Chapter 16 Next Time, I Absolutely Have to Win!
“Woo——!”
Accompanied by the sound of a whistle echoing through the station, the giant train began to accelerate, leaving the platform, quickly disappearing at the end of the tracks.
The platform was devoid of Lu Yibei and Ahua, but inside a small restaurant next to the Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy Station, there were two new guests.
The beggars hiding near the station already recognized Ahua and feared her methods, none daring to approach.
After a moment, in the quiet little restaurant, flies buzzed around, the tables and chairs were old and worn out, and the walls bore marks stained yellow by kitchen smoke, but this was already considered the most luxurious restaurant around Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy Station.
“True to its name, Shaxian Snacks can even open a chain in such a godforsaken place. I’m looking forward to where we’ll meet next time,” Lu Yibei exclaimed as she sat down in the restaurant, unable to contain her admiration. She then looked at Ahua, who had a complex expression, and asked, “By the way, you said you wanted to ask me something earlier. You can ask now?”
Whether or not to tell you, I will decide based on the situation. Lu Yibei thought to herself.
She understood quite well Ahua’s defensive mentality when meeting strangers in such places, though there were indeed some things she could not tell Ahua.
“I want to ask…”
Ahua opened her mouth but hesitated; she had too many questions and needed to gather her thoughts.
From what Jiang Li had shared with her about Lu Yibei, she was clearly a witch type, but the spirit energy fluctuation of witch types was mostly cold and bloody, which was completely different from the person in front of her.
Originally, Jiang Li and Ahua had analyzed that Lu Yibei, a good-looking teenager, had turned herself into a witch monster due to some special preference.
But now, seeing her spirit energy fluctuation filled with a burning and irritable nature, along with her youthful appearance, Ahua suddenly felt that this kid had quite a range of interests.
As a spiritual ability user with slight abilities from the Bi’an, Ahua had a keener insight into distinguishing spirit energy fluctuations than ordinary spiritual ability users.
Due to her minimal abilities, she couldn’t discern right from wrong in an exaggerated manner, but she could still differentiate between types of spirit energy fluctuations in more detail.
This was also one reason why Ahua had a prejudice against Lu Yibei ever since their first face-to-face encounter.
At that time, Lu Yibei, as a potential spiritual ability user, emitted a weak spirit energy fluctuation that made Ahua feel a hint of danger; she sensed that she didn’t seem like a good person and could even be a terrifying existence pretending to be harmless.
As for the other reason…
Lu Yibei simply talked too much, almost reaching the point of mental pollution.
“You mentioned you are Wang Buliu, right?” After a brief contemplation, Ahua inquired.
“Yeah!” Lu Yibei nodded expressionlessly, just as she was about to elaborate on this topic to gain trust when Ahua interrupted her.
“I’ve heard Jiang Li mention you and know basically what you two have been through. Now, I want you to recount everything you two have gone through.”
The best way to deal with a chatterbox is to prevent her from starting her “play.”
Although she wasn’t a hundred percent sure that the person sitting across from her was Lu Yibei, what if?
If it really was Lu Yibei, once she started talking, it would probably go on for three days and nights without stopping.
“Things we’ve gone through together?” Lu Yibei recalled briefly and began to recount how the two met at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
Ten minutes later.
When Lu Yibei reached the part where Jiang Li was lying on a bed with her clothes torn, both of them tossing and turning and unable to sleep, she suddenly stopped.
“And then? What happened next? What did you guys do afterward?” Ahua urgently pressed.
In fact, by the time she heard half of it, she had already developed basic trust in Lu Yibei.
After all, the experiences she narrated were nearly identical to what Jiang Li had said, except for a few minor details.
As someone who frequently replaced Jiang Li in interrogating monsters and spiritual ability users, Ahua thought such minor differences could be attributed to differing perspectives.
However, just when she wanted to hear more to confirm further, she heard the part about sharing a bed with Lu Yibei—a detail the lady had never mentioned—causing her heart to tighten.
How coincidental; the b*stard Lu Yibei had stopped at this point.
Ahua felt that if Lu Yibei were an author, ending a chapter in such a place would warrant her sending three boxes of blades.
“Wait, don’t rush; the food’s here, let’s talk after…” Lu Yibei said, raising an eyebrow at the chubby boss who was coming over with two bowls of beef noodles.
After paying a chip valued at “5,” Lu Yibei took the beef noodles from the boss’s hand and was about to enjoy it when Ahua pressed her hand down.
“Wait, you have to tell me what you guys did!”
“This, we did nothing!”
“I don’t believe it!” Ahua frowned. Her lady was extraordinarily beautiful; how could anyone keep their hands to themselves while lying on the same bed as her?
She certainly couldn’t.
“Uh…” Lu Yibei put down her chopsticks and pouted, “Then we did.”
“Did what?”
“Well, we did it!”
“You… you…” Ahua’s cheeks turned slightly red, unsure of how to respond for a moment.
Lu Yibei rolled her eyes and picked up her chopsticks, only to be pressed down again by Ahua.
“Don’t eat!”
“Not that!” Lu Yibei said impatiently, “You’re not satisfied either way, so what would make you happy? Schrödinger’s action?”
“You’re misunderstanding…”
As she spoke, Ahua glanced toward the restaurant’s kitchen and leaned in to whisper in Lu Yibei’s ear, “You’re a stranger; it’s best not to eat anything near Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy.”
Lu Yibei was taken aback and quietly asked, “What do you mean?”
“Here…” pausing, Ahua explained, “Almost everything consumable might be addictive.”
“……” Lu Yibei remained silent for a few seconds before expressionlessly stating, “You knew the stuff here was problematic all along. Why didn’t you stop me from ordering? It cost me five chips!”
Ahua twitched her lips and said unhappily, “Didn’t you say ‘fellow villager sees fellow villager, tears welling in their eyes’ and insisted on treating me to a meal?”
“I was just being polite; who knew you had such thick skin and were really not polite,” Lu Yibei shrugged off. “This kind of thing isn’t that different from giving red envelopes during the New Year, is it?”
“I act like I want to give it to you, but deep down, I’m refusing.”
Ahua, “……”
Alright, it’s been confirmed; the person in front of me is definitely that little b*stard Lu Yibei!
In the end, Lu Yibei left Shaxian Snacks under the baleful gaze of the chubby boss, who seemed to be watching his prey slip away.
Back at the waiting hall of Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy, the two found a relatively hidden spot and sat on the ground.
With the compressed biscuits and energy bars that Jiang Li had left behind before disappearing, Ahua began recounting the circumstances of Jiang Li’s disappearance.
————
At the end of the journey to Dream Come True, there lay a city shrouded in dark clouds and endless drizzle, where the dazzling neon lights illuminated nothing but the darkest corners.
Dream Come True Entertainment City was like a gem embedded in the heart of the city.
It was a pure white building, brightened by golden lights, shining brilliantly.
Beautiful women in qipaos or bunny girl costumes greeted and bid farewell to guests at the entrance, while men in black suits loitered inside and outside the building, armed with shotguns loaded with alchemical bullets.
Upon entering the grand hall, golden corridors lined with huge calligraphies proclaimed: “Gambling is the root of disaster, harming oneself and others,” “Gambling is fundamentally evil,” “One person gambles, the whole family suffers”…
————
Hearing this, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but interrupt, “Wait! Wait! Are you sure you’re talking about an entertainment city and not a gambling addiction center?”
“Why does it sound so unserious to me? How can a casino make money with such slogans?”
Ahua shot a glance at Lu Yibei, “Do you think writing these things is useful? Cigarette boxes say smoking is harmful to health too!”
“Some people are just like that, with a strong rebellious mentality. Even when they know it’s harmful, they can’t control themselves.”
As she spoke, Ahua cast a glance towards the dark corner of the waiting hall, her vision catching sight of addicts hiding behind stone pillars, in wall gaps, and around corners waiting for prey.
“Look, many of these people and monsters have become like this after purchasing drugs from Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy, and before selling medicine, the staff always warns them that those drugs may have addictive side effects.”
“Oh?” Lu Yibei squinted her eyes and asked, “Can you truly buy any drug imaginable here?”
“Like regret pills or potions to turn into lolis, can we buy those?”
Ahua’s expression suddenly turned serious, her eyes narrowing, “Why are you asking this? I’m telling you, as long as I’m here, don’t even think about that!”
Besides, aren’t you a loli right now? Ahua thought to herself, casting an odd look up and down at Lu Yibei.
“Don’t be so agitated!” Lu Yibei shrugged, “I’m just asking for a friend; now, please continue……”
————
Dream Come True Entertainment City, as the final stop on the journey to making dreams come true, claimed to fulfill any wish, no matter how exaggerated or ridiculous. Becoming beautiful, strong, or smart were the most basic expectations.
Further, one could spend a night with popular idols or have a friendly conversation with the King of Monsters; of course, doing the same with the King of Monsters was also within reach.
These wishes were generally normal, such as wishing for a competitor’s family to be ruined, taking over someone’s life, or making someone else suffer immensely… There were no limits to what guests could wish for as long as they could think of it.
However, the prerequisite was to pay enough chips.
Such high-stakes gambles that could change the trajectory of a life had an irresistible allure for those who had experienced them, and the monsters were almost obsessed with coming here, betting their futures.
Thus, the idea of small bets for fun simply didn’t exist in Dream Come True Entertainment City. Losing players would want to turn the tables, and winning players would want to win even more; everyone and every monster hoped to walk out of the entertainment city with a life-changing experience.
————
“What if someone wishes for the entertainment city to dissolve on the spot? Could they really dissolve it?” Lu Yibei interjected.
“That was the lady’s wish,” Ahua said, her eyes dimming as she spoke. “However, to fulfill that wish, she first had to win against the big boss of the entertainment city…”
“She lost and then went missing, right?” Lu Yibei frowned.
Ahua nodded, sorrowfully, “Yes, she lost thirteen times, the result of the fourteenth game is unknown.”
“I think she might have won,” Lu Yibei shrugged, “It’s precisely because she won that the big boss had no choice but to make her disappear.”
“It’s not as if they could really dissolve on the spot, right? One dares to wish, and the other dares to gamble.”
“If you ask me, you guys are too arrogant; is it appropriate to voice that wish right in front of the big boss?”
Ahua lowered her head and muttered, “The lady thought they would keep their word.”
“Keep their word?!” Lu Yibei exclaimed, “The early bird catches the worm! With your approach, it’s more outstanding than Teacher Ma’s puffy eyes. If it’s not you they handle, then who else?”
Ahua, “……”
“Do you think the lady is still alive?”
Suddenly hearing Ahua pose such a question, Lu Yibei was momentarily stunned, her gaze dimming for a moment before brightening again.
“She’s alive, she’s still alive.”
She should still be alive… Lu Yibei quietly added in her mind.
Then.
She patted Ahua on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Don’t worry; I will go to that place later, and…”
Her voice trailed off, lowering as she leaned closer to Ahua’s ear, “And I also want to meet that so-called big boss!”
Ahua was taken aback, staring at Lu Yibei in astonishment, exclaiming, “You would go to such lengths for the lady? The big boss is very frightening; you must not act impulsively; you could d*e.”
Desperate gamblers are far more terrifying than drug addicts or wolves in sheep’s clothing. The big boss of Dream Come True Entertainment City could easily suppress them, showing just how powerful they were.
This was also the reason Jiang Li hadn’t pushed hard.
Thus, hearing that Lu Yibei was willing to risk for Jiang Li shocked Ahua and touched her a little.
If the lady was interested, perhaps they could truly spend some time together?
When it comes to finding a partner, what one’s background is really doesn’t matter; the most important thing is reliability! Ahua thought.
“What do you mean by going to such lengths for her? That’s what I originally intended.” Lu Yibei frowned.
How prideful… Ahua silently thought, then reminded, “In any case, you must not confront that big boss directly.”
Lu Yibei looked at Ahua sideways, “Do you have some misunderstanding about me? I wouldn’t do anything that poses a threat to my life. Even considering helping Jiang Li, I wouldn’t go so far as to risk my life, right?”
I’m not on such close terms with her yet. Lu Yibei mused.
“So…” Ahua pondered for a few seconds, “You’re still doing this for the lady, right? I understand, I understand everything!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
d*mn it! How can I not explain this clearly?
I can’t possibly tell her that I’m the head of the underworld in Huacheng, and I’m here for the countless monsters in Huacheng, can I?
But what’s the background of the three shops along this route? It feels increasingly mysterious… Lu Yibei thought.
————
While Lu Yibei and Ahua lingered at Danchasha Gu Shi Pharmacy.
In Dream Come True Entertainment City, in Nowhere Land.
This was a desert shrouded in darkness, where the undulating gray-white sand dunes blended into the sky at the horizon, and the deep sky was devoid of starlight.
Here, the air’s movement seemed to be still; there was not a wisp of wind, and a deathly silence surrounded them.
In the center of the desert stood a silver-haired woman in a gown beside a tall, thin man wearing a tailcoat, with a top hat and a black-and-white mask.
Between them floated a large transparent cube, filled with black and white chess pieces, densely arranged like a polymer material illustration.
This was three-dimensional Go, the game Jiang Li was gambling against the big boss of the entertainment city.
In normal Go, to surround one piece requires four pieces; to surround two requires six; three-dimensional Go requires six and ten, and so on. With each added piece, both the number of required pieces and the amount of thought needed to play increases explosively.
A game of ordinary Go can last several days, while three-dimensional Go can easily go over months.
So this was the reason for Jiang Li’s disappearance.
She neither lost nor, as Lu Yibei suspected, got eliminated after winning; instead, the game hadn’t ended.
Of course, she hadn’t intended to choose such an obscure method to determine the outcome with the big boss. Each gameplay method was a result of mutual selection.
One party proposed the type of game, and the other proposed the rules, with the order determined by a coin toss.
In her previous thirteen failures, Jiang Li had tried various types of games such as Mahjong, Pai Gow, Poker, and Dice but had met with failure every time. This time, on a whim, she chose Go, not realizing that the big boss would propose three-dimensional Go as the format.
Having never encountered such a gameplay style, Jiang Li was at a considerable disadvantage from the start, almost pushed to desperation. As she gradually grasped the rules, she managed to reverse some of her disadvantages, but…
A few days and nights of high-intensity brain activity was not something an ordinary person could withstand. In the end, she had to draw upon her spirit energy to barely support herself.
Yet compared to her opponent across the table, her spirit energy was still too weak.
At this moment, the opponent remained calm and collected while she had grown pale, drenched in sweat, her mind gradually becoming dull.
“Snap——!”
The big boss lightly flicked a chess piece in front of him, and the pure white piece shot into the cube like a meteor, landing with a soft thud on the board.
Suddenly, a series of explosions erupted within the cube.
The black pieces that had been surrounded began to explode one after another, turning to dust and scattering. In the blink of an eye, over seventy to eighty percent of the black pieces were gone.
“Miss Jiang, I believe there’s no need to continue this game; you’ve already lost. Let’s move on to counting the score,” the man said softly.
“Hu—— Hu——!”
Jiang Li’s chest heaved slightly as she breathed heavily, her bloodshot eyes locked onto the man across from her. After a long silence, she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine.”
Jiang Li knew that the situation of the game was dire; continuing further would only deplete her spirit energy without any hope of recovery, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling of frustration.
“Ha ha, Miss Jiang, don’t be angry.” The man chuckled upon seeing her reaction. “To be honest, you’re the smartest human I’ve ever met, with a spirit I’ve never seen before. Losing to me a few times may just be a matter of slight bad luck; I look forward to our next match.”
“Hmph——!”
Hearing the man’s standard sales pitch for attracting customers to the casino, Jiang Li coldly snorted and turned to the rear, walking towards the swirling vortex that opened up again, leading back to the entertainment city.
Next time, I absolutely have to win! Jiang Li thought fiercely.
