Chapter 186: Money Game (23)

Cheng Zhao stared blankly, his eyes fixed on He Yu as he unconsciously muttered under his breath, “Sure enough... you look better in human form...”

In the previous instance, He Yu had been a cute little white tangyuan. Cheng Zhao had desperately wanted to pet him, but he himself had been nothing more than a chain. He couldn't touch He Yu at all and could only stare enviously at that round, fluffy body.

In this instance, He Yu had become human. To maintain the image of the "casino owner," he always dressed impeccably. Cheng Zhao had previously seen a photograph of He Yu in a news report—a side profile, astonishingly handsome.

He had seen him again through the projection that morning. Just as refined and beautiful as before, like an immortal descended from the heavens.

Now He Yu had changed his hairstyle, and to Cheng Zhao, it was another devastating blow.

Holding his breath, only one thought flashed through Cheng Zhao's mind—

Someone like this dying would be such a waste. He should live... live for a very, very long time. Just seeing him every now and then was enough to brighten one's mood and make them eat an extra bowl of rice.

He Yu was also looking at Cheng Zhao.

The other man was dressed almost exactly the same as he had been that morning.

Probably for robbing wealthy people, he wore a black robe underneath and a gray-black cloak over it, resembling the attire of wandering swordsmen from ancient Blue Star.

Unfortunately, his own long whip had struck those clothes over and over again. They were torn to shreds, ripped open in countless places. Most of his chest was exposed, his muscular body covered with wounds, several of them deep enough to expose bone.

Yet Cheng Zhao seemed completely oblivious to them, not even sparing them a glance.

Covered in blood from head to toe, even the black fabric looked darker than before.

His face was streaked with blood as well, and his shoulder-length hair was an utter mess, obviously untouched.

—Exactly the same as this morning.

He Yu glanced at the table in front of him, swept his eyes over the deck of playing cards, then settled his gaze back on Cheng Zhao's face.

Meeting his eyes, He Yu asked calmly, “An entire day has passed, yet you still haven't cleaned yourself up? What exactly have you been busy with?”

Cheng Zhao paused for a moment before flashing a broad grin, revealing two rows of perfectly straight white teeth.

“I wanted to get here early to wait for you. Besides... there wasn't any point.”

The moment he spoke, Cheng Zhao immediately regained his composure.

What nonsense about He Yu having to stay alive?

If He Yu lived, then Cheng Zhao would be the one who died.

If one of them absolutely had to die...

Then naturally, neither wanted it to be themselves.

After saying that, Cheng Zhao kept smiling.

He wasn't afraid.

Nor was he terrified.

Ever since entering this competition, moments like this—moments where death loomed overhead—could happen at any time.

Every day, every minute inside an instance, their lives hung by a thread.

After all, this was a competition where only one person survived out of tens of millions.

The further they advanced...

The closer they came to the finals...

The more dangerous it became.

Hearing this, He Yu nodded in understanding.

Cheng Zhao's meaning was obvious.

There was no point tidying himself up. Soon enough, the winner would enter the transit station, where everything would be restored to perfect condition.

As for the loser...

Once you were dead, who cared what you looked like?

Cheng Zhao took a deep breath, his eyes serious.

“Eight hundred billion. How are we gambling?”

He Yu extended a gloved hand and tapped lightly on the tabletop.

“You decide everything,” he said calmly. “But I suggest... we settle it quickly. One game. Winner lives, loser dies.”

Cheng Zhao inhaled sharply.

He stared fixedly at He Yu.

After a long silence, he suddenly laughed.

“All right. One game to decide life and death. We'll play Blackjack. I'll be the dealer.”

As he spoke, he pushed the deck of cards toward He Yu.

“Want to inspect them?”

Without any hesitation, He Yu reached out to pick up the deck.

Suddenly—

Cheng Zhao grabbed his hand, pressing it firmly against the table.

A rough, calloused hand covered the long, slender fingers still enclosed in white gloves.

He Yu's hands were not actually small—he was around 180 centimeters tall—but compared to these towering, muscular Federation men over two meters in height, they appeared almost delicate.

He looked at Cheng Zhao without saying a word, his eyes perfectly calm.

Cheng Zhao tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Take off the gloves. Your equipment might be useless, but you've pulled plenty of tricks with it.”

[Bullet Screen: "!!!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Holy shit, Cheng Zhao's good. He completely eliminated the possibility of He Yu cheating."]

[Bullet Screen: "Who knows how many people He Yu has fooled with those gloves?"]

He Yu met Cheng Zhao's gaze.

Their eyes locked in silent confrontation.

Then—

He Yu suddenly smiled.

The lenses of his rimless glasses were cold, but the curve of his almond-shaped eyes softened that chill.

He slowly withdrew his hand, leisurely removed the gloves, and tossed them toward Little Stone nearby.

Only then did he look back at Cheng Zhao.

Raising his elegant, well-defined fingers innocently, he said,

“You're really wronging me. Those gloves aren't my equipment.”

[Bullet Screen: "!!! The gloves aren't He Yu's equipment?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Holy crap... they're really not. His transformation equipment is still inside his backpack..."]

[Bullet Screen: "Wait, what does that mean? Is He Yu actually going to compete fairly? But his luck with cards is terrible!"]

Cheng Zhao eyed He Yu's bare hands suspiciously before glancing at the gloves lying beside Little Stone.

His brows knitted tightly.

“All right... continue.”

Unable to find anything suspicious, he gestured for He Yu to proceed.

He Yu nodded.

Calmly opening the deck, he didn't inspect every card in detail. He merely flipped through them casually before tossing them back onto the table.

“No problem. Let's begin.”

From his expression to his eyes, everything remained perfectly tranquil.

His hands rested openly on the table without making a single unnecessary movement.

Cheng Zhao took a deep breath, picked up the deck, and began shuffling with practiced ease.

—The gamble of life and death was about to begin.

[Bullet Screen: "AHHHHH! They're seriously deciding life and death with one game?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Nooo... I can't bear to lose either of them!"]

[Bullet Screen: "I can't watch anymore. I'm switching to another livestream. Just tell me the result afterward."]

[Bullet Screen: "Something this exciting and you actually can't watch?"]

Larry and Qiao watched with complete concentration.

This wasn't merely a match between He Yu and Cheng Zhao.

It was also the wager between the two of them.

The entire Federation wanted to know—

Who would win?

He Yu of Blue Star...

Or Cheng Zhao of District Three?

Victory meant life.

Defeat meant death.

—

At the same time...

Far away, in another battlefield.

Zhen Xing stood atop a mountain, the wind blowing against him as he quietly held a Rubik's Cube in his hand.

He had the appearance of a street thug, yet possessed an exceptionally calm temperament. His entire presence radiated quiet composure.

If Wanrenzhan was fire ready to erupt at any moment...

And Eugene was dazzling sunlight...

Then Zhen Xing was water.

Water that nourished all things silently.

His appearance looked unruly.

His character was upright.

At this moment, however, the man as gentle as water wore an expressionless face, surrounded by an aura of cold loneliness.

He resembled ice more than water.

His eyes were lowered.

His short blue hair was slightly disheveled.

His thick brows angled downward.

His phoenix eyes remained half-closed, concealing the light within them.

His tall figure was neither as slender as He Yu's nor as powerfully built as Wanrenzhan's.

Instead, it embodied the ideal male physique of the Federation.

Every facial proportion...

Every body ratio...

Matched the perfect golden standard.

He cared little about clothing, so he was still wearing the official uniform distributed to Federation contestants upon entering <Top Talent Show>.

It resembled a Blue Star police uniform.

On the shoulder was his number—

No. 151.

The badge on his chest bore the words—

District Three.

His belt was pulled tightly around his waist, accentuating its powerful lines.

That belt was an extremely high-grade defensive equipment.

While he wasn't absurdly lucky like Ling Buchen, he still belonged among the fortunate.

Many contestants from Main Planet had entered the competition wearing this uniform.

As they acquired better equipment, most replaced it with clothing that offered defensive bonuses or simply changed to outfits matching their personal style.

Those who still wore the original uniform this far into the competition were people who simply didn't care about appearances.

Of course...

The uniform itself was genuinely handsome.

This was, after all, a talent competition.

There was no way the organizers would design ugly uniforms.

The instant footsteps echoed behind him—

Zhen Xing abruptly looked up.

A fierce light flashed across his eyes.

The Rubik's Cube spun at tremendous speed before shooting backward to intercept an incoming piece of equipment.

The two instantly entered battle.

Not every battlefield was the instance <Money Game>.

Contestants had entered different battlefields.

Different instances.

Different rules.

Different objectives.

Zhen Xing's instance required combat.

And elsewhere...

Another combat instance was unfolding.

Siya stared at the person opposite her with unprecedented seriousness.

Her equipment rested in her hands.

Her sharp eyes brimmed with killing intent.

Even her beautiful face was filled with ruthless determination.

“I never imagined...” her hoarse voice said, “...that I'd end up fighting you.”

The person opposite remained silent.

One phantom flower after another bloomed from the bracelet around Siya's wrist.

Playing idly with one of the flowers, she said casually,

“I never really paid much attention to you before. But you have an incredible teammate. He actually gave you equipment like that...”

“There isn't much time left.”

“Let's have our final battle.”

“Show me your true strength... Ling Buchen.”

Across from her, Ling Buchen showed almost no reaction.

Only when she mentioned his "teammate" did his expression change slightly.

Taking a slow breath, metal finger guards appeared over his fingertips.

Then—

A beautiful pale-blue ancient zither materialized before him.

The instant it appeared, even the surrounding air seemed to distort.

Ling Buchen spoke gently,

“My first time using it. My apologies.”

Siya smiled.

“A divine-grade treasure. The honor is mine.”

The instant she finished speaking—

She attacked without warning.

Countless enormous phantom flowers rushed directly toward Ling Buchen.

Ling Buchen's fingers moved.

The zither rang.

Blade-like sound waves rippled outward layer after layer.

The battle had officially begun.

—

Two cards slid toward He Yu.

Both were face-up.

A King.

A Jack.

Cheng Zhao also had two cards.

One face-up—

A 10.

The other face-down.

The moment everyone saw He Yu's cards, the crowd gasped.

Blackjack was exactly what its name implied.

The closer the total value came to 21, the greater the chance of winning.

For example...

If Cheng Zhao totaled 19...

And He Yu totaled 20...

Then He Yu won.

If someone reached exactly 21—

That was Blackjack.

Anything over 21 busted immediately.

10, Jack, Queen, and King all counted as 10.

An Ace counted as either 1 or 11.

If the remaining cards already exceeded 10, then the Ace could only count as 1.

Right now—

He Yu already had 20.

An incredibly favorable total.

Inside the casino, a hand like this would almost always stand immediately and wait for victory.

Unless...

The opponent had Blackjack.

But Blackjack wasn't easy to draw.

Its probability was extremely low.

"Stand!"

Little Stone screamed inwardly.

At a moment like this, standing was surely the only choice.

If He Yu drew another card, it had to be an Ace.

Anything else would push his total over 21.

He would bust instantly.

Among so many cards...

What were the chances he'd draw exactly one Ace?

Little Stone had dealt cards countless times.

Unless someone cheated, the odds of calling for an Ace and actually receiving one were unbelievably tiny.

Stopping at 20 left He Yu almost guaranteed victory.

There was absolutely no need to gamble on that microscopic chance of drawing Blackjack.

Cheng Zhao looked at He Yu.

He Yu suddenly smiled and tilted his head slightly.

“Hit.”

Everyone: "!!!"

—Holy shit!

He actually chose to continue!

[Bullet Screen: "What the fuck?! Is he insane?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "??? I'm speechless. Out of so many cards, the chance of drawing exactly one Ace is ridiculously low. Does he have a death wish?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "He's gone crazy. Well... he was always crazy..."]

[Bullet Screen: "Is this idiot seriously betting on that tiny chance of drawing an Ace? His luck is completely bizarre. Sometimes unbelievably good, sometimes unbelievably awful. Is he gambling that today is one of the unbelievably good days?"]

He Yu's decision stunned nearly everyone.

The spectators from Money Planet.

Even Cheng Zhao.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Cheng Zhao said nothing and dealt He Yu another card.

Under the current circumstances...

Wasn't this advantageous for Cheng Zhao?

A face-down card landed before He Yu.

He Yu didn't flip it over.

Their rules were rather relaxed.

He could leave it face-down and immediately stand.

He Yu stood.

Now it was Cheng Zhao's turn.

His face-up card was a 10.

Calmly, he flipped over the next card.

A 5.

Total—

 Still far from 21.

He drew one more card.

After looking at it...

He smiled.

Inside He Yu's livestream—

[Bullet Screen: "AHHHH! What did Cheng Zhao draw?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "I just checked another stream! It's a 6!! Twenty-one! Blackjack! Cheng Zhao's got this!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Holy shit! Is Cheng Zhao's luck really that insane? Or is his gambling skill just that incredible?"]

[Bullet Screen: "He Yu lost! Damn it! Hurry and vote for He Yu! Ahhh! God He can't die!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Not necessarily. If He Yu's hidden card is an Ace, then He Yu wins. Under their rules, a Blackjack containing Jack, King, and Ace beats Cheng Zhao's Blackjack."]

Cheng Zhao looked at He Yu, regret flickering across his eyes.

“Shall we reveal them together?”

“Wait.”

“I'll take a look first.”

As He Yu spoke, he gently lifted one corner of his face-down card.

His eyes swept over it.

Then he immediately closed it again.

It happened so quickly that most viewers saw nothing.

But a handful with exceptionally sharp eyes caught a glimpse.

The people watching from farther away on Money Planet couldn't see He Yu's final card at all.

—What had he drawn?

He Yu said calmly,

“We can reveal them together now.”

The instant his words fell—

Cheng Zhao shot to his feet.

Slamming one hand onto the table, he shook it violently.

His eyes turned savage as he glared at He Yu.

“You... cheated.”

He Yu remained seated.

His hands stayed folded together as his fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.

His beautiful almond-shaped eyes narrowed meaningfully.

“And why,” he asked, “are you so certain?”

Grinding his teeth, Cheng Zhao hissed,

“You couldn't possibly have drawn an Ace!”

With one sweep, he overturned the entire table.

Playing cards scattered into the air all around them.

His long whip appeared in his hand.

His eyes locked sharply onto He Yu.

His grip tightened until veins bulged across the back of his hand.

Looking at him, He Yu sneered.

“You've got more tricks than I do.”

“You arrived here early.”

“You spent an entire day setting everything up.”

“You didn't even have time to change your clothes...”

As he spoke, He Yu casually glanced at Cheng Zhao's ragged outfit.

Earlier, Cheng Zhao had claimed he simply couldn't be bothered changing.

He Yu hadn't believed a single word.

It wasn't laziness.

He simply hadn't had the time.

This guy had arrived in advance.

Prepared the arena.

Collected special equipment.

Laid out an entire trap.

Everything to ensure absolute victory.

Hearing this, Cheng Zhao froze slightly.

After a long silence, he said hoarsely,

“Your brain works too well. You're far too crafty.”

“You suggested gambling.”

“I couldn't trust you.”

“Yes, I made preparations beforehand.”

“But clearly... you prepared to cheat too.”

As he finished speaking, he raised his hand and recalled the equipment hidden around the area.

One piece of equipment flew from behind He Yu directly back into Cheng Zhao's hand.

Clearly, that was how he had seen He Yu's hidden card—

An Ace.

He also possessed other cheating equipment to guarantee that the card he dealt He Yu could never be an Ace.

He knew with absolute certainty he hadn't dealt He Yu an Ace.

So where had that Ace come from?

Only one explanation remained.

Cheating.

He Yu raised both hands, indicating that he had never touched the card on the table.

Cheng Zhao had already overturned his own cards.

Only the single unrevealed card in front of He Yu remained.

“You're not gambling anymore?” He Yu asked.

Cheng Zhao replied irritably,

“I cheated. You cheated.”

“What's left to gamble?”

In truth, they could still continue.

After all, besides gambling skill...

They could also compete in cheating.

The problem was—

Cheng Zhao had already seen He Yu's card.

An Ace.

Meaning he had already concluded that he would lose.

How could he possibly continue?

He stared fixedly at He Yu, as though he wanted to bore holes straight through him.

His grip around the whip tightened again and again.

The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.

Not a single spectator dared utter a word.

Only the Bullet Screen remained lively.

[Bullet Screen: "Awesome. They're both masters of cheating."]

[Bullet Screen: "Hahaha! They talked about fair gambling, then both cheated together."]

[Bullet Screen: "So... what now? How do they decide the winner?"]

At that moment—

He Yu suddenly spoke.

“I didn't cheat.”

Calmly, he flipped over the card before him.

A huge, unmistakable—

 It was the Four of Diamonds.

Not an Ace.

Cheng Zhao's pupils contracted violently.

The audience was equally stunned.

They had clearly seen an Ace!!

He Yu slowly opened the hand that had turned over the card.

His index and middle fingers, which had been pressed tightly together the entire time, gradually spread apart.

Everyone's attention was completely drawn to those elegant fingers.

And at that exact moment—

A tiny, tiny letter "A" dropped onto the tabletop.

It was nothing more than the printed letter carefully cut from another playing card.

It was so small that, held between two fingers, no one had noticed it.

Cheng Zhao stared fixedly at that tiny "A."

His body trembled slightly.

So...

He Yu's card had always been a 4.

When he peeked at it earlier, his ring finger and index finger had held the card.

His index finger appeared to flip it...

But in reality...

It never revealed the card at all.

Instead, it merely exposed that tiny cut-out "A."

It flashed past for an instant before his hand closed again.

Because Cheng Zhao had been cheating, his attention had remained completely fixed on He Yu's hidden card.

All He Yu had done was create an illusion.

And Cheng Zhao had immediately seen—

An Ace.

Now...

Cheng Zhao himself had overturned the game.

He Yu lightly clapped his hands together, almost as if dusting them off.

“See?”

“I didn't cheat.”

“I just wanted to see your reaction.”

Cheng Zhao: “...”

For some reason, he suddenly felt utterly drained.

Slumping back into his chair, he said weakly,

“So... you already knew I'd cheat.”

“You even knew how I'd cheat.”

“You prepared for it long before today...”

His cheating had been a last-minute decision.

Even the method had been carefully devised.

Yet He Yu had predicted everything beforehand.

He had even known exactly how Cheng Zhao would arrange it.

It really made him...

Question his own intelligence.

He Yu was becoming smarter and smarter.

Looking at him helplessly, Cheng Zhao asked,

“Then why did you still agree to gamble with me?”

“Why didn't you expose me from the beginning?”

He Yu swept the playing cards off the table.

The game itself no longer mattered.

Sitting calmly in his chair with both hands clasped together, his beautiful black eyes stared directly into Cheng Zhao's.

“Because...”

“I wanted to see just how badly you wanted to live.”

“Our gamble was never going to succeed in the first place.”

Cheng Zhao: “...”

Rolling his eyes, he muttered,

“Isn't that obvious?”

“Who the hell wants to die?”

He Yu wasn't offended.

Whenever he had another objective in mind, his temper became exceptionally good.

He merely stared expressionlessly at Cheng Zhao.

“You refuse to allow yourself to lose.”

“Even after sitting at the gambling table, the moment defeat becomes inevitable, you'll overturn the agreement.”

“You'll break the rules.”

Cheng Zhao: “...”

It really felt like He Yu was insulting him...

Though he had no proof.

Behind those rimless glasses, He Yu's almond-shaped eyes had become razor-sharp, like blades aimed directly at Cheng Zhao.

“What a coincidence.”

“I'm exactly the same.”

“If I were about to lose...”

“I would overturn the agreement as well.”

“I would break the rules too.”

Cheng Zhao silently met his gaze.

His lips pressed together.

The two still sat opposite one another.

Yet this time...

The atmosphere was completely different.

Suddenly, He Yu changed the subject.

“So... Cheng Zhao.”

“How about we discuss...”

“How we can both leave here alive?”

Cheng Zhao: “!!!”

His eyes lit up instantly.

“That's possible?!”

He Yu shook his head.

“Not certain.”

“So we need to discuss it.”

“But...”

“I have an idea.”

“AHHH—!”

Cheng Zhao let out an excited shout.

He jumped to his feet and lunged straight at He Yu with both arms spread wide.

“Yuyu! I love you!”

“You ridiculously charming man!”

He was so excited that he tried to throw his arms around He Yu in a huge embrace.

He Yu's face darkened instantly.

He extended one finger and pressed it firmly against Cheng Zhao's forehead, stopping him in place.

A look of complete disgust covered his face.

“Stop.”

“Let's talk business.”

“We don't have much time.”

He was far too dirty.

Absolutely no touching.

He Yu glanced once more at Cheng Zhao's tangled hair...

And the blood covering his entire body.

Far too dirty.

Even if he was good-looking...

He still wasn't allowed anywhere near him.

Suppressing his excitement, Cheng Zhao nodded obediently.

He retreated, sat back across from He Yu, and stared at him with sparkling eyes.

Gradually, their conversation shifted into subjects the people of Money Planet could no longer understand.

Seeing that the two no longer intended to gamble away 800 billion, the wealthy spectators who had rushed over to witness history dispersed one after another in disappointment.

—Inside, they cursed the pair for wasting everyone's time.

Naturally...

None of them dared say it aloud.

They could only complain to themselves.

Or wait until they were far away before grumbling about He Yu and Cheng Zhao together with their butlers and servants.

Even then...

Only behind their backs.

Right now, in front of He Yu and Cheng Zhao...

They were all merely poor people with no status whatsoever.

Naturally, none of them dared act out of line.

Within moments, the entire crowd had dispersed.

Only Little Stone remained standing behind He Yu, watching the two with puzzled, slightly bewildered eyes.