Generally, nothing much really happened in the trainee dormitories.
The trainees were free to spend the time as they willed before a new instance opened, which would be announced by the system on the day itself at seven in the morning.
Discounting that their lives were at the mercy of another being, the treatment the thriller trainees received was quite good. Aside from the dormitories assigned to each person, the facilities in this building were beyond comprehensive.
The broadcasting studio on the third floor was inaccessible at this time, but the dining hall on the second floor had a grand feast of dishes of anything that the mind could imagine.
The main hall on the ground floor was like a miniature city. Its high dome was replaced by a sky canopy that alternated between day and night. Not only did it have a landscape that resembled the real world, but it also had all the infrastructure of a metropolis: churches, KTVs, recreational centres, amusement parks, supermarkets, etc. Moreover, these were free to use, so people could be seen bustling around everywhere.
The night banquet was open twenty-four-seven and tuxedoed waiters served glasses of wine through the crowd. Completely smashed, trainees lived in a drunken, decadent dream.
At midnight, the promised Las Vegas Casino opened punctually.
The space in the northern area of the dormitories began to warp.
At the far end, infinitely tall doors slowly pushed open with a heavy rumble that reverberated across the dormitories.
[Limited-Time Scene: Las Vegas Casino has officially opened.]
[The panoramic camera has been enabled. All gambling tables will be broadcasted live during the entire duration that Las Vegas is open.]
[The event will automatically end at seven o’clock in 3 days. Please redeem your chips before the end of the event.]
The world behind the doors was a gorgeous neon, and sparkling diamonds gleamed from the dome of the hall.
The fountain at the entrance was made out of pure gold, and the jug carried by Dionysus overflowed with an unending stream of deep red wine, perfusing the air with the indescribably sweet fragrance of luxury and dissipation.
Dealers stood at each deep green table-clothed gambling table.
By a round table a distance from them, casino officials stood before a mountain of chips, smiling serenely like a statue.
Countless trainees swarmed in, rushing excitedly to the tables.
“My apologies, sir.”
A sweet smile graced the dealer’s face. “You need at least a hundred chips each to start a game at the E-rank table.”
“Come on, let’s hurry and go exchange.”
The dealer’s smile dazzled their eyes. The newcomers left the tables and hurriedly ran up to the officials at the reception counter of the casino, slamming their hands on the table.
“What’s the exchange rate for the chips? Is it a one for one conversion with survival points? Give me a thousand first!”
Expressionless, an official replied, “Sorry, Las Vegas chips cannot be exchanged through survival points. Chips can be exchanged for survival points, but survival points can’t be exchanged for chips.”
“What?!”
A newcomer was puzzled. “Survival points cannot be exchanged for chips? But we didn’t have money with us when we entered the loop.”
“Sir, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood me.”
The official picked up a form from the table. “Chips can be exchanged with something you possess, such as special props, or a particular type of special ability. If you leave the casino with less than or equivalent chips in your hand than when you entered the casino, then props and abilities will be seized by the casino, and will not be returned.”
“What the heck does that mean.”
The official’s statement dropped like a bomb amidst the newcomers.
“What are you talking about, whether it’s props or special abilities, how can newcomers have any of it? These are things that only veterans would have, not us.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Szjmais! Lbk lr la qbrrlyif atja atlr mjrlcb lr j rmfcf mjafgfv bcis ab nfafgjcr? Qf cfkmbwfgr vbc’a vfrfgnf ab qijs?”
“Qtja qgfafcalber ajix jybea ulnlcu cfkmbwfgr j mtjcmf ab vfnfibq…”
“Tbe’nf wlrecvfgrabbv, rlgr.”
Ktf cfkmbwfgr tjv ubaafc lcmgfjrlcuis julajafv. Veggbecvlcu atf gbecv ajyif, atfs mbwqijlcfv obg delaf rbwf alwf jcv bcis ugjvejiis delfafcfv vbkc ja atlr.
The official spoke unhurriedly. “Special props and abilities are not the only things classified as possessions.”
“In fact, humans possess far more than you can imagine. For example, hands, neck, fingers, legs, ears…”
Before the wide-eyed stares of the newcomers, the Las Vegas official showed a stiff smile.
“Aren’t these your best initial chips?”
The reopening of the live broadcast just happened to catch this scene.
[…I knew the system couldn’t be that nice.]
[For real though, isn’t this the default setting of the system? Veterans like us aren’t surprised, but those newcomers would probably be scared to death.]
[Sigh, just watch, the veterans will just calmly open a table to gamble. Honestly, Las Vegas having the conscience to allow exchanging chips for special props probably used up whatever conscience it has for the next hundred years.]
Just as the bullet chat had predicted, the newcomers were stunned by these words, each standing at a loss with a terrified face.
If they wanted to start gambling, they would need at least a hundred chips for the lowest E-rank table, not to mention the top S-rank no-limit table. If they didn’t even have the starting betting capital, they wouldn’t even be qualified to open a bet.
A veteran glanced disdainfully at the newcomers who were trembling with fear, and walked straight up, setting his prop on the table.
“The special prop will mortgage for 5,000 chips. Thank you for your patronage.”
The veteran didn’t care how many chips he obtained from this.
At the end of the day, how to increase the chips in their hands was more important. Because whether it was converted directly into survival points or special props, Las Vegas only recognised chips, not survival points.
Having been in the infinite loop for the number of years they had, they naturally knew what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this Las Vegas scene was. Without a second thought, the veterans gathered to look up the list of props that could be exchanged in the casino. There were nearly a hundred types of props, and all of which were props they had never heard of before and could only be exchanged from the casino. The highest grade of props reached A-rank, and the listed price was also quite reasonable.
The most advantageous point was that these props could be freely chosen. There were many veterans who had accumulated many special props, which had gathered dust for they were never able to find a use for them. Now that they finally had a chance to exchange them, they naturally seized it.
While the veterans exchanged in full swing, a newcomer finally plucked the guts to come up and ask, “Then… then, how many chips can a kidney exchange?”
It was common knowledge that everyone had two kidneys. If there really was a need to lose an organ, this would be the first organ that anyone thought of.
“One kidney can be exchanged for a hundred chips.”
“Only a hundred?!” the newcomer yelled.
The official said, smiling, “This is the exchange rate listed by the system. As long as you win your next hand at the E-rank gambling table, you can double your chips. This exchange is equivalent to gaining an initial gambling capital.”
“Besides, it wouldn’t be called gambling if there wasn’t any risk, but charity.”
A hundred chips was enough to go to the E-rank table.
The crowd mulled over it.
According to the official, the lowest rank table shouldn’t be too difficult. If they didn’t even dare to take this risk, there was no hope for them in the next instance in three days.
The newcomer grit his teeth. “I’ll take it!”
“Then, I’ll exchange my appendix.”
“Can I use my tonsils?”
As they went up one by one, the official motioned for them to sign on a blank paper before handing over the card with the chips, concluding the mortgage transaction.
There were several organs in the human body that wouldn’t have many repercussions even if they were lost. If these organs were exchanged, they could easily gain the initial gambling capital.
As for how to regain the lost chips if they lost, the newcomers didn’t have the leisure to think about these.
Everyone always thought that they would be fortune’s favourite.
While the trainees got in line, a languid voice suddenly came from behind.
“An organ can only be exchanged for a hundred chips, aren’t humans too cheap in your eyes?”
A white-haired young man slowly walked over from the doors.
Whether it was his demeanour or his appearance, he drew attention from the crowd.
The trainees standing at the centre of the casino easily recognised him as the E-rank who had gotten an S-rank rating from the system yesterday.
Zong Jiu scoffed at the earlier conversation between the official and the newcomer.
Human desire was bottomless, especially in casinos. Once anyone tasted the sweetness, their bets would spiral wantonly, and the higher they stood at the end, the more tragic their fall.
Any casino would gleam beautifully on the surface. But these were places that devoured people.
In his previous world, Zong Jiu deliberately caused such a sensation in Las Vegas simply because he disdained the vile tricks that casino dealers played on the gamblers, thus making a fool of everyone and topping the blacklist of people forbidden entry to casinos.
Zong Jiu rested a hand on the circular table, his long white hair sliding down his shoulder and falling on the table like moonlight.
“It’s too boring to trade one organ at a time. Shall we play big?”
The young man lifted his eyes, the pale pink astonishingly bright under the glow of the chandelier from above.
“How many chips is my life worth?”
The crowd roared.
Let alone the newcomers, even the veterans were astounded, looking at him as if they were sizing up a madman.
[Wtf. Playing so big from the start?]
[Does this newcomer think he’s all that because he got an S from the system?]
[Does he understand the rules? If he doesn’t get more chips than he had mortgaged, he’ll die when the casino closes in three days. Although it isn’t a big deal for us to die in the infinite loop, at least dying in a horror instance is something beyond our control. But in a casino, you can still choose not to gamble; what kind of person would rush up to offer their life on a platter, dude.]
Unlike the chittering trainees, the officials showed an appreciative look. The officials at the circular table gave a round of applause, lasting for almost half a minute before subsiding.
“You have great courage to gamble on your life.”
Zong Jiu smiled wordlessly.
He believed that in the three days that this casino was open, countless trainees would meet this end.
“Normally, a trainee who wagers his life can get 5,000 chips in exchange.”
“But due to an urgent message from the instructor,” the official said, “Las Vegas will award you an additional 5,000 chips.”
“As quoted from the instructor: your beauty and courage is always deserving of praise.”
The instructor, again.
Zong Jiu seethed on the inside, but remained expressionless as he signed. Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he picked up the platinum gold card that the staff handed to him, going straight for the gambling pools.
Many people secretly followed behind him.
There were those who wanted to take pleasure from seeing him fall, but there were also those who were admirative and curious, trying to figure out where he got his confidence from for themselves.
They all wanted to see what this trainee, who had made a name for himself in the second evaluation, was up to now.
Las Vegas had six gambling pools.
The opening chips were 100, 500, 1000, 3000, 10000, and the no-limit betting pool.
When everyone saw that Zong Jiu was gambling with his life, they thought that he would head right up to the 10,000 or the no-limit betting pool.
But never did they expect that this guy would take them all on a trip around the casino, finally turning heel halfway to walk straight to the 100-chip pool. He calmly sat down and said to the dealer—
“Deal the cards.”
Everyone watching him: “???”
That’s it?
Our pants are already off, and this is all you’re giving us???
“Damn this kid, is he toying with us?!”
The veterans were indignant. “Get out of the way, let me show him up.”
In a flash, the E-rank table was tightly packed with people. Everyone wanted to go up to play with the arrogant white-haired brat.
“Ah.”
When the area around the table was packed full, the dealer apologetically announced, “My apologies to everyone. According to the rules, the first person at the table can decide which game to play. This round is restricted to three players. Aside from the C-rank trainee, two other players will be enough.”
A game with only three players?
“If it’s Blackjack, there can be up to six players; the same goes for Bash the Golden Flower (Zha Jinhua). Even Five-Card Stud can have four players, and Gnau isn’t even worth a mention.”
The crowd whispered to each other, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a game fixed to three people in international casinos?”
When the dealer changed the signage at the gambling table, everyone fell silent.
There were only three words on it.
Fight the Landlord.
Translated by 🎏
Edited by snoflakesun
t/n. Fight the Landlord; one of the most popular card games in China, esp after an app ver came out. Not necessary to know the gameplay for the next chapter imo, it’s pretty intuitive, but here’s some links for anyone interested – wiki, vid
Fight the Landlord hahahaha dangg MC is so cute~
ML just can’t let a chapter pass without him ne~
Thank you for the chapter~
I love this MC!!! 💞
Thank you for translating!
And this novel of course
The staff will be begging him to leave after 3 days
💯😂😂
interesting~
thank you for the chapter 💖
time to destroy casino!
me after watching the video instruction to the game: dazed “… what?”
thanks for the chapter~
thanks for the chapter! ♡
So excited for him to become public enemy number 1 by the staff hehehehe~
Show them how it’s done, Zong Jiu~
Thank you so much for the chapter!! ( ꈍᴗꈍ)💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thank you for the chapter 😊💞
I want to see Zong Jiu shine 👏👏👏
the instructor k
Dear ML, your scheme will fail hard again lolol And what beauty and courage? Mocking him again, eh? xD
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
Ooh it’s fight the landlord!
Thanks for the chapter! 💕
Thank you for the chapter
Thank you very much❤️❤️❤️❤️🍬
I have a ry strong hunch that the instructor is probs no.1
*really
WAHHH THE REAL FUN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN HEHEHE
A-JIU SHOW THE DUMB PEOPLE WHAT YOU’RE MADE OUT OF!! injected with chicken blood
Thank you for translating! (´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`)
I’m so excited for him to show everyone up! 😈😈😈 Give me the face slaps!! 😆
Ah fight the landlord 😆
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
Nice! Kkkkk I’m so curious!! I wanna see him swept everyone and give a resounding face slap to the instructor!!
Thanks for the chapter!
I wonder how much chaos A’Jiu can cause in 3 days 😭
Thanks for the chapter ❤️
So cool~ thank you for the chapter!!
My cousins and I read Card Room and encountered the Fight the Landlord game and made our own game based on some aspects of it~ FTL is a very affectionate game for me!
The worthy beginning: “Generally, nothing much really happened …”
easy 10k 🤣
fight the landlord seems familiar to me but i can’t remember what story did i saw it
Ok you can exchange organs for chips but I wonder how the organ extraction goes. Like for the kidney disappear and everything magically healed behind or do you lose an ear and have to deal with gushing blood
Zong Jiu is very go big or go home, IM LOVING IT
Thankfully I just finished another Danmei featuring multiple card games so I’m not a lost duckling in this area
He is so— i can’t i love him
ig he’ll top the blacklist here too?
hehehehe i like his confidence!! we know the truth, others are left to foam at the mouth hahaha
i mean if he’s betting with his life he might as well have fun while playing! also instructor! you flirt~ hahaha