WTNL Chapter 580

 Lucky Cruise Ship
Chapter 580: Three fragments

No. 8 stared at Wen Jianyan sitting across the table, his baby face tense as if facing a formidable enemy:

“…What do you want?”

His voice seemed squeezed out from between his teeth: “Don’t even think about using the same trick this time!!”

The last time Wen Jianyan and No. 8 sat opposite each other like this, Wen Jianyan successfully exposed No. 8’s cheating with human dice and thus obtained the die transformed from Qi Qian.

With the previous experience, No. 8 would absolutely not fall into the same pit again this time.

“How could I?”

Wen Jianyan smiled.

“I didn’t come to you for that this time.”

No. 8 looked suspiciously at that hateful face. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly spoke: “Then what are you doing?”

The other party was a smart person and naturally knew he couldn’t repeat the same trick. If his goal was really gambling, he shouldn’t have sought No. 8 as the dealer again, but rather used the same method to find other dealers.

“Can’t we catch up?” Wen Jianyan blinked, looking harmless.

No. 8 stared at him coldly, clearly not deceived by the act.

“As old friends…”

Saying this, Wen Jianyan took something out of his pocket and placed it on the gambling table, speaking lightly.

“You surely wouldn’t mind revealing some inside information to me, right?”

On the blood-red tablecloth, a piece of red agate the size of a little finger shone brightly. It seemed to contain some eerie power, presenting a flowing luster under the light.

“—!” No. 8’s pupils constricted, his expression changing drastically. “Where did you get—”

Halfway through his sentence, he realized something was wrong and stopped abruptly, his expression becoming tense again.

Wen Jianyan scrutinized No. 8’s expression and smiled knowingly.

He really knew.

Based on the size of the agate fragments and the appearance of the finished agate stone in Figaro’s hand, the number of fragments shouldn’t exceed four. And there were as many as ten dealers, which meant not all core dealers carried such agate stones.

Targeting all ten dealers directly would not only waste a lot of time but also be somewhat overreaching.

So, the first step must be to figure out who their targets were.

“Let’s play a round.” Wen Jianyan looked at No. 8 sitting opposite him, his eyes curving into crescents. “If I win, tell me all the information I want to know. How about it?”

“I’m sorry, esteemed guest.” After a brief silence, No. 8 forced a polite yet distant smile. “If you wish to roll the dice, you may use the casino’s prescribed chips to start the gamble.”

Clearly, he had also guessed what information Wen Jianyan wanted.

And once leaked, the consequences were probably something he couldn’t bear.

However, Wen Jianyan seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He leaned back, tapping the agate stone on the table with his fingertip, a cunning smile on his face:

“Even betting this won’t work?”

No. 8’s eyes flickered, but the hesitation was fleeting. He repeated his previous rhetoric: “I’m sorry, esteemed guest…”

“Speaking of which, did Mesvis really not punish you afterward? Although the casino did take a significant cut from me, he didn’t seem very happy after you lost…” Wen Jianyan scrutinized the baby-faced dealer opposite him, a hint of a smile on his lips. “He doesn’t seem to like losing.”

“…” No. 8 said slowly, “I’m sorry, I don’t think what happened before has anything to do with our current gamble.”

Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly back.

Standing behind him, Chen Mo understood. He stepped forward and placed a box of blood-red chips on the table.

Neatly stacked chips lay in the transparent box, looking like solidified blood under the light.

“1.3 billion,” Wen Jianyan said with a beaming smile. “Remember? It’s exactly the amount of chips you lost to me last time.”

He leaned forward, a smile on his face.

“Don’t you want to wipe away the shame?”

No. 8 stared at him fixedly without saying a word.

To outsiders, he looked as inscrutable as a wooden statue, but for Wen Jianyan, who had gambled with No. 8 more than once, the other’s emotions were as clear as if written on paper.

Obviously, Mesvis wasn’t someone who liked losing. Although Mesvis hadn’t done anything to No. 8 in front of Wen Jianyan after the loss, Wen Jianyan had caught the fleeting fear No. 8 felt upon realizing he had lost.

“Moreover,” Wen Jianyan twirled his fingers, picking up the agate fragment beside him and playing with it casually, “if Mesvis knew that you originally had a chance to retrieve it but gave it up so easily, what would he think?”

He raised his eyes, a devilish innocence in their depths.

“I guess he doesn’t seem like a magnanimous master either.”

No. 8’s lips tightened, and a slight twitch appeared on the skin near his ears.

It was irrepressible fear.

This was not only the reason No. 8 wouldn’t participate in the gamble but also the reason he had to participate.

Wen Jianyan placed the agate stone on the chip box. He blinked, a bewitching glimmer in his eyes: “Or are you one hundred percent sure you’ll lose?”

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in No. 8’s eyes.

Like Mesvis, any NPC who could become a core dealer under him must also be a gambler.

And all gamblers shared a common trait:

For them, there was never a gamble that was one hundred percent lost.

As long as they kept gambling, they could always turn the tables.

No. 8 looked at the other party, a professional smile appearing on his face, and said: “…Since you are so certain, guest, I have no choice but to respectfully accept.”

The bustle continued on the B2 floor of the casino, but at a red gambling table in the corner, the atmosphere seemed frozen.

An Xin couldn’t help but shift his feet, leaning close to Tong Yao’s ear: “Hey, do you know what they’re playing?”

“Shh, quiet.”

Tong Yao didn’t even glance at him, all her attention focused intently on the gambling table.

She and Ma Qi had the same job. As mediums, they had to monitor the supernatural fluctuations on the gambling table at all times to prevent the other side from cheating.

In such a tense moment, she naturally had no energy to pay attention to An Xin.

Unwilling to be lonely, An Xin secretly shifted his feet again and leaned close to Qi Qian to whisper: “Hey, Captain, do you think Wenwen can win?”

“…”

Qi Qian ignored him too.

An Xin felt a bit discouraged, but before he could retreat dejectedly, he heard Qi Qian speak slowly:

“Yes.”

An Xin turned his head in surprise and joy: “Captain, so you understand it!”

“No.”

Unexpectedly, Qi Qian shook his head.

“My research in this area isn’t deep either.”

Simple types like dice were barely okay, but as soon as it got deeper or the rules more complex, he was out.

An Xin: “Then why did you say…”

Qi Qian looked ahead, but his gaze didn’t fall on the blood-red gambling table. Instead, he was scrutinizing the two people sitting at the table.

“That No. 8 dealer’s emotions have been firmly controlled by Wen Jianyan from the very beginning.”

And this started from the moment he sat down and saw Wen Jianyan appear.

Qi Qian didn’t know what had happened between them before, but he could see that from the moment Wen Jianyan showed his face, he had seized the initiative, holding all the others’ joys, sorrows, and anger firmly in his hand.

All the emotions and even desires of the dealer opposite were seen through and manipulated. He was like an open book, losing all secrets before someone who knew how to read. Moreover, Wen Jianyan was exceptionally skilled at manipulating hearts.

He patiently wove a web like a spider, skillfully plucking the victim’s heartstrings like a plucked instrument.

More importantly, due to the previous confrontation, the opponent’s cheating methods were clearly understood.

The reason Wen Jianyan didn’t hesitate to risk tens of millions of chips to gamble with this guy was obvious—he could handle this guy with ease.

Even if Qi Qian knew nothing about what they were playing now, he knew that under these circumstances, it would be a miracle if the other side won.

Qi Qian turned to look at An Xin, took a deep breath, his expression unusually serious:

“I’m not sure if you still have feelings for him. If you do, I suggest you let go early.”

An Xin seemed resistant: “Why?”

Qi Qian raised his eyes and took a deep look at Wen Jianyan sitting by the gambling table.

The young man leaned against the backrest. From this angle, only his smooth profile and the faint smile on his lips were visible.

His existence itself drew everyone’s gaze like gravity.

Radiant, yet unfathomable.

What a beautiful, poisonous flower.

Qi Qian took a deep breath, looked away, and said slowly: “—You can’t outplay him.”

That was all he would say.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time.

“…”

No. 8 sat frozen in his chair, his face pale as a sheet. He looked down at the cards on the table, confirming it over and over again.

How is it possible?

How is it possible?!

Counting this time, it was already his third loss to the same person. It was like being cursed. As long as this guy sat opposite, even a favorable wind would turn adverse. The opponent made him discard his armor and flee time and again. This feeling was truly terrifying. As a skilled gambler, No. 8 knew that sometimes luck was just that mysterious. Once a trend was formed, no matter how much he struggled, it was futile.

Finally, he lowered his head dejectedly, accepting this helpless fact.

“…I lost.”

The young man’s smiling voice rang out from nearby:

“Then, please answer a few of my questions.”

“First, how many of these agate stones are there in total?” Wen Jianyan asked.

No. 8’s lips moved, and only after a few seconds did he speak:

“Three pieces.”

Just as Wen Jianyan had guessed.

“Whose hands are they in respectively?” Wen Jianyan asked again.

“…No. 10, No. 9, No. 2.” No. 8’s face was pale, his voice weak.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze focused for a moment.

No. 10?

He remembered that No. 10 was the resident dealer on the B3 floor, named Hawk, with a cheerful smiling face looking like Maitreya Buddha.

And No. 9 was the resident dealer on the B4 floor and the host of the racecourse.

Then, following this pattern, the remaining No. 2, wouldn’t he also…

Wen Jianyan’s heart sank, and he asked: “Is No. 2 the resident dealer on the B5 floor?”

No. 8 said: “Yes.”

…As expected.

Although he guessed the answer correctly, Wen Jianyan didn’t feel any better.

This was definitely not good news for him.

Wen Ya and Chen Mo exchanged a look, sharing a similarly solemn and grave expression.

The main purpose of Wen Jianyan collecting red agate now was to gain a certain advantage when facing the Oracle on the B5 floor. But now, the opponent told them that one of the agate fragments was on the resident dealer of the B5 floor.

Obviously, whatever they wanted to do, they had to go to the B5 floor.

In other words, facing the Oracle while losing the first-move advantage was probably inevitable.

“As for the specific information of those two dealers, you don’t need to ask,” No. 8 sneered. “Even if you ask, I don’t know.”

Wen Jianyan nodded.

He could tell the other party wasn’t lying. “Alright.”

“I’m done with my questions. You can go.”

“…” No. 8 was startled, staring at him suspiciously, looking alert, seemingly unable to believe the other party would let him go so easily.

Wen Jianyan blinked and said innocently:

“Or do you want to catch up some more—”

Before he finished speaking, No. 8 sitting across the table shot up and fled as if flying, making one think a hundred Wen Jianyans were chasing him.

Watching the other party flee hastily, Chang Feiyu couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He shook his head and sighed:

“Didn’t expect that, Guild Leader. I think you’ve almost given the NPC psychological trauma.”

Wen Jianyan raised his eyes, thoughtfully watching the direction where No. 8 disappeared, and suddenly said, “Do you think he looks like an NPC?”

“…”

Chang Feiyu was stunned, clearly not understanding what Wen Jianyan’s abrupt question meant:

“What?”

Wen Jianyan shook his head and chuckled lightly: “Nothing.”

“Guild Leader, what’s our plan next?” Wen Ya asked.

Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and said: “First get the piece in Hawk’s hand.”

Although the plan had deviated somewhat from the start, all roads led to Rome.

Since the third fragment and the Oracle were both on the B5 floor, before going down, it was best to go to a closer floor and get what they could first. This way, although they couldn’t gain the advantage he initially wanted before descending to the B5 floor, their choices would appropriately increase in subsequent actions.

“Is it time to tell us what exactly you want to do?”

Qi Qian walked over from the side, looking down at the red agate fragment in Wen Jianyan’s hand.

Wen Jianyan didn’t hide it—mainly because he couldn’t: “The resident dealer on the B4 floor also has a fragment like this. I need to get it.”

“As payment, all the chips obtained in this process belong to you.”

After speaking, Wen Jianyan blinked: “Besides that, add another three hundred million.”

In the “Integrity First” live room chat:

[?]

[Holy crap? Giving away so many chips just like that???]

[No, you kid, are a spendthrift!!!!]

[Wait, I suddenly realized. Not only did he make a fortune by auctioning himself, but he also robbed the mint!!! No wonder he’s such a spendthrift today!!!]

[…Damn, I remember now.]

[Fine. Okay, I admit defeat. Getting something for nothing, you’re the best.]

But even so, from any angle, this payment could be considered generous.

Qi Qian gave Wen Jianyan a deep look.

He didn’t agree immediately but asked: “After getting the agate fragment you want, what next?”

“Let me think,” Wen Jianyan counted on his fingers. “Survive on the B5 floor, enter the B6 floor before the Oracle, figure out what they want to do in this instance, make their efforts go down the drain…”

He thought for a moment: “That’s all. Nothing else.”

Actually, there was also helping Wu Zhu find something—but he hadn’t figured out what that thing was yet, let alone which floor it was on.

Plus, Qi Qian and the others didn’t know about Wu Zhu’s existence, so there was no need to mention it.

Qi Qian pondered for a moment, seemingly considering if the other’s plan conflicted with his own. A few seconds later, he nodded: “Okay.”

Wen Jianyan extended his hand: “Happy cooperation?”

Qi Qian shook his hand: “Happy cooperation.”

Since they needed to get the agate fragment from Hawk, the first thing was obviously entering the B3 floor.

For the current Wen Jianyan, this wasn’t difficult.

After all, his victory in the horse betting on the B4 floor not only earned him a pass to the next floor but also a significant amount of chips, which could also be exchanged for tickets to the welfare floor at the counter.

After careful consideration, Wen Jianyan brought Chen Mo and Chang Feiyu, along with An Xin and Tong Yao, to the B3 floor.

Others either didn’t have suitable talents or had consumed too much energy in the previous day’s actions, making it hard to seamlessly participate in the next operation.

And Qi Qian’s squad hadn’t experienced the tragic day, so they became his best choice.

However, since the five “shadows” Qi Qian left on the B3 floor last time hadn’t been eliminated, he couldn’t participate.

Fortunately, the shadow Wen Jianyan got from the gacha last time was eliminated by Chen Cheng (although at the cost of all subsequent shadows from gacha being counted on Chen Cheng’s head), so he could participate this time.

After buying the passes on the B4 floor, Wen Jianyan and his group walked into the elevator.

The elevator closed slowly and began to ascend.

“…Anyway, the plan is pretty much like this.” Before getting on the elevator, Wen Jianyan had already informed them of his plan. He instructed, “Get ready for what’s coming.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely complete the mission!” An Xin stood next to Wen Jianyan, eyes shining, eager like a peacock displaying its feathers. “If nothing unexpected happens, things should be resolved before long—”

Before he finished speaking, suddenly, with a “ding,” the elevator stopped without warning, and the doors slowly opened in front of them.

The people in the elevator were stunned.

Arrived already?

Was the elevator a bit too fast this time?

Moreover, although the elevator stopped, strangely, the attendant inside didn’t conduct polite guidance like before but stood silently, motionless.

They reflexively looked up at the screen displaying the floor.

A bright red [-4] was flashing.

Why still on the B4 floor? Wait…

Wrong!

The floor in front of them was clearly unfamiliar. The corridor was pitch black and cold, the depths shrouded in darkness, making almost nothing visible.

A sinister aura struck from the dark, creeping up their spines and making their hair stand on end.

In the “Integrity First” live room chat:

[Ah this…]

[Nothing unexpected? Isn’t the unexpected here.]

[LOL, you aren’t a jinx, are you kid?]

The group looked alert, staring silently at the darkness not far away, holding their breath and waiting.

Under their gaze, several shadows covered entirely in black cloth emerged from the corridor. With silent steps, they slowly walked into the elevator.

These were actually the “guests” that appeared at the banquet last night.

Three figures stood still, and the elevator doors slowly closed, running once again.

The group stood rigid inside the elevator, the atmosphere instantly dropping to freezing point.

Wen Jianyan imperceptibly turned his head to glance in their direction.

The figures stood motionless, every part of their bodies covered by black cloth, wearing thick pitch-black masks on their faces. The cold aura radiating from them made the narrow elevator feel like an ice cellar.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time.

“Ding.”

“B3 floor arrived,” the attendant said politely. “Please watch your step.”

After tipping the attendant, the group hurriedly left the elevator, distancing themselves from those uninvited guests as fast as possible.

Familiar light spilled down, enveloping them, and the eerie coldness from inside the elevator dissipated.

An Xin breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank god they didn’t follow us, otherwise it would really…”

Tong Yao glanced back and suddenly interrupted him urgently: “Stop talking, look behind.”

Behind them, from the open elevator doors, three figures shrouded in darkness walked out silently, following them into the B3 floor.

An Xin: “…”

Everyone present: “…”

In the “Integrity First” live room chat:

[…]

[Bro, I’ll give you five hundred yuan, can you shut up?]

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