Chapter 30: "I'll have someone run him over."

Under the setting sun in the distance, Xu Kun had been sent off to a corner of the plaza to continue crafting bombs. This time, he was using gas canisters for the shells; once detonated, the blast would be far more powerful. Had he possessed such a thing moments ago, his head might have been sheared off by flying metal shards.

"..."

Chen Jiang watched this scene in silence, silently resolving to stay well away from this lunatic during future operations. He did not fear death, but he had no desire to die so pointlessly.

"The guy really has a talent for this sort of thing."

Dumb Snake checked his own injuries; nothing was serious. He simply bandaged himself with medical tape bought in the city and left it at that—he would deal with it properly once they got out.

"It’s just that he’s a bit unstable."

"It's fine." Chen Jiang nodded slightly. "There is a deity in the Pantheon Paradise that suits his faith perfectly. I suddenly feel that the codename '404' he chose for himself is quite fitting. If we add two more team members, our squad will be essentially complete."

"Which two?"

"One like Uncle Ji—someone in charge of logistics who is proficient with computers—and one warrior who can charge to the front, maxed out in melee combat, capable of both tanking and dealing damage."

"Then why not recruit Uncle Ji?"

"One only has a chance to enter the Pantheon Paradise through an accidental death."

"I'll have someone hit him with a car."

"That won't work. Intelligence from the Federation shows that as long as it is premeditated homicide, even if the victim is unaware, they will absolutely not enter the Pantheon Paradise. Only an accidental death with zero trace of premeditation offers a chance to enter."

"I see. A pity."

"We'll see if there's a chance to buy an 'Entrance Ticket to the Pantheon Paradise' for Uncle Ji in the future. No idea how many Paradise Coins that would cost, though."

Dumb Snake didn't speak further, just quietly watching Xu Kun, who was busy in the distance.

In a deck of cards, seven is a lucky number, and Ace is the highest. A7 was Brother Jiang's codename. And his own codename, Y3, was simply a phonetic play on "Dumb Snake."

"Are we going to use the bombs?"

"Try not to. We don't know the methods of the other players. If the bombs are detonated and fail to kill everyone, the situation will spiral out of control. We will proceed with the plan as usual, and the bombs will serve as our Joker card."

Every magician must hold a Joker card capable of ending any uncontrollable situation at any moment; that was the first rule of a magician. Every time he stepped onto the stage, he held a Joker card in his grip.

This time was no different. If the plan went awry, that would be the moment to detonate the bombs.

...

As the sky gradually darkened, thanks to the power of wealth, a message began to broadcast across every outdoor screen and radio station in "Neon City."

— "Four hours until the end. Come to the Safe House to decide the winner through a card game. The losers will voluntarily withdraw." —

Chen Jiang had released this message. Days ago, he had already set the schedule. In a long-duration dungeon like this, if one could quickly amass a sum of money, the available resources would expand significantly.

In the North District, inside the cleared-out "Neon Internet Cafe," Chen Jiang leaned against the reception desk, closing his eyes to rest. With only four hours left until the dungeon ended and 67 players still alive, every player was currently in a state of desperate need for external information. Everyone would inevitably notice the message he had put out.

His logic was simple. Rather than having everyone fail the mission, it was better to use the relatively secure environment of the Safe House to decide through a gambling match who the nine people capable of completing the main objective would be.

Of course, he was no god. It was impossible for others to do exactly as he said. But this was the final deadline; whether they were trying to fish in troubled waters, planning an ambush, or harboring other thoughts, once they received the message, they would all inevitably come to the "Safe House." It was their last chance.

Time was running out.

...

In the North District, the street where the "Neon Internet Cafe" was located was bustling. The surrounding shops erupted with noisy hawking from time to time, and a large number of pedestrians hurried through the streets. A cordon was stretched across the entrance of the detached internet cafe.

Just then, a man in his late twenties with sunken cheeks walked up alone and rasped, "I want a terminal."

"We're closed today. Not open for business," Dumb Snake, standing at the door, replied casually.

The man paused for a moment before continuing, "Player."

"..."

Dumb Snake looked up, scanned the man in front of him, and stepped aside. "Enter." He then jotted a number down in a notebook beside him.

And so it went.

More and more players arrived via various modes of transport, walking into the internet cafe to gather together.

...

"It’s going even more smoothly than I imagined?"

Chen Jiang, standing in the crowd wearing a mask, raised an eyebrow after hearing Dumb Snake’s report. Including the three of them, a total of 66 players had now gathered in the cafe. All the players had arrived. One player had died on the way.

The internet cafe, which wasn't particularly large, felt somewhat crowded with 66 players packed inside.

Just then, a burly, thick-set man stepped forward. He looked at the masked Chen Jiang, his expression grim and his voice raspy as he spoke each word clearly: "You're the organizer? Tell us, how do we play?"

The four teammates behind him shared his sour expression.

They were unconvinced! The strength of their five-man team was undoubtedly top-tier among all the players. If it were a head-on fight, he believed they could absolutely complete the main quest and be the players who survived to the end.

But this damn dungeon didn't display the real-time coordinates or information of other players. This forced everyone to hide, and no matter how capable they were, they could only scurry around the city like headless flies, eventually being forced to rely on luck to decide whether they could complete the main quest.

It would be a miracle if they were happy about that. Before coming, they had already discussed that even if they lost the gamble, they wouldn't obediently leave the city. They would rather everyone go down together.

In an instant, all the players looked toward Chen Jiang, who stood in the crowd. Dumb Snake quietly locked the front door of the cafe.

In truth, many people supported Chen Jiang's idea. It was already a guaranteed loss; if they could gamble for a glimmer of victory, they naturally supported it with both hands. But the biggest problem was how to ensure that those who lost the gamble would obediently walk to the edge of the city and concede?

Putting themselves in that position, they knew they didn't have the resolve to be good losers.

...

"It's simple."

Chen Jiang did not show a hint of stage fright. He stood there, leaning on his cane, scanning each person's face in turn. "Four hours from now, if more than ten players remain alive, we will all fail the mission."

"But if we decide it through a gamble, nine lucky winners can still complete the main quest."

"The gamble will be held right here in the Safe House."

"Inside the Safe House, players cannot harm one another, and are immune to damage from Transcendents and monsters. This place is absolutely safe."

"Every time a player is eliminated by the gamble, we, the remaining players who have not been eliminated, will tie them up and place them in the corner."