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Bonus chapter! Thank you to JosiML for the donation! ^^
***
After the two confirmed their team, Ruan Qing lowered his head to watch some videos of the gambling match.
Few gamblers chose this match.
Because in this gamble, one not only had to guard against the dangers from the maze but also the dangers from the enemies.
There was even the possibility of not finding the flags or being unable to exit the maze.
The difficulty was incredibly high.
In other gambling matches, you could estimate the staff’s capabilities, the situation of the match, and the likelihood of victory based on previous videos.
But this match was entirely different.
The maze in this gamble was random, and each entry led to a different maze. Even the locations of the flags were completely different each time.
Once the maze was activated, it would periodically shift and reorganize. A path that a gambler had initially chosen correctly might turn into a dead end after the shift, requiring them to rely on teammates to find the correct route again. The dangers involved were evident.
This match had only been held a few times, and in those instances, the participating gamblers were almost entirely wiped out with no victors.
Even if a gambler managed to kill all their opponents, they did not leave the maze alive.
Or, if they left the maze, they didn’t have ten flags, resulting in failure.
So far, no gambler had completed one-fifth of the maze, making it impossible to see the whole layout.
Ruan Qing thoughtfully tapped the edge of the tablet. This maze had a very good feature.
The walls of the maze were specially made and could not be destroyed by force.
Thus, they could not be forcibly removed, and all gamblers must navigate the maze according to its rules.
But Su Zhen didn’t care about the rules of the Life and Death Casino, so it was very likely that the maze’s rules would not constrain him either.
It’s best to stay far from them after entering the maze.
The flags in the maze were set according to the number of participating teams, with ten times the number of teams in flags, so flags were abundant.
Therefore, avoiding them was possible.
What really mattered was returning to the starting point with ten flags.
Because when a team got ten flags, there would be a maze-wide announcement, making them the target of everyone.
And the final stretch back to the starting point was without the maze and any dangers. If others were waiting there, returning with the flags would be as hard as climbing to the sky.
After all, as long as they didn’t return to the starting point, the flags could still be captured.
Ruan Qing touched his hair, which was already completely dry. He put down the tablet and entered the changing room.
Before he went in, he saw Han Ze squatting in the corner of the sofa not far away, emanating an aura of sadness and despair.
This wasn’t the first time.
Ruan Qing glanced over and, somewhat surprised, spoke in his mind, ‘What’s wrong with him again?’
Guessing the thoughts of normal perverts was always Ruan Qing’s strong suit, but he really couldn’t understand the thought processes of idiots.
Even if he sometimes knew why an idiot was sad, it was hard to understand how they could suddenly become sad.
System: [...It’s nothing, just ignore him.]
‘Oh.’
Ruan Qing withdrew his gaze and entered the changing room next to him.
When he came out in his pajamas, Han Ze was still squatting in the corner of the sofa, looking like a little dog abandoned by its owner.
He seemed pitiful.
Ruan Qing sat on the edge of the bed, looked at Han Ze, and said, “Come here.”
Han Ze paused when he heard the voice. Although he was still sad, he obediently walked over.
It seemed like Han Ze would obey anything Ruan Qing said, even if he was sad because he was about to die.
Ruan Qing looked at Han Ze, glanced at his side, and slightly raised his fair chin. “Sit.”
Han Ze momentarily forgot his sadness and, feeling a bit flustered, walked to Ruan Qing’s side and sat down stiffly.
Ruan Qing looked at the somewhat nervous Han Ze and asked softly, “What’s wrong with you?”
Originally having forgotten his sadness, Han Ze remembered again that he had a terminal illness. In a low, hoarse voice, he said, “I’m going to die.”
Ruan Qing paused at these words, completely not expecting that this was the reason for Han Ze’s sadness.
He glanced at Han Ze sideways, thinking he must be worried about tomorrow’s bet.
It seemed even an idiot knew to worry about whether he would lose.
Losing in this life-and-death gamble was indeed not much different from dying, so it was normal for Han Ze to think he was going to die.
Moreover, with the gamble against those people, the possibility of death was indeed very high.
Even he had no confidence in winning the bet.
Ruan Qing looked at the distressed Han Ze and softened his tone. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die tomorrow.”
“But, but I have a terminal illness.” Han Ze was not comforted; instead, his eyes reddened at Ruan Qing’s gentle tone.
Ruan Qing didn’t react for a moment, “... Huh?”
Seeing Han Ze on the verge of tears, he questioned in his mind, ‘System, what’s going on?’
Why would an NPC on a side quest have a terminal illness?
Ruan Qing could understand it if it were a ghostly side quest, as a terminal illness could lead to many horrifying scenarios.
But the problem was that Han Ze was just a gambler NPC in the Life and Death Casino, with no side quest storylines or potential developments.
In this case, giving him a terminal illness setting didn’t make sense to Ruan Qing.
The system was silent, finding it difficult to explain the reason for Han Ze’s distress, even though it had nothing to do with the side quest.
The system finally responded to Ruan Qing, [He’s fine, really. Just ignore him.]
The system’s words indicated that Han Ze didn’t actually have a terminal illness, but his distress was evidently real.
Ruan Qing looked at Han Ze and asked in puzzlement, “Why do you think you have a terminal illness?”
Han Ze replied with a face full of grievance and sorrow, “I feel unwell, and the internet says these are late-stage cancer symptoms.”
“I might die in a month.”
Ruan Qing fell silent. Self-diagnosing on the internet was absurd, as it usually suggested terminal illnesses.
Though cancer was likely false, Han Ze’s discomfort seemed genuine.
Ruan Qing asked softly, “Where do you feel unwell?”
Han Ze initially felt much better but suddenly felt miserable again when the person in front of him showed concern, even feeling extraordinarily aggrieved.
“Everywhere hurts. I feel like my whole body is burning up.”
Burning up? Ruan Qing extended his hand, touching Han Ze’s forehead with the back of his hand. The next second, his delicate brows furrowed.
Indeed, it was somewhat feverish, not a normal human temperature.
When Ruan Qing’s hand touched his forehead, Han Ze froze, sitting motionless, not even moving his head.
But his eyes instinctively looked up, focusing on the hand on his forehead.
hes too cute. my heart!!
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