Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 56: The Eye at the Zenith

Just before entering the casino, Jia Xu glanced back at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu was missing an arm and a leg, looking like a withered sapling on the verge of death. What a shame, Jia Xu thought. This might be the last time they saw each other.

He’d heard bits and pieces about the so-called “Emergency Exit” from various people, mostly those trying to cozy up to him.

Once you went in, you were inevitably separated and forced to face all kinds of suffering and inner demons alone. The space was vast, impossible to fully explore.

Each person’s illusion was different, with no discernible pattern. So far, no one had solved the mystery of the “Emergency Exit”.

It was only the third night. Someone as weak as Fang Xiu had no chance.

Jia Xu had hoped Fang Xiu would recognize the reality of the situation, but the guy was even prouder than he’d imagined.

Back at his company, Jia Xu had dealt with similarly stubborn talents. The ending was always the same… He fired them.

Skill without flexibility leads nowhere.

Jia Xu stepped into the gates of Huanxi World and took a deep breath of the casino air. It smelled faintly of perfume. Blinding lights washed over him like spotlights on a stage.

At this point, Jia Xu no longer wanted to dispel the E.

His relationship with his parents was lukewarm at best. He had no family of his own. As for friends… well, they were all fair-weather drinking buddies anyway.

So why not stay? Most people spent their lives chasing physical desires and mental satisfaction.

At first, he’d been reluctant to give up his flashy job. Now he found he could feel just as fulfilled here.

The looks people gave him, men and women alike, were full of flattery. Whether they had once been celebrities or industry moguls, they now flocked around him as if he were the very hand of fate.

They offered him their bodies, their connections, all kinds of generous promises…just for a taste of his good fortune. And whether or not they got it was entirely up to Jia Xu.

On top of that, the Luck Borrowing Dice was strongly bound to him by the Underworld. With Uncle Hou guaranteeing his safety, he had nothing to worry about.

He was lucky. He had never felt so lucky in his life.

So the losses yesterday? Just standard statistical variance.

…What should he play today?

Jia Xu wrapped his arm around a curvy D-list actress and strolled through the casino like a king inspecting his domain.

Then he spotted Guan He loitering near the service desk.

Guan He was clearly overwhelmed by the curvy, scantily dressed female attendants. His face was beet red, and he stared intently at the tips of his shoes.

Jia Xu raised an eyebrow. “You’re not with Fang Xiu?”

Guan He jumped like a startled cat. “N-No. I’m not.”

“Fang Ge didn’t really explain anything this time, and he seemed… weird. I got worried, but he told me to come here and cash out my chips…”

“Looks like he’s lost confidence.” Jia Xu sighed.

Then he bent his knuckles and rapped the counter with practiced ease. “Hey, help my friend here exchange some chips.”

The lady at the counter smiled sweetly. “What kind of exchange, young man?”

“Blood debt,” Guan He muttered, lowering his head even further.

“All right. Please wait a moment.”

The attendant pulled out a bizarre-looking touchscreen. “Please press your full palm here to authorize us to process your karma.”

Thinking of the Huanxi E’s true form made Guan He uncomfortable.

Jia Xu, mistaking his hesitation, chuckled. “What are you scared of? It doesn’t bite.”

Guan He: “…Mm.”

He pressed his hand down reluctantly. The attendant’s smile instantly turned more seductive.

“Blood debt successfully exchanged.”

“From now on, your karmic case will circulate across the mortal internet, drawing massive attention. Huanxi World will also broadcast your story of life’s karma. Thank you for bringing joy to everyone’s lives!”

She pressed a gleaming pile of 1,000 gold chips onto the counter.

The number “1000” blinked cheerfully on the surface, like an innocent child.

At the same time, joyful music played, and a giant screen above the counter flickered on.

It began playing the night of Guan He’s car crash, from his first-person perspective. Even more terrifying, it displayed his thoughts from that moment as narration.

Crowds quickly gathered to watch the drama unfold on the big screen.

Guan He knew that, in most people’s eyes, his blood debt wasn’t even that bad.

But the moment he saw that familiar nightscape, he slammed his eyes shut, covered his ears, and crouched to the ground.

He had never understood why the Huanxi E insisted on making blood debts public. But in this moment, he understood its purpose: To crush any lingering hope of returning to the human world.

His blood debt might’ve been one of the easiest to forgive, but knowing that his darkest memories were now going viral…

For a second, even he didn’t want to go back.

He couldn’t imagine the look on his mother’s face.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that until Jia Xu finally pulled him up. “All right, all right, it’s over. Come on, it wasn’t that bad. Look at you, shaking like a leaf.”

Blondie had sidled up and slapped him playfully. “Don’t be such a wimp.”

Jia Xu: “1,000 chips is plenty. Today I’ll show you around. If we win big, I’ll take you out tonight for some real fun.”

Guan He frowned. “…I’m not even an adult yet.”

Jia Xu laughed. “Back in ancient times, people were dads at 14 or 15. You’re 16, practically grown. I know high schoolers who are wild already. No need to play innocent here.”

“The ladies here are very attentive. You’ll never want to leave,” Blondie added with a leer.

Guan He felt sick. He pulled his arm out of Jia Xu’s grip. “I already told Xiao Tian I’d stick with her tonight.”

Blondie: “Oho, got a crush on the older chick, huh?”

Jia Xu thought for a moment. “That Xiao Tian with the ‘luck enhancement’?”

“Yes, we planned this ahead of time. I want to clear my head tonight.” Guan He took a step back and blurted it all out in one breath.

Jia Xu didn’t press. He waved generously. “Go, go. When you figure things out, come find me.”

But Guan He didn’t leave right away. He took a few deep breaths. “Aren’t you worried about Fang Ge? He got us through two rituals.”

“Our paths diverged. Besides, I already invited him. I’ve done my part.”

“You’re young. It’s normal that you can’t see the bigger picture. Even without us, Fang Xiu would’ve challenged the rituals. At the end of the day, he’s doing it for himself.”

Guan He: “Then he didn’t have to bring you guys!”

“It’s easier to work with a team. Of course he wanted to preserve numbers. Fang Xiu didn’t dispel the E all by himself. Everyone contributed. Don’t be so naive.”

Jia Xu lit a cigarette, voice turning philosophical. “Right now, your presence here is useless to me. What I’m doing is ‘simply helping you’.”

Guan He didn’t know what to say. He felt something was wrong but couldn’t argue back.

So he turned and walked away.

Blondie: “Whew, fiery little guy. You still care about that kid, Jia Ge?”

“Sure. Once Fang Xiu dies, he’ll know who’s right.” Jia Xu said casually.

Compared to wiping out Fang Xiu’s team, recruiting his pawn would be a more complete victory.

“…Come on, let’s go play a few rounds.”

Elsewhere in the casino.

Guan He found Xiao Tian while cursing under his breath.

The mushroom trio had already spent their chips on even-odd bets and had only 8 left between them.

After Guan He joined them, Xiao Tian stared blankly at her new pile of gold chips.

Guan He’s 1,000 chips, plus the 35 mysterious ones Fang Xiu gave her, plus their group’s last 5 survival chips…

She now held 1,040 chips.

…She’d never seen so many chips in her life!

Xiao Tian gulped. “Are we… really gonna gamble?”

Guan He: “It’s not gambling.”

Xiao Tian nervously let out an “oh.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t gambling.

According to Fang Xiu’s instructions, Xiao Tian had to follow Jia Xu, join one of his games, and bet 1 chip that was never the same result as Jia Xu.

This wasn’t betting; it was sabotage. Jia Xu had to actively use the Luck Borrowing Die while Xiao Tian’s “luck enhancement” was a passive skill supported by the Underworld.

Jia Xu had flaunted his power yesterday with a roulette win using the die, then lost several poker games. Even so, he still had 8,320 chips. Xiao Tian felt like she was bringing a pebble to crush a mountain.

What was Fang Xiu thinking? Sabotaging his own teammates had nothing to do with dispelling the E, right?

She didn’t know how this would turn the casino upside down.

But hey, Captain Song had already promised himself away. She had no room to object.

So Comrade Xiao Tian removed her jacket, let down her ponytail, grabbed a sparkly masquerade eye patch from the lounge, painted on a bright red lip, and transformed from a dried mushroom into a dazzling fly agaric.

The three mushroom men crouched in the greenery nearby to keep watch.

“Mission start!” Xiao Tian made a serious hand signal and strutted toward Jia Xu.

……

Emergency Exit.

The karmic thread glowed blood-red, leading upward into the darkness. Bai Shuangying guided it while Cheng Songyun supported Fang Xi as the three made their way up the stairs.

Though the thread showed the right path, it couldn’t break through illusions. So their pace remained slow.

They had been walking for three and a half hours. Fang Xiu had listened to Cheng Songyun’s nonstop nagging for three of them; all on the theme of “Fang Xiu, you’re too skinny, that’s not good.”

Fang Xiu, exasperated, swore for the hundredth time. “Got it, Cheng Jie. I’ll eat properly when we get back.”

Since resolving her karma, Cheng Songyun’s mood had improved, but it was like she’d unlocked a whole new seal.

“Eating well isn’t enough. You have to eat more meat! Weak bodies get sick easier. These days, even a cold is dangerous. Skinny people have low resistance…”

“My daughter went through a phase of dieting, and she looked scary thin. You need to be healthy…”

Fang Xiu: “…”

He looked pleadingly at Bai Shuangying.

Bai Shuangying ignored him.

Fang Xiu whispered, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have called you the ghost matchmaker.”

Bai Shuangying turned his head away, still ignoring him.

Fang Xiu sighed. His ghost could really hold a grudge.

A few hours ago, right after entering the Emergency Exit, Cheng Songyun had asked, “Why can a ghost like you see karma?”

Fang Xiu didn’t know Bai Shuangying’s true species, so he made something up.

He described Bai Shuangying as a type of seductive ghost who could interfere with people’s karmic threads and twist fate lines. He even painted him as a “ghost matchmaker” who appeared in male form to match his role.

There was a counterpart too, a “ghostly go-between”. Males on the left, females on the right. The “ghost matchmaker” had a mole on the upper-left face, while the go-between’s mole was lower right…

Had the situation not been serious, Fang Xiu could’ve spun an entire origin myth.

Cheng Songyun had been completely taken in. Bai Shuangying, however, had gone from blank expression to no facial features at all.

Fang Xiu thought the ghost would cool down after a few hours. But now, three hours later, Bai Shuangying was still expressionless, literally.

Realizing the severity, Fang Xiu limped closer and leaned on him.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing against Bai Shuangying’s sleeve. “I didn’t know you cared that much…”

An eye appeared on Bai Shuangying’s blank face and looked down at him.

“I’ll say you’re a super powerful seductive ghost, so powerful you can shake the red threads of human fate!”

Fang Xiu rubbed against him again. His body was still burning with pain, cold sweat clinging to his skin. But his voice was cheerful, not at all like someone in agony.

“…Does that work? ‘Ghost matchmaker’ doesn’t sound good. Let’s drop it.”

Fang Xiu spoke gently.

A few seconds later, Bai Shuangying’s face slowly regenerated—and realized Fang Xiu was quietly smirking again.

Bai Shuangying: “?”

“I’m just really happy.” Fang Xiu leaned into his cool sleeve. “You know I hate losing control. And now I know you hate having your background made up… When friends want to get closer, they need to learn what the other dislikes.”

“I understand you a little better today. That feels great.”

Bai Shuangying was a bit confused.

Fang Xiu seemed sincerely warm, but when he said he hated losing control, he had shown a totally different, icy side.

This human… wanted companionship, wanted friends, but at times, was even more ruthless than an evil spirit.

Something tugged at Bai Shuangying’s memory, but his mind was so vast that pinning it down was difficult.

As he tried to recall, they reached the end of the stairs.

What they saw looked like a mechanical maintenance room. Thick dust blanketed cracked cement walls and floors. It looked utterly ordinary.

The red thread stretched across the floor and vanished into the center of the room. Fang Xiu raised the ghost flame and stepped forward with Cheng Songyun.

They found a hollow decorative skylight.

It wasn’t big and was shaped like a human eye. The red karmic thread passed through the “pupil”, pointing downward. Below was a vast space, illuminated brightly by moonlight.

The moment she saw what was below, Cheng Songyun staggered back and retched. Fang Xiu’s expression darkened as he focused.

Found it.

Cheng Songyun’s karmic thread dropped straight down into a black machine the size of a ten-cubic-meter box.

The machine looked like a fused group of black cabinets, flickering with red lights. Its surface was covered in brain-like tissue—squirming, pulsing, with deformed human faces protruding from it.

Above the machine, countless numbers and app icons shimmered and spun, forming a golden, distorted, three-dimensional “∞” (infinity) symbol, like a warped angelic halo.

…So the Huanxi E really is a gambling app, Fang Xiu thought.

…But its host wasn’t a phone. They’d found its server.

And now they faced an enormous problem.

Fang Xiu stared down in silence at Huanxi E.

They were at the skylight atop Huanxi World. From here, he could see Jia Xu, Blondie, Guan He, and the mushroom trio, as well as Uncle Hou’s group.

But from this angle, Huanxi World no longer looked like a joyful place.

For the first time, Fang Xiu truly felt what “illusion” meant…

Tonight’s moonlight was bright, revealing everything in the casino in stark detail.

The Huanxi E’s true body had replaced the central ring service desk. It now sat at the center of the grand hall.

There were no lights, no music, no beautiful wallpaper or ornate halls.

The lobby below was abandoned. Cracked tiles littered with dust and broken pillars exposing rebar. The floor was strewn with hundreds of corpses, their bones forming the intricate “carpet” patterns of the illusion.

There were no fine clothes or jewelry, no cigarettes or alcohol, no food or perfect lovers.

Everyone wore their original clothes. Some hugged empty air, groping obscenely. Some held rotten meat like fruit, raising it gracefully to their mouths.

Most danced and flailed at nothing. They were cheering and betting imaginary chips on non-existent games.

Fang Xiu spotted Uncle Hou.

From here, he wasn’t fat. In fact, he looked like a dried-out corpse. His clothes were soaked in corpse fluid and blood, stiff as concrete. His hair was matted with filth. If not for his recognizable features, Fang Xiu wouldn’t have known it was him.

Yet his posture was confident.

He stood, hands behind his back, chest puffed like he had a belly, even though one of his eyeballs had slipped from its socket and was now dangling wetly from his face.

Within the illusion, in the midst of ecstasy, the crowd moved like a frenzied swarm, rushing around the Huanxi E.

In that dazzling illusion, they danced and darted, maintaining a twisted order, like mad bees.

Except Fang Xiu and Cheng Songyun above, and their cooperating group: Guan He and the mushroom trio.

…There were exactly 882 “frenzied bees” intoxicated with joy.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>