Chapter 225: The First Dice Roll

The wooden mask grew from the player's jaw, spreading as if it were alive until it gradually covered the right half of his face.

Only when the dance ended and the curtain fell did the player stand up from his seat and lift his head to look at the glowing screen in the sky.

The crowd suddenly realized that the player's movements had become just like those of the figures on the stage—jerky and staggered, as if he were glitching.

The player, however, clearly hadn't noticed. He happily jumped up from the ground and smiled, waving at everyone.

But as his arm waved, his elbow remained completely locked, as though suspended by invisible strings. It was a bizarre, deeply unsettling sight.

"The degree of mutation has already begun to affect his mind."

The player twelfth in the turn order spoke up.

The Surface World had a comprehensive evaluation system for mutations. If it reached the point of affecting a person's mind, the process was irreversible.

Yan Jing looked at the man who had spoken. He appeared to be in his thirties.

He wore a long black trench coat, his face stubbled and his hair a messy bird's nest. He had the standard eyes of a corporate slave, exuding a bitter, bone-deep exhaustion.

Seeing Yan Jing looking at him, the man raised a hand in greeting. He then fished out a pack of cigarettes, popped one out, and sparked it alight with a flick of weird energy from his finger.

Noticing Yan Jing was still watching him, the man offered the pack forward, gesturing to see if he wanted one.

Yan Jing smiled and waved a hand in polite refusal.

This man was very strong.

Yan Jing was standing at a very obscure angle, yet the man had caught his gaze almost instantly.

He wondered which faction the man belonged to.

After that player finished his turn, the next up was the long-haired man right before Yan Jing in the sequence.

He was also the one everyone was paying the most attention to.

This was because the glow enveloping him perfectly matched the color of the Regional Grids.

This meant that his faction was the master of these Regional Grids.

As long as he landed on a Combat Grid or a Special Grid, he could initiate trade operations.

"Commencing dice roll."

A few seconds later, the dice slowly came to a halt.

17.

Combat Grid.

In an instant, the long-haired man's figure flickered, teleporting to the corresponding area.

Because it was a Combat Grid owned by his own faction, he didn't need to go through an execution phase; it immediately proceeded to the operational phase.

As this was the first operational phase to appear, the crowd stared intently at the glowing screen, eager to see what unique features it held.

Most of them knew, however, that with the Dungeon having just opened, any operations now wouldn't amount to much.

But right then, a sudden change occurred!

[Faction No. 3 is initiating operations]

[Selling Regional Grids No. 61 to 81 of Stone Mountain to Faction No. 7, totaling 20 Regional Grids, for 100 yuan]

[Faction No. 3 spends 70 yuan to upgrade Regional Grid No. 34 to the Fourth Level]

The moment the screen vanished, a Regional Grid in the distance erupted with a powerful surge of weird energy. A dark shadow shrouded in thick fog emerged from that Green Regional Grid, raising its eyes toward the crowd with chilling killing intent.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. No one expected a faction to make such a massive move right at the start of the game.

Moreover, it was a wildly aggressive play.

After all, only a single grid had been upgraded. To recoup the investment quickly, they would have to gamble on one of the next dozen or so players landing on that exact spot, which... clearly wasn't very realistic.

But soon enough, someone realized the truth.

Designated Dice Card.

A Designated Dice Card could dictate not only one's own dice roll, but also the rolls of others.

This faction was obviously planning to leverage their starting advantage, using the Designated Dice Card to trap and eliminate a specific target.

And seeing how decisively Faction No. 7 had agreed to the trade, this was clearly premeditated.

They had likely locked in their target a long time ago.

For a moment, the crowd exchanged glances, wondering who was unlucky enough to be targeted right at the start of Stage B.

Soon, several gazes fell onto a single person.

Yan Jing.

Some of them had already received notice from their commanders: the target of this operation was none other than "Advisor Yan."

And such a target undoubtedly aligned perfectly with the interests of the players.

Some guessed that the factions behind the scenes had formed a coalition to knock the county magistrate's faction out first.

Right now, Yan Jing was the public enemy of both the Inner World and the Surface World.

"Looks like I'm quite popular."

Yan Jing smiled.

[Faction No. 3's operations have concluded]

With the long-haired man's turn over, the glowing screen in the sky began its countdown once again.

This time, the one up was naturally Yan Jing.

"Commencing dice roll."

As the voice rang out, Yan Jing raised his head slightly, looking at the glowing screen that displayed everyone's names and assets.

The rest of the crowd also focused all their attention on the screen.

If the long-haired man's faction used a Designated Dice Card, the county magistrate's faction backing Yan Jing would be forced to use a Bye Card just to survive this round.

But those in the know understood that such a move was largely pointless.

If the factions really had joined forces, Yan Jing would be facing far more than a single Designated Dice Card.

However...

As the countdown ticked down to zero, to everyone's surprise, the master of Stone Mountain didn't play a Designated Dice Card.

Instead, the dice above Yan Jing's head began to spin...

"As expected of Boss Bai..."

Yan Jing murmured with a smile.

He didn't know exactly how Bai Qiu evaluated his combat strength, but Bai Qiu had clearly made the safest decision. If he were in Bai Qiu's shoes, he would have done the exact same thing. Securing a guaranteed profit was far more reliable than taking a risky gamble...

At the same time, inside the Lin Estate, Tiger stared intently at the spinning dice slowing down on the glowing screen in front of him, his palms sweating profusely.

"Huzi, for the dice roll, the best outcome is landing on a Combat Grid. Second best is a Random Grid. As long as it's not a Special Grid, we're in good shape."

These were the instructions Luo Sheng had given him.

Luo Sheng had also told him not to be too nervous, just perform normally.

He could leave the rest to the advisor.

But...

Telling him not to be nervous was impossible.

Tiger pressed his hands together, praying silently.

This was the first time he was putting his "talents" to use, and honestly, he had no idea if it would work.

He had been constantly testing himself these past few days, but the incredible luck he'd had while gambling with the gambling cultivator at the shop seemed to come and go.

Sometimes, he could roll the exact number he wanted.

Sometimes, he couldn't.

He had told Old Master Liu about this.

The Old Man had just told him that anyone throwing dice had those exact same odds.

It was only then that he realized—indeed, sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. Literally anyone could do that...

But soon enough, he discovered the secret to his "good luck."

It turned out that if he found himself in a major crisis...

...this "good luck" would become incredibly potent.

The gamble with the gambling cultivator was a perfect example.

"Give me a good roll. Combat Grid, Combat Grid... This isn't just a game anymore. If we lose, things are going to end badly..."

He desperately applied psychological pressure on himself, hoping to force his "luck" to recognize the severity of the crisis.

Beside him, the Old Man and Fei Yu appeared far more calm in comparison.

Over the past few days, they had both witnessed Tiger's luck firsthand. Calling it just "a little bit of luck" was an understatement—it was utterly heaven-defying fortune.

Only Tiger himself remained oblivious; those involved are blind.

Finally, the dice slowly came to a halt.

"Fifty-six."

Tiger stared at the number before him. He turned back to look at the Old Man and Fei Yu, asking blankly, "What kind of grid is number fifty-six?"

"Isn't it written right there? It's a Random Grid."

Fei Yu pointed at the map on the glowing screen.

Everyone rolling the dice had their own small screen displaying the map, functioning like a split-screen version of the players' main screen.

And right now, grid number fifty-six clearly bore the words "Random Grid."

"Thank goodness... at least it's not a Special Grid..."

Tiger let out a long sigh of relief.

Though he said that, he still felt a tinge of regret. Why had his carefully deduced secret stopped working?

"The advisor will be alright, won't he?"

Tiger looked at Fei Yu and the Old Man with a bitter expression.

If something happened to Xiao Yan, not only would he be unable to explain himself, but he also wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"I don't know."

The Old Man frowned. He had also thought it would be a Combat Grid.

"But since the Young Master hasn't said anything, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"Let's just wait and see the outcome on the advisor's side."

...

Meanwhile, atop Stone Mountain.

Seeing the number on the dice above Yan Jing's head, many of the participating players nearby revealed mocking, theatrical smiles.

This was because among Regional Grids 1 through 60, there were only ten Random Grids in total.

To hit one on his very first roll—it was hard to say whether Yan Jing's luck was incredibly good or incredibly bad.

Many of the "spectators" watching from the sidelines cheered secretly in their hearts.

Given Yan Jing's strength, he could undoubtedly pass through a First Level Combat Grid without a hitch. But a Random Grid was a completely different story. No one could say for sure what would happen.

Soon, Yan Jing's figure vanished from where he stood.

Among the onlookers, a few busybodies immediately rushed toward Regional Grid 56, wanting a front-row seat to see what kind of situation this infamous figure would face.

At that moment, Yan Jing, having arrived at Regional Grid 56, looked around and blanked for a moment.

It appeared to be an entirely unremarkable wooden cabin. The damp floorboards gave off a stale, rotting stench so thick it felt like it would cling to him forever. A cold, gloomy light pierced through the single window, illuminating the "bride" sitting across from him.

On the floor beside her lay a white skeleton and a half-finished painting scroll.

The reason he could tell she was a "bride" was because the figure was draped in a red wedding veil and wore an elegant Xiuhe wedding dress embroidered with gold and red threads. Although the garments were disheveled and several buttons had come undone, her graceful figure and dignified posture suggested she had once been a noble lady.

But the very next second...

The "bride" reached out with a hand formed of five fleshy tentacles and lifted her red veil.

Beneath that veil was a writhing mass of tentacles spilling out from her collar.

It looked like a living "daisy" made of squirming worms. She had no face, nor did she have a head in any traditional sense.

Yan Jing's eyes darkened slightly, but he immediately regained his composure.

He looked at the prompt that appeared before him.

[Random Grid: Bridal Chamber in the Forest]

[While exploring the mountains, you were caught in a heavy downpour. Seeking shelter, you came to this cabin. The master of the house appears to have met with an accident, and upon seeing you trespass into her bridal chamber, the lady of the house feels a stir in her heart. It seems she has a favor to ask.]

[Pieces passing through this place may choose one of three options:]

[1. Pay 5 yuan and take your leave.]

[2. Engage in illicit acts with the lady of the house. The outcome may be good or bad, depending on whether you can satisfy her.]

[3. Paint a portrait of the lady and the bridal chamber. If she is satisfied, you will receive a reward. If she is dissatisfied, you will be forced to execute option 2, followed by option 1.]

"I see."

Yan Jing nodded. He walked slowly toward the "bride," leaned over, and reached out to grab the unfastened buttons on her chest.

The "bride" froze, clearly not expecting Yan Jing to be so proactive.

In the next moment, Yan Jing fastened the loose buttons, his expression entirely serious. He then walked over to the canvas.

"Your clothes are fixed. Sit up straight, face me, and fix your expression."

"Yes, just like that."

"Don't move, stay still. I'll be quick."