Chapter 331: The Gambling Monster in Dream Come True Entertainment City

Early morning.

The bright sunlight poured down, and the small garden of the Hua City Folk Culture Administration Bureau was blooming with forsythia flowers earlier than usual this year. Dew glistened on the tender green branches.

Li Xuan sat at the stone table under the pavilion, a famous Mudan Street Fu Ji pan-fried bun in his mouth, carefully studying the reports on Hua City’s haunting incidents from the past half month. His expressions varied from long sighs to furrowed brows to a satisfied smile, making for quite a spectacle.

Before long, footsteps approached. An Qing, dressed in a light gray professional suit and a white lab coat, was sipping strawberry juice from a blood bag as she leisurely strolled in from outside. Passing the pavilion, she noticed Li Xuan’s peculiar expression and raised an eyebrow.

“Li Xuan, what’s up with you? Are you planning to abandon the annoying sunny handsome guy route and switch to a comedian route?”

At her words, Li Xuan put down the document in his hand, shot An Qing a look, and replied earnestly, “I’m reviewing the files you all submitted recently, and I’m only halfway through.”

“Oh…” An Qing responded indifferently and was about to continue to the office when Li Xuan called her back.

“Wait a minute!”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you find it odd?” Li Xuan said seriously. “Things have been too peaceful lately. Look at these descriptions of haunting incidents; aren’t they a bit bizarre?”

“For instance, this one: Mr. Li, a single man living alone in the east of the city, was beaten by his grandfather, who passed away five years ago, and ordered to go on a blind date… Would a normal haunting do such a thing?”

“Well…” An Qing pondered for a moment, shrugged, and said, “Isn’t it a good thing that there are no murder-related haunting attack incidents? I don’t think you need to worry about this.”

“That’s not right!” Li Xuan insisted. “I feel like this is the calm before the storm, and something terrible is about to happen.”

Just as Li Xuan finished speaking, a clear young voice echoed from afar.

“What terrible thing is about to happen?”

Looking in the direction of the voice, Lu Yibei appeared, munching on a spicy strip, carrying a jug of soy milk and a bag of fried dough sticks, and sauntered over.

“We’re discussing the recent decline in murder-related haunting attack incidents,” An Qing said, pursing her lips. “Operator Li thinks our reports, which almost have no major cases, are unusual.”

“Operator Li, aren’t you overthinking this?” Lu Yibei glanced at Li Xuan, slightly furrowing his brow. “You yourself said there are almost no major cases happening! I heard that during your night shifts, haunting incidents are overwhelming. How do you even have the leisure to worry about others?”

“I… this…” Li Xuan was momentarily speechless, unable to refute.

After all, during his last night shift, more than thirty haunting attack incidents occurred in one night.

Yet, those haunting incidents were quite peculiar. During the investigation, Li Xuan assisted local police officers in capturing twelve mentally unstable fugitives and laying to rest seventeen deceased escapees.

The next morning, he received a thank-you letter and a small banner from the Hua City police.

This left Li Xuan, exhausted and almost dead tired from a night of running around, questioning his life.

“Wait a minute!” Li Xuan suddenly seemed to realize something, squinting his eyes as he scrutinized Lu Yibei. “How do you know about these things?”

Lu Yibei, “…”

Of course, I know. I made them do it… Lu Yibei thought to himself.

After a week of trial operation, the “Hua City Haunting Management Regulations Calamity Revision Never to be Changed Final Edition” revealed some loopholes. Consequently, a new version was released: “Hua City Haunting Management Regulations Calamity Revision Change Again and You’re a Dog Ultimate Edition.”

The new regulations allow hunting of specific targets on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

After all, if hauntings only scare people without causing harm, the residents of Hua City might eventually develop a resistance to the fright, much like bacteria against antibiotics. If that happens, Hua City could turn into the world’s largest immersive haunted house.

As for selecting hunting targets, thanks are due to the data provided by the friendly cooperative unit-the haunting chat group bounty website.

Although Lu Yibei wasn’t sure how the haunting chat group obtained the crime information about hauntings or humans, he personally verified that most of it was accurate.

And he could also reap some benefits from the haunting chat group.

Meow Xiaoqi, unsuccessful in her debt collection, was even less inclined to leave after seeing Lu Yibei’s ugly side.

However, Lu Yibei believed that the real reason Meow Xiaoqi didn’t want to leave was Grandma Zhang’s homemade dried fish in Xingfu Community.

It was truly delicious!

While Meow Xiaoqi wasn’t paying attention, he sneaked some dried fish from her stash and shared it with a group of hauntings, earning widespread praise.

Thus…

Every evening near the luxurious cat palace, one could see a kindly old lady, dressed simply, surrounded by a dozen hauntings disguised as stray cats, behaving as obediently as children waiting for fruit in kindergarten.

Sometimes Lu Yibei thought that Grandma Zhang, calmly distributing dried fish amidst the chaos, seemed more like the King of Hauntings than he did.

Fortunately, her eyesight wasn’t great, and she lacked psychic potential. Otherwise, seeing those uniquely featured “little ones” might have scared her out of her wits…

Back in the shabby office, Lu Yibei quickly finished his breakfast, performed a set of exercises for the elderly, and returned to his chair, immediately entering a state of high concentration.

Although Bie Suzhen offered to lead Lu Yibei to the so-called Dream Come True Journey, Lu Yibei intended to eliminate this unsettling factor.

However, Bie Suzhen was an enigmatic haunting, and the information she provided about the Dream Come True Journey could only be taken as a reference; Lu Yibei didn’t trust her.

Therefore, before setting off, Lu Yibei used his proxy operator privileges and some connections from Xing Yuan to obtain some internal files and records from The Midnight Watchers Society regarding the Dream Come True Journey.

Haunting Incident No. 0315

Haunting Alias: Giant Train (mythical type, aberrant type hybrid)

Case Overview:

1. In July 2018, an employee named Xu from a supermarket in Yang City, after a night of drinking at a gathering, mistakenly entered the abandoned terminus of Yang City’s Line 3 subway (Chai Village Station). There, he witnessed three individuals dressed in Ming and Qing dynasties attire boarding a train pulled by the Giant Haunting (the effect has been neutralized).

Later, operators from The Midnight Watchers Society in Yang City investigated but found nothing, leading to an application to dismantle Chai Village Station on Line 3 (approved).

2. In January 2019, a cemetery guard in Peng City heard eerie roars from deep within the cemetery at night. He witnessed a train pulled by the Giant Haunting and managed to capture photos [image][image] (the effect has been neutralized).

3. In December 2019, Operator 03 from The Midnight Watchers Society in Yun City (Ji Ling) conducted an in-depth investigation into the Giant Train haunting incident and has not returned since. Operator 01 from Yun City has submitted a death application (approved).

4. In April 2020, Hai City…

…

Lu Yibei was taken aback as he reviewed the entries in the file handed to him by Xing Yuan last night. “This is a bit too much,” he muttered to himself, eyes serious. “And a mythical type, aberrant type hybrid haunting is only used to pull a train?”

There were over a hundred sightings related to the Dream Come True Journey haunting, spanning more than thirty cities and over ten years, yet The Midnight Watchers Society still couldn’t eliminate it.

Lu Yibei found it hard to imagine the casino that Bie Suzhen spoke of, which exists yet doesn’t exist in this world.

His original plan to extort compensation by getting hit by the train and halting the Giant Train’s operation in Hua City was immediately scrapped after seeing this file.

He had thought that with his current body strength after the haunting transformation, he could withstand a collision with a speeding train, but now…

There are indeed unlucky ones who get killed when trying to stage an accident.

Putting aside the Giant Train file, Lu Yibei picked up the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop file.

Compared to the Giant Train, the sightings of Lanruo Inn Customs Shop were scarce. The only recorded contents were survivor testimonies, and all survivors were inevitably admitted to the local psychiatric hospital in cooperation with The Midnight Watchers Society. As for those testimonies…

Lu Yibei skimmed through the dozen or so testimonies, frowning as his expression turned subtle.

“So, everyone who went to Lanruo Inn Customs Shop ended up as lunatics obsessed with beauty? That’s just…”

He initially wanted to mock Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, but recalling how the village chief of Baiyan Village casually invited a performer from the shop whose singing matched Meng’s level, he suddenly felt the place was not to be underestimated.

Regaining his focus, Lu Yibei secretly decided that when he went to investigate, he would definitely put up signs saying “Minors Prohibited” on the Giant Train.

This train is too fast, not suitable for minors at all!

But…

I’m an adult now, hehe~!

Lu Yibei quietly skipped over the Cinnabar Pharmacy documents and picked up the Dream Come True Entertainment City files.

After reading through them, he was puzzled.

Like the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, the Dream Come True Entertainment City files only contained testimonies from survivors. However, unlike the inn, these survivors hadn’t gone mad.

At least, from a pathological standpoint, they appeared perfectly sane. In fact, they were exceptionally healthy and had achieved considerable success in their respective fields.

They lived like characters straight out of motivational tales or success stories.

But…

Without exception, these survivors chose to end their lives three to five years after leaving the Dream Come True Entertainment City, without any warning.

“…”

Perhaps they were already insane, but conventional medical methods couldn’t detect it.

They might be so far gone that they seemed normal, which suggested their condition was quite severe.

As Lu Yibei pondered this, the office door suddenly swung open, and Du Sixian peeked in, half-hidden.

Seeing Lu Yibei, she playfully stuck out her tongue and darted inside, carrying a folding stool.

Seeing Du Sixian reminded Lu Yibei that An Qing had mentioned to him recently to help review Du Sixian’s report on the Baiyan Village haunting incident, worried she might make mistakes in her first report.

As for why she brought a stool…

It was probably because last time An Qing visited, she had to stand for nearly half an hour.

Lu Yibei’s office didn’t have extra chairs, ensuring no one would linger and bother him for long…

In the Dream Come True Entertainment City, there was a special place called No Return Place, symbolizing a point of no return.

Entering through the entertainment city’s lavish gates, one could immediately see a black vortex beneath a thirty-meter-high ceiling, with only a narrow white spiral staircase leading into the vortex, quite conspicuous.

The Big Boss of the entertainment city lived above, and to meet him, one had to accumulate chips worth enough to rank among the top three in the entire city.

Rumor had it that after meeting him, you could challenge him to a game, and if you won, any wish could be granted.

With such tales, gamblers who frequented the entertainment city naturally speculated about what No Return Place was like.

Some said it was paradise, with pools made of gold filled with the finest wines, and scantily clad beauties wandering around, both hauntings and humans.

Others claimed that upon entering No Return Place, you could see the thing you desired most, right beside the Big Boss of the Dream Come True Entertainment City, and if you beat him, you could take it.

Still, some said they were knocked out upon entering, and when they woke up, their chips were gone-only fools would go there.

…

Gamblers had various theories about what lay behind the black vortex of No Return Place, but these were mere speculations, as few had truly ventured inside.

Inside Dream Come True Entertainment City.

“Boom-Boom-Boom-!” The deafening sound, reminiscent of a dragon’s roar, suddenly echoed through the air.

A haunting of the demon type, endowed with the powers of a Succubus, stood before an ancient bronze dragon-patterned bell, dressed in a black Qipao1 with red embroidery and a high slit. She struck the bell three times, and immediately, all gambling tables paused their games at the cessation of the bell’s toll.

This dragon-patterned bell was rarely rung, but when it was, it signified that someone had accumulated enough chips to rank among the top three, earning the privilege to gamble against the Big Boss in the No Return Place-a feat known as the “Top Prize.”

Typically, this was a cause for celebration within the Entertainment City, as it demonstrated that their gambling games were free from deceit, allowing individuals to win vast amounts of chips through skill or sheer luck.

During such times, the Entertainment City would cover the costs of drinks and food for all guests, letting everyone share in the joy.

However, the atmosphere was less lively than usual when someone won the Top Prize this time around.

Rumor had it that the most sensational occasion involved a young boy from the slums, who, with luck rivaling the powers of a haunting, won 120 million chips-a classic underdog story that fired up the gamblers, leading to a day-and-night celebration.

But now, the gamblers weren’t as excited because they already knew who had won the Top Prize this time-no surprises there.

Sure enough, after the bell rang, a girl with silver hair neatly styled up, wearing a simple black dress and leaning on a cane adorned with a Unicorn decoration, gracefully stepped onto the stage in the center of the hall, as elegant as a black swan.

As the girl ascended the stage, a haunting at a nearby gambling table, clad in an oversized coat and possessing seventeen or eighteen baby-like arms with a grayish complexion, slapped the shell of a Kappa haunting beside him.

“Pay up! I told you, no surprises here-the winner is that woman again, but you wouldn’t listen and bet against me!”

The Kappa steadied his head to prevent the water atop from spilling, then reluctantly fished out a few “10” denomination chips and handed them over.

“How many times has it been this month? Count them-it’s the eleventh time, right? Why is it always her? Could she be a shill for the Entertainment City, helping them reclaim chips?” the Kappa grumbled.

The multi-armed haunting lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and casually flicked the ash onto the Kappa’s head, sneering, “A shill? I doubt it. You’ve never sat at the same table as her. If you had played a game with her, you’d know just how terrifying she is!”

The Kappa glared at the multi-armed haunting, covering his head with an empty fruit platter, grumbling, “You’ve seen her?”

The multi-armed haunting squinted, as if recalling a memory, and after a few seconds of contemplation, he said softly, “I’ve seen her-she’s terrifying, her skills are almost divine. I would call her…”

“A Gambling God?”

“A Gambling Monster!”

The Kappa’s mouth twitched, “What kind of logic is that? It doesn’t make any sense!”

The multi-armed haunting shrugged, egging the Kappa on, “Want to try your luck again? How about another bet?”

“What are we betting on?” The Kappa’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s bet…” The multi-armed haunting glanced at the stunning girl on stage, squinting, “Let’s bet whether she’ll go to the No Return Place to gamble with the Big Boss this time!”

“Tch!” The Kappa rolled his eyes, “Do you think I’m an idiot? She goes every time, doesn’t she? If it were me, after losing eleven times, I wouldn’t miss the chance to turn things around.”

“…” The multi-armed haunting fell silent for a moment, his gaze catching the girl ascending the pure white spiral staircase toward the black vortex of the No Return Place. His eyes darted, and he changed his tune, “Then let’s bet on whether she’ll win this time!”

“This…” The Kappa hesitated.

It was said that since the founding of Dream Come True Entertainment City, the Big Boss had been challenged 7,625 times but had only lost three times. The odds seemed stacked against the girl.

Moreover, she’d already lost eleven times before.

“Then I bet she loses,” the Kappa said.

“Alright, I’ll bet she wins,” the multi-armed haunting replied softly, “1 to 1000 odds seem fair, right?”

The Kappa nodded, “Fair!”

Thus, three days later, the multi-armed haunting and the Kappa engaged in a life-and-death duel within the casino, betting their lives!

Because the girl had ascended to the No Return Place and hadn’t returned, leaving her fate unknown…

Footnote:

1. Qipao(旗袍): Traditional Chinese body-hugging dress with high collar, frog buttons, and side slits.