Chapter 348: Will Blackmail Get Us Caught?

The passage leading upstairs in the Entertainment City is not located in the lower three floors’ hall but rather in a separate lounge.

After confirming the chips Lu Yibei had accumulated and handing her the “The Flower of Chaotic Parallel Timelines” she redeemed, the bunny girl invited her and Ah-Hua into the lounge.

The interior of the lounge was exquisitely decorated, with intricately carved white marble columns showcasing various sculpting styles, and every inch of the surrounding walls adorned with murals.

Bunny girls carried silver trays back and forth, with drinks and beverages in their cups sparkling under the bright lights.

At the end of the lounge, there was a massive ancient bronze mechanical door, etched with complex patterns.

The bronze patterns intertwined to depict several ferocious-looking giant wolves, weaving through a thorn-filled forest.

Giant wolves? Could there be some connection with the owner of this Entertainment City?

Lu Yibei furrowed her brow slightly, but before she could recall the doomsday tales related to wolves from “One Hundred Legendary Tales,” the gentle voice of the bunny girl interrupted her thoughts.

“Dear guests, shortly another staff member will guide you upstairs. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the refreshments in the lounge.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

After speaking, the bunny girl waited for a moment, and seeing that Lu Yibei and Ah-Hua had no response, she respectfully bowed and exited the lounge.

Once the bunny girl left, Ah-Hua remained silent for a moment, but finally couldn’t contain her curiosity and tilted her head towards Lu Yibei, asking, “This figurine of yours…”

“A Bai Xiaohua misprint figurine, unavailable in the market. Isn’t it awesome!” Lu Yibei said proudly, “Only cost five thousand chips, super worth it, right?”

“Only cost?” Ah-Hua opened her mouth, her face darkened, and she said angrily, “Aren’t you afraid that because of those five thousand chips, you’ll be late getting to the upper three floors and miss seeing Miss?”

“Afraid, yes!” Lu Yibei hugged the figurine tightly and said seriously, “But I’m more afraid of missing this opportunity, and when I return, my Bai Xiaohua will have been redeemed by someone else!”

You really don’t understand!

Jiang Li is barely a brother, Bai Xiaohua is a solid wife.

What’s more important than a wife? Lu Yibei thought.

Ah-Hua, “…” Normally, in the Entertainment City, how could a guest spend five thousand chips to redeem such a thing?

After a brief silence, she rolled her eyes and said irritably, “Fine, after all, it’s the chips you won. Tell me, how did you manage to win enough chips in such a short time?”

Although Wang Buliuxing wasted some chips, as long as she can maintain this efficiency, she should soon be able to reach the upper three floors to find Miss, Ah-Hua thought.

Lu Yibei was about to stuff a delicate little dessert into her mouth when she heard Ah-Hua’s question, put down the dessert, and pouted.

“I noticed some small tricks while watching others play the slot machines, and combined with a bit of luck, I won this much!”

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Ah-Hua’s eyes, and she muttered, “Tricks and luck… Is that really it? This makes things a bit difficult.”

“Hmm? Why?” Lu Yibei tilted her head.

“Firstly, there are no gambling machines in the middle three floors, and secondly, almost all the gamblers there have some special means.” Ah-Hua said seriously.

“So, it’s impossible for you to continue winning chips using the tricks and luck you’ve learned.”

“You must at least master one or two card games and have some special means to possibly win chips from the Entertainment City or other guests.”

“Wait…” Lu Yibei pondered Ah-Hua’s words, understood her meaning, and exclaimed softly, “Oh my! You’re saying everyone in the middle three floors has cheats, right?”

Ah-Hua nodded, “That’s pretty much it.”

“Damn! Is there no justice in this?” Lu Yibei said angrily, “Aren’t they supposed to manage this? Isn’t the gambling game here supposed to be absolutely fair?!”

Ah-Hua glanced at the bunny girls walking back and forth nearby and whispered, “Can you keep your voice down?”

“Of course, they manage it, and there’s even a group of people disguised as guests mixed in the crowd, specifically to catch those who cheat.”

“In fact, in this Entertainment City, using any means to win a gambling game is tacitly allowed, as long as you’re not caught.”

“As long as cheating isn’t caught, it doesn’t count as cheating, right?”

“…”

Lu Yibei was silent for a while, looked at Ah-Hua, and said seriously, “I think maybe we shouldn’t go upstairs. I’ll just play the slot machines down here.”

“Although it’s a bit slow, I should be able to accumulate enough chips to reach the upper three floors, right? It might just take four or five days.”

In fact, over the past three hours, Lu Yibei had been using her prediction ability, and her mind had been in a highly focused state, now feeling somewhat fatigued.

According to her estimation, to ensure the prediction results are accurate, she could maintain that highly focused state for at most seven hours, after which she would need to rest for a long time.

In addition, she could only ensure a steady small win, unable to guarantee hitting the high-multiplier patterns frequently. According to Lu Yibei’s conservative estimate, it would take at least three to four days to win ten thousand chips.

If it was true, as Ah-Hua said, that there was a group of staff disguised as guests in the Entertainment City specifically to catch gamblers cheating, this time might be even longer.

After all, winning ten thousand chips continuously through gambling machines is quite an exaggerated feat and hard not to attract attention.

“It won’t work.” Ah-Hua shook her head, “In a few days, miss might have already accumulated enough chips to gamble with the Big Boss.”

“Once she enters the No Return Place, when she can come out, or whether we will have the chance to see her again, all becomes unknown.”

Thinking about the possibility that Jiang Li might never come out after entering the No Return Place, Ah-Hua’s eyes dimmed instantly, and she lowered her head.

“In that case…” Lu Yibei pondered for a moment and said seriously, “Why don’t we go back first? I heard your Midnight Watchers Society has welfare graveyards, how about we help her arrange things first?”

“You…” Ah-Hua’s chest heaved violently for a moment, and she said fiercely, “You’re driving me mad, our miss values you so much! Do you even have a conscience?”

“Uh…” Lu Yibei said awkwardly, “I was just suggesting, if you don’t agree, then we can only go up first?”

“By the way, let me confirm, this ghost place, aside from everyone cheating, doesn’t have any dark dueling projects, right?”

“What?” Ah-Hua was stunned.

Lu Yibei rolled her eyes at Ah-Hua, “I mean, here you only gamble money, not lives, right?”

If there were any games like killer poker, life-threatening Mahjong, or death chess, then I might as well stay below and play slot machines, win more money, and burn it for Jiang Li. Lu Yibei thought.

“Hmm, no.” Ah-Hua nodded, “At least the middle three floors still have regular card games.”

“Great!” Lu Yibei snapped her fingers, full of confidence, “As long as there’s no life danger, leave the rest to me to figure out!”

Ah-Hua’s eyes lit up slightly, and for a moment, she actually felt that Lu Yibei was reliable.

She grabbed Lu Yibei’s hands and nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, I entrust my miss to you!”

Faced with this scene reminiscent of a mother entrusting her child, Lu Yibei’s cheeks flushed slightly, awkwardly avoiding Ah-Hua’s intense gaze, and muttered softly, “Uh, it’s my first time with this kind of thing too, I’ll do my best, do my best…”

Seeing Lu Yibei’s unusual reaction, seemingly realizing the ambiguity in her excited words, Ah-Hua’s face also blushed slightly, hurriedly explaining, “I, I mean, I entrust you with finding my miss, nothing else.”

“Hmm, I know.” Lu Yibei responded softly.

“Oh, hmm…” Ah-Hua nodded.

Thus, until two other guests heading to the middle three floors appeared, Lu Yibei and Ah-Hua didn’t say another word.

Three minutes later.

Accompanied by the light sound of high heels hitting the ground, two bunny girls led two guests from afar.

From a distance, Lu Yibei heard a cheer, “Hey, little girl, didn’t expect to meet you here, what a coincidence!”

Looking towards the voice, an old man dressed very finely appeared in Lu Yibei’s sight.

He wore a white three-piece suit with a black bow tie, his shoes were clean and spotless, even his small mustache was meticulously groomed, and he wore black-framed glasses.

He looked just like the grandfather from the KFC commercials.

Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment, until the old man walked up to her, she recognized him as Liu Seer.

“Oh my, what happened to you?”

“Hehe!” Liu Seer laughed proudly, responding, “Previously I was down and out, hadn’t changed clothes for a long time, after winning enough chips, I first took a comfortable bath, changed clothes, and exchanged for an image design package.”

“How do I look now, am I handsome?”

“…” Lu Yibei looked at Liu Seer, expressionless, “You look okay, just inexplicably have a fried chicken smell.”

Liu Seer didn’t mind Lu Yibei’s teasing, reached into his jacket pocket, fumbled for a while, and handed her a chip.

Although Liu Seer wasn’t very serious, he was a man of his word. When he borrowed chips from Lu Yibei before, he promised to repay tenfold, and not only did he keep his word, he even repaid more.

“By the way, the chips I borrowed from you earlier, I’ll return them here first!”

After saying that, he cupped his hands towards Lu Yibei and swaggered to the mechanical door at the end of the lounge, asked the bunny girl for a glass of wine, and savored it alone.

After Liu Seer walked away, Lu Yibei looked at the thousand-chip in her hand, pondered for a moment, and turned her head to whisper to Ah-Hua, “Ah-Hua, will lending high-interest loans here get you caught?”

Lending Liu Seer dozens of chips, and within three hours, they turned into a thousand-what a profitable deal!

“Theoretically…” Ah-Hua paused halfway through her sentence, eyes widening as she looked at Lu Yibei, “Wait! You’re not thinking of going upstairs to engage in lending, are you?”

“Don’t even think about these crooked ways! At least fifty percent of the people up there are high-tier psychics and hauntings. If they can’t repay the money, what will you do?”

“Even if they can’t beat you, they can still slip away from under your nose, right?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yibei pouted in disappointment, “I was just asking. Until I find a way to ensure they repay the money, I won’t take the risk!”

“But, from what you’re saying, it seems the Entertainment City doesn’t prohibit guests from engaging in activities other than gambling? What about loan sharking? Investment fraud? Extortion?”

Ah-Hua, “…” Is her mind only filled with illegal activities?

She didn’t answer Lu Yibei’s question, but Lu Yibei’s mind was racing.

As Lu Yibei pondered, Ah-Hua said softly, “Didn’t I tell you? As long as you’re not caught, any means can be used.”

Although Ah-Hua didn’t know what crooked schemes Lu Yibei was plotting, based on Jiang Li’s previous stories about Lu Yibei, those schemes usually worked quite well.

So…

Let her try it too? Ah-Hua thought.

“Oh?” Lu Yibei’s eyebrows slightly raised, several bold ideas simultaneously popped into her mind, and the light in her eyes gradually became intense.

Ten minutes later.

The last guest heading to the middle three floors was led into the lounge by a bunny girl.

He was a tall man, with a weather-beaten, dark face, sharp brows and eyes, exuding a fierce aura that made people reluctant to approach.

He walked past Lu Yibei and Liu Seer as if they didn’t exist, without pausing his gaze or steps, and went straight to the mechanical door.

At this moment, a bunny girl in a red outfit gracefully approached, bowed slightly to the people in the lounge, and gently reminded, “Dear guests, the passage is about to open. Please gather around me, and I will lead you to the middle three floors.”

After speaking, she waited for a moment, and once Lu Yibei and Liu Seer gathered at the mechanical door, she turned around, placed her hands on the mechanical password lock on the door, and forcefully turned it.

With the sound of gears and mechanisms, the mechanical door suddenly opened a crack, and a puff of white steam hissed out.

Once the steam dissipated, the mechanical door fully opened, revealing a wide semicircular platform to everyone.

The platform’s walls were made of sleek floor-to-ceiling glass, and the dome was adorned with intricate and colorful stained glass.

Lu Yibei and Ah-Hua exchanged a glance and followed the crowd onto this elevator-like transport tool.

Once all passengers were on the platform, the bunny girl in red placed her hands on the password lock inside the mechanical door again and turned it forcefully.

Thus, the mechanical door closed, and a feeling of weightlessness hit as the platform slowly ascended, offering a panoramic view of the city shrouded in night.

A minute later, the platform arrived at the middle three floors’ hall of the Entertainment City.

As the mechanical door opened, the tall man took the lead, quickly walking out and disappearing from sight.

Liu Seer followed closely behind, pausing slightly beside Lu Yibei to whisper, “Hey, did you see that guy earlier? He’s probably a dark lamp from the Entertainment City. Be careful to avoid him while you’re inside.”

Lu Yibei was puzzled, “Dark lamp? What’s that?”

“Tsk!” Liu Seer clicked his tongue and hurriedly explained, “A dark lamp is an informant, hired by the Entertainment City to pose as gamblers and prevent cheating.”

“Based on my years of experience playing here, that guy has a seventy to eighty percent chance of being a dark lamp.”

So that’s what they’re called… Lu Yibei nodded thoughtfully, giving Liu Seer a gesture of thanks, “Thanks, I’ll be careful.”

After speaking, she sneaked a glance at the bunny girl beside her, who showed no reaction, seemingly indifferent to Liu Seer and her conversation.

“What’s there to thank!” Liu Seer said nonchalantly, patting Lu Yibei’s shoulder, “We’re fellow townsmen! Besides, thanks to you lending me chips, I got a chance to turn things around.”

He leaned closer to Lu Yibei, lowering his voice, “To be honest, I cast a divination before leaving home today, and the signs showed a benefactor’s help and great fortune. Today, I’m sure to win big and earn a fortune!”

After speaking, Liu Seer stretched lazily, shouting, “Haha, I’m back!” and quickly headed towards the hall.

Lu Yibei, “…”

This guy, when telling fortunes for others, he’s “gentle and refined,” but for himself, it’s “great fortune ahead,” no wonder he used to get beaten up!

On the other side.

While Lu Yibei and Liu Seer were briefly exchanging words, a tall man made his way through the hall, ascended to the third floor, and barged into the elegant room facing the staircase.

Just as Liu Seer had guessed, the tall man known as Nan Hao was indeed a dark lamp.

Nan Hao pushed open the door to the elegant room, and as soon as he entered, a sallow-faced, skinny youth rushed up to him, exclaiming, “Boss, I’ve caught a few big fish today, you wouldn’t believe…”

“Shut the hell up!”

Nan Hao’s shout instantly silenced the youth’s jubilant report.

“…”

The youth silently observed Nan Hao, noting the fierce and intimidating look in his eyes, and the twitching muscles on his face. He immediately understood that Nan Hao was in a foul mood, a rare expression he only showed when extremely angry.

“That group has been playing here for over ten days, winning almost every day,” Nan Hao said angrily. “I just checked their background outside and found nothing. I fear they come with ill intentions.”

Running an Entertainment City, they weren’t afraid of guests winning, not even someone like Jiang Li who won massive amounts of chips. What they feared was guests using extraordinary means to win, especially when other guests noticed something amiss but couldn’t pinpoint it.

In other words, they weren’t afraid of guests cheating, but they feared guests cheating in a way that other guests noticed, yet the dark lamps couldn’t catch them.

If this continued, the reputation of the Entertainment City might be at risk.

“Boss, are you talking about those two guys who came a few days ago?” The youth frowned. “Le Er and Maping have already gone to keep an eye on them.”

“Just those two? They’ll only end up giving money away!” Nan Hao said harshly, pacing to the window of the elegant room.

There was a large floor-to-ceiling glass sealed with a solidified spell formation, through which one could overlook the middle three floors’ hall, excluding the Mahjong rooms.

Nan Hao stood by the window, his gaze passing through the glass to focus on a poker table in the corner of the first floor.

Five people sat at the poker table: two dark lamps, two suspected cheaters, and one unfortunate bystander.

Among them, Nan Hao was particularly focused on the middle-aged man among the two suspected targets.

He had two messy eyebrows resembling brooms, with the left eyebrow seemingly slashed, broken in the middle. Beneath his disheveled bangs, his eyes were a deep blue, almost black. His nose was high and prominent, and his pale, unhealthy-looking face was covered with a large beard.

As Nan Hao observed the middle-aged man, the youth walked up beside him, forcing a smile, “Boss, today Le Er and Maping kept a close watch on them and have already won back quite a bit of money. I think…”

Nan Hao glanced at the youth behind him, interrupting, “Won back quite a bit? How much?”

“About…” The youth recalled the data sent back by his companions, answering, “About forty to fifty percent?”

“Forty to fifty percent…” Nan Hao muttered to himself, his gaze returning to the poker table in the corner, eyes narrowing slightly. The next moment, noticing a change in his subordinate’s micro-expression, his face subtly shifted.

“Damn! Le Er and Maping are going to lose!”

With that, he dashed out of the elegant room, heading for the poker table in the corner.

However…

By the time Nan Hao reached the table, the game had already ended. The two suspected targets had long left, leaving only the unfortunate bystander slumped in his chair like a salted fish, and his two subordinates with bowed heads, faces full of guilt.

Seeing this, Nan Hao quickly approached, pulling his two subordinates into a secluded corner, asking in a low voice, “What happened? Did you notice anything? Le Er, you tell me!”

The youth known as Le Er was his trusted assistant, having helped him catch many cheaters before.

“They, they…” The youth stammered for a while, then sighed deeply, “I’m sorry, Boss, I couldn’t see anything.”

“They were losing at first, and we and that guest won quite a bit.”

“But for some reason, in the last hand, our luck suddenly turned very good. The cards dealt to us were particularly high, and we couldn’t resist following a couple more hands, then…”

“Alright, you don’t need to say more, I roughly understand.” Nan Hao interrupted, speaking as he watched the two departing targets, his eyes narrowing, gaze deepening.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the second floor.

Lu Yibei stood in the corridor, glancing at the sullen-faced Nan Hao, then at the two departing suspected cheaters, nodding thoughtfully.

Then…

She turned her head, speaking seriously, “Ah-Hua, let me confirm again, extortion won’t get us caught, right?”