Free Web NovelThe passage from the Entertainment City to the upper floors was not in the lobby of the lower three floors, but rather in a separate lounge.
After confirming Lu Yibei's accumulated chips and delivering the 【Flower of Chaotic Parallel Time and Space】 she exchanged into her hands, the Rabbit Girl invited her and A Hua into the lounge.
The interior decoration of the lounge was extremely exquisite. The finely carved white marble pillars showcased styles from various carving schools, and all paintable areas on the surrounding walls were covered with murals.
Rabbit Girls came and went, carrying silver trays, the drinks in the glasses sparkling clear under the bright lights.
At the end of the lounge, there was a huge bronze mechanical door, etched with complex patterns.
The bronze patterns crisscrossed, outlining several giant wolves with ferocious appearances, a scene of them traversing a jungle filled with thorns.
Giant wolves? Could there be some connection with the Big Boss of this Entertainment City?
Lu Yibei slightly furrowed her brow. Before she could recall the doomsday legends related to wolves in 'One Hundred Legendary Short Stories', the Rabbit Girl's gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Two guests, other staff members will lead you upstairs shortly. While waiting, you are welcome to enjoy the refreshments in the lounge."
"If there is nothing else, I will withdraw first."
After speaking, the Rabbit Girl waited for a moment. Seeing that Lu Yibei and A Hua did not speak, she bowed respectfully and exited the lounge.
After the Rabbit Girl left, A Hua was quiet for a moment, finally unable to contain her curiosity. She tilted her head and asked Lu Yibei, "Your figure..."
"White Little Flower misprinted figure, you can't buy it on the market. How about it, isn't it awesome!" Lu Yibei said proudly, "It only cost five thousand chips, super worth it, right?"
"Only cost?" A Hua opened her mouth, her expression sinking. She said with slight anger, "Aren't you afraid that because of these five thousand chips, you might be a little late getting to the upper three floors and won't see Miss?"
"I am!" Lu Yibei hugged the figure tightly and said seriously, "But I'm more afraid of missing this opportunity, and when I come back, my White Little Flower will have been exchanged away!"
I think you completely don't understand!
Jiang Li is barely a brother, White Little Flower is a rock-solid wife.
How could a brother be more important than a wife? Lu Yibei thought.
A Hua, "..." Under normal circumstances, how could a guest in the Entertainment City exchange five thousand chips for this thing?
After a brief silence, she rolled her ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) eyes and said impatiently, "Forget it, after all, they are the chips you won. Let me ask you, how did you manage to win enough chips in such a short time?"
Although Wang Bu Liu Xing wasted chips once, as long as she can maintain this efficiency, she should be able to get to the upper three floors and find Miss soon, right? A Hua thought.
Lu Yibei was holding a delicate small dessert, about to put it in her mouth. Hearing A Hua's question, she put down the dessert and pouted.
"I found some small tricks while observing others play slot machines, plus a bit of luck, and I won this much!"
Hearing this, a look of disappointment flashed in A Hua's eyes. She muttered, "Tricks and luck... Is it really like this? This is a bit difficult now."
"Huh? Why?" Lu Yibei tilted her head.
"First, there are no gambling machines on the middle three floors. Second, almost all the gamblers there have some special methods," A Hua said seriously.
"So, it's impossible for you to continue winning chips using the small tricks and luck you've learned."
"You must at least be proficient in one or two types of chess or cards, plus have some special methods, to possibly win chips from the Entertainment City or other guests."
"Wait..." Lu Yibei thought about A Hua's words for a moment, understanding her meaning, and let out a soft exclamation, "Holy crap! Do you mean that everyone on the middle three floors is cheating?"
A Hua nodded, "That's pretty much the meaning."
"Damn it! Is there any justice left?" Lu Yibei said indignantly, "They're doing this, and the Entertainment City doesn't care? Didn't they say the gambling here is absolutely fair?!"
A Hua looked at the Rabbit Girls walking back and forth not far away, and lowered her voice, "Can you keep it down?"
"Of course they have to manage it. There's even a group of people disguised as guests mixed in the crowd, specifically catching those who cheat."
"In fact, within this Entertainment City, using any means to win a gamble is tacitly allowed, provided you don't get caught."
"As long as you don't get caught cheating, it's not cheating, right?"
"..."
Lu Yibei was silent for a moment, then looked at A Hua and said seriously, "I think, maybe we shouldn't go up? I'll just play slot machines down here."
"Although it's a bit slow, I should still be able to accumulate one hundred thousand chips to go to the upper three floors, right? Maybe it will only take four or five days."
In fact, over the past three hours, Lu Yibei's mind had been in a state of high concentration in order to use her prediction ability, and she was already feeling a bit tired.
According to her estimation, while ensuring the prediction results were accurate, she could maintain that state of high mental concentration for at most seven hours, and then she would need to rest for a long time.
Furthermore, she could only ensure small wins continuously, and couldn't guarantee the number of times she'd hit the high-multiplier patterns. According to Lu Yibei's conservative estimate, it would take at least three or four days to win one hundred thousand chips.
If it was really as A Hua said, that there was a group of staff members in the Entertainment City disguised as guests, specifically catching gamblers who cheated, this time might be even longer.
After all, winning one hundred thousand chips continuously through gambling machines is a very exaggerated thing and hard not to attract attention.
"It won't work," A Hua shook her head. "In a few days, Miss will probably have accumulated enough chips to gamble with the Big Boss."
"Once she enters the Wu Hui Land, when she can come out, and whether we still have a chance to see her, are all unknown."
As soon as A Hua thought about the possibility of Jiang Li never being able to come out after entering the Wu Hui Land, her eyes immediately darkened, and she lowered her head.
"In that case..." Lu Yibei thought for a moment and said seriously, "How about we go back first? I heard your Night Watch has welfare cemeteries. How about we arrange one for her first?"
"You..." A Hua's chest rose and fell violently for a moment. She said fiercely, "You're infuriating me. It's a waste that our Miss values you so much! Do you have any conscience at all?"
"Uh..." Lu Yibei said awkwardly, "I was just making a suggestion. If you don't agree, then we can only go up first, right?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Oh, right, just to confirm with you, besides everyone cheating in this ghost place, there aren't any dark duels or anything, right?"
"What are you talking about?" A Hua was startled.
Lu Yibei rolled her eyes at A Hua, "I mean, they only gamble money here, not lives, right?"
If there were games like Killer Poker, Fatal Mahjong, or Death Chess, then I'd rather stay down here and play slot machines, win more money, and burn it for Jiang Li. Lu Yibei thought.
"Mmm, no," A Hua nodded. "At least the middle three floors are still regular chess and card games."
"Alright!" Lu Yibei snapped her fingers, full of confidence. "As long as there's no life danger, leave the rest to me to figure out!"
A Hua's eyes slightly lit up. At this moment, she actually felt that Lu Yibei seemed reliable.
She grabbed Lu Yibei's hands and nodded vigorously, "Mhm, mhm, I'll leave finding my Miss to you!"
Facing this scene that felt like an old mother entrusting her child, Lu Yibei's cheeks flushed slightly. She awkwardly avoided A Hua's burning gaze and muttered softly, "Uh, this is my first time doing this too, I'll try my best, try my best..."
Looking at Lu Yibei's unusual reaction, and seeming to realize that the words she spoke out of excitement were ambiguous, a blush also spread across A Hua's face. She quickly explained, "I, I meant that I'm entrusting you with the matter of finding my Miss. There's no other meaning."
"Mhm, I know," Lu Yibei responded softly.
"Oh, mhm..." A Hua nodded.
Thus, until two other guests who were also going to the middle three floors appeared, Lu Yibei and A Hua did not speak another word.
Three minutes later.
Accompanied by the light tapping sound of high heels against the ground, two Rabbit Girls led two guests walking from a distance.
From afar, Lu Yibei heard a cheer, "Hehe, Little Girl, I didn't expect to meet you here, it's fate!"
Looking towards the sound, a finely dressed Old man appeared in Lu Yibei's line of sight.
He was wearing a white three-piece suit, a black bow tie, his leather shoes were clean and spotless, even his small mustache was meticulously trimmed, and he wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
He looked like Colonel Sanders from a K-brand fast food commercial.
Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment. It wasn't until the Old man walked up to her that she recognized him as Liu Banxian.
"Damn, how did you end up looking like this?"
"Hehe!" Liu Banxian laughed proudly and replied, "I was down and out before and hadn't changed clothes in a long time. After winning enough chips, I went and took a comfortable bath and changed clothes, and also exchanged for an image design package."
"How about it, don't I look very handsome now?"
"..." Lu Yibei looked at Liu Banxian and said expressionlessly, "You look okay, but there's a strange smell of fried chicken."
Liu Banxian didn't mind Lu Yibei's teasing. He reached into the pocket close to his jacket for a moment, pulled out a chip, and put it in her hand.
Although Liu Banxian wasn't very serious, he was a man of his word. When he borrowed chips from Lu Yibei before, he said he would repay ten times the amount, and he not only kept his word but also repaid quite a bit more.
"Oh, right, the chips I borrowed from you earlier, I'll return them to you here first!"
After speaking, he cupped his hands towards Lu Yibei and then swaggered over to sit in front of the mechanical door at the end of the lounge, asked a Rabbit Girl for a glass of wine, and began to taste it alone.
After Liu Banxian had gone, Lu Yibei looked at the thousand-denomination chip in her hand, pondered thoughtfully for a moment, and turned her head to quietly ask A Hua, "A Hua, will lending high-interest loans to others in this place get you caught?"
Friendly reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your book shelf and reading record in time (screenshots are recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
Lending Liu Banxian dozens of chips turned into a thousand in just over three hours. This business is too profitable!
“Theoretically...” A Hua’s words trailed off, her eyes widening as she looked at Lu Yibei. “Wait! You’re not thinking of going upstairs to do loan sharking, are you?”
“You absolutely must not think of such crooked ways! At least fifty percent of the people upstairs are high-level Psychic and urban legend. If they borrow money and can’t pay it back, what will you do?”
“Even if they can’t beat you, they can still manage to slip away from you, right?”
Hearing this, Lu Yibei pouted in disappointment. “I was just asking. I wouldn’t take the risk until I find a way to ensure they pay back the money!”
“However, from what you said, it seems the Entertainment City doesn’t prohibit guests from engaging in activities other than gambling? What about predatory lending? Fundraising fraud? Extortion?”
A Hua, “...” Is there nothing else in her mind besides illegal and disorderly conduct?
She didn't answer Lu Yibei's question, but Lu Yibei's mind was racing.
Just as Lu Yibei was thinking, A Hua said softly, “Didn’t I tell you? As long as you don’t get caught, any method can be used.”
Although A Hua didn’t know what crooked and wicked ideas Lu Yibei was plotting, based on the stories Jiang Li had told her about Lu Yibei, those ideas were usually quite effective.
So...
Let her try, it wouldn't hurt? A Hua thought.
“Oh?” Lu Yibei’s eyebrows raised slightly, several bold ideas simultaneously appearing in her mind, the light flickering in her eyes gradually becoming twisted.
Ten minutes later.
The last guest heading to the middle third floor also arrived in the lounge, led by a Rabbit Girl.
He was a tall man with a dark face that looked weathered by time, his eyebrows sharp like knives. He exuded a chilling aura that made people want to keep their distance.
He walked past Lu Yibei and Liu Banxian as if they didn't exist, his gaze and steps not pausing at all as he went directly to the mechanical door.
At this moment, a Rabbit Girl wearing a red dress walked over gracefully, bowed to everyone in the lounge, and gently reminded, “Dear guests, the passage is about to open. Please gather around me to wait, and I will lead you to the middle third floor.”
After speaking, she waited for a moment. Only when Lu Yibei and Liu Banxian gathered in front of the mechanical door did she turn around, place her hands on the mechanical password lock on the door, and twist it with force.
Accompanied by a soft whirring of machinery and gears, the mechanical door suddenly cracked open, and a puff of white steam escaped from the gap.
After the white steam dissipated and the mechanical door fully opened, a spacious semi-circular platform appeared in everyone's view.
The platform's walls were made of smooth floor-to-ceiling glass, and the dome was made of colorful glazed tiles with intricate patterns.
Lu Yibei and A Hua exchanged glances and boarded this elevator-like transportation tool with the others.
After all the passengers had boarded the platform, the red-dressed Rabbit Girl placed her hands on the password lock on the inside of the mechanical door again and twisted it forcefully.
Thus, the mechanical door closed, a sense of weightlessness struck, and as the platform slowly ascended, the city shrouded in night in the distance came into full view.
One minute later, the platform arrived at the central third floor lobby of the Entertainment City.
The moment the mechanical door opened, the tall man took the lead, walked out quickly, and soon disappeared from sight.
Liu Banxian followed closely behind. As he passed by Lu Yibei, he paused slightly and whispered a reminder, “Fellow countryman, did you see that person just now? He’s most likely a dark lamp of the Entertainment City. When you’re playing inside later, try to avoid him.”
Lu Yibei was taken aback and asked in confusion, “Dark lamp? What’s that?”
“Tch!” Liu Banxian spat and quickly explained, “A dark lamp is an informant, an informant hired by the Entertainment City to pretend to be a gambler, specifically to prevent people from cheating.”
“Based on my experience of playing here for so many years, there’s a seventy to eighty percent chance that guy just now is a dark lamp of the Entertainment City.”
So that’s what these guys are called dark lamps... Lu Yibei nodded thoughtfully and cupped her hands towards Liu Banxian. “Thank you, Banxian. I’ll be careful.”
After speaking, she secretly glanced at the Rabbit Girl beside her, but the Rabbit Girl showed no reaction, seemingly completely indifferent to the content of Liu Banxian’s conversation with her.
“There’s nothing to thank me for!” Liu Banxian said dismissively, patting Lu Yibei on the shoulder. “We’re fellow countrymen, after all! What’s more, thanks to you lending me chips, I have a chance to turn things around.”
Saying that, he leaned closer to Lu Yibei and lowered his voice. “To be honest with you, I cast a divination when I left home today, and the hexagram showed that a noble person would help me, and I would have great fortune. I’m sure to dominate today and make a fortune!”
After speaking, Liu Banxian stretched and shouted, “Woohoo, I, Liu Hansan, am back!” He quickly ran towards the lobby.
Lu Yibei, “...”
This guy is “refined and gentle” when giving divinations for others, but “great fortune” when giving divinations for himself. No wonder he used to get beaten up so often!
————
On the other side.
Just as Lu Yibei and Liu Banxian were having their brief conversation, the tall man, after passing through the lobby, went up to the third floor and directly entered the elegant room directly opposite the staircase.
Just as Liu Banxian had guessed, this tall man, named Nan Hao, was indeed a dark lamp.
Nan Hao pushed open the door to the elegant room. As soon as he entered, a thin and sallow young man greeted him, shouting excitedly, “Void, I caught a few big fish today, you wouldn’t believe it...”
“You ♦ shut up!”
Nan Hao’s shout immediately scared the young man out of his joyful report.
“...”
The young man silently sized up Nan Hao. Seeing his fierce and frightening eyes and the muscles on his face trembling, he immediately understood that he was in a fit of anger, an expression he only had when he was extremely angry.
“Those people have been playing here for more than ten days and have been winning almost every day,” Nan Hao said angrily. “I just went out to check their background and found nothing. I’m afraid they’re up to no good.”
The people who run the Entertainment City are not afraid of guests winning money. Even someone like Jiang Li who won a huge amount of chips consecutively doesn't scare them. However, they are afraid of guests winning money through unconventional means, especially those unconventional means that other guests notice but can't find any evidence of.
In other words, they are not afraid of guests cheating, only afraid that guests who cheat will be noticed by other guests, but their dark lamps cannot catch those cheaters.
If this continues, the reputation of the Entertainment City will likely be affected.
“Void, are you talking about those two guys who came a few days ago?” The young man frowned. “Le Er and Ma Bing are already keeping an eye on them.”
“Just the two of them? They’ll just lose money!” Nan Hao said fiercely, pacing to the window of the elegant room.
There was a huge floor-to-ceiling glass window sealed with a solidified Spell. Through the glass, one could almost overlook all the gambling tables in the middle third floor lobby, except for the mahjong rooms.
Nan Hao stopped at the window, his gaze looking out through the floor-to-ceiling glass, focusing on a Texas Hold'em table in the corner of the first floor.
There were five people sitting at the table: two dark lamps, two suspected cheaters, and one poor bystander.
Among them, Nan Hao was particularly focused on the middle-aged man among the two suspected targets.
He had two messy eyebrows that looked like brooms, his left eyebrow seemed to have been cut open in the middle, and under his messy bangs, his eyes were deep blue, almost black, his nose bridge was high, and his unhealthy pale, thin face was covered in a large beard.
Just as Nan Hao was observing the middle-aged man, the young man paced to his side and forced a smile. “Void, Le Er and Ma Bing have been keeping a close eye on them today and have won back quite a bit of money. I think...”
Nan Hao glanced at the young man behind him out of the corner of his eye and interrupted. “Won back quite a bit, how much is that?”
“About...” The young man thought back to the data his companions had sent back and replied, “About forty to fifty percent?”
“Forty to fifty percent...” Nan Hao muttered to himself, his gaze returning to the gambling table in the corner, his eyes narrowed slightly. The next moment, after noticing a slight change in the micro-expression on his subordinate’s face, his own expression changed slightly.
“Damn it! Le Er and Ma Bing are going to lose!”
After speaking, he rushed out of the elegant room and ran towards the table in the corner.
However...
By the time Nan Hao arrived at the table, the game was over, the two suspected targets had already left, and only the poor bystander was sprawled in his chair like a salted fish, his two subordinates hanging their heads, their faces full of shame.
Seeing this, Nan Hao quickly walked up, pulled the two subordinates into a hidden corner, and asked in a low voice, “What’s going on? Did you find anything? Le Er, you tell me!”
This young man, called Le Er, was his capable assistant and had helped him catch many cheaters in the past.
“He, they...” The young man stammered for a while, then sighed. “Sorry, Void, I didn’t see anything either.”
“They were clearly losing at first, and both of us and that guest won quite a bit.”
“But I don’t know why, in the last hand, our luck suddenly got really good, and the cards we were dealt had very high values, so we couldn’t resist following a couple more hands, and then...”
“Alright, you don’t need to say anymore, I think I understand,” Nan Hao interrupted. As he spoke, he looked at the two targets walking away, his eyes narrowed, his gaze deepening.
————
Meanwhile, in the corner of the second floor.
Lu Yibei stood in the corridor, looked at the gloomy-faced Nan Hao, then looked at the two suspected cheaters walking away, and nodded thoughtfully.
Then...
She turned her head and said seriously, “A Hua, I just want to confirm again, extortion won’t get me caught, right?”
