**”What the…?”** Xiao Cheng stared blankly at Qi Xia.
**”Time was tight, so I only grabbed this much,”** Qi Xia said. **”Combined with yours, we’ve got about thirty. That should cover both the ‘entry fee’ and the ‘capital.'”**
Xiao Cheng opened the pouch in disbelief and counted the contents, his mind instantly flooded with countless questions.
Winning a single game only earned two “tokens,” yet this man had brought back a full sixteen. Did that mean he had rushed to the game venue within an hour and a half and played *eight rounds*?!
Never mind whether there was enough time—could the “Human Monkey” even gather eight batches of participants in that span?
**”How did you… do this?”** Xiao Cheng’s voice trembled slightly. **”Did you really go to the ‘Human Monkey’s’ game venue?”**
**”Yes,”** Qi Xia nodded. **”What’s the problem?”**
**”But how is that possible? Where did you find the time for eight rounds? And you couldn’t even afford the entry fee the first time…”**
**”Eight rounds…?”** Qi Xia shook his head. **”No. Two.”**
His brief response not only made Xiao Cheng frown but also left Tian Tian and Zheng Yingxiong puzzled.
The “Human Monkey’s” game was “No Cutting in Line,” with a fixed reward per round. How could he earn *sixteen* tokens in just two rounds?
**”Got lucky today—more participants,”** Qi Xia explained. **”Sixteen people per round.”**
**”But wouldn’t that make it even harder…?”** Xiao Cheng asked. **”The more people there are, the harder it is to win because nobody listens. So how did you—”**
**”Win?”** Qi Xia furrowed his brow, cutting him off. **”Why would I aim to ‘win’?”**
**”Huh…?”**
**”You *know* more people make victory harder, so why push in that direction?”** Qi Xia rubbed his temples, feeling a slight dizziness.
**”I… I really don’t get it,”** Xiao Cheng admitted, his tone softening as if he’d encountered someone extraordinary. **”Bro, can you tell me how you pulled this off?”**
Qi Xia lifted his tired eyes to meet Xiao Cheng’s and answered, **”I told the ‘Human Monkey’ I could guarantee the participants would lose—100%—if he split the entry fee with me.”**
Xiao Cheng was speechless.
**”Sixteen participants, sixteen tokens as the fee,”** Qi Xia continued. **”If the ‘Human Monkey’ lost, he’d forfeit thirty-two. Do you think he’d gamble or take a sure eight?”**
**”Well…”** Xiao Cheng thought for a moment. **”Even with 50% odds, he might’ve gambled… Sixteen tokens is a lot!”**
**”So in the first round, I played my part—just a participant who ‘accidentally’ stood in the wrong spot,”** Qi Xia said. **”I apologized sincerely and promised no mistakes next round. Once the ‘Human Monkey’ saw I was reliable, we ran the same group again. One path was a 50% shot at sixteen tokens; the other was a guaranteed sixteen. Which would *you* pick?”**
Xiao Cheng swallowed hard, his ears ringing just from listening.
His thinking had always been boxed in by the “Zodiac’s” rules. But most people weren’t playing to *win*—they were collecting 3,600 tokens to survive. If life wasn’t at stake, any method to gather tokens was fair game.
This man had just shattered his entire perspective.
Qi Xia pressed a hand to his forehead and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.
**”Old Qi!”** Chen Junan seized the moment to approach. **”I picked up some gambling tricks last night. Wanna team up and cheat?”**
**”Cheating isn’t the priority,”** Qi Xia replied, glancing at him. **”That kid’s got four tokens left, plus my sixteen—enough for two people to get out. We’re still forty short.”**
Qiao Jiajin walked over. **”Liar, we’ve got a whole day left.”**
**”But I doubt newcomers bring many tokens—most are desperate gamblers,”** Qi Xia muttered. **”Assume five per person. Minus the entry fee, that’s three. To save all of us, we’d need to wipe out at least fourteen people.”**
**”That’s…”**
The two did rough math. Even if they trusted Qi Xia, would fourteen people even show up? And would each have three tokens to lose?
Qi Xia pondered, then turned his gaze to the slumbering “Earth Monkey” sprawled on his seat.
**”Since this is a ‘casino,’ there must be high-stakes play,”** he said. **”Did he mention other rules?”**
Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin shook their heads, but Tian Tian, standing nearby, recalled something.
**”You *can* gamble against the ‘Earth Monkey,'”** she said. **”But he warned the stakes are too high for most.”**
**”That’s it,”** Qi Xia said. **”Our goal isn’t just tokens—it’s survival first, then bankrupting the Earth Monkey.”**
His teammates nodded, while Xiao Cheng gaped.
This man’s ruthlessness was beyond comprehension. He’d boldly swindled the “Human Monkey,” and now he was coming for the *Earth Monkey*?!
**”How’s that kid’s skill?”** Qi Xia asked quietly, eyeing Xiao Cheng.
**”Average,”** Chen Junan said. **”Won’t help much, but won’t ruin things either.”**
**”Then let’s get ready,”** Qi Xia stood slowly. **”No need to wait for others. We start now.”**
**”Heh.”** Qiao Jiajin grinned, looking between Qi Xia and Chen Junan. **”Pretty boy, liar—this might be our first time teaming up, huh?”**
**”Kid, you’ve got no idea,”** Chen Junan smirked proudly. **”I’ve seen the three of us pull off way crazier stunts.”**
**”Then let me take the lead this time, pretty boy.”** Qiao Jiajin cracked his knuckles.
**”Lead *what*? The Earth Monkey ain’t here to brawl.”**
The two stood calmly and followed Qi Xia toward the snoring Earth Monkey.
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