Free Web NovelAccompanied by a train whistle echoing through the station, the giant train began to accelerate, pulling away from the platform, and quickly disappeared at the end of the tracks.
The figures of Lu Yibei and A Hua were missing from the platform, but a small restaurant next to the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy station had two new customers.
The Liu Min hiding near the station already recognized A Hua and feared her methods, so no one dared to step forward rashly.
A moment later, mosquitoes and flies buzzed in the deserted small restaurant, the tables and chairs were old, and the walls were stained yellow by oil smoke, but this was already considered the most luxurious restaurant around the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy station.
“As expected of Sha County Snacks, to be able to open a chain store in such a godforsaken place. I’m really looking forward to where I’ll encounter one next time.”
Lu Yibei sat down in the restaurant, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, then looked at A Hua opposite her with a complicated expression and pressed, “Right, you said you had something to ask me just now, ask it now?”
Whether I tell you or not will depend on the situation, Lu Yibei thought to herself.
She could quite understand A Hua’s defensiveness when encountering a stranger striking up a conversation in such a place, but there were some things she really couldn't tell A Hua.
“I want to ask...”
A Hua opened her mouth, hesitating to speak. There were too many things she wanted to ask, and she needed to sort them out.
In the information about Lu Yibei that Jiang Li had shared with her, she was clearly a Witch Seed, but the Spiritual Energy fluctuations of Witch Seed were mostly cold and bloody, completely different from the person in front of her.
Originally, Jiang Li and A Hua had analyzed that Lu Yibei, a not bad looking young man, had somehow turned himself into a Witch Breed, probably due to some special hobby.
But now seeing her Spiritual Energy fluctuations filled with scorching frenzy, and her physique and appearance full of youthfulness, A Hua suddenly felt that this kid had quite a wide range of hobbies.
As a Psychic with a small amount of Bì’àn Power in her Spirit Mark, A Hua had a keener insight into distinguishing Spiritual Energy fluctuations than ordinary Psychic.
Due to having too little Power, she couldn't reach the exaggerated level of discerning right from wrong, but she could distinguish different types of Spiritual Energy fluctuations more meticulously.
This was also one of the reasons why A Hua had a strong prejudice against Lu Yibei after their first face-to-face encounter.
At that time, as a potential Psychic, the faint Spiritual Energy fluctuations emanating from Lu Yibei made her feel a hint of danger. She always felt like she wasn't a good person, and might even be a terrifying existence pretending to be weak to prey on others.
As for the other reason...
Lu Yibei talked too much, almost to the point of mental pollution.
“You just said you are Wang Bu Liu Xing, right?” After a brief thought, A Hua asked.
“That's right!” Lu Yibei nodded expressionlessly. Just as she was about to launch into a long speech around this topic in order to gain trust, A Hua cut her off.
“I've heard Jiang Li mention you and basically know what you've experienced together. Now I want you to recount what you've experienced together.”
The best way to deal with a chatterbox is to not let her start “playing”.
Although she wasn't 100% sure that the person sitting opposite her was Lu Yibei, what if she was?
If it really was Lu Yibei and she opened her floodgates, she probably wouldn't stop talking for three days and three nights.
“What we experienced together?” Lu Yibei recalled for a moment, then started talking from when the two met at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
Ten minutes later.
When Lu Yibei mentioned that Jiang Li's clothes were torn on her chest and she was lying on the same bed as her, both tossing and turning unable to sleep, she suddenly stopped.
“And then? Keep talking! What did you guys do next?” A Hua anxiously pressed.
In fact, halfway through listening, she already had a basic trust in Lu Yibei.
After all, the experiences she recounted were basically identical to what Jiang Li had said, except for a few minor details.
A Hua, who had been interrogating urban legend and Psychic on behalf of Jiang Li for many years, felt that these kinds of minor detail differences could be attributed to different perspectives.
However, just as she wanted to hear more to further confirm, she heard about Miss sleeping in the same bed as Lu Yibei, information that Miss had not mentioned at all, and her heart tightened.
As fate would have it, that scumbag Lu Yibei stopped at this very point.
A Hua felt that if Lu Yibei were a novel author, she would at least send her three boxes of blades for ending the chapter here.
“Don't rush, the food is here, we’ll talk later...” Lu Yibei said, raising an eyebrow at the obese boss behind A Hua who was walking over with two bowls of beef noodles.
Paying a chip with a face value of “5” and taking the beef noodles from the boss, Lu Yibei was about to enjoy them, but A Hua pressed her hand down.
“Wait a minute, you first tell me what you did!”
“This, we didn't do anything!”
“I don't believe you!” A Hua frowned. Her Miss was naturally beautiful, and someone could still control themselves lying on the same bed with her?
She certainly couldn't control herself.
“Uh...” Lu Yibei put down her chopsticks and pouted, “Then we did it.”
“Did what?”
“Just did it!”
“You... you...” A Hua's cheeks were slightly red, and for a long time, she didn't know how to speak.
Lu Yibei rolled her eyes, picked up her chopsticks, but once again A Hua pressed her hand down.
“Don't eat!”
“Seriously!” Lu Yibei said impatiently, “Whether I did it or not, you're not satisfied, so what do you want? Schrödinger's doing it, is that okay?”
“You misunderstood...”
A Hua said, glancing towards the restaurant kitchen out of the corner of her eye, and whispered into Lu Yibei's ear, “You're a new face, you'd better not eat anything near the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy.”
Lu Yibei was startled and asked in a low voice, “What do you mean?”
“Here...” After a pause, A Hua explained, “Almost anything edible could be addictive.”
“...” Lu Yibei was silent for a few seconds, then said expressionlessly, “You knew there was something wrong with the food here a long time ago, why didn't you stop me from ordering? It cost me five chips!”
A Hua twitched her mouth and said irritably, “Didn't you say that when fellow villagers meet fellow villagers, tears well up in their eyes, and you insisted on dragging me to treat me to a meal?”
“I was just being polite to you. Who knew you were so thick-skinned and really didn't stand on ceremony,” Lu Yibei said indifferently, “Isn't this just like giving red envelopes during the New Year?”
“I acted like I really wanted to give it to you, but deep down I was refusing.”
A Hua, “...”
Alright, now I can confirm that the person in front of me is 100% that little scumbag Lu Yibei!
Finally, Lu Yibei and A Hua left the Sha County Snacks under the resentful gaze of the obese boss, who seemed to be watching his prey slip away.
Returning to the waiting hall of the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy, the two found a relatively hidden place and sat down on the ground.
Using the compressed biscuits and energy bars left behind by Jiang Li before she disappeared, A Hua began to recount the process of Jiang Li's disappearance.
————
At the end of the Dream Come True Journey is a city shrouded in dark clouds and endless drizzle. The dazzling neon lights that fill the entire city cannot reach the darkest corners.
Dream Come True Entertainment City is embedded in the center of the city like a gem.
It is an all-white building, illuminated by golden lights and resplendent.
Beautiful Misses wearing cheongsams or Rabbit Girl costumes welcome guests at the entrance, and men in black suits wander inside and outside the building, equipped with shotguns loaded with Alchemy bullets.
Entering the hall, giant vertical scroll calligraphies hang on both sides of the golden corridor, inscribed with “Gambling is the root of disaster, harming others and oneself is not beneficial to the body”, “Gambling is the foremost of all evils”, “One person gambles, the whole family suffers”...
————
Hearing this, Lu Yibei couldn't help but interrupt, “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Are you sure you're talking about an Entertainment City, not a gambling addiction rehabilitation center?”
“Why does it sound so improper to me? How can a casino make money by writing these slogans?”
A Hua rolled her eyes at Lu Yibei, “You think writing these things is useful? Cigarette boxes also say smoking is harmful to health!”
“Some people are just like that, with serious rebellious psychology. Even though they know it's harmful, they can't control themselves.”
As she spoke, A Hua glanced towards the dark corner of the waiting hall, her gaze sweeping over the addicts hiding behind stone pillars, in wall crevices, and around corners, waiting for their prey.
“Look, many people and urban legend here became like this after buying drugs produced by the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy, and the salespeople at the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy will warn them before selling the drugs that those drugs may have the side effect of drug addiction.”
“Oh?” Lu Yibei narrowed her eyes slightly and pressed, “Can you really buy any drug imaginable here?”
Friendly reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause the reading progress to be lost. Please save your 【book shelf】 and 【reading record】 in time (screenshot saving is recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
“Like regret medicine, or medicine to turn into a loli, can you buy those?”
A Hua's eyes suddenly became vigilant, and she said seriously, “Why are you asking this? I'm telling you, as long as I'm here, don't even think about it!”
What's more, aren't you a loli right now? A Hua muttered inwardly, her eyes sizing up Lu Yibei strangely for a while.
"Don't be so agitated!" Lu Yibei shrugged. "I'm asking for a friend. Go on, go on..."
----
Dream Come True Entertainment City, as the final stop of the Dream Come True Journey, claims to be able to fulfill any wish, no matter how exaggerated or absurd. Becoming beautiful, strong, or intelligent are just the most basic.
Going further, a night with a popular idol, or chatting and laughing with a King of Weird Tales from one side. Of course, a night with a King of Weird Tales and chatting and laughing with a popular idol are also achievable.
These wishes are still relatively normal, like causing a competitor's family to be ruined, replacing someone's life, or making someone wish they were dead... There's nothing the guests can't think of that can't be done.
However, the prerequisite is to pay enough chips.
High-stakes gambling that can completely change one's life trajectory holds an irresistible charm for those who have experienced it, whether human or urban legend. They rush here as if possessed, practically betting with their future.
Therefore, the idea of casual gambling for fun simply doesn't exist in Dream Come True Entertainment City. Those who lose want to turn the tables, and those who win want to win more. Every person or urban legend expects to undergo earth-shattering changes when they leave the Entertainment City.
----
"What if someone proposes to have the Entertainment City disband on the spot? Could they really disband on the spot?" Lu Yibei interjected.
"That's the wish Miss proposed," A Hua said, her eyes dimming as she spoke. "However, the premise for fulfilling that wish is that you have to win against the Entertainment City's Big Boss..."
"She lost, and then she disappeared, right?" Lu Yibei frowned.
A Hua nodded and said sadly, "Yes, she lost thirteen times. The outcome of the fourteenth time is unknown."
"Then I think she might have won," Lu Yibei pouted. "It's precisely because she won that the Entertainment City's Big Boss had to make her disappear."
"It's impossible for them to really disband on the spot, right? One actually dared to propose it, and the other actually dared to gamble."
"If you ask me, you're all too arrogant. Is that the kind of wish you can make in front of their Big Boss?"
A Hua lowered her head and mumbled, "Miss thought they would keep their word."
"Keep their word my ass!" Lu Yibei cursed. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered. What you did is even more prominent than Teacher Ma's swollen eyes. If they don't deal with you, who will they deal with?"
A Hua, "..."
"Do you think Miss is still alive?" freēwebnovel.com
Hearing A Hua ask such a question so suddenly, Lu Yibei was startled, her gaze dimmed for a moment, then immediately brightened again.
"Alive, she's still alive."
She should still be alive... Lu Yibei secretly added another sentence in her heart.
Then.
She patted A Hua's shoulder and said seriously, "Don't worry either. I'll go to that place later, and..."
Halfway through her sentence, Lu Yibei lowered her voice and leaned into A Hua's ear, saying, "Also, I want to meet that so-called Big Boss!"
A Hua was stunned and looked at Lu Yibei in surprise, exclaiming, "You're willing to go this far for Miss? That Big Boss is very scary. Don't be impulsive, you'll die." fгeewebnovёl.com
Desperate gamblers are much more terrifying than addicts and lustful wolves. The Big Boss of Dream Come True Entertainment City can still easily suppress them, which shows their power.
This is also the reason why Jiang Li didn't force her way.
Therefore, upon hearing that Lu Yibei was actually willing to take risks for Jiang Li, A Hua felt shocked and a little touched.
If Miss is interested, maybe they could actually spend some time together?
When it comes to finding a partner, their background isn't really important. The most important thing is reliability! A Hua thought.
"What do you mean 'go this far for her'? I was already thinking this way," Lu Yibei frowned.
Quite tsundere... A Hua muttered inwardly, and instructed again, "In short, you absolutely must not have a head-on conflict with that Big Boss."
Lu Yibei glanced sideways at A Hua, "Do you have some misunderstanding about my character? Would I do something life-threatening? Even adding the part about helping Jiang Li, it wouldn't be worth risking my life, right?"
My relationship with her isn't that good yet. Lu Yibei thought.
"So..." A Hua pondered thoughtfully for a few seconds, "You're still doing this for Miss, aren't you? I understand, I understand it all!"
Lu Yibei, "..."
Damn it! Why can't I explain it clearly?
I can't possibly tell her that I'm currently the head of the dark forces in Hua City and that I'm here for the countless urban legend in Hua City, can I?
But what's the deal with the three shops on this route? I feel like they're getting more and more mysterious, don't I? Lu Yibei thought.
----
Just as Lu Yibei and A Hua were staying at Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy.
Inside Wu Hui Land, Dream Come True Entertainment City.
This was a desert shrouded in darkness. The boundary between the undulating grey-white sand dunes and the sky blurred at the horizon, and there wasn't a single star in the deep sky.
Here, the air seemed to be still, without a trace of wind, and the surroundings were dead silent.
In the center of the desert, a silver-haired woman in an evening gown stood with a tall, thin man wearing a tuxedo, a top hat, and a black and white mask.
Between the two, a giant transparent cube was suspended in the center. Inside the cube, black and white chess pieces were densely arranged like a schematic diagram of polymer materials.
3D Go, this was the game Jiang Li was playing against the Entertainment City's Big Boss this time.
In regular Go, surrounding 1 stone requires 4 stones, and surrounding 2 stones requires 6 stones. 3D Go, however, requires 6 stones and 10 stones respectively, and so on. As the number of stones placed increases, the number of stones and the amount of thinking required for 3D Go grow exponentially.
A regular game of Go can last for several days, so it's normal for a 3D Go game to take several months.
Therefore, this is the reason why Jiang Li disappeared.
She didn't lose, nor was she secretly eliminated after winning as Lu Yibei guessed. It's just that the gamble hasn't ended.
Of course, she didn't intentionally choose such an unpopular method to decide the winner against the Big Boss. Each method of gambling was the result of both parties' joint selection.
One person proposes the type of game, and the other proposes the rules, with a coin toss deciding who goes first.
In her past thirteen losses, Jiang Li had tried various ways of playing Mahjong, Pai Gow, poker, and dice, all ending in failure. This time, on a whim, she chose Go, but never expected the Big Boss to propose 3D Go as the method of play.
Jiang Li, who had never encountered this way of playing before, was in a very passive position at the beginning, almost being forced into a desperate situation. It was only as she gradually mastered the rules of the game that she managed to regain some ground, but...
Using her brain intensely for days and nights was simply not something an ordinary person could endure. In the end, she had to use her Spiritual Energy to desperately hold on.
However, compared to the Big Boss sitting opposite her, her Spiritual Energy was still too weak.
At this moment, the other party was still calm and composed, but she was already pale, drenched in sweat, and her thinking was gradually becoming sluggish.
"Snap—!"
The Big Boss gently flicked the stone in front of him, and the pure white stone flew into the cube like a meteor, landing on the board with a soft click.
Immediately after, a series of continuous explosions came from within the cube.
The black stones that were surrounded and killed, one after another, exploded and scattered into dust. In the blink of an eye, seventy to eighty percent of the black stones inside the cube were gone.
"Miss ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Jiang, I don't think there's a need to continue this game. You've already lost, shall we begin counting the territory?" the man said softly.
"Whoosh—Whoosh—!"
Jiang Li's chest rose and fell slightly as she breathed heavily, her bloodshot eyes staring intently at the man opposite her. After a long silence, she gritted her teeth and said, "Alright."
Jiang Li knew in her heart that the tide of this game had turned. Continuing to play would only waste Spiritual Energy in vain, unable to turn the situation around, but she still felt a bit unwilling.
"Haha, Miss Jiang, don't be angry," the man said with a smile upon seeing this. "Honestly, you are the smartest human I have ever met, and your spirit is unprecedented. Losing to me these few times might just be a bit of bad luck. I'm very much looking forward to our next gamble."
"Hmph—!"
Listening to the man's standard casino recruitment speech, Jiang Li let out a cold snort and got up, walking towards the vortex that had reopened behind her, leading to the Entertainment City.
Next time, I must win! Jiang Li thought fiercely.
