Lucky Cruise
Chapter 575: A willing pawn
Ji Guan won.
The racecourse fell into a dead silence, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The first to react was Chen Mo in the studio.
He pressed [No.9] dealer’s head firmly onto the table: “Release him; hurry up!”
“Cough cough… hehehehe!” Dealer [No.9] coughed in her own blood, making strange noises, seemingly having no intention of cooperating.
Chen Cheng: “Don’t force me to chop you up even more thoroughly.”
Wen Jianyan also came back to his senses. He leaned down, staring directly into the other’s bloodshot, swollen eyes, and said softly:
“A champion has emerged.”
His attitude was peaceful, almost devoid of any threat:
“Announce the champion. That’s your job, isn’t it?”
NPCs’ power stemmed from their identity, and their weaknesses were born alongside it.
The reason [No.9] could be drawn out by their bank-robbing method, the reason Chen Cheng could arrive in time to find an opening and slice her in two, was largely because she couldn’t escape the dual identity of “Chip Factory Supervisor” and “Racecourse Master.”
This was more like the constraints of certain rules.
Dealer [No.9] looked at him with resentment, but finally, she slowly raised her bloodstained finger and pressed a button on the control panel in front of her.
Her voice, which had been as weak as a gossamer thread, suddenly became impassioned and full of emotion again:
“All spectators who bet on Number Seven have won this round!! —It seems this contestant is not only powerful but also incredibly lucky. According to the rules, all his debts are written off, and he will also receive the grand prize of this competition!”
With the announcement of the race’s end, the atmosphere in the arena, which had briefly stagnated, became lively again. Those who bet on the right horse cheered and rejoiced, while those who didn’t complained and cursed. The arena dimmed, the blood-soaked track disappeared, and sinking into darkness along with it was the figure of Ji Guan lying at the finish line.
“Where will the winner be taken? Speak!” Chen Mo pressed.
However, Dealer [No.9] could no longer answer.
She slumped sideways, her dead grey eyes rolling upward, fragments of internal organs flowing out from her severed body.
She was dead.
The studio fell into a dead silence.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and said, “Ji Guan is now the champion. Since it’s been announced that he survived, the instance shouldn’t let him die after winning.”
The group split up to act.
Chen Cheng, Wen Ya, and Kong Wei had exhausted their talents too much and needed immediate rest. Chen Mo left with them to search for Ji Guan’s whereabouts, while Wen Jianyan and Chang Feiyu stayed behind to search the unexplored studio.
After everyone left, Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, pressed his hands on the countertop, and slowly exhaled.
This was a pyrrhic victory.
But no matter what, Ji Guan survived.
For anchors like them, getting injured in an instance was as common as a daily meal. Not only had Wen Jianyan suffered fatal injuries multiple times, but Hugo had also lost limbs in the previous instance. However, as long as they could leave the instance alive, they could use points to restore all wounds.
The only thing the Nightmare couldn’t reverse was death.
…As long as he’s alive.
Wen Jianyan’s fingers pressing on the table turned slightly white from force, and the emotions that had been reflexively blocked surged back.
“President? Come look at this,” Chang Feiyu’s voice came from the side.
Wen Jianyan turned his head, habitually hiding all emotions beneath a calm exterior: “What?”
On the ground, Dealer [No.9]’s corpse had disappeared, almost making one suspect she had never appeared. In the pool of blood, replaced by a very small blood-red agate stone, presenting an eerie luster under the light, as if blood had coagulated within it.
“This… seems to be the same material as the gem inlaid on Figaro’s cane?” Chang Feiyu hesitated and said.
Anyone else might not have noticed, but the information about Figaro’s cane was told to Wen Jianyan by him, so naturally, he could discover the similarity between the two.
“Seems so,” Wen Jianyan said.
“What exactly is this?” Chang Feiyu couldn’t help asking curiously.
It clearly wasn’t some hidden item; otherwise, there would have been a system prompt the moment he touched it.
Wen Jianyan: “A key.”
At least on the surface, it looked like one.
However, for some reason, Wen Jianyan felt it seemed to be more than just a simple key.
He bent down, picked up the agate stone from the ground, and said slowly: “Also, if I’m not mistaken, it should only be a fragment of it.”
Simple logical reasoning led to such a conclusion.
The Lucky Cruise had a total of three management layers. The agate stone in Figaro’s hand could open all secret doors on floors related to Campbell—that is, the auction. Then, logically speaking, there should be two other agate stones capable of opening secret doors on floors corresponding to the other two management layers.
And this one should belong to Mesvis’ side.
But compared to Figaro’s, it was too small, so it definitely wasn’t complete.
“Then…” Chang Feiyu said, “Could the remaining fragments be on other dealers?”
Wen Jianyan: “Logically speaking, that should be the case.”
And… if it were pieced together completely, one should be able to obtain privileges similar to Figaro’s—and specifically for Mesvis’ side.
The moment he reached this conclusion, a shiver involuntarily ran down Wen Jianyan’s spine.
Indeed, the Oracle was currently far ahead of them in progress, but in this instant, he found a way to close the gap or even directly reverse the situation.
But…
Should he do this? Wen Jianyan hadn’t decided yet.
He put away the fragment: “Keep searching; see if there are any other important clues.”
Unfortunately, the studio was empty; there was nothing else besides this.
Wen Jianyan withdrew his gaze and exhaled deeply.
More importantly, he didn’t find the pass to the next level.
This meant that besides successfully participating in horse betting, there was no other channel to obtain this thing… This was what Wen Jianyan least wanted to see—precisely because of this, after leaving the racecourse for the first time, he avoided Wen Ya’s question and was unwilling to even mention this method of breaking the game as a possibility.
No matter what, he didn’t want to choose this path.
It was tragic to the extreme.
But undoubtedly correct.
After the search ended, the two left the studio.
Perhaps because Dealer [No.9] was dead, the pipes and machines manufacturing chips outside also stopped operating. The dripping sound of viscous liquid disappeared, replaced by a deathly silence.
But Wen Jianyan knew this silence wouldn’t last long.
Just as Ethan’s positions were immediately filled after their deaths, it shouldn’t be long before a new dealer replaces Aisley’s position. Chip manufacturing wouldn’t stop, just as the racecourse would continue to operate as usual.
“Alright, let’s go.”
According to the message sent by Chen Mo, Wen Jianyan arrived at the Negative 10th Floor and walked all the way to Cabin A-19.
The room wasn’t small, at least compared to the few rooms Wen Jianyan had stayed in before; it was like heaven and earth. However, at this moment, because too many people were gathered here, the originally spacious room became exceptionally crowded.
The smell of blood in the air was heavy.
Chen Cheng sat by the porthole, chugging potions bottle after bottle. Kong Wei lay like a corpse on the sofa. Wen Ya looked terrible; a shocking laceration cut across her cheek, making that originally gentle and serene beautiful face look somewhat ferocious.
And the one in the worst condition was undoubtedly Ji Guan lying on the bed.
He had clearly been treated; his whole body was wrapped in thick bandages. No obvious wounds were exposed, but under the heavy sheets, his entire person seemed reduced to a small lump. Gauze was wrapped around his eyes, the sockets below deeply sunken, clearly empty inside.
Blond, with gauze wrapped around his right eye, squatted silently at the head of the bed, lost in thought.
“He was sent back to the room before we arrived,” Chen Mo stood up and said. “Stable condition, life not in danger.”
“President?” Seeming to hear the voice from this side, Ji Guan turned his head.
“Mn.” Wen Jianyan responded.
With Ji Guan’s movement, the tattoo on the side of his neck was revealed. However, unlike before the instance started, it was no longer faintly visible but had become much clearer and distinct. That malicious ghost face was quietly peering out from under his skin.
“Sigh, I really didn’t want to scare you guys,” Ji Guan said. “But obviously, I can’t hide it anymore.”
When he volunteered to become a “racehorse,” he only said with certainty that he had a way to save his life, but as to what exactly it was, Ji Guan didn’t explain.
“This thing on me is a real ghost.”
Not long after Wen Jianyan entered the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance, the safe time Ji Guan could stay in the anchor hall expired. So, to survive, he had to enter an instance again. Entering the instance with him this time were Chen Mo’s former subordinate, Nan Ming, Nan Li, and a team member under Wen Ya, Elise.
The Deserted Village instance, difficulty originally B-, rose to A+ later.
Four-person squad, only Ji Guan survived; the other three were left behind forever.
“Their deaths were because of it.” Ji Guan gave a bitter laugh. “But similarly, I survived because of it too.”
Ji Guan’s talent was Spirit Vision. Compared to others in the guild, his talent wasn’t outstanding and could even be replaced by the vast majority of mediums. However, in a supernatural instance like Deserted Village, it led to a bizarre ending—he could see “them,” and “they” could find him.
Precisely because of this, through a series of accidents, they awakened an existence that shouldn’t have been awakened.
“Simply put, it attached itself to me. Its consciousness and mine formed a fragile balance. As long as the balance is maintained, we can coexist peacefully for now,” Ji Guan said. “However, once fed enough vitality, it can come ‘alive’ and take over my body.”
“With it, I can’t die, but similarly, the more I use it, the faster the balance breaks.”
Ji Guan pursed his lips tight.
“It’s constantly trying to seize control of my body, and once it fully revives, I will disappear forever.”
“However, what’s worse is, according to my observation, even doing nothing, the scales still slowly tilt towards the ghost’s side… That means, even if I never use it, sooner or later, its consciousness will still replace mine.”
This was why Ji Guan had been so secretive about it.
No team would accept such a ticking time bomb… If the Nightmare taught people anything, the first lesson must be “Don’t test human nature.”
“I originally planned absolutely not to say it unless absolutely necessary,” Ji Guan shrugged his only remaining shoulder. “But you kid really did too much.”
His tone was relaxed: “Helping you out this once, it was worth it.”
Wen Jianyan didn’t speak.
“Anyway, a win is a win.” Although blind and unable to see Wen Jianyan’s face, Ji Guan still grinned. “How about it, my performance up there was pretty cool, right?”
Wen Jianyan stood before his bed, tucked in the corner of his blanket, his tone very gentle:
“Mn, cool.”
Even though his life was not in danger, the consumption on the racecourse was too great—both psychologically and physiologically.
So, Ji Guan soon fell into a deep sleep again.
Wen Jianyan walked out of the room and gently closed the door. But before he could walk far, a familiar voice came from behind: “Wait.”
Wen Jianyan stopped in his tracks and looked back.
It was Wen Ya who called him.
“President.” Wen Ya walked up. “I want to talk to you.”
Wen Jianyan: “Hm?”
“I pushed for this action single-handedly,” Wen Ya lowered her eyes, hiding the pain in their depths. “Making plans without authorization while you were away, and leading to such tragic consequences… It’s my fault. I’m very sorry.”
“But, that’s not what I really wanted to say.”
Wen Ya raised her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly as if in pain.
“President, we are holding you back.”
For anyone else, teammates meant assistance, but for Wen Jianyan, especially in this instance, teammates were a burden.
To survive, they needed a huge amount of money, and as time passed, this number would only continue to grow.
Indeed, just as Su Cheng said, Wen Jianyan was like an old hen, secretly protecting all his teammates under his wings. He paid for everyone’s room fees and didn’t require them to participate in gambling.
Similarly… because of his teammates’ existence, his actions became restricted, unable to take risks.
After the first night ended, Wen Jianyan said: “Worry about what? Your President has plenty of money.”
At that time, Chen Cheng, who was watching coldly from the side, sneered and stayed away from their “pajama party.”
Precisely because he sensed Wen Jianyan’s overprotection of his teammates and anticipated the mediocre measures he might take later, he lost interest in acting with them.
“The difficulty of this instance doesn’t match our abilities, and precisely because of this, you have to pay more, spend more… If you were the only one here, I believe you would do better and be more dashing than now.”
Wen Ya said.
“You shouldn’t be bound by the responsibility of protecting us.”
You shouldn’t slow down for people inferior to yourself.
“Do you remember when you recruited me?” Wen Ya asked.
After the Fantasy Amusement Park, Wen Jianyan had a very brief conversation with Wen Ya and Yun Bilan.
“‘Cannot create privileges, cannot guarantee benefits, cannot provide protection,'” Wen Ya repeated the exact words Wen Jianyan once said. “You said the only thing you could give us is freedom.”
She looked at Wen Jianyan. Even though her beautiful face was split by a ferocious wound, her eyes remained calm, introverted, and full of power.
“And this is exactly what I pursue.”
Precisely because she was moved by these words from Wen Jianyan, Wen Ya decided to give up Eternal Day, refuse their cultivation, join this unknown small guild, and pour her heart and blood into it.
Wen Ya looked deeply at Wen Jianyan:
“Not just me, all of us believe in you—believe that you are the one who will set us free.”
They were more than just simple friends.
They were companions advancing with fire in the darkness, unafraid of sacrifice.
Live freely, die freely.
No matter what, it was far better than being trapped in the Nightmare’s cage, acting as a bird for others to admire.
“To achieve the goal, please use us as much as possible.”
“All of us are willing to be your pawns.”
