Chapter 302 Enjoying It (5)

Click, click, click, the patterns on the screen streamed down like a waterfall. Bananas, rice cakes, tentacles, the lucky eye. The student pulled the handle, and the first row stopped, an eye. Pulled again, and the second row also had an eye. His breathing became heavier than he'd noticed, and sweat covered his forehead. Just one more and he'd win. Just one more.

Banana. Tentacle. Wait a minute. Rice cake. Tentacle. Right now, he pulled the handle—

"Calm down." The cold artificial hand pressed down on the back of his hand. "Look carefully."

The student missed his chance and collapsed in his seat. "What are you doing?! I can clearly see it's an eye!" "Think about it again," the silver-armed man said in an undeniable voice. "How much did you spend on this?" "400..." "It's a significant amount." "If you win, you can double it back."

"This is gambling," said the man with the silver arm.

The student stood up with red eyes and tried to push him, but failed. "It's so annoying! You have to point fingers even when we're playing a game. Who do you think you are?" "This is not a game, it's gambling." "Get out of here, you spoil the fun!"

The man let go and walked away. The student impatiently pulled down a third handful, this time stopping the rice cake in the middle. "God damn it!" he cursed hysterically, while the small animals next door cheered. Twigs spitted out of the machine like they were free. On an open-air stage several rows behind the machines, a paunchy man smoked and sang consumer-inducing rock music, accompanied by demonic figures dancing to his side.

That was the entertainment devil Gutaf. Now, everyone was in his base camp, a chaotic area that combined bars, nightclubs, casinos and amusement parks.

Ji Huaisu waved from afar, and Chu Hengkong walked around the slot machine array and the card table, pulled a stool in front of the table and sat down.

"They're enjoying it," Mr. Gray commented.

"He's almost losing his mind. A student is crazier than a seasoned gambler." Chu Hengkong said, "How are you doing?"

"The good news is that we haven't seen any drug or prostitution traffickers for now," Ji Huaisu said. "The bad news is that the tourists are having a blast. I'm not speaking metaphorically. There are guys at the card table who have been engrossed in their games for two days and two nights, and in the box-smashing game, some are spending money on prosthetics to increase their efficiency."

"I don't think this is a place for good kids." Gulibo shivered.

"The area we just came down from should be the underground good citizen area, and this area is the unruly area." Vander said, "The atmosphere is completely different. Many of the guys are standard fantasy demons..."

As he spoke, a hook hooked towards Fander from the dark. Chu Hengkong flicked his finger and shot out a drop of wine, knocking the attacker and the hook away.

"When you get back to the surface, you'll have to goose-step for five minutes," the man in gray reminded him.

"He started it first, and I was defending my friend."

The man in gray thought for a moment, then jumped over to the unfortunate demon. "Get up and march for five minutes."

"Dude, you've wasted your precious first chance to hit someone." Vander sighed. "We've all seen Gutaf singing on the stage. He's just a fantasy, and the DJ playing the discs is his partner, 'Indulge.'"

"His strength doesn't seem like that of a fantasy demon." Chu Hengkong commented.

"I have some theories," Ji Huaisu continued. "According to the intelligence I've gathered, Gutaf is a long-time employee of Feiyan Amusement Park. He personally participated in the development of a number of attractions and is one of the main card designers for the Extreme Battle card game. This is why his Entertainment Demon card can officially appear in the game.

These utopian demons become more powerful the more they align with one's own 'concepts.' Gutaf, having gained strength after gaining ground on earth, has developed a rebellious streak. A recent incident has shaken many people's confidence in the city-state's stability. I suspect this served as a catalyst for Gutaf's rebelliousness to take concrete action.

Gulibo's face looked strange, and he wanted to laugh but held it back. "It can't be Bill 368, right?"

"Judging from the timing, it's probably true," Ji Huaisu said. "Don't laugh, everyone. I know the bill itself is stupid, but there are actually quite a few people who support it. Gutaf began to act in this environment. He resigned, went underground, defeated Chenmi, recruited him as his subordinate, and began to spread the demon cards. There must be someone behind him fanning the flames, but time is tight and I haven't been able to find out yet."

Ji Huaisu piled several handwritten notes on the table: "That's all I found. Feel free to add more."

Fander and Chu Hengkong exchanged glances and whispered, "She's really angry..."

"She is really, really, really angry..." Chu Hengkong agreed.

"Don't waste your time over there, and make a quick decision."

"Okay, let me add one thing. Judging from its aura, Entertainment is a fantasy, but it's an exception. Indulge is a long-standing fantasy demon, but for some reason its aura isn't very strong... maybe it has something to do with being defeated by Entertainment." Vander said, "Both of them are complete forms with genuine contractors, and they completely suppress the contractor's consciousness and occupy their own bodies. Honestly, they'd be difficult to deal with in a head-on battle."

"Thinking back then, we were chased by a group of strange beasts and had our pants wet. It's hard to imagine that now, with a strong level 4 and a weak level 5 standing there, you would describe them as 'difficult to deal with'." Chu Hengkong laughed.

"Traveling with you all these years has greatly improved my tolerance. Even if a particle 7 suddenly appears, I'll only scream symbolically. 'Ah! There's a god!'" Vander said calmly. "So this is the situation. They're singing over there right now, and the troublemaker is less than 500 meters away from us as the crow flies."

"Let's force a war." Ji Huaisu made a very constructive suggestion.

Mr. Lan immediately spoke up, "The first offender of a violent conflict will be marched for five minutes. Repeat offenders will be detained for 1 to 10 days. The Divine Guard will enforce this."

Fander spread his tentacles and said, "Well, the Divine Guards will come and take care of us first."

"Don't be so particular about this now!"

"This is when we need to be careful. If we let tourists do whatever they want, what will become of the Fifth Vein's rules?" Finder said seriously, "If we break the rules of the rulers, the first to suffer will be the Holy Honor Cup itself, a serious injury that will be difficult to heal. We captured the demon at the cost of a serious injury to the captain of the Fifth Vein. Is it worth it? Gutaf's arrogance is simply to provoke Hariloa to come down and start a fight. Even the local captain has held back, so we can't be the first to mess things up."

"And we also need to pay attention to the environment." Chu Hengkong said, "Listen carefully."

The venue was a gathering place for demons, so naturally there were many demonic guests. Unlike the frenzied atmosphere at the concert, the demons in the bar mostly appeared anxious.

"That guy from Entertainment has gone too far..." "He's determined to go against Jingsha." "The master can protect him, but not us!" "If a fight breaks out, which side will we support?"

"You idiots? If a fight breaks out, we'll die no matter which side we side with!" "Jingsha won't really treat us as his own..."

Finder sighed, "Most of the demons in the Lower City are just waiting to die, and they worry most about their own safety. Once the Divine Guards engage in direct combat, the demons will inevitably panic. What will happen after this chaos is over..."

"It's just a civil war among the fifth-order demons, fanned by someone with ulterior motives." Chu Hengkong continued, "It's a common trick."

"Are we really playing cards?" Ji Huaisu rolled his eyes.

"Great, that's the second problem." Vander pointed out the key point. "Entertainment has decided to play the turtle and not fight. We can't do anything about it. It can completely ignore you if it's protected by rules. What reason do you have to ask it to fight?"

"Because if he doesn't play cards with me, I'll beat him to death regardless of the rules."

"The argument is a bit weak," Mr. Gray commented.

"Well, what about this reason?" someone said, "It was going to fight a duel anyway, but unfortunately, the opponent was you."

The man, his back to the crowd, was playing poker at the table. He laid his cards out smoothly on the table: a straight flush of spades: 10, jack, queen, king, ace. The chips on the table automatically drifted toward him. It was a royal flush, the only unbeatable hand in five-card poker. Showing this hand guaranteed victory.

The man turned around, took off his hat and stood there. He was wearing a pure white suit, with his golden hair neatly combed, and he looked like a gentleman.

"Good evening, everyone." A familiar smile appeared on that familiar face. "I am Arik Besson Kanin, the Burning Ambition!"

The next moment, the bustling bar suddenly fell silent. A shrill murderous aura obliterated all sound, and Shadow Blade and Divine Slash crossed before Kanin's neck. Ji Huaisu donned his Blazing Armor, and Chu Hengkong's eyes turned bloodshot.

"So you are resurrected, workshop owner." Ji Huaisu said coldly.

Chu Hengkong narrowed his eyes: "It seems that the vitality of the contractor is more tenacious than I thought."

"What a passionate opening! I never thought I'd be so popular." Kanin remained calm, holding a cigarette between his teeth through his long sword. "Do you two mind?"

"I don't mind the actions of the dead." Ji Huaisu said.

"You're very kind, young lady." Kanin's fingertips ignited a small spark of green fire to light a cigarette. "May I ask your names, too? Although we're very close and I've heard of your legends, this is our first meeting."

"Playing dumb isn't like you!"

Ji Huaisu raised her shadow blade, taking it as a signal to begin the fight. Chu Hengkong, however, raised a hand to stop her. He carefully observed "Kaning," comparing him to the man in his memory. The man before him was taller, his blond hair lighter. The beautiful white dress remained the same style, but the material seemed much finer. But the difference wasn't just in appearance, but something deeper...

Temperament. He realized the key. This Kanin was too naive, he didn't even use a stand-in. The workshop owner would never show up so easily. The moment he appeared before him, it meant all preparations were complete, like the beacon fire before war.

"Arik Ferda Besson." Chu Hengkong said, "This is the name you reported earlier."

"That was the name of the last ambitious demon, the poor wretch you tore a piece of flesh from." Kanin shook his finger, "But I am Arik Besson Kanin, a brand new face, a brand new me."

It took on a new look, and so it changed its name. The new demon of ambition was called Kanin.

Chu Hengkong put down the Divine Slash, but did not put away the knife: "Reason."

"The entertainment business is booming, but it's too short-sighted. After its demise, there will be a brief power vacuum in the downtown area, which is perfect for me to grab a piece of the pie." Kanin took a long drag on his cigarette. "Is that a good enough reason?"

"Not enough. You haven't said who you want to betray this time."

Kanin exhaled smoke and said, "I want to sit back and watch the two sides fight, and then I can take over. If you win, you can take over Entertainment's territory. If Entertainment holds the stage this time, I'll take back my fire."

"It's still not enough." Chu Hengkong said, "You asked for too little. You are far from being content."

Kanin stubbed out his cigarette and laughed.

"I want to discuss a big deal with you." His eyes sparkled with childlike excitement. "I don't want any reward for helping you this time. I'm just baiting you to take the bait!"

Chu Hengkong put away the Divine Slash and nodded: "This is like you."

"It was indeed a pleasure to communicate with Inspector Chu. I guess we had a very good relationship in our past life."

"I smashed you into dust with my own hands."

"That's truly a life-or-death friendship." Kanin jumped off the stool and walked to the table where everyone was drinking. "Let me introduce you to the underground area of ​​the amusement park. This place is the second most filthy place in the city-state of Jingsha, second only to the Senate in Mansa Star Fort. The battle between demons never stops. Such conflicts would be a bloodbath in the sea, but here they must be resolved according to rules."

He pointed to the noisy stage in the distance. "Entertainment has been at odds with another demon lately. They will clash tonight in a 'Battle of the Extremes.' Naturally, Entertainment chose this game. Since they're more powerful, we must abide by their rules."

"An underground boxing match, huh? That's a good place to be." Vander glanced at him. "But I don't know who's the gang leader who's competing against the entertainment industry?"

Kanin said confidently: "Of course it's me."

"I knew it!"

"A duel is theoretically a best-of-three match, but in practice, whatever the entertainment says is true. The person who loses the duel..." Kanin produced a fighter card with a picture of a terrified boy on it, "will be turned into a card."

"Oh, what a classic scene!" Mr. Gray exclaimed. "Could it be that the other party also possesses a mysterious golden prosthetic eye that can peek into the inner world, and an evil soul inherited from ancient times?"

"Who knows? Anyway, their deck is very strong." Kanin put away the cards. "The duel will start in ten minutes. Who should we send into the first round?"

Speaking of extreme battles, the best card players were Gulibo and Ji Huaisu. Gulibo patted his chest and wanted to go on stage, but was held back by Ji Huaisu.

"Card battles place a lot of emphasis on information asymmetry. Gulibo and I are both using standard decks, so the opponent should be aware of the effects." Ji Huaisu said, "If we go into battle directly, we might be targeted."

"Here I rely on my superb card skills!"

"Your superb card skills are no match for your nonsense." Ji Huaisu shook his head. "Besides, the opponent is a demon after all, so it's not appropriate to let Gulibo go, so..."

"Let me play a game first to test the waters." Chu Hengkong stood up.

"No, buddy, can you play cards?"

"We were just trying to find out what's going on, it doesn't matter." Chu Hengkong said, "It's just a game."

(End of this chapter)