6 points (alive for 3 days)

Xu Lei — 1 point (alive for 2 days, won 1 round, eliminated)

Qing Yi — -4 points (alive for 2 days, eliminated)

Qian Lu — -6 points (alive for 1 day, eliminated)

Zhou Fangfang — -8 points (alive for 0 days, eliminated)

Indeed, the scores of the four eliminated players were settled. Now, the players still alive, the longer they stayed in the game, the more likely they were to avoid elimination.

Today, whether Zhao Zhusheng and Wu Zhi could deal with Lin Ye and Wang Ge was the key to determining the outcome.

He pondered while walking through the staff corridor, and once again, he unconsciously stopped in front of the shopkeeper's door.

...If the situation had already become clear, then what other secrets could there be?

Xi Yu blinked.

He remembered what A Lan had said yesterday, mentioning that the shopkeeper's key was with her. It seemed that child had tried to break in before.

Since there was a key, there must be a way in.

Since it was possible to enter, the game still held hidden variables.

Xi Yu couldn't help narrowing his eyes.Since the ingredients had spoiled, no one dared to touch breakfast today.

Three fake NPCs and three deceived players, each sitting at two back-to-back tables, the atmosphere was very tense.

Only Lily, as usual, smiled mischievously: "Tour guide Xu has unfortunately passed away, and it's raining heavily outside in the Gobi. Looks like you all can only rest in the guesthouse today."

As she spoke, she wandered over to the table and took out a transparent card again.

It was still the same magical drawing process, still revealing results with the card faces hidden.

Everyone's hearts raced.

Remembering yesterday's omen of death when it was "lust," Lily had said, "Something really good might happen today, oh dear, I’m almost embarrassed!"

So, would she give another hint this time?

Xi Yu fixed his gaze on Lily's cute face.

Lily, with a sly smile, observed the card faces, then rolled her eyes: "Just a reminder, you really shouldn't go out today."

After saying that, she walked back to the counter and began polishing her musket with velvet cloth.

Xi Yu, with his back to the fake NPCs, subtly shook his head at Wu Zhi, signaling that this statement might not be trustworthy.

Wu Zhi received the signal, thoughtfully picked up a spoon, and took a sip of porridge, then immediately spat it out in disgust: "Damn, did they put a dead rat in this porridge?!"

Zhao Zhusheng: "...You've eaten a lot of things, so I guess you know what a dead rat tastes like."

"I guessed, it probably tastes about the same as yours," Wu Zhi mumbled, putting down his utensils. "I’m not eating it. So what do we do today?"

Xi Yu: "Go back to the room and sleep."

He said this to intentionally appear passive.

Because the game planners would surely have a way to get people out of their rooms; otherwise, the standoff would be too boring to watch.

Sure enough, moments later, the old-fashioned telephone on the counter, which seemed like a relic, rang abruptly.

Everyone held their breath and stared.Lily reached out and picked up the phone, responding twice before happily agreeing: "Okay, okay!"

Wu Zhi couldn’t help but ask, "What’s going on?"

Lily hung up the phone: "The delivery truck is here. It’s later than usual this week, almost made us starve, are you happy now? Finally, there’s something we can eat. Brother Wang, you’d better show off your skills."

The chef, who was also hungry, responded sullenly.

Lily slowly blinked her red eyes: "Who’s going outside to bring in the food?"

No one dared to respond to this.

Because she had just repeatedly insisted that no one should leave the guesthouse, and now, with the situation so tense, of course, no one was willing to act rashly.

Zhao Zhusheng was the first to speak up: "This is your responsibility. You can’t have the guests do the work, right?"

Lily glared at the employees: "Hurry up, what are you waiting for?"

A Lan muttered softly, feeling wronged: "I... I can’t move it."

Brother Wang also refused stubbornly: "I’m only responsible for cooking. This kind of work should be done by the waitstaff, right..."

Lin Ye, who had been shrinking, immediately stretched out his neck: "My job is to clean the living room! This has nothing to do with me!"

"Fine! You’re all good! When the guests leave, I’ll fire all of you! There are plenty of cheap employees in Wasteland City!" Lily angrily cursed, but was unable to give a forceful order. She stomped around the counter in her little leather shoes: "I’ll go bring it in, okay?"

Still, no one responded.

Lily, looking furious, walked out of the guesthouse.

As expected, it was raining heavily in the Gobi, and fresh food indeed appeared.

Seven or eight minutes later, the shop owner, drenched like a drowned chicken, came back holding a large wooden box, angrily slamming it on the ground: "Hurry up and sort this out, or you can go without eating!"

Wu Zhi curiously peered in, and saw that the broken box indeed contained all sorts of vegetables, and even some pork belly and fish. He couldn’t help but lick his lips: "Can we change dinner to lunch?"

"You didn’t pay for lunch, what if we’re hungry again tonight? Now that the tour guide is dead, the guesthouse isn’t responsible for taking care of you," Lily, who was irritated after being rained on, took off her soaked cloak and said, "I’m going to take a shower. If these vegetables are still lying here when I come out, I’ll throw them back outside."

Everyone’s stomachs had been suffering these past few days, and since they had to endure a couple more days until the game ended, fasting was definitely not an option.Brother Wang and Lin Ye exchanged a glance, quickly starting to work.

Xi Yu quietly stared for a moment, then smiled and stood up: "The box is all broken, I'll help carry some too."

Perhaps because of the earlier conflict with Xi Yu, Brother Wang's attitude towards him remained indifferent, but he didn’t refuse.

Xi Yu picked up two large cabbages and followed them into the staff passage.

At this point, Lily had already reached her door, took off a key tied with a rope from around her neck, and silently opened the door, disappearing inside.

Only a puddle of water remained on the ground.

Xi Yu glanced at it, immediately threw the cabbages into the kitchen, and stopped caring about what the others were doing. He immediately used all his strength to try to twist open Lily’s door.

Unfortunately, the door remained tightly locked.

At some point, A Lan quietly arrived in the hallway and whispered, "You can't break in."

"Today, I’m letting them not target you," Xi Yu glanced at his small, thin body, crouched down, and said, "I really want to go in and see. Help me steal the key, and I won’t target you tomorrow. I promise you can finish smoothly."

"If I can steal it, why would I give it to you? I don’t need your help." A Lan disdainfully pouted and turned back to the living room.

Xi Yu helplessly watched him walk away, realizing there wasn’t much time left. He wandered back to the kitchen: "I can cook too. If things get busy later, remember to call me."

Everyone was in a life-or-death situation, so this fake politeness was really awkward.

Lin Ye and Brother Wang, who were storing the food, exchanged a glance but ignored each other, becoming even busier with their hands.

Meanwhile, Xi Yu had already noticed the position of the matchbox on the stove, and without anyone noticing, he took it and stepped out the door.

The guesthouse was built with stone as the foundation, but most of the floors and furniture were made of wood.

If a fire started, it would spread much faster than expected.

Lily, halfway through her shower, was choked by thick smoke. She still had foam in her hair, hastily threw on some clothes, and rushed to the living room, questioning: "What’s going on?!"

Wu Zhi, covered in dirt, ran up from the second basement: "Boss! There’s a fire! A big one!"

Lily angrily said, "Who did this? Hurry, put the fire out!"Also coming in response to the news were Lin Ye and Brother Wang. By this time, thick smoke was everywhere, making it difficult for everyone to breathe and obscuring their vision.

Zhao Zhusheng, however, deliberately caused trouble, grabbing A Lan and saying, "I think it's too late. Once the fire spreads, we’ll all die. We might as well go outside to avoid the danger!"

A Lan, being pulled forcefully outside, screamed, "No, let go of me! I’m not going outside!"

"If you want to go outside, go by yourself!" Brother Wang swung his hand and hit Zhao Zhusheng. "Picking on a kid, what kind of skill is that?!"

Wu Zhi had already picked up the leftover, disgusting porridge from breakfast and splashed it all over Brother Wang. "Let him go! Is A Lan a child? I think he's a wicked wolf dressed in children's skin!"

As the smoke grew thicker, Lily screamed in anger, "Stop messing around! We can’t leave the guesthouse! Otherwise, none of us will survive by nightfall!"

Fortunately, at that moment, Xi Yu came out holding a pot of water, asking in surprise, "Hurry, put out the fire! What are you all doing?"

The absurd farce ended with everyone covered in ash and dirt.

The second-floor hallway, where the fire started, was burned pitch black. Fortunately, the wooden door had blocked some of the fire, allowing the room to still be somewhat habitable.

Lily was very angry, shouting, "Fix the door quickly! There are materials in the warehouse, or else the army ants will eat you alive tonight. Do you all want to die for nothing?!"

Zhao Zhusheng shrugged, dropped the bucket, and said, "Got it. Wu Zhi, go get the tools."

Xi Yu helplessly said, "I’ll help out."

Lily cursed under her breath, then realized how disheveled she looked and hurriedly left.

The three arsonists became three carpenters.

Wu Zhi, seeing no one around, finally breathed a sigh of relief and quietly asked, "Brother, what did you find in her room? I was so nervous just now."

Xi Yu smiled mysteriously.

Zhao Zhusheng, while hammering nails, said, "Aren’t you going to share? We helped you delay things successfully."

"Thanks, so I can help you win. The bet for today is actually very clear," Xi Yu said in an almost inaudible voice, then lightly gestured for them to go inside to discuss.

The two followed.

Xi Yu first finished installing the door he had just nailed, locked it, and then spoke again, "If I’m not mistaken, today, you bet on Lin Ye and Brother Wang, and A Lan bet on Zhao Zhusheng."Wu Zhi said, "It should be like that. Didn’t Lily say she wouldn’t go unless she was certain? I was thinking, should we use force and throw them into the Gobi Desert? But Brother Wang is really big, I'm afraid I can't beat him."

Xi Yu shook his head. "What does leaving even mean? That doesn’t make sense. Lily is probably lying on purpose."

Zhao Zhusheng nodded. "I suspect her too, since every day’s death omen corresponds to a small prop, but today there’s nothing."

Xi Yu said, "The props are provided by the shopkeeper, and only she knows the answers to the fortune cards. If Lily hasn't contacted you two, then my guess is probably right."

Wu Zhi said, "?"

Xi Yu quickly whispered his thoughts in a very low voice: "Since the first day, greed, jealousy, lust... didn’t those words remind you of something?"

Wu Zhi scratched his face.

Zhao Zhusheng also seemed a bit confused.

This was the disadvantage of artificial people: how much knowledge they had depended entirely on what humans gave them, and there was no independent learning process.

Sometimes, Xi Yu could recall random bits of information, relying on knowledge reserves that hadn’t been fully wiped during resets.

He took a deep breath. "It’s the Seven Deadly Sins. I guess the daily taboos are based on the sins from Catholicism’s Seven Deadly Sins, and with the sudden appearance of food today, the fortune card probably says gluttony."

As expected, Wu Zhi blinked in confusion. "What are the Seven Deadly Sins?"

...Did the planners intentionally avoid inputting this knowledge for newcomers?

Xi Yu said seriously, "No time for explanations. Listen to me. You two make up a prop and try to trick the target into going out. Whether they fall for it doesn’t matter, but for tonight's meal, don't eat, even if you starve."

Zhao Zhusheng nodded in agreement. "Okay, I trust you."

Wu Zhi frowned, his uncooperative stomach grumbling in response.

Xi Yu smiled slightly. "Just hold on a little longer. Once we take care of those two broadcasters, your rankings will be completely safe. A Lan only has two cards left, and since his score is high, he won't gamble anymore to protect his life."

Wu Zhi couldn’t help but marvel, "Brother Xi Yu, how is your mind so sharp? I get all confused when I think about those numbers."

Xi Yu shrugged.

Zhao Zhusheng looked up and asked, "What about you? From the sound of it, you have other plans?""I really hate being deceived, so I won't easily forgive liars." Xi Yu didn't answer directly, and after a pause, he softly said, "This time, I choose to go against the current; if I don’t move forward, I’ll fall behind."

Wu Zhi nervously said, "Don’t do anything rash. I hope we all win."

Xi Yu smiled and said, "I hope so too, and now, I might need you to help me with a big favor."

As a waiter, Lin Ye's job was relatively easy. Since he was currently financially strapped, he only hoped to survive until the end, and naturally, he started to grow close to Brother Wang, who shared the same struggles.

During the lunch break, he nervously walked towards the kitchen, planning to discuss things to ensure peace of mind afterward.

Unexpectedly, when he reached the staff passage, he saw a shiny paper scroll on the dimly lit floor.

Lin Ye felt puzzled, picked it up, and discovered that it was a hand-drawn treasure map. The map indicated a mission point to the northwest of the Gobi Desert during the moonrise, with a reward of two garli.

... Two garli. If he could get this money, he could gamble again tonight.

He couldn’t help but smile, threw the treasure map back where he found it, brushed off the decorative phosphorus powder on top, and hurried into the kitchen.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the pork ribs stewed with rice noodles in the pot, bubbling in the golden broth, releasing an irresistible aroma.

Lin Ye swallowed and said, "Brother Wang, you’re cooking so early?"

"Pork ribs taste better when stewed longer." Brother Wang tasted the broth with a spoon, then scooped half a bowl for him. "Try some?"

Lin Ye took it, and the smell that entered his nose made him drool. He couldn't resist the risk of burning himself and took two bites. Then he mentioned the treasure map, spitting in disdain, "It must be their trick. Who’s the fool here? After so many days, who doesn’t know the routine?"

Brother Wang grunted, "That kid Wu Zhi just came to me with the treasure map, talking all excitedly. I pretended to agree, and he happily ran off."

Lin Ye was shocked and asked, "What? You took the prop?"

Brother Wang pointed with the spoon, "It’s in the trash."

Lin Ye quickly put down his bowl, pulled out the dirty treasure map, and saw that it was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the hallway. He got scared and immediately threw it into the fire, saying, "This thing is too troublesome to keep around. I’m afraid it’s a trap for you."

Brother Wang laughed. "It’s fine."

As he spoke, he patted his stomach. "With my physique, even if those weaklings rush in to kidnap me, they won’t be able to carry me out."

"Still, it’s better to be careful." Lin Ye, having finished the pork ribs, said gratefully, "Finally, I’ve eaten something decent. From the second day, the food tasted weird, and before I could be played to death, I was about to starve to death.""Hunger can reduce attention and judgment, it was deliberately arranged," Brother Wang pointed to the food waste bin in the corner of the room. "Everything rots quickly in this hellhole; the stuff we got today probably won’t even be good tomorrow."

Lin Ye muttered, "I really want to go back to Yuntai and eat at the canteen. I like the bean buns there..."

Brother Wang sighed in silence.

Lin Ye continued, "We haven't won a single time. Even if we somehow get through with those two in the end, with the same score, how does that work? They both have spare money, and if we don’t succeed today, we can try again tomorrow..."

"I haven't thought of a good plan either." Brother Wang scooped more food for him and started drinking soup. "We just have to hope they turn on each other."

Lin Ye furrowed his brows, troubled.

Brother Wang silently ate his food. After a long while, he sighed, "Do you think the future missions will get harder and harder?"

Just as Lin Ye was about to respond, Lily suddenly barged in without warning, poking Brother Wang's belly with a gun. "Hey! Stealing food again! Don’t think I don’t know that you two are eating the best stuff every day! This is for the guests!"

"What the guests eat won’t take away your money." Brother Wang, slightly nervous, defended himself. "I’ve been making the meals on time every day."

Lily gritted her teeth in anger. "You useless employees, eating leftovers is good enough for you. Put down your bowls!"

Lin Ye quickly tried to smooth things over. "Manager, don’t be angry. We won’t eat anymore, we won’t eat. Right, Brother Wang?"

Brother Wang, holding back his anger, placed his bowl back on the table.

Lily showed her tiger teeth. "I’ve already been lenient with you, you know. Your food is exactly the same as what the guests get. If you keep disobeying, I’ll take away your dining table."

After threatening them, she tapped Lin Ye’s face with the gun barrel and then served herself a full portion of pork ribs. With a proud swagger, she walked out.

Brother Wang was trembling with anger.

Lin Ye tried to comfort him, "Don’t mind that crazy NPC. It’s just a day and a half left, and we’ll say goodbye to her."

Outside the door, Lily was eavesdropping, secretly snickering to herself.

This place, where nothing could be done, made time feel especially torturous.

After fixing the door, Xi Yu and the others sat in Wu Zhi's room, staring blankly.

They didn't know how much time had passed, but the feeling of hunger had completely taken over their senses, and their empty stomachs burned more intensely than ever before.But the more this was the case, the more Xi Yu's deduction seemed to make sense.

It was definitely the system controlling their brains, making it easier for them to fall into the trap.

Suddenly, the door was gently knocked on.

Wu Zhi ran over to open it and was surprised to see Lily. "Manager..."

"Hmph, hungry, are you?" Lily held a large portion of noodles and braised pork ribs. "I know you all haven’t eaten enough these past few days, so this is an extra meal. Hey, I know there have been big safety issues here, and I do feel a bit guilty."

Wu Zhi looked at her with his shiny, big eyes, flashing a bright smile. He immediately took the food and stuffed a piece of pork rib into his mouth, chewing while saying, "Thanks! Manager, where are Brother Wang and Lin Ye? Did they go out?"

Lily shrugged. "I don’t know. When I went to the kitchen, no one was there."

Wu Zhi was even happier, his cheeks moving up and down as he ate.

Lily looked into the room. "There’s so much, you should share it with your friends."

"Got it, thanks!" Wu Zhi quickly gave her a dismissive answer and left. As soon as he closed the door, his expression immediately changed. He rushed to the trash can and spit out all the pork ribs, then said with a gloomy face, "Brother, this is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Can you imagine how hard it is not to swallow it?"

"How could I not imagine?" Xi Yu’s stomach was so hungry it was twitching. He smelled the food’s fragrance and felt an indescribable, complex pleasure.

To be able to guess the game designer's thoughts, to fight against each trap, gave a strange illusion of satisfaction in resistance.

For now, wasn’t that all they could do?

Zhao Zhusheng, who was watching the scene, also had mixed feelings. He smiled twice at the ceiling and then sighed wearily.

Before dinner, the living room was filled with a long-awaited warm atmosphere.

Though the air was still so murky and the temperature still uncomfortably damp, the happiness brought by the food surpassed all sensory pain.

However, Xi Yu and the others only appeared at the very end.

Wu Zhi glanced over and saw that the staff were already waiting at the table. He quickly and secretly shoved the bowl back into the counter. "Manager, you’re really thoughtful."

Lily, happily eating strawberries, smiled brightly at him, winking secretly, then turned to Alin and said, "Eat more, your mom's not here, so your sister will take care of you."

The table was filled mostly with home-cooked dishes, but for the players trapped here, the more ordinary the dish, the harder it was to resist.Alin held the fragrant white rice, picking up a piece of braised beef and potato and putting it in the bowl. The rich gravy immediately soaked into the crystal-clear white rice grains.

He couldn’t help but swallow.

At this moment, Lin Ye and Brother Wang had already started eating, quickly and quietly.

As a result, Zhao Zhusheng, who had just sat down, inexplicably burped loudly and muttered, "So extravagant, but unfortunately I’m too weak to enjoy it."

Wu Zhi muttered, "Who told you to take so much earlier?"

Zhao Zhusheng smiled.

Wu Zhi and Xi Yu were not speaking; they sat with their backs to Lily, giving a false NPC impression, chewing silently without swallowing.

Alin caught a glimpse of this, and thoughtfully put down his chopsticks.

Lily leaned in with concern, "Child, why aren’t you eating? It’s rare to have something edible."

Alin started crying, "But Aunt Qing didn’t get to eat. I wonder... why did she have to die..."

Lily paused for a moment, awkwardly laughing, "Because she wasn’t strong enough."

Xi Yu discreetly spat out the food in his mouth and replied, "Alin, you can’t be that unreasonable, right? Throwing a tantrum at this time is pointless."

Alin completely ignored him and cried even harder, leaning on the table.

"He was always with Aunt Qing in Yun Tai; they had a really good relationship," Lin Ye softly explained.

"Having a good relationship doesn’t mean others have to pity you," Zhao Zhusheng said coldly. "Our situations are all the same."

Lin Ye furrowed his brows.

Wu Zhi, chewing his food, laughed indistinctly, "Did you find any treasures outside?"

Lin Ye replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, no one went out."

"What?!" Wu Zhi immediately stood up and questioned Brother Wang, "Are you lying to me again?"

Brother Wang remained silent and unresponsive.Wu Zhi angrily threw his rice bowl.

Seeing this, Lily began to panic, "You guys eat, what's the fuss about? With such heavy rain, no one could possibly go outside."

Wu Zhi, fuming, sat back down.

At this moment, Xi Yu’s voice trembled for the first time, "I think... maybe we should stop eating."

Because at that very moment, the fortune-telling card that had been hovering all day began to show some color.

On it was a picture of a fat man, with the red blood-like letters spelling out "g"...

Gluttony... excessive eating.

Zhao Zhusheng glanced at Xi Yu and suddenly began to gag.

Now Lin Ye and Brother Wang hurriedly came over to check, and then realized the horrifying truth, their faces turning ashen.

They truly hadn’t realized that simply wanting to eat a normal meal to fill their stomachs had turned into a desire worthy of contempt.

Lily emotionlessly collected the fortune-telling cards one by one.

Xi Yu grabbed her arm, "Did you do this on purpose?"

Lily blinked in confusion, "Guest, what are you talking about?"

Then she flashed a wide smile, "So, how’s the meal? Are you all satisfied?"

With Xi Yu's warning, the three of them understood that everything happening in the restaurant was a performance. Although they were hungry, they felt relief in their hearts.

Back in the room, Xi Yu did nothing but sat quietly at the table, waiting.

The familiar sound of the carnivorous ants attacking and the gruesome death cries soon came as expected.

Lily finally realized that she had been tricked, and after a long delay, she made her way down to the safe and sound second basement floor, coldly announcing, "Lin Ye and Brother Wang are in trouble, don’t wander around tonight."

Xi Yu smirked to himself, uncertain of what his outcome would be tomorrow, and unsure if Zhao Zhusheng would start making random bets.

After all, that group of fake NPCs only had Alin left. Even if the survivors managed to make it through, wouldn’t they still be eager for higher scores?After all, a better score is definitely something useful on the Cloud Platform.

Xi Yu took out the gold coins from his pocket, one, two...

He counted them carefully, forcing himself to take a deep breath, and tried to calm down with a smile.

Goodbye to the greedy cave in the dark.

As the number of deaths increased, the stench of decay on the Night Watchman became even more pungent and unbearable.

After waiting for a long time, Xi Yu finally sat in front of him and went straight to the point, "Today, I want to place a bet."

The Night Watchman tapped his dirty, blood-dripping teeth and coldly sneered, "Yesterday, you wanted to spare that kid's life, are you now planning to bet on someone you know?"

Xi Yu: "Is that not allowed? After all, the outcome is personal, there's no team division."

"Of course, it's allowed, as long as you bring the gold coins, anything is possible." The Night Watchman began to laugh strangely and raised his hand to pour some wine, "Is it Zhao Zhusheng or Wu Zhi?"

Xi Yu coldly replied, "Bet on Lily."

The Night Watchman fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, "Lily is the shopkeeper, why would you bet on the shopkeeper?"

Xi Yu didn't say anything.

The Night Watchman firmly answered, "You cannot bet on the shopkeeper."

Xi Yu pulled two metal rule tokens from his pocket, "Is this enough?"

The text on the metal tokens was glaring.

[The one who provides lodging has made a no-cost transaction]

[The revelation of the fortune-telling card, written in your DNA]

The Night Watchman took them and held them up to his dark, hollow eyes.

Xi Yu said, "I found these in Lily's room, there are other rules too, do you want me to recite them?"

The Night Watchman mumbled to himself as he read aloud, "The one who provides lodging has made a no-cost transaction..."Xi Yu smiled faintly: "With such direct words, I must not have misunderstood, right? Shopkeeper Lily is also a streamer player. She has no capital, but according to the rules, she cannot refuse the game. These days, she has been desperately trying to lure everyone into the fortune-telling card trap, especially today, when she almost wanted to wipe us all out. I think there's only one reason for this attitude... she's the banker, isn't she? I originally thought you were the banker, but now I see it’s her. And you are the demon on these rule metal plates. What you want is not just death and money, but to make everyone, including the shopkeeper, submit to the ** you represent! You are the only NPC in this game!"

After Xi Yu's extremely confident words, the Night Watchman couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

Xi Yu looked at his terrifying mouth, calmly waiting.

Finally, the Night Watchman slammed the table: "Alright, you can now bet against the banker, but this bet cannot be reversed!"

Xi Yu: "I won’t back down!"

The Night Watchman winked and smiled: "Betting against the banker, you can also win back your capital and two gold coins, but there’s one difference."

Xi Yu raised an eyebrow: "The stake?"

The Night Watchman: "Yes, the banker has as much money as you must wager. If she loses, she’ll have nothing left. If she wins..."

"Still two Galis. The rules already said it, the rewards in Wasteland City are always two Galis, fair for all." Xi Yu said, "So far, the valid bets have been Zhou Fangfang’s death, Qian Lu’s death, the tour guide’s death, and the deaths of Lin Ye and Wang Ge. She’s earned five rounds for free, that’s ten Galis."

The Night Watchman said: "But you don’t have ten Galis. No one in this game has ten Galis."

"We combine, and we have them. There’s no rule that says we can’t borrow money, right?" Xi Yu pulled out all the gold coins from his pocket and pushed them in front of him. "I have eight coins, borrowed two from Wu Zhi. No matter whether he wins or not tonight, there will still be two coins left for survival, very safe."

The Night Watchman blinked: "He actually agreed to lend you money? You’re leaving none for yourself? Money is life."

Xi Yu nodded: "Yes, if I can’t win against Lily, I’ll admit defeat and exit that night."

The Night Watchman swept all the coins into his palm and sighed heavily: "These coins are of great benefit to you. Borrowing money is not a smart move."

"This isn’t borrowing money, it’s an investment. I believe I can win, and Wu Zhi believes it too." Xi Yu crossed his arms: "Enough talking, are we betting or not?"

The Night Watchman pushed the drink toward him.

Xi Yu didn’t hesitate, picked up the cup, and drank the blood-red liquid in one gulp.

The system's voice coldly sounded.

[Streamer Xi Yu, score accumulated 13, remaining 0 Galis]

Another chaotic night, as if fast-forwarded.In the early morning, Xi Yu, who had sobered up from drunkenness, suddenly opened his eyes, and without thinking, jumped up, opened the door, and ran out.

He ran all the way to the staff passage and saw the red scorpion wind chime hanging in front of Lily’s door, which made him sigh in relief.

Coincidentally, Lily, hearing the footsteps, happened to open the door to check.

She first exchanged a confused glance with Xi Yu, then looked up and noticed the wind chime, which made her face change completely.

Xi Yu smiled: "Hi, today I’ll play with you."