Chapter 125: Human Monkey

Yun Yao ultimately chose a “Monkey” type game.

The mask worn by the “Zodiac” at the door was not a monkey at all, but a rotting, massive baboon.

“So? Qi Xia, dare to give it a try?” Yun Yao stood at the entrance and asked.

“Me try?” Qi Xia glanced at the baboon, then at Yun Yao. “I’d actually like to know what ‘Strong Luck’ means. Why don’t you show me?”

“Did you misunderstand something?” Yun Yao shook her head helplessly. “I already said, the purpose of teaming up this time is to assess your abilities for future game assignments. How did it become *you* testing *me*?”

The three of them—Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and the others—were at a loss for how to respond. It seemed this idol had a stubborn streak.

“So you’re not intervening at all?” Qi Xia asked.

“It’s just a ‘Human Monkey.’ Most of their games are intelligence-based or agility-based. Would that really stump you?” Yun Yao smiled. “If you want, you can even gamble your life against them.”

“Gamble your life?” Qiao Jiajin froze. “You can bet your life here?”

Qi Xia knew that gambling his life right now was a terrible idea. He didn’t understand the “Monkey’s” tricks, and he hadn’t yet achieved “Echo.” If he failed in a life-or-death gamble, he’d lose all the information he’d gathered so far.

With a resigned sigh, Qi Xia stepped forward to the baboon and asked, “Human Monkey, right?”

“Correct.” The Human Monkey nodded. “Want to play my game?”

“What are the rules?” Qi Xia asked.

“We take turns removing ‘pebbles’ from a box. Whoever takes the last ‘pebble’ wins and gets to keep all the ‘pebbles’ on the table.” The Human Monkey’s voice sounded young, like a teenager’s, but his explanation was crystal clear.

Qi Xia stroked his chin lightly. “And the ‘entry fee’?”

“The ‘entry fee’ is the ‘pebbles in the box.’ It depends on how many you put in. I’ll always match or exceed your amount.”

“Wow… This is a ‘random entry fee’ game!” Yun Yao looked thrilled. “If we win, we’ll really hit the jackpot.”

“Holy crap, this is high-stakes!” Qiao Jiajin shouted excitedly, turning to Yun Yao. “Hey, pretty girl! Hand over eighteen hundred ‘pebbles’! If this trickster wins, we’re going home right away!”

“How would I have that many?” Yun Yao snapped. “I’ve only got this tiny bag on me. Where am I supposed to pull eighteen hundred ‘pebbles’ from?”

“No way anyone in this hellhole carries eighteen hundred ‘pebbles’ without the ‘Extremists’ noticing…” Qi Xia muttered before looking back at the Human Monkey. “Monkey, how many do you have left?”

“I…” The Human Monkey hesitated. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Afraid I’ll bet everything against you?” Qi Xia pressed.

“Whatever your intention, I won’t reveal my ‘pebbles.'”

“Interesting.” Qi Xia nodded. “Then let’s get started.”

All four of them entered the room, but since this was a “Human”-level game, only Qi Xia could participate.

The moment he stepped inside, Qi Xia realized he might have walked into a trap.

A table stood in the center of the room, with two boxes placed on it.

“My game is called ‘Pebbles in the Box.’ We each place our ‘pebbles’ into these two boxes.” The Human Monkey patted the boxes on the table. “I’ll always put in more than you. Once the game starts, we take turns removing any number of ‘pebbles’ from either box. But remember—whoever empties both boxes by taking the last ‘pebble’ wins.”

Qi Xia fell into thought again. He examined the two sealed boxes—their openings were small, barely large enough to fit a hand inside.

If he wanted to strategize, it clearly hinged on whether he went first or second.

“So who goes first?” Qi Xia asked.

“Rock-paper-scissors decides.” The Human Monkey patiently explained. “The winner picks who takes first, and the loser picks which box to take from. The only thing you *can’t* choose is how many ‘pebbles’ to take.”

“I see…” Qi Xia nodded.

Yun Yao, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up. “Qi Xia, how many are you betting?”

“Ten,” Qi Xia said.

“Ten?!” Yun Yao blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

If it were just one box, Qi Xia would have been confident in winning.

But with two boxes, the game’s unpredictability increased drastically.

Taking any number of ‘pebbles’ from either box made this different from the “Human Pig’s” logic-based game—it all came down to the player’s strategy.

“Yun Yao, the opening rock-paper-scissors is crucial.” Qi Xia lowered his voice. “Can you use your ‘Strong Luck’ to help me?”

“Uh…” Yun Yao lowered her head guiltily. “Sorry, I can’t guarantee it.”

“Fine.” Qi Xia had expected that answer. “I’ll do it myself.”

Yun Yao nodded apologetically and began digging through her bag for ‘pebbles.’ “Qi Xia, help me out.”

She pulled out four and dropped them into Qi Xia’s hands. He couldn’t hold them all in one palm, so he cupped both hands together.

Soon, she fished out two more, then kept rummaging. Her bag was a mess—filled with old cosmetics, crumpled wrappers, used tissues, and even dirty makeup wipes.

“You really should clean out your bag,” Qi Xia remarked.

“An idol’s bag is none of your business,” Yun Yao shot back before pulling out three more. “How many now?”

“Nine,” Qi Xia answered flatly.

“Got it, got it, found the last one.” Yun Yao placed the tenth ‘pebble’ into Qi Xia’s hands.

Qi Xia carried the pile over to the Human Monkey and shook his hands slightly. “Ten. I’m putting them in.”

The Human Monkey nodded, then pulled out twelve ‘pebbles,’ counted them in front of everyone, and dropped them into the other box.

“Monkey, let’s do rock-paper-scissors,” Qi Xia said.

He hated single-round rock-paper-scissors.

In a long series, he could analyze his opponent’s patterns and tendencies to win. But in a single round, it was pure luck.

“Monkey, what are you going to throw?” Qi Xia asked.

“That won’t work on me. I won’t answer.” The Human Monkey said, “Let’s begin.”

With a sigh, Qi Xia had no choice but to leave it to fate.

They threw their hands simultaneously—both landed on “paper.”

The second round—both threw “rock.”

Seeing this, Qi Xia realized this wasn’t ordinary. His opponent was mirroring his strategy perfectly.

Third round—Qi Xia threw “rock,” but the Human Monkey stuck with “paper.”

“So you never once planned to throw scissors…” Qi Xia muttered.

“Good game,” the Human Monkey said. “I’m always strong at rock-paper-scissors.”

“Oh?” Qi Xia’s pupils flickered—his expression unreadable.

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