Chapter 92: I, the Little Bug, Shall End My Life Here Today

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: I, the Little Bug, Shall End My Life Here Today

"What? You’re sold out?"

"But I just got here."

"Noooooo!"

A customer who had just arrived saw the empty stall and began to wail dramatically. He wiped his tears while peeking at Lu Wu, trying to move her with his performance.

But no matter how heartbroken the customer seemed, he couldn’t sway the iron-hearted Boss Lu.

’Who could blame me? I saw him secretly using an onion to stimulate his tear ducts and fake-cry.’

’His acting is terrible. Zero stars, bad review.’

Lu Wu packed up and left without a second thought.

With Lu Wu gone, the other customers gradually dispersed. In no time, Free Street returned to its usual quiet.

Only the red lanterns hanging high outside the casino entrance were left, swaying in the cold wind.

Inside the casino, Tian Shou came out to find that quite a few gamblers were missing, and he couldn’t connect with several of his "little darlings."

’Could something have happened again?’

This worry vanished when Tian Shou saw Steward Zhu looking as calm as ever.

’Steward Zhu hasn’t said anything, so it must be fine.’

"Brother Tian, I finally found you."

Someone clapped him on the shoulder. It was Yang Jiang.

At that moment, Yang Jiang’s eyes were bloodshot and wide, and he looked especially thrilled to see Tian Shou.

"Oh, it’s you, brother. What’s up?"

Tian Shou was quite patient with Yang Jiang, who had treated him to food.

He could tell at a glance that Yang Jiang’s state was due to the influence of an Insect Descent.

"Well, after we parted ways, I played a few rounds and won a fair bit."

"So I wanted to play a few bigger hands, but I didn’t expect my luck to be so bad. I’ve pretty much lost all the Spirit Stones I brought with me."

"I was wondering... could you lend me some, brother?"

Yang Jiang wrung his hands anxiously.

His eyes darted about, a hint of mania in them.

Seeing this, Tian Shou’s eyes narrowed.

The little bit of rationality Yang Jiang had left was crumbling.

With just a small push, he would become the perfect fodder for their casino.

"We’re brothers, no need to be formal. Of course, you can."

"Just tell me how much you need."

The curve of Tian Shou’s lips widened.

’Ah, just as I thought.’

’Watching these people unwittingly step into the trap, be played with until they’re broken, and finally be crushed to pieces... their pathetic state is just so... wonderful.’

He licked his lips. After Yang Jiang held up five fingers, he generously took out five thousand Spirit Stones and handed them over.

"Five hundred, I just need five hundred."

Yang Jiang refused with his mouth, but his eyes were glued to the Spirit Stones.

"This is so much... enough for me to play a while longer. Just a few more hands, and then I’ll head back."

At his near-delirious muttering, Tian Shou waved his hand magnanimously.

"We’re family, don’t talk like strangers. I’m lending you these Spirit Stones. Play as much as you want. If it’s not enough, I have more."

"Okay, thank you, brother! Don’t worry, once I win, I’ll definitely pay you back with interest!"

Yang Jiang snatched the Spirit Stones, gave Tian Shou a grin, and pushed through the crowd to sit at a gambling table, starting a new campaign.

"Heh!"

A cold, playful smile touched Tian Shou’s lips.

’For the sake of those skewers,’ he thought, ’should I let him die with a clear mind at the end?’

’Mmm! It’s happily decided then.’

’I really am a great guy.’

Tian Shou withdrew his gaze—the kind one gives a dead man—and left after confirming that the bugs on the other gamblers were fine.

By the gambling table, the seemingly fanatical Yang Jiang’s eyes were perfectly clear.

’Undercover Secret number six: one must learn to proactively advance the plot. When necessary, you have to use yourself as bait.’

He had long suspected something was wrong with the casino.

The minds of the other gamblers were being influenced by something, but he had no such worries.

The reason was Boss Lu’s skewers.

He lifted his sleeve and casually fanned it in front of his face.

He had used a Spell to seal a skewer inside his sleeve. Every so often, he would take a whiff of its aroma to clear his head and stay sharp.

’And it works surprisingly well.’

To earn Tian Shou’s trust, he had deliberately acted like he was addicted.

"Brother, what are you smelling? Can I have some too?"

Someone next to him leaned in, their voice hollow.

The dark circles under his eyes showed he had been immersed in the casino for a long time. His face was pale, his eyes vacant.

Only when his gaze landed on Yang Jiang did it focus slightly.

For the past hour, he had sensed a faint, elusive aroma around him.

The scent was playing hide-and-seek with him, and it was hidden exceptionally well.

The hook it cast had snagged his heart, pulling his attention completely away from the gambling table.

He finally determined that the scent was coming from Yang Jiang.

A powerful voice deep inside him was telling him that he absolutely had to find the source of the scent.

That intuition had saved him many times.

The man, having lost his reason, was acting on pure survival instinct.

The other man’s abnormal state was too obvious.

Yang Jiang squeezed his sleeve, glanced around, and nodded after seeing that no one was paying attention to him.

"Alright."

He waved his sleeve in front of the man’s face.

He released the Spell sealing the scent, and a rich, mellow aroma, tinged with spice and a stimulating kick, burst forth.

’I don’t like spicy food.’

’But right now, all I want to do is grab that sleeve and take a huge bite.’

And thinking this, he did exactly that.

Luckily, Yang Jiang dodged in time to avoid being bitten.

Seeing the man’s reason start to return, Yang Jiang concealed the scent again.

’Undercover Rule number seven: help the unfortunate you encounter during a mission if you can, but your own safety comes first. Don’t be a saint.’

The man, supported by Yang Jiang, didn’t stand out in the casino’s bustling crowd.

It took a while before the man could stand steadily on his own.

"Thank you."

His hoarse voice carried a trace of lingering fear.

Needless to say, he knew he had fallen into a trap.

"Don’t panic. I’ll cover for you. Find a chance to leave."

After saying this, Yang Jiang pushed the man aside and went back to playing the part of a desperate gambler.

The casino was noisy and chaotic, making it easy to slip away.

The man slipped out while the casino staff wasn’t looking.

The moment he stepped outside, the cold wind made him shiver.

And in that cold wind, the lingering aroma of skewers from the street enveloped him.

The man’s head cleared completely.

He cast a wary glance at the casino doors behind him, hesitation swirling in his eyes, but finally came to a decision.

’That brother stayed behind to cover for me, to save me. I can’t be ungrateful.’

’I have to find the Law Enforcement Team!’

’I have to save him.’

’Brother, wait for me!’

Back inside the casino, Tian Shou, who had been cultivating, opened his eyes.

"Strange. How did another one die?"

’My little pets have been dying off a bit too much these past two days.’ Thinking this, Tian Shou began to let his blood to refine new Gambling Bugs.

The fresh blood flowing into the bowl reminded him of the juicy, red skewers, making his teeth itch.

"I’ve lost too much blood today. I’ll eat some skewers tomorrow to replenish myself," he muttered to himself.

In the bowl, a newly born Gambling Bug trembled. They all split off from the same mother body and shared some of each other’s memories.

’The gruesome deaths of my brothers and sisters are still fresh in my mind, and now it’s my turn.’

’If that’s the case, I might as well go see my brothers and sisters sooner.’

The bug in the bowl, its sesame-seed eyes filled with tears, twitched a few times and then killed itself.

"Huh?"

Tian Shou poked the bug with his finger, bewildered, then continued letting his blood to raise more.

"The quality is too poor. Could it be that I’ve been a bit drained lately? Well, I’ll just have to eat more tomorrow then."

The new bug: "..."

’Bro, wait for me on the road to the underworld! Your little bro is on his way!’