Chapter 627: Fat Monkey

Xiao Cheng woke up early and made his way behind the counter of the small shop.

He moved aside a few floorboards, retrieved a cloth bag hidden beneath, and placed it on the counter. Opening it, he carefully counted the contents.

After deducting yesterday’s losses, he still had fifteen “Dao” left.

The entry fee for a “Land-level” game was likely between two to five “Dao”—just enough for the three of them.

If there had been any other choice, Xiao Cheng knew he wouldn’t have gambled his entire savings on a potentially fatal “Land-level” game.

But to preserve his memories in this “Land of the End” and ultimately resist those middle-aged men, this was the only path left for him.

After a moment of thought, a bitter smile crept onto his face.

This place was teeming with extraordinary individuals. Some might already be gathering the three thousand six hundred “Dao” needed to escape, while he was still racking his brains just to retain his next set of memories.

“Xiao Cheng.” Tiantian emerged slowly from the inner room, followed by a drowsy Zheng Yingxiong. “You’re up early. Ready to go?”

“Yeah…” Xiao Cheng nodded. “Sister Tiantian, the Human Monkey said yesterday that Earth Monkey’s game would make people ‘linger and forget to leave.’ I couldn’t figure out what that meant. After thinking all night, I could only guess that the game might take an extremely long time.”

“Hmm.” Tiantian nodded. “That’s possible.”

“So I want to head there early to scope things out. If it requires multiple participants, we might have to wait a long time if the group isn’t full.”

Tiantian pondered for a moment. “So you’re taking all your ‘Dao’ with you? Isn’t that risky?”

“I have no choice,” Xiao Cheng replied. “It’s already the sixth day. You know the death rate only gets higher as time goes on—most survivors here aren’t exactly kind-hearted. The constant tolling of bells yesterday during the black lines means ‘Echoers’ are everywhere now…”

Tiantian nodded. Indeed, many would awaken their “Echo” under such extreme circumstances. Even if they didn’t manifest abilities under the influence of the black lines, subsequent events would push them to gain powers—she herself was proof of that.

The three packed their belongings, tidied their base, and took all their remaining “Dao,” setting off toward Earth Monkey’s game venue.

Following the map provided by the Human Monkey, it took them about half an hour to arrive. Yet the area appeared eerily empty, with no sign of any “Zodiac” activity. For a moment, they wondered if Earth Monkey hadn’t started work yet.

Fortunately, the Human Monkey’s map was meticulously detailed. In the corner, a note clarified that Earth Monkey wouldn’t be waiting at the entrance—they had to find a building with a distinctive sign and push the door open to enter.

After another seven or eight minutes of searching, they finally found the peculiar game venue tucked away in a narrow alley.

The sign at the entrance was impossible to miss, especially the words: *Harmony Brings Prosperity In and Out.*

Xiao Cheng hesitantly pushed the door, finding it unlocked. The “Zodiac” must already be inside—but the smell inside was strange.

Walking further in, they passed through a long corridor before arriving at an open space.

In the dim light, a stout Earth Monkey came into view. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and was lazily mopping the floor with a mop.

The sound of the mop dragging was sticky.

“Yo, damn.” Earth Monkey scratched his round belly, exhaling smoke. “Welcome to my humble shop. You’re early today.”

Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but think this so-called “Earth Monkey” looked far too human.

With his chubby build and disheveled clothes, he resembled an old man more than a monkey—though the tufts of dark brown fur peeking from his unbuttoned shirt were a reminder of his true nature.

Compared to other Land-level Zodiacs, Earth Monkey’s attire was notably dirtier. His wrinkled, stained suit and shirt looked like they hadn’t been washed in ages.

At the moment, he was using a bright red mop to smear the sticky bloodstains on the floor.

Clearly, many had died here the night before.

“Give me a moment, folks. The shop’s still getting cleaned up.” Earth Monkey spoke politely before plucking the cigarette from his mouth and flicking it into a cup of instant noodles on the counter.

With a faint *sizzle*, the cigarette committed suicide in the broth.

“Tsk… I practiced so much, but I still ended up smashing their heads open,” he muttered to himself. “Guess the hardness varies from skull to skull, huh?”

He continued mopping, though his already crimson mop seemed less about cleaning and more about evenly spreading the blood to maintain a uniform floor color.

After a few minutes, he finally put the mop away and flicked on the lights.

With a sharp *click*, a massive underground casino was unveiled before the trio.

The sheer variety and completeness of the equipment left them speechless.

After a long pause, Xiao Cheng finally managed to stammer, “Wh-which one is the ‘Earth Monkey Game’?”

“Eh, all of ‘em.” Earth Monkey lit another cigarette and casually picked at his eye crust. “Early birds get the worm; latecomers get the shaft. Two ‘Dao’ per person, come on in and play whatever. Keep what you win.”

“Play… whatever?” Xiao Cheng wondered if he’d misheard.

Weren’t monkey games supposed to test “intelligence”? How did a free-for-all casino fit that description?

Wasn’t gambling, in most people’s minds, purely a game of *luck*?

Just then, Tiantian gently tapped Xiao Cheng’s shoulder, pointing toward the opposite wall.

Xiao Cheng’s eyes followed—and there, in bold letters, it read:

*Entry Fee: 2 Dao.*

*Exit Ransom: 10 Dao.*

“So…” Xiao Cheng frowned. “Once we pay the entry fee, we can’t leave unless we give you ten ‘Dao’ each?”

“Yep. Ten ‘Dao’ per head.” Earth Monkey lazily nodded, then glanced at Zheng Yingxiong. “We’re fair here—no cheating kids or elders. So the little guy’s entry is still two ‘Dao,’ and his ransom is ten.”

“Some ‘fairness’…” Xiao Cheng clenched the cloth bag in his hand, his expression strained.

With fifteen “Dao,” paying the six “Dao” entry fee for all three would leave only nine—not even enough for one person’s ransom, let alone all of them.

Once they stepped in, there was no turning back. Could they even win in this casino?

“I have a question…” Tiantian spoke timidly.

“Shoot.” Earth Monkey waved a hand.

“How do we earn ‘Dao’? There are only three of us here. Who are we supposed to win ‘Dao’ from?”