Chapter 27 Let's Set Sail, ███! [The Betting Mode Has Been Activated]...
Lin Feng: "And the second one?"
"The Voyagers believe so strongly in the prophecy of the New World because they have seen Lamiai. God's followers exist, God naturally exists, and God's prophecies are naturally true. The New World is just around the corner," the officer said. "The Voyagers, through some means, have made a deal with Lamiai. Lamiai brought ancient gold and silver treasures from the seabed and transported them to the cruise ship using people as carriers. I hope you can detain the smuggled goods in the port. After all, for those guys, losing even a penny is a shock."
Side Quest 1 Completed
[Rewards are being released...]
[...]
[All players have completed side quest 1]
[...]
After waiting for a long time without any explanation for the reward being sent out, Xue Chao sensed something was wrong, and sure enough, he received an additional notification.
[Detection of dungeon storyline trigger conditions]
To add to the fun, as a reward, a mini-game has been added for you.
Suddenly, a burst of fireworks erupted from the room's interface. A pair of upside-down Jokers, each painted with clown-like all-seeing eyes, spun twice, revealing a line of small text below:
[Would the host please choose whether to activate the "betting mode"?]
Win and get double the money, lose and get half – the thrill is all about the thrill! Don't miss this opportunity, what are you waiting for? Take action now!
【whether】
Screw you. His popularity score is currently 48, just 2 points short. Once he reaches 50, it won't be a problem; he just needs to survive until the end.
He even said he'd double his winnings. What doubling? He has no idea if he even got a share. And the idea of cutting his losses in half just sounds incredibly risky. Is he out of his mind?
He decisively chose "no".
[Friendly Reminder: Mini-games are a great opportunity to increase fun and boost popularity. All hosts should take them seriously. We deeply regret your unwise choice. Please note that if you choose "No," 1d20 popularity points (equivalent to one roll of a 20-sided die) will be deducted at the end of the instance. Please reconsider carefully.]
[Would the host please choose whether to activate the "betting mode"?]
【whether】
Xue Chao: "..."
That son of a bitch.
Thank you for choosing us.
The playing cards were shrunk to icons and placed after the room name, and all players received a new notification:
[Mini-game section is now available]
[The betting mode has been activated]
【Bet Mode: There is a clear opposing side in the instance, and the tasks directly conflict (if side A's task is completed, side B's task will definitely not be completed). Players can choose to stand on one side, which is considered "betting".
Players need to help their team complete the mission and achieve victory, or they can choose to forfeit and not participate in the betting.
[For players participating in the betting, the winning player's points are doubled, and the losing player's points are halved.]
[Furthermore, before the mini-game begins, non-forfeiting players have the right to designate any player from the opposing team to "raise" (each player can only raise once), meaning the losing team must fulfill an additional requirement of the winning team.]
[Bet increases are subject to the betting agreement. If the losing party fails to comply, the host can enforce it. If the host is unable to enforce it, the system can enforce it on their behalf.]
If all non-abstention players choose the same faction, the betting mode is invalid and will automatically end.
[In this bet, you can choose to bet on either the Starter or the Opponent]
*The Voyager's Mission: Protect the Smuggled Goods
*The opposition's mission: to seize smuggled goods.
Please make your choice.
Yan Bocheng, dragging his cumbersome body, was dodging and searching for a signal when he was suddenly bombarded with options on the game panel. After carefully weighing his choices, he made one in his mind and then asked Zhu Wen for confirmation: "Which one should I choose?"
“The Voyagers.” Zhu Wen made a decisive choice. “The Voyagers have monsters backing them up, so the opposition can’t do anything to them. Otherwise, why would they have withdrawn from their stronghold in Right Harbor and gone into hiding somewhere? Besides, the ship the Voyagers are going to take is our main mission. The bet is just a seasoning, the main mission is the most important thing… Oh, don’t worry, no one who has survived this long is a fool. Such an easy choice probably won’t work.”
Lin Feng, standing right in front of the opposition, shared the same thought.
He had experienced the power of those monsters up close in the sea and didn't want to be their enemy, especially since he had to board the Giant.
Even though the opposition invited them... that's even more damn annoying. If you hadn't invited them, they wouldn't have come to this wretched port to risk their lives!
Just as he was about to make a choice, he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if the evil god who had been offline had reappeared and slowly said, "Wait."
On the other side, Pu Fengchun asked for the opinion of the artificial intelligence. She concealed the existence of the game and only said that the navigators and the opposition should choose a side: "As expected, it's the opposition, isn't it?"
Although Xue Chao would not allow Pu Fengchun to choose a navigator, Pu Fengchun's initiative to bring it up was somewhat unexpected: "Why?"
Most normal players would choose the navigator, right?
“You belong to Giantsport, and the Sailors are going to leave Giantsport. The opposition is more ‘close’ to you, and besides, the person you’re looking for is also in the port, right?”
The Qihang family is all on the second floor. There is no one there whom the artificial intelligence is looking for, and they are more likely to be involved with the opposition.
"But you have your own agenda. Are you trying to put yourself at a disadvantage just to please me?"
Pu Fengchun calmly replied, "No, we are all in the same boat. If we don't work together, we will be at a disadvantage."
“Then you can choose nothing, just like I don’t like either the navigators or the opposition.”
The opposition cannot be elected because Zhu Wen will definitely choose Qi Hangjia, and Xue Chao needs to prevent Zhu Wen from "adding a bet" against Pu Fengchun.
You can't choose Qihangjia either, because Xue Chao will choose the opposition.
If he were a player, he would also decisively choose the navigator, but the player identity was just a bug he accidentally encountered; his real job is the host.
The betting agreement failed, which relieved the players, but it wasn't mentioned whether it would affect the host.
He made the wrong choice and was warned that "if the betting mode is not activated, 1-20 popularity points will be randomly deducted." Who knows if the automatic termination is his fault?
To boost his popularity, he had to make this bet a success.
Players will likely choose the navigator, so he'll have to choose the opposition.
Since we've made the choice, how can we possibly lose?
If he wants to win, he can't afford to see his prize card being "halved in points" on the other side.
All players have made their choices.
The results are as follows.
[Pilots: Zhu Wen, Yan Bocheng]
[Opposition: ██, Lin Feng]
[Abstain: Pu Fengchun]
Both sides should strive to complete their respective tasks!
Zhu Wen was stunned. It was one thing for someone to abstain, the gaming world was full of cowards, but how come the other side actually had someone to choose, and two of them at that?
Did he miss a clue? Or did the two idiots on the other side team up?
[Now we move on to the "adding bets" phase]
[Non-forfeiting players, please choose whether to raise, who to raise to, and to disclose the details of your raise.]
Yan Bocheng asked in surprise, "Lin Feng is still alive?"
Zhu Wen: "Do you know me?"
"I encountered him in a dungeon before, from another guild. I saw him run away with the Red and White lackeys, and I thought he was doomed. But I didn't expect him to turn the tables and kill me?"
So that Plastic Bag 2.0 is actually a newbie?
He's still alive? That's interesting.
Zhu Wen decisively chose to raise the stakes, purely for fun: "That nobody on the other side, my 'bodyguard,' let's connect on the mic."
Xue Chao waited a while, but didn't see the system notification. He realized that this required the host's intervention, but there were no instructions. He tentatively connected Zhu Wen's camera with his own, and a live chat request popped up on the room page:
[Player "Zhu Wen" has sent a voice chat request to player "██". Do you accept?]
[You have already used the "Video Chat Application"]
[Number of attempts remaining: 0]
After Xue Chao agreed, a small screen appeared in the upper right corner of the camera, showing the other person's camera, just like a video call. The comment sections of the two cameras were also merged into one.
Zhu Wen immediately put his hands on his hips and said rudely, "Call me 'Young Master' again and I'll let you off the hook."
Xue Chao glanced at him casually and asked, "Who are you?"
"..." Zhu Wen puffed out his cheeks and shouted, "Are you senile?!"
"I never remember the names of dead people or short people," Xue Chao yawned. "Are you 1.4 meters tall?"
Zhu Wen: "..."
"I'm only fourteen, I'm still growing!!"
"Ah... so you really aren't 1.4 meters tall?"
"Am I 1.45 meters tall and you're hiding two light bulbs in your eyes?!"
"【Zhu Wen】Holy crap, a true warrior."
"【██】Hahahahahaha I'm laughing so hard, it's been a long time since I've seen Lao Qi's face turn so green, family members."
"【██】You managed to break through the defenses of that chattering brat, buddy, you're a real tough guy."
"【Zhu Wen】As we all know, there are two major red flags for naughty kids: one is not being taken seriously, and the other is their height. Stepping on both red flags with just two sentences, what kind of reincarnation of a thunder god is this?"
"[Zhu Wen] is about to have a good show."
"Very good, very good, you—" Zhu Wen, being the fool he was, originally intended to amuse others, but unexpectedly, the amusement burned him instead. He took a deep breath, suppressing his trembling internal organs, pointed at Xue Chao, and smiled exceptionally brightly. However, at the end, he was clearly furious and had just come up with a ruthless joke to finish the sentence, determined to vent his anger. "Big idiot, I'll let you know the price of angering a future two-meter-tall handsome guy. Listen to me carefully, I'm going to raise the stakes with you. If I win... I'll punish you by making you cut off pieces of your own flesh in front of me until you die!"
"【Zhu Wen】Good heavens, a thousand cuts? And self-treatment?"
"【Zhu Wen】Seventh Brother learned this from Third Brother, right...? Looks like he's really angry, hahaha."
"【██】Reservation of mutton slices for hot pot. Why did you provoke him? No matter how short he is, he's still Zhu Wen."
"【Zhu Wen】Moreover, the host of this book also skipped it. The bet was automatically established, and the addition of the stakes was also directly enforced by the system. There were no surprises at all. Jellyfish Baby is lucky, hahahahahaha."
"【██】If you ask me, the betting mode should be renamed as soon as possible. Just call it 'Mutual Attack' or 'Mutual Killing Mode' ()"
Zhu Wen casually made the bet, but once it was made, he would definitely carry it out if he won. This kid never cared about human lives anyway. So what if he was torn to pieces? If he didn't have the ability, why did he provoke him? The winner takes all, the loser is nothing. He deserved it.
“Okay.” Xue Chao replied casually, “My turn? You’re just a kid, and I don’t really want anything… How about this, if you lose, you have to bow to me in front of everyone and call me ‘brother’.”
"[██]...I'm super."
"[Zhu Wen]...I'm super."
"【██】@All other viewers, holy crap, come watch this!!"
"You little brat! You know how to start a fire!"
The betting round is always the audience's favorite. It's a great platform for venting anger. No matter what your purpose is, you can take this opportunity to let loose. Some people have grudges, some are greedy for props, some are from different factions, some just don't like you, and some have a perverted sense of humor. They just want to add a prize... It's a rare opportunity, so everyone shows off their skills. You bet your arm, I bet my leg, I want your head, you want my life. The rules are written politely, like a casual game between friends during a break. But once this stage is set up, it's bound to be high-profile. Without bloodshed, what kind of betting is that?
Over time, it became a convention, and the audience could immediately tell that it was going to be another round of barking dogs and biting people, so the novelty wore off. Therefore, when people took the opportunity to get revenge, they had to come up with something new.
For example, the butcher boss on the third list once made a bet that allowed people to slice and eat their own flesh raw. Zhu Wen is imitating him this time.
For example, the vice president of the second-ranked "Ruoshui" guild encountered a former star who had switched to the number one guild. Before the star committed suicide, the vice president ordered the star to be removed from the body and thrown into the water, claiming that "your former employer did not support you for nothing, and you have to pay back after you die."
If there weren't a "sworn enemy" background where everyone was eager to fight each other, who would dare to come up and just shout "If you lose, I'll kill you"? The audience would first curse "unoriginal and shameful" before reluctantly making fun of you.
The audience was familiar with Zhu Wen's slovenly style and didn't take his initial bet seriously. Calling him "young master" and such was just a way for the brat to get bored and try to make his presence felt.
Unexpectedly, Xue Chao's bet, which contained no grudges, no bloodshed, and seemed nonchalant and lighthearted, directly ignited the comments section. If he had simply added "I'll take your leg" before it, the audience wouldn't have been so excited and would have just thought it was bluffing.
He doesn't want anything, just to be called "brother." Just like he said, he doesn't know who Zhu Wen is, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. That's true indifference!
Zhu Wen, that brat with an ego bigger than anyone else's, is definitely going to explode!
Viewers spread the word to each other and actively promoted the content in other live streams. The popularity value "went in and out," and the trend of "making outrageous remarks" circled around other live streams. Viewers who love to join in the fun flocked to the stream, and the popularity value directly broke through 50 and rose to 58.
Xue Chao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Thank you again to the seventh-ranked person. Zhu Wen would never have had this effect if he wasn't in the top ten."
They're practically golden lambs.
[The bet has been placed]
Zhu Wenren was dumbfounded. None of the other annoying guys in the top ten had ever yelled at him like this. He couldn't tell if this guy was brain-dead or not, and blurted out the classic line: "Do you know who I am?"
"I know," Xue Chao chuckled, a slightly roguish grin on his face. "See you later, little brother."
Then he promptly ended the live stream.
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