Chapter 70: The One Favored by God

A tearing sensation came without warning.

The two souls that had just been tangled together were forcibly torn apart, and the memories linking them were torn apart with them. Much of what did not belong to Lin Yan was stripped from his consciousness, along with some memories whose ownership could no longer be distinguished.

By the time it stopped, Lin Yan was completely dazed.

It felt like a piece had been dug out of his mind. Much of his past had become fragmented. He did not know why he was sitting here, nor could he remember what had just happened.

What happened to me? Where is this?

Lin Yan raised his head. A translucent screen floated less than half a meter in front of him, displaying only a few simple lines.

[Enable Duel Broadcast?]

[Yes/No]

He reached out without thinking, his fingertip landing right on "Yes."

"...What is this?"

[Broadcast enabled.]

The prompt disappeared, and Lin Yan finally looked around.

He was sitting at a table, with a silver-black revolver in the center. Across from him sat a glowing man.

The glowing face was completely unfamiliar, yet the moment Lin Yan saw him, one clear thought surfaced from his chaotic memories.

Kill him.

[Please select your wager.]

As the prompt appeared, the rules of the duel entered Lin Yan’s mind.

The value of the wagers determined the power of the live round.

He did not think much about how much to wager. For some reason, he simply felt that the man across from him was more likely to die than he was.

Lin Yan trusted himself.

[Lin Yan wagers: Ordinary .44 Magnum Round ×1.]

The wager field in front of Zeta remained unchanged.

Zeta, who had been struggling frantically only moments ago, went quiet. He understood what Lin Yan was thinking.

Lin Yan’s body had been enhanced multiple times, and with several body-strengthening Traits stacked on top, one shot might not be enough to kill him. Zeta had no such confidence. Through Lin Yan and Lucia’s memories, he had seen what firearms could do.

The rules had forcibly separated two souls that had already fused together. Zeta could no longer assume the bullet would simply pass through his incorporeal form.

[Zeta Valerius declines to wager.]

[Both wagers confirmed.]

The cylinder of the silver-black revolver began spinning on its own. A coin shot into the air, flipped several times, then landed on the table.

[Zeta Valerius goes first.]

The revolver slid in front of Zeta.

[Countdown: 60 seconds.]

Zeta did not move until half the countdown had passed. Only then did he pick up the revolver and press it against his head.

Click—empty chamber.

He did not continue and pushed the gun toward Lin Yan.

Lin Yan took the revolver, opened his Trait Library, removed several Traits, and replaced them with body-strengthening ones.

[Trollblood I]

[Rough Skin I]

[Vitality I]

The last one had come from the old knight he had killed earlier. The old man had gone down in a single strike, but the Trait he dropped was actually pretty useful.

[Copper Bones — White]

[External-Training Physique. A copper-boned physique developed through years of tempering the sinews and bones. Its bones are far harder and tougher than those of ordinary people, making them much harder to break or shatter under heavy blows.]

Once all four Traits were equipped, he raised the revolver to the side of his head, took a deep breath, and rested his index finger on the trigger.

Lin Yan had cracked plenty of blasphemous jokes before, but now that it had come to this, he still silently muttered one thing.

God bless me.

His finger pressed down.

Bang!

The gunshot cracked through the air. Lin Yan’s head snapped to the side, and he collapsed against the table, motionless.

A few seconds later, he regained consciousness. A sharp ringing filled his ears, his vision was still swaying, and warm blood kept running from the wound on the side of his head, staining half his face red.

Lin Yan kept his head lowered for a moment, then braced himself against the edge of the table and sat upright again.

Still alive.

He touched the wound, his fingertips coming away covered in blood.

"...Fuck. God, you’re useless."

[Live round fired.]

[Both duelists remain alive.]

[Round One concluded.]

[Rest period: 60 seconds.]

[Both duelists will select new wagers after the rest period.]

Zeta remained motionless, his glowing face revealing no expression.

Luck had been on his side in the first round. The live round had hit Lin Yan. But Lin Yan had only been unconscious for a few seconds before sitting back up.

A bullet this weak could not kill him.

And luck could not stay on his side forever. Lin Yan had room for error. He did not. Luck could not stay on his side forever. Lin Yan had room for error. He did not.

The countdown reached zero.

[Please select your wager.]

[Lin Yan wagers: Ordinary .44 Magnum Round ×1.]

Zeta hesitated for several seconds, but still did not dare raise the stakes.

[Zeta Valerius declines to wager.]

[Both wagers confirmed.]

The cylinder spun again, and the coin fell.

[Lin Yan goes first.]

Lin Yan picked up the revolver and pressed the muzzle against the uninjured side of his head.

Click—empty chamber.

Lin Yan pushed the gun across the table.

Zeta took the revolver. This time, he did not wait until half the countdown had passed. He pulled the trigger.

Click—

The revolver returned to Lin Yan. He pressed the muzzle back against the same spot and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Lin Yan collapsed hard to the side, his entire face quickly covered in blood.

More than ten seconds passed before he finally moved again, slowly pushing himself upright against the edge of the table.

Both sides of his head were bleeding, and the ringing and dizziness were worse than after the first shot.

"...Fuck."

[Live round fired.]

[Both duelists remain alive.]

[Round Two concluded.]

[Rest period: 60 seconds.]

By now, Zeta had pulled the trigger twice. Both times had been empty chambers. Lin Yan had pulled it three times and taken two bullets.

Once could still be called luck. But after two rounds of the same thing, a thought Zeta had not long ago surfaced again.

Could it be... that a god really is favoring me?

The countdown reached zero.

[Please select your wager.]

[Lin Yan wagers: Ordinary .44 Magnum Round ×1.]

Zeta hesitated for a moment.

[Zeta Valerius wagers: A Lifetime of Medical Knowledge.]

He wagered all four hundred years’ worth of accumulated medical knowledge at once.

[Both wagers confirmed.]

The cylinder spun again.

The coin fell.

[Zeta Valerius goes first.]

The live round this time was far more powerful than in the previous two rounds.

But Zeta picked up the revolver and immediately pulled the trigger.

Click—empty chamber.

Zeta chose not to pass the gun over and pulled the trigger twice more in quick succession.

Click-click—

Three shots.

All empty.

Zeta glanced up at Lin Yan across the table, then lowered his eyes to the revolver in his hand and smiled.

His index finger pressed against the trigger again.

Click—!!