Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The Gambler’s Game (Request for Full Subscription)
Qiao Xiao Mi stared at the Exotic Species before her with a strange expression. Its body was purely mechanical, yet bizarrely, it possessed a human head. Wasn’t that just terrifying?
The Intelligent Machine-type slowly approached Qiao Xiao Mi, raising the cannon in its hand.
"Human, you are not authorized to be here. Please promptly display your credentials as an administrator or a game player.
First warning...
Second warning...
Third..."
BANG! The First Tier Intelligent Machine-type was sent flying by Lu Luo’s kick. He then casually grabbed one of its legs and violently smashed the creature into the wall.
Lu Luo was about to extend his hand to absorb this Intelligent Machine-type, but after glancing at Qiao Xiao Mi beside him, he abandoned the thought.
Revealing his tentacle monster side in front of a child wasn’t appropriate.
Just as Noah had said, Lu Luo always considered himself human, so he possessed a human side.
A mere First Tier Exotic Species, only a few dozen energy points. It’s fine not to absorb it!
"Big Brother!" Qiao Xiao Mi exclaimed, her face alight with excitement, and jumped to hug him.
Lu Luo patted Qiao Xiao Mi’s head, his face turning solemn.
After Lu Luo dispatched one Intelligent Machine-type, more Intelligent Machine-types appeared in the corridor, surrounding Lu Luo and Qiao Xiao Mi.
Lu Luo was ready to fight, but they showed no intention of battling.
They dispatched a Second Tier Intelligent Machine-type to approach and converse with Lu Luo.
This Intelligent Machine-type first scanned Lu Luo’s entire body with its optical sensors, then spoke.
"Detecting two targets. Hostility confirmed.
Verifying identities... Identity confirmed: Beacon Holder, Mr. Lu Luo. You may pass.
Game rules cannot be changed. If Mr. Lu Luo wishes to escort this human away, please answer the game question first."
Lu Luo’s expression turned grim, but he didn’t want to continue causing trouble here.
Noah was the master of this place, and Lu Luo knew that initiating a fight was the least wise decision.
"’Forcing a child to answer these questions is tantamount to sending her to her death, isn’t it?
Noah himself stated this is a humanized game. Although death can occur, it is more about making choices.
Forcing a child like this, you’re surely going against Noah’s intentions, right?’"
The Intelligent Machine-types exchanged glances with their optical sensors, apparently communicating. After a while, it was still the Second Tier Intelligent Machine-type that responded.
"Although Mr. Lu Luo is correct, we currently have no authority to modify the game rules.
If Mr. Lu Luo continues to initiate attacks here, more guards will be dispatched to the Game Center for defense.
So please, do not make things difficult for us."
At this point, Qiao Xiao Mi raised her hand, feeling she should step up to alleviate some pressure on Lu Luo.
"Big Brother, when it comes to answering questions, I’m the best. I always get first place in my exams."
The corner of Lu Luo’s mouth twitched. Excelling at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within ten was useless here.
"Alright, you try."
"Yay!"
Upon Qiao Xiao Mi’s agreement, a game screen immediately materialized on the wall beside Lu Luo.
[Game player Qiao Xiao Mi will participate in the first round of the game; the difficulty level for this round is 0.
Question: The Stolen Gold Watch
A theft occurred in a shopping mall where a precious gold watch was stolen. The police, based on clues left at the scene, detained four suspects.
Their testimonies are as follows:
Wang Er said, "I saw that it was Zhang San who stole the gold watch!"
Zhang San said, "It wasn’t me! The gold watch was stolen by Li Si."
Li Si said, "Zhang San is lying. He’s framing me."
Zhou Wu said, "I don’t know who stole the gold watch; I just know I didn’t steal it."
After an investigation, it has been confirmed that only one of the four’s statement is entirely true; the rest have lied.
Question: Who exactly is the thief?]
This question left Qiao Xiao Mi completely baffled.
She was just a child! Her current level of schooling was basic arithmetic; weren’t they supposed to ask her questions involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within ten?
How could they not play by the rules? How could she possibly solve such a logic puzzle?!
But if she couldn’t answer, she would lose 20 Tokens, and without Tokens, she would lose 20 years of her life. What should she do?
Qiao Xiao Mi looked at Lu Luo, aggrieved.
"I don’t know this. My teacher never taught me this, and neither did my dad."
Lu Luo covered his face. Raising children is too difficult!
"Can I answer for her instead?"
That was impossible; everyone’s game had to be completed independently. The Intelligent Machine-type was about to refuse, but Lu Luo actually raised his finger.
"In my capacity as an administrator."
The Intelligent Machine-types once again exchanged glances with their optical sensors and commenced a brief, private conference.
After another two minutes, the lead Intelligent Machine-type nodded.
"Okay!"
Seeing they agreed, Lu Luo immediately showed a look of relief.
The question was difficult for Qiao Xiao Mi, but for him, it was easy.
"Zhou Wu is the thief, and the reason is quite simple.
First, Wang Er’s testimony directly contradicts the first half of Zhang San’s statement.
The second half of Zhang San’s statement directly contradicts Li Si’s testimony.
Thus, among these four core claims, there must be two that are true.
So Zhang San’s statement must be half true and half false, which means Zhou Wu’s testimony must be entirely false; therefore, he is the thief."
[The answer is correct.]
"That’s great, Big Brother, you’re so awesome!"
"Of course. Let’s go."
"Okay."
Lu Luo carried Qiao Xiao Mi and left as he wished.
The Intelligent Machine-types left behind watched Lu Luo’s departing figure, fell silent for a moment, and muttered:
"Privileged bastard!"
Far away, Lu Luo actually heard this remark.
That robot cursed you.
"I heard it."
Then why don’t you pummel him?
"I just like seeing him so frustrated and helpless against me."
「Back at the Game Center」
Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi had both returned, injured.
When Qi Xinzhu saw Qiao Xiao Mi, she was momentarily stunned.
She half-knelt on the ground and picked up Qiao Xiao Mi.
"Xiao Mi, it’s all my fault!"
Qi Xinzhu felt immense guilt over Qiao Xiao Mi getting lost and captured.
Now that she saw Qiao Xiao Mi unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Qiao Xiao Mi was very optimistic, taking out two packets of spicy strips she had brought from the confinement room and holding them in her hand.
"It’s okay, I even got this! Try it quickly.
I think this is much tastier than the food within our walls, just a bit spicy!"
After Qiao Xiao Mi comforted Qi Xinzhu for a while, a smile finally appeared on Qi Xinzhu’s face.
She looked at Lu Luo, who was standing aside, and naturally gave him a hug.
"Thank you, Lu Luo. If it weren’t for you, Lord Qiao Xing would certainly have been very upset.
I would have been very upset too."
"Ah..."
Lu Luo was still in shock. Big... soft! His reaction was a beat too slow.
He wanted to hug Qi Xinzhu back, but she didn’t give him the chance and pushed him away.
"Alright, Bai Yuetong and Brother Kane still haven’t returned."
Lu Luo frowned slightly; both had chosen intellectual challenges.
Although Bai Yuetong wasn’t physically strong, her intellect should be fine.
But as for Zhou Kai, it was hard to tell!
"I will go find them."
"You’re going to look for them?"
"’I’ve had some... encounters. It’s a long story, hard to explain quickly.
You two take good care of Qiao Xiao Mi. I shouldn’t be long.’"
"Oh, okay."
Lu Luo clasped his hands, rubbed Noah’s Star, and disappeared in front of Qi Xinzhu and Qiao Xiao Mi.
Only when Lu Luo truly possessed this item did he realize how absurdly powerful it was.
It allowed Lu Luo to travel freely across all the games in the amusement park, and it even granted him a certain level of game management authority.
This authority was a level higher than that of the Clown, and while it didn’t allow him to modify game content, it did permit participation.
Just because I reminded Noah that the coffee was bitter, he gave me this thing? Isn’t that a bit too generous?
Although Lu Luo was puzzled, the urgent matter at hand was still to find Zhou Kai.
"’Puzzle game... Brother Kane!’"
「Zhou Kai’s Predicament」
His repeated attempts followed a pattern: Adjust mindset, think calmly, arrive at an answer! Then: Incorrect answer, utter bewilderment, loud sobs!
Waaaah! It’s too hard! Why were the puzzle-type questions in the first round so impossibly difficult?
Zhou Kai looked at the problem before him with a bitter face; he was even starting to lose his hair.
He was clearly a Transcendent with dual Sequences and plant-type abilities, possessing exceptional combat power! Why did he fancy himself an intellectual type?
So now what? He’d chosen the question himself but couldn’t answer it. What was he to do?
Life was too hard!
"A great person once said that those who frequently consume ’toxic chicken soup’ for the soul will experience certain impediments to their intellectual level and cognitive abilities.
What do you think, Brother Kane?"
To Zhou Kai, Lu Luo’s voice at this moment was like that of a savior descending from heaven.
"Lu Luo, you’re finally here! If you hadn’t come, I would’ve been finished."
Zhou Kai turned, tears streaming down his face, and hastily clung to Lu Luo’s legs.
Lu Luo noted the thinning hair on Zhou Kai’s head with a slightly surprised expression.
Brother Kane is going bald! He’s only twenty! You should go back and embezzle some public funds to buy him a wig!
Lu Luo silently nodded. Good idea!
"Why on earth didn’t you pick a combat question instead of a puzzle? You can’t even solve such a simple question; what good are you at puzzles?!"
"You don’t understand! I was doing pretty well at the beginning of the game, but this question is a math problem.
We’ve been classmates for years; you know math has always been my weakest subject."
Zhou Kai stated his inadequacy as if it were a matter of course, leaving Lu Luo somewhat speechless.
However, when he saw the question before him, he also slightly raised his eyebrows.
"Indeed, it’s a bit difficult!"
[Question: Santa Claus is preparing gifts for everyone this Christmas, but he just weighed himself.
Due to eating too well over the year, he gained 10 kilograms and now weighs 90 kilograms.
Since the sled can barely pull him anymore, Santa Claus has to start delivering gifts earlier this year, or he won’t finish in time.
Business has been slow this year, and feeding his 12 reindeer cost a lot, so the gifts are lighter.
There are a total of 500 gifts, uniformly weighing 20 newtons each. The sled’s coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.1, and this year each reindeer’s pulling force is 10 newtons less than the previous year.
Please answer, what was my gift last year?
A. A dozen apples, B. A box of chocolates, C. A bunch of flowers.
Please choose and give a detailed process.]
Lu Luo, looking at the question, couldn’t blame Zhou Kai for not being able to answer; it was indeed difficult.
However, for him, possessing the Observer ability, it wasn’t a major problem.
"Initiate overclocking mode."
[Overclocking mode activated.]
"Construct Mind Palace."
[Constructing a problem-solving thought environment for you...]
Lu Luo closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then after 3 seconds, he opened his eyes again.
In those 3 seconds, the process to solve the question had already run through his mind.
"Each reindeer’s pulling force decreased by 10 newtons, so the total reduction in pulling force is 120 newtons.
From F_friction = μN, we need to reduce the total weight producing friction by 1,200 newtons to compensate for the lost pulling force (since 120 N / 0.1 = 1200 N). However, Santa himself is 100 newtons heavier (due to his 10 kg mass gain, as Weight = mg ≈ 10kg * 10m/s² = 100 N).
Therefore, his cargo must be 1,300 newtons lighter than last year (1200 N needed reduction + 100 N Santa’s gain).
Spread across 500 gifts, each gift needs to be 2.6 newtons lighter (1300 N / 500 gifts).
This year’s gifts weigh 20 newtons each, so last year they weighed 22.6 newtons per gift (20 N + 2.6 N).
So the answer is A, a dozen apples, which weigh approximately 22.6 newtons."
Zhou Kai, who stood nearby, was already dumbfounded. "’How did you solve such a complex problem so quickly?’"
"Go ahead and answer. I’m not required to answer it for you, so you need to state the solution yourself to pass."
"Lu Luo is awesome! Lu Luo is the best in the world!"
"Stop flattering me, I’m in a hurry! Just answer it quickly."
Brother Kane has probably forgotten already!
The Observer’s insight was indeed sharp. Zhou Kai shrank his head, then looked up sneakily at Lu Luo and scratched his almost bald head.
"Lu Luo, can you repeat that? You spoke too quickly just now. I was so shocked that I didn’t catch the details."
"Drop dead!"
「Preparations to Leave」
After rescuing Zhou Kai, Lu Luo gave all his Tokens to Qi Xinzhu, instructing her to prepare for exchanging keys.
Leaving the game world required passing through five doors, and the color of each subsequent door was random.
This meant that if they chose a white door first, then preparing four red keys, four blue keys, and four white keys thereafter would guarantee their exit through the remaining four doors, regardless of color sequence.
The 13 keys—for instance, 5 white, 4 red, and 4 blue if following a specific strategy—would cost a total of 75 Tokens. Lu Luo himself previously had over 400 Tokens.
Adding the earnings of Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi, it was certain that all of them could leave in this round.
Now, all they needed to do was to find Bai Yuetong.
Before leaving, Lu Luo once again reminded Qi Xinzhu.
"Remember, don’t exchange for anything other than the keys. As for items from the Game Center, don’t take anything at all."
"Ah? Why not?"
"Just remember what I said."
With that said, Lu Luo activated Noah’s Star again and vanished before their eyes.
Although puzzled by Lu Luo’s warning against exchanging for other items, they generally chose to comply with his requests.
「Bai Yuetong’s Game」
When Lu Luo arrived in the world Bai Yuetong occupied, he discovered she wasn’t solving puzzles at all.
Instead, Bai Yuetong was at a casino, winning money and clearly enjoying herself immensely!
Standing at the periphery, Lu Luo could also see the game’s details.
[Second Round Game: Gambler.
Number of players: 16.
Players remaining: 1 - Bai Yuetong.
Defender: 1.
Game mechanics: A 17-card deck (J, Q, K, A of four suits, plus one Joker).
After cards are dealt, players can exchange 0-5 cards. Hand rankings, from highest to lowest, are:
Five of a Kind (Four of a kind + Joker), Straight Flush (Four cards to a straight flush + Joker), Four of a Kind, Full House (Three of a kind + pair),
Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair.
Base bet: 1 Token. Maximum bet per round: 50 Tokens. One year of lifespan can be exchanged for 1 Token.
The 16 players compete in pairs. The ultimate winner can choose to challenge the final Defender.
The game against the Defender lasts 7 rounds. Both sides start with 2,500 Tokens. Minimum bet per round: 500 Tokens.
After 7 rounds, the player with more Tokens wins.]
Although Lu Luo had never played such a gambling game, he had spent a long time undercover in the criminal underworld in his previous life and was thus quite familiar with gambling.
The moment he saw this game, he keenly sensed that the key to it was the Joker card.
The Joker can substitute for any card, so determining its location is key to winning or losing.
With only 17 cards in total, and only 7 remaining after two hands are dealt, the rhythm of exchanging cards becomes crucial.
At this point, Bai Yuetong, with her 2,500 Tokens, had already entered the final showdown against the Defender.
The game had begun and was unstoppable, so Lu Luo could no longer persuade her to leave.
2,500 Tokens... This girl, she’s even more outrageous than I am.
As Lu Luo marveled at Bai Yuetong’s wealth-amassing prowess, a somewhat familiar voice spoke from beside him.
"Indeed. Miss Bai Yuetong’s abilities are truly astonishing! I admire her greatly."