Chapter 627: Fat Monkey

Xiao Cheng got up early and went to the counter of the small store.

He moved aside a few floorboards, took out the cloth bag hidden inside, and placed it on the counter to count the contents.

After deducting yesterday's losses, he still had a total of fifteen "Dao" left.

The entry fee for the "Di Ji" game might be between two and five "Dao", so for three people, it would be just enough.

If there were other options, Xiao Cheng knew he wouldn't gamble his entire savings on a potentially fatal "Di Ji" game.

But to survive in "Zhong Yan Zhi Di" while retaining his memories, and after defying those middle-aged men, this was his only course of action.

After careful consideration, Xiao Cheng gave a bitter smile.

In this place, there were capable individuals everywhere, and perhaps some had already figured out how to gather three thousand six hundred "Dao" to escape, yet he was still struggling to even preserve his memories for the next cycle.

"Tian Tian."

Tian Tian slowly emerged from the back room, followed by the sleepy Zheng Yingxiong.

"So early – are you getting ready to leave?"

"Yes..." Xiao Cheng nodded. "Sister Tian Tian, yesterday Ren Hou mentioned that the Di Hou's game would make people 'lingering and forgetful.' I couldn't quite understand that phrase, and after thinking about it all night, I figured it must mean the game takes a very long time."

"Mm." Tian Tian nodded. "That's possible."

"So, I'm planning to go early to scout the situation. It might require a lot of people to participate, and if we're short-handed, we'd have to wait a long time."

Tian Tian thought for a moment and said:

"So, are you planning to bring all the 'Dao' with you? What if there's danger?"

"I don't have a choice," Xiao Cheng said. "It's already the sixth day, and you should know that the later it gets, the higher the chances of everyone dying. After all, the people surviving here aren't exactly innocent. When the black lines descended yesterday, the bells rang one after another, meaning the 'Hui Xiang Zhe' are everywhere now..."

Tian Tian listened and nodded in agreement. Indeed, many people would "resonate" under such extreme conditions, awakening even if not directly affected by the black lines, or gaining abilities through subsequent events – just as she had.

The three of them packed their belongings, sorted everything in their base, took all the "Dao" with them, and set off toward the Di Hou's game site.

Following the map that Ren Hou had given them yesterday, it took about half an hour to arrive, but the place looked completely empty, with no signs of Sheng Xiao activity, making them think for a moment that Di Hou hadn't started working yet.

Fortunately, Ren Hou's map was very detailed, even noting in the corner that "Di Hou" wouldn't be standing at the entrance and that they needed to go to the building with the special sign and push the door to enter.

They followed the map for another seven or eight minutes before finding the strange game site in a narrow alley.

The sign at the door was particularly eye-catching, especially the phrase "He He Qi Qi, Chu Ru Sheng Cai."

With some trepidation, Xiao Cheng reached out and pushed the door, finding it unlocked, so the "Sheng Xiao" must have started working, although the smell inside was odd.

After walking a few steps down a long corridor, they entered an open area.

In the dim light filtering in, a short and stout Di Hou appeared before the three of them. He was holding a mop and dragging it across the floor while smoking a cigarette, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.

"Yo, damn," Di Hou said lazily, scratching his fat belly. "Welcome to my shop. Coming so early today?"

Xiao Cheng thought this so-called "Di Hou" was way too human-like.

Monkeys already resembled people closely, and with his short, stocky build and unkempt clothing, he looked more like an old man than a monkey.

His bulging belly had burst out of his shirt, revealing strands of brownish-black monkey fur.

Compared to other "Di Ji", this one's clothes were even more disheveled, with his suit and shirt covered in wrinkles and stains, as if they hadn't been washed in ages.

At that moment, Di Hou was using his bright red mop to smear the sticky bloodstains on the floor.

It seemed like quite a few people had died here last night.

"Folks, hang on a sec while I tidy up the shop," Di Hou said politely, then took the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it toward a bowl of instant noodles on the counter.

With a sizzle, the cigarette jumped into the bowl and extinguished itself.

"Ah... He was practicing so well, but how did he end up smashing his head?" he muttered to himself. "Is it because everyone's head has a different hardness?"

Di Hou mopped the floor a few more times, but his mop was already soaked red, and his movements seemed less about cleaning the blood and more about spreading it evenly across the room to make the floor color uniform.

After a few minutes, he put away the mop, walked over, and flipped on the lights.

With a sharp click, a massive underground casino revealed itself before the three of them.

The equipment was incredibly comprehensive, and the variety of games was overwhelming.

After staring in astonishment for a while, Xiao Cheng finally asked in a daze: "Wh-which one is the 'Di Hou game'?"

"Ah, they're all," Di Hou lit another cigarette, then rubbed his eyes. "The earlier you get in, the more you earn; the later you come, it's all for nothing. Two 'Dao' per person to enter, and you can play whatever you want. Whatever you win is yours."

"Play whatever...?" Xiao Cheng thought he must have misheard.

They say monkey games represent "intelligence," but was this gambling den really about intelligence?

In people's minds, wasn't gambling just a game of "luck"?

At that point, Tian Tian gently patted Xiao Cheng's shoulder to bring him back to his senses, then pointed to the wall opposite them.

Xiao Cheng looked over and saw it clearly written there:

"Entry ticket: Two Dao."

"Exit redemption: Ten Dao."

"So that means..." Xiao Cheng thought for a moment and asked, "Once we pay the 'ticket,' the only way out is to give you ten 'Dao'?"

"Yeah, ten 'Dao' per person," Di Hou nodded lazily, glancing at Zheng Yingxiong. "Our shop is fair and honest, no fooling anyone, so kids' tickets are also two 'Dao,' and redemption is ten 'Dao'."

"What a 'fair and honest' setup..." Xiao Cheng clutched the cloth bag in his hand, his face full of worry.

He had fifteen "Dao," and after paying six for the tickets, he'd have nine left. Forget about all three getting out – even one person wouldn't have enough to leave.

It was like shooting an arrow with no way back; could they actually win in this casino?

"I have a question..." Tian Tian said timidly.

"Go ahead," Di Hou waved his hand.

"How do we earn 'Dao'? There's only the three of us here – who are we supposed to win it from?"