Anchor Hall
Chapter 530: “JACKPOT!!!”
Wen Jianyan checked the time.
His broadcast today had lasted two hours and thirty-five minutes, and he had already completed three private tasks.
The public task was issued at noon.
If this task was not completed, his broadcast privileges would be suspended for 12 hours, which meant that if he failed, today’s broadcast task would definitely not be completed.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan held the glass of bubbly orange champagne in his hand and took the lead.
He waved to the group at the bar and said lazily:
“Don’t forget, there’s a time limit for this task—let’s make it quick.”
The group exchanged glances and followed him.
On the Fortune cruise ship, the casino area had no distinction between VIP and non-VIP areas. As long as an anchor had chips, they could enter, regardless of what class of ticket they held.
The moment they stepped into the casino area, a wave of hedonistic noise and heat washed over them.
The music from pachinko and slot machines echoed through the hall, and the clinking of chips could awaken the deepest desires hidden in one’s heart.
Although the casino on the Fortune cruise ship had always been lively, due to the start of Nightmare’s reality show, it was now almost overcrowded.
“…”
Wen Jianyan stood at the edge of the crowd and frowned.
Perhaps because the reality show was currently live, the number of security guards here had noticeably increased. This was normal; after all, with the existence of the private task mechanism, someone would inevitably try to stir up trouble. To maintain the normal order of the casino, dense security was obviously necessary.
But…
He still felt like something wasn’t quite right.
Wen Jianyan looked up, his gaze shifting upwards.
Suddenly, he was startled.
To accommodate enough gamblers, tables, and equipment, the dome of the entire casino was extremely high. Ornate patterns spiraled upwards, looking like a giant vortex from below, pulling everyone’s gaze.
In mid-air was the casino’s second floor.
Dark, reflective glass perfectly blocked the prying eyes of everyone below, flawlessly hiding everything behind it.
…Did this casino have a second floor before?
Wen Jianyan frowned, searching his memory for the answer, but ultimately came up empty.
He really had no impression of it.
On the other side, a huge screen was suspended.
This, at least, was there the last time Wen Jianyan came.
If someone won chips equivalent to ten times their total asset points, their ID would be displayed on the screen. While gaining the envy of everyone present, they would also receive a complimentary high-end black card from the casino, as well as a luxury cruise package that could be redeemed at any time.
This time, however, the screen showed two rows of numbers. The numbers were large and small, all jumping rapidly, making it dizzying to watch, and there was no text explanation.
Wen Jianyan quickly grabbed an attendant.
“Esteemed guest,” the attendant stopped and asked politely, “is there anything you need?”
Wen Jianyan pointed to the screen above and asked directly:
“What do those numbers on the screen mean?”
The attendant shook his head: “I’m sorry, I don’t know either.”
“However, if you’re asking about the honor roll—it hasn’t been canceled. Once a guest wins more than ten times their chips, you will still be able to appear on the screen and receive the various honors and privileges provided by this casino,” he said very politely.
Knowing he wouldn’t get any more information.
Wen Jianyan released his hand: “Alright, you can go.”
“Understood. If you need anything, you can call me at any time.”
The attendant bowed and turned to leave.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Mo looked up, his gaze falling on the screen, his brow furrowing slightly. “Did you find something amiss?”
Wen Ya stared at him: “If there is, we can disembark at any time.”
Wen Jianyan shook his head, uttering a single, precious word:
“…No.”
—There really wasn’t anything abnormal.
So far, everything he had discovered was merely a minor adjustment. To say that Nightmare was organizing some grand conspiracy based on these details was a bit of a stretch.
However, the feeling of unease still lingered in his heart.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and lifted his chin: “Let’s go complete the task.”
He looked at the group and instructed:
“Just complete the live stream task. Stop immediately once you run out of chips—we’ll gather here in three hours.”
“Understood.” The group nodded and dispersed.
Wen Jianyan went to a nearby chip counter.
The exchange rate between chips and points in the casino was 1:1, and the minimum denomination of a chip was 50, which meant the minimum bet in the casino was 50 points.
Wen Jianyan exchanged his chips.
There were three colors of chips in the Fortune cruise ship casino, each color having different denominations.
Green denominations were 25, 100, 500.
Gold denomination was 1000.
Red denomination was 5000.
However, the red chips with the highest denomination rarely appeared at the tables. Most people primarily used green and gold chips when playing.
Wen Jianyan casually exchanged for a few chips of each color, spending a total of ten thousand points.
For an ordinary anchor, this was not a small sum.
After a D-rank instance live stream, an ordinary anchor might only earn a few thousand points. Wen Jianyan himself had only earned twenty thousand points from his first platinum-cleared live stream.
However, for Wen Jianyan, who was now one of Nightmare’s top ten, this amount of points was just a drop in the bucket.
He casually picked up a chip and fiddled with it.
The texture was ordinary.
It was just plastic, with no sinister coldness.
Wen Jianyan nodded his thanks to the attendant, stuffed the chips into his pocket, and then opened the live stream interface:
“What do you want to play?”
Barrages of comments flew across the screen, and countless related bounties popped up.
Wen Jianyan glanced at them and casually accepted one.
“Sure, slot machines are fine.”
He sauntered over to the clanging slot machine area and casually chose a machine to sit at.
The colorful lights of the slot machine in front of him reflected in the unfinished Sunset Champagne in his cup, creating a beautiful sparkle.
Wen Jianyan took a sip of his drink, his expression calm.
Slot machines.
The most common and harmless machines in a casino.
Colorful lights, cheerful music, jumping patterns, it looked like some kind of toy, but Wen Jianyan knew clearly that this thing was actually the most addictive and terrifying thing in the entire casino.
It had no minimum bet; playing one round required the lowest amount.
But corresponding to this was an enticing, continuously accumulating huge prize pool, and an almost non-existent skill barrier.
The lowest cost, the highest return.
The bets of hundreds or thousands at the gambling tables were certainly tempting, but a larger amount of money was devoured by these seemingly harmless machines.
People would be wary of a 5,000-point bet in a single game, but not a slot machine that only cost 25 to spin.
In the real world, addicted gamblers would crowd around these terrifying machines designed for the greedy, using their limited chips to fill an endless abyss.
Wen Jianyan casually picked a green chip, inserted it into the slot machine, and pulled the lever.
The chip clinked down, the colorful lights on it instantly lit up, and patterns spun wildly under the lights, then slowly stopped.
As expected, he lost.
Wen Jianyan’s expression was still faint, as if he had long expected this result.
The system’s announcement sounded in his ear again: “Congratulations to the anchor for completing the public task: Go to a casino and complete at least one game.”
“Reward Points: 2000!”
The public task was complete.
And the moment the public task was completed, the third public task was immediately issued.
【Public Task: Please go to any nearby casino within one day and win any game at a table】
【Reward Points: 5000】
【Failure Penalty: 24-hour broadcast privilege revoked】
【Note: This is the last public task for today. It will not refresh again before midnight after completion】
Mmm, so the third task was to win.
Then he couldn’t play the slot machines.
With his luck, if he won one out of three hundred games, it would be a miracle.
Wen Jianyan turned his head and looked in other directions.
So what should he play?
Since this area was under the jurisdiction of the anchor hall, anchors couldn’t use their talents.
Furthermore, just like in real-world casinos, cheating was not allowed here. Once caught, one would face very severe punishment and sanctions.
Wen Jianyan did rely on cheating to win when playing cards with Bai Xue, but in a casino, his hands were actually quite clean.
After all, this was a place controlled by Nightmare. Unless his opponent was a player, Wen Jianyan was very cautious.
Besides…
Winning in a casino didn’t just rely on cheating.
Wen Jianyan picked up the Sunset Champagne beside him and took another sip. The amber liquid, filled with rich, dense bubbles, slid down his throat. A subtle heat spread from his stomach, his limbs growing warm, and his nerves seemed to start going numb.
The capillaries in his face began to dilate, a sweet, light red showing through under his skin.
“…”
Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes, looking down at the champagne in his hand.
My god.
Although this drink had a beautiful color and a fruity aroma, its kick was far stronger than he had imagined.
Wen Jianyan considered himself to have a decent alcohol tolerance, but after drinking just half a glass, he already felt a little tipsy.
Wen Jianyan propped his head up, a lazy drunkenness already brewing in his eyes.
As expected, these bounties issued by the audience… not a single one was harmless.
He looked around and quickly chose the next game he was going to play.
However, just as Wen Jianyan took a step, he felt his arm being grabbed.
“?”
He paused and looked back.
A youth with white hair and white skin was standing behind him at some point. He tilted his head expressionlessly, staring at him with a pair of pitch-black eyes.
It was Bai Xue.
The moment he saw him, Wen Jianyan’s vision went black, and he felt a little desperate.
Ancestor, why are you still following me??
He’s like a piece of dog-skin plaster that can’t be shaken off!
Just as Wen Jianyan was racking his brains trying to figure out how to brush him off, Bai Xue spoke.
“That one.” He pointed to a slot machine not far away and said in a low voice.
Wen Jianyan was startled.
Bai Xue: “Go play that one.”
“…”
A glint flashed in Wen Jianyan’s eyes.
Indeed, an anchor’s talent was sealed in the anchor hall, but Bai Xue was different. Not only was he one of Nightmare’s top ten, but his talent was also a passive skill.
Could it be…?
Wen Jianyan gave Bai Xue a suspicious look. As if to confirm something, he turned and walked towards the slot machine Bai Xue had pointed out.
Just like before, he inserted a chip and pulled the lever.
The familiar cheerful sound rang out, the patterns jumped quickly, then gradually slowed down, and finally… three identical patterns appeared on the screen.
“Ding ding ding!!!”
“JACKPOT!!!” — “YOU WIN!!!”
Clatter clatter!!
Colorful chips cascaded down like a small waterfall, clanging as they hit the metal tray below. Many even jumped over the edge and fell to the ground.
“…”
Staring at the jackpot that had suddenly fallen before him, Wen Jianyan blinked.
My god… it actually worked?
In the “Integrity First” Live Room:
[???]
[What the?]
[Holy cow, jackpot, that’s the f*cking grand prize. What’s going on? My memory is still stuck on the anchor being an unlucky bastard. How did his luck turn around when I wasn’t paying attention?]
[Don’t forget, this is Bai Xue. This is the quality of the strongest psychic!! Who gets it!!]
The pleasant sound of the jackpot continued to echo, and envious or jealous gazes were cast from all directions.
Bai Xue: “Am I amazing?”
Wen Jianyan clicked his tongue: “Amazing.”
It was more than amazing; it was simply incredible.
So, Bai Xue once again tugged on Wen Jianyan’s sleeve, looked up, and said hopefully:
“Then, can we play cards?”
The reason the other had refused him last time was because his skills were too poor.
If that was the case, then this time…
“No!”
But unexpectedly, after hitting the jackpot, Wen Jianyan’s answer was still firm and unhesitating.
“Absolutely not!”
Bai Xue: “…”
In the “Integrity First” Live Room:
[Hahahaha! He answered so fast!!!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, talk about using someone and then tossing them aside.]
[I’m dying of laughter, the anchor is simply heartless! Not a shred of conscience or guilt!]
[Wuwuwuwu poor baby Bai Xue, come here and let me give you a hug.]
Wen Jianyan turned around and looked at Bai Xue behind him:
“By the way, have you completed your two tasks?”
Bai Xue nodded. He took out chips from his pocket—out of a dozen or so chips, not a single one was green. They were all gold, with several of the highest-value red ones mixed in.
Although the number of chips didn’t look like much, the total points they could be exchanged for were much higher than Wen Jianyan’s one jackpot win.
Hiss.
Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“If your tasks are done, then leave.”
Wen Jianyan drained the drink in his cup. Hearing the notification that his private task was complete, he casually raised his hand, placed it on Bai Xue’s head, and pressed down firmly.
“This is no place for a child.”
On the other side, Ji Guan and Blond were moving together.
The two wandered aimlessly around the casino for two laps and finally settled on a dice table.
“Let’s do this one.” Ji Guan scratched his head and said nonchalantly, “The rules for the others are too complicated. Betting on big or small is the only one I can understand.”
Blond nodded: “Okay.”
This time, the table didn’t just have “big” and “small” options. There were also areas for betting on individual numbers, with the odds increasing accordingly.
“How much are you betting?” Blond asked in a low voice.
Ji Guan thought for a moment and said, “The minimum.”
They weren’t expert gamblers, and they didn’t know any of the advanced techniques like listening to dice shown in movies. They weren’t really trying to earn anything from this, just to complete the public task.
The two each took out a green chip with a face value of 25 and placed it in their chosen areas.
The dice rumbled in the dice cup.
After about ten seconds, the sound of rolling gradually stopped, and the dice cup was opened.
A loud cheer erupted. Some people were lamenting, while others were celebrating wildly. All the sounds came rushing in like a tsunami, but they sounded muffled, as if there was cotton in their ears, not very real.
Ji Guan and Blond looked at the dice not far away, then turned to look at each other, both with blank expressions.
“…We won?”
“…Seems like we won.”
The dealer had no intention of taking their chips. The chips were pushed over with a rake, piled high in front of them, attracting countless envious gazes.
They actually won!
At the same time, the sound of the public task being completed rang in their ears, and the third and final public task for the day appeared.
They just needed to win one more game within 24 hours.
“Then… one more round?”
Ji Guan thought for a moment and asked.
Blond hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Alright.”
The two bet again. This time, they didn’t dare to bet casually like before, but bet on “big” and “small,” which had the lowest odds. This time, they lost.
Again.
Lost again.
But the third time, they won.
When they won this game, the sound of the public task being completed came from their ears.
“Congratulations to the anchor for completing the public task: Win any casino game.”
“Reward Points: 5000!”
“Public tasks are complete and will not refresh again before midnight today.”
The system’s voice echoed in their ears, but it was drowned out by the celebratory sounds around them, making it seem very distant.
The rake pushed the winning chips in front of them.
Even though they had won, the chips pushed in front of them were far, far fewer than before.
Only a small, pathetic-looking pile of red and green.
They should have been happy to win money, but…
For some reason, they didn’t feel that happy.
Blond looked down at the chips in his hand, which had multiplied at least twenty times, and turned to look at Ji Guan: “Should we… go for one more round?”
Ji Guan rubbed his fingers: “Alright, just one more game then.”
“…The last one.”
Although Wen Jianyan had once again rejected Bai Xue’s invitation, he was not polite about the chips he had won thanks to Bai Xue, pocketing every single one.
He found a bar to sit at and casually took out a chip to toss to the attendant—the drinks inside the casino were free, so the chip was a tip.
“Just get me whatever.”
His cheeks were flushed, his eyelids half-lowered, his eyes misty: “No alcohol.”
The attendant took the chip and turned around behind the bar.
Wen Jianyan lowered his head and opened his live stream interface.
His broadcast had only been on for a little over three hours, but he had already completed three public tasks and five private tasks. He just needed to stream for another hour or so, and his reality show task for the day would be perfectly finished.
Overall…
It was quite simple.
He closed the live stream interface and leaned lazily against the edge of the bar, waiting for his drink while casually observing the entire casino.
The anchors reveled wantonly in the venue built for them, creating a scene of fervent excitement.
“…”
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan saw something and straightened up slightly.
He frowned. Although his face was still flushed with drunkenness, the look in his eyes gradually turned cold.
Was it an illusion?
No.
It didn’t seem to be.
Wen Jianyan hopped off the chair, his gaze wandering from one gambling table to another, specifically focusing on each person’s face, as if searching for something. His breathing became slightly hurried.
He knew what the atmosphere in a casino should be like.
He knew even better what the people in a casino would be like.
A small number of people would be celebrating wildly, a small number would be sweating profusely, and the vast majority of people would have expressions of caution, hesitation, concentration, or even fear.
This was the most normal situation.
Because in a casino, the percentage of complete winners and complete losers was not high. The vast majority of people were “in progress”—some were winning money, some were losing money.
But, no matter the situation…
From a purely probabilistic standpoint, the house was always the final winner.
Wen Jianyan quickened his pace, his gaze sweeping across one gambling table after another. Although the alcohol was starting to kick in, his eyes were still sharp and bright.
And now, as far as the eye could see, almost everyone was winning.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest. A layer of sweat broke out on Wen Jianyan’s back—it was unclear if it was from the heat or for some other reason.
Yes, they were all winning.
There were indeed a small number of people losing money, but the vast majority of people had the expression that only people who have won money have—feverish, as if bewitched, with excited expressions, high-pitched voices, sweat beading on their foreheads, and flushed faces.
Something was wrong.
Wen Jianyan stopped. He took out his phone from his pocket, intending to send a message to his teammates, but just as he opened the screen, a hand reached out from behind and pressed down on his shoulder.
“…”
He paused.
“Hey handsome, we meet again.”
It was a voice with a slurred laugh, sounding very familiar.
Wen Jianyan turned his head and saw a familiar face.
It was the same anchor who had hit on him and Bai Xue on the deck the day before.
It was a reasonably handsome face, but the overly explicit gaze made one extremely uncomfortable.
“Wanna play a few rounds?”
Just a moment ago, he had seen the other standing alone in the crowd from a distance, head down, looking like he had been separated from his group. His desire had immediately started to stir again.
And just at that moment, the anchor received a related private task—like him, his audience also seemed to have taken an interest in such a prime specimen.
“How many points do you want?”
The anchor leaned in, sniffing the warm, slightly boozy scent on Wen Jianyan. His gaze fell on the other’s delicate earlobe, reddened by the alcohol, and he had the illusion that he himself was drunk.
“…Points?” Wen Jianyan was startled. He turned his head with a half-smile, “You’re asking me?”
The “Integrity First” live room was filled with laughter.
[Hahaha points? Does he know who he’s hitting on?]
[I have to say, his taste is really good. He found the one person in the crowd you shouldn’t mess with at a glance. I’m dying of laughter!]
[I took a look at the other live room. I don’t know which troublemaker posted the private bounty, hahaha! So vicious!]
[Anchor, hurry up and make a move, I want to see him kneel and beg for mercy!]
The other anchor: “Of course—”
Before he could finish his sentence, his entire body suddenly pitched forward, and he smashed face-first onto the ground. His nose broke almost instantly, and blood gushed out. He let out a tragic wail.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s hand was frozen in mid-air, a little stunned.
Eh?
Although he was indeed planning to teach the other a lesson, he hadn’t had time to do anything yet…
How did he fall?
A glass was placed into his suspended palm.
“Guest, you forgot to take the drink you ordered.”
The voice was so familiar.
No, it couldn’t be.
Wen Jianyan blinked his eyes, which were a little blurry from the alcohol, and stared at the drink that had appeared in his palm.
It was actually a glass of milk.
Warm milk, at that.
The cold fingertips, a complete contrast to its temperature, brushed against the back of Wen Jianyan’s hand, caressing it lightly.
“…”
It shouldn’t be, it absolutely shouldn’t be.
Wen Jianyan dazedly, slowly turned his head, looking to his side little by little.
Behind him, a tall attendant stood in a crisp black and white uniform, a silver tray tucked under his arm. His long, dark hair was tied high on his head. His face was handsome and wicked, his cold golden eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on the man struggling to get up not far away.
Although there was no extra expression on his face, it somehow made one’s heart clench violently.
“!!!”
Wen Jianyan’s pupils contracted, his heart shuddering. He almost reflexively grabbed the other’s arm.
“What is it? Guest.”
The other person turned his head to look over.
He had a smile on his face, but his eyes held the familiar cruel malice that Wen Jianyan knew.
“Is there something unsatisfactory about the drink?”
At the “attendant’s” feet, an invisible shadow began to move, but this time…
It was pointing at the man’s unguarded throat.
