Chapter 73 Arena 6

Chapter 73 The Arena 6

Soon, the middle-aged man was escorted out by staff, and the octagonal cage was cleaned.

The black-clad man left again to arrange the third match. The surroundings went silent, with only the occasional faint gasp breaking the stillness.

Su Han suddenly realized that the situation of all players had become dicey.

Those who had survived the matches so far might not have ended up as beast fighters yet, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t in the future. Their current anxiety was understandable.

The players already trapped in the underground level clearly did not regard those on the surface as allies—instead, they harbored hostility and resentment toward them.

As for the casino staff, they were polite and friendly toward the competitors but turned crude and downright monstrous toward the losers.

Before they knew it, the players in the server had been divided into two factions. One consisted of glitzy winners living easy without a care. The other was made up of ragged losers fighting to survive, constantly teetering on the brink of death.

And the members of these two factions could switch identities at any moment. Once someone lost all their money, their glory would fade, and they would plummet into the ranks of the failures. However, if a Good Samaritan stepped in to repay their debts and cover the five-million redemption fee, a beast fighter could regain their freedom.

Su Han even wondered—if the number of beast fighters grew too large, would a full-blown slave rebellion break out?

...

There were too many possibilities, and her head hurt from overthinking.

Before long, the black-clad man returned and announced, "The third match begins."

Another gray wolf was brought to the right side, while a middle-aged woman in her forties stood on the left.

"Add two more gray wolves, and inject a muscle relaxant into that woman," a potbellied man snarled through gritted teeth. "This thieving hag has light fingers—she nearly stole all the chips from my pocket!"

Recalling the miserable fate of the previous middle-aged contestant, the man shuddered, firing up his rage for the thief who had almost taken everything from him.

An attendant brought a tray to collect the chips, and the man tossed in thirty without a second thought.

The black-clad man snapped his fingers. Immediately, the middle-aged woman’s right leg was injected with the muscle relaxant. Soon after, two more gray wolves appeared on the right side of the octagonal cage.

After scanning the surroundings and confirming no one else wished to purchase extra “add-ons,” the black-clad man waved his hand. The next moment, the cages on both sides opened.

The middle-aged woman’s right leg was visibly stiff, making it impossible for her to move quickly.

The three gray wolves were vicious. One bit her right leg, another her neck, and the third her right arm.

The woman desperately swung her rusted dagger, but she couldn’t defend against all three attacks at once. Before long, she dissolved into white light and vanished.

The black-clad man turned around and gave a thin smile. "That concludes today’s entertainment. Please follow me as we leave." He then marched off, leading the way.

The others trailed behind, numb. Many were too stunned to speak.

**

Once they returned to the first floor and a headcount confirmed everyone was present, the black-clad man left without a backward glance. The rest were left to their own devices.

Almost instantly, Wei Dong was surrounded by a crowd.

"What’s the deal downstairs? Tell us more!"

"Fights every day?"

"Against what? Beasts? What kinds exactly?"

"One meal and zero supplies? Why don’t the players band together and rebel?" "If the casino refuses to provide daily necessities, aren’t those people as good as dead?"

Just as Wei Dong was about to answer, Jiang Cheng stepped in first, saying, "Sorry, he just came out of the arena and is wiped out. Save it for tomorrow—we’ll take our leave now." With that, he dragged his companion away.

People whispered behind their backs, "He must be taking him back to the room for a lecture on what can and can’t be said. This guy, such a control freak!"

Meanwhile, Zhong Rui walked up to Su Han and said softly, "Wanna talk?"

“Yeah,” Su Han responded, and the two returned to their room together.

Once inside, the door closed, and silence hung heavy for a long while. Both were lost in thought, seemingly unsure where to begin.

After a long pause, Zhong Rui spoke first, "I screwed up. If I’d known the game rules earlier, I would’ve united all the players to take down the casino staff."

"Too bad we only figured out how this instance works now—it’s already too late. The surviving contestants and beast fighters are split into two factions. There’s no way they’ll join forces."

"Next, choosing which side to stand with is crucial."

Su Han said flatly, shooting it down, "But from where I stand, neither side leads to a good outcome."

"The surviving contestants’ chips—some were won from the casino, but others were taken from fellow players! The hatred runs deep; reconciliation is nearly impossible."

"On the other hand, the settlement day caused a huge uproar. Some only needed a hundred thousand or so to avoid elimination but couldn’t borrow a single chip. Others, loaded with chips, were targeted by multiple players, hounded relentlessly. Old grudges and new resentments flared up—both sides can't stand each other."

"Which is why I said they can’t unite," Zhong Rui said calmly. "You can only pick one faction to stick with."

Su Han remained expressionless and spoke slowly, "As a contestant, you might have to face a united uprising from the players. As a beast fighter, you’re constantly hungry, busy fighting beasts. Occasionally, you’re thrown into the pit for the contestants’ amusement. Worse, beast fighters have two enemies—contestants and casino NPCs."

Zhong Rui sighed softly, "Sometimes, I really want to take all the surviving contestants’ chips, force them onto the same side, and leave them no exit strategy."

Su Han, "..."

Quit trying to stir up trouble! Sure, both options suck, but at least there’s a choice. If an uprising breaks out, there’s no going back!

Besides, who knows if the rebels would even stay united? Who knows how much effort they’d actually put in?

Compared to the players, the casino NPCs are far more principled. For surviving contestants, they guarantee VIP perks! It’s just that for beast fighters, they’re *too* principled—refusing to grant them decent treatment...

The room fell into silence, stretching for a long while.

After some time, Zhong Rui asked, "What about you? Any thoughts?"

Su Han answered decisively, "Maintain the status quo, keep boosting my betting stats. Whether the players on the first basement level live or die—that’s their own damn problem."

Her stance seemed clear-cut, but in truth, she had hesitated.

Emotionally, she felt the beast fighters were getting shafted, stirring sympathy.

But logically, she found the NPCs more reliable than the embittered beast fighters. Staying with them offered better security for survival.

After much deliberation, Su Han decided there was no need to jeopardize her own chances of clearing the game just to save others—it was just a game, after all. Everyone had to rely on their own skills.

Besides...

Su Han thought, all 500 players started from the same point—no one was thrown into the basement from the beginning. Those who ended up there had simply screwed up their game.

With that in mind, she doubled down—remain a contestant, standing on the same side as the NPCs.

"Thought so..." Zhong Rui murmured softly.

Su Han raised an eyebrow, "Do you have another plan?"

Without waiting for her companion's reply, she emphasized with a heavier tone, "A beast fighters uprising is only theoretically possible. Whether they can rally enough people is uncertain. Siding with the beast fighters carries significant risks."

Zhong Rui's expression turned serious and he said gravely, "I’ve observed that among the NPCs, there are waiters, security guards, dealers, and other staff. Although the total number is nearly five hundred, the fighters are probably only around two hundred—roughly the number of security guards."

"Currently, both sides have reached a delicate balance. If the number of contestants further decreases and the beast fighters gain more strength, they could actually pull off a rebellion."

"So," Zhong Rui lifted his head, a sharp glint in his eyes, "I plan to cover all bases."

Su Han remained expressionless. "Don’t tell me you’re thinking of sneaking into the lower level."

Zhong Rui nodded. "Exactly."

Su Han rubbed her forehead. *Is living not good enough for you? Is it really not good enough?!*

Unexpectedly, Zhong Rui continued, "Before entering the lower level, I’ll give you my five mil in chips. If the eliminated players are just bad at gambling but have high combat skills and strong cohesion, I’ll join their rebellion. If they’re just a bunch of loose cannons with mediocre combat abilities, then it'll be on you to bail me out."

Su Han paused mid-motion and suddenly looked at her companion, her expression one of surprise. Had she misheard? He wanted *her* to rescue him?

Zhong Rui shrugged indifferently. "We’ve played several rounds together. That's how much I trust you."

At that moment, Su Han felt an inexplicable surge of emotion but forcibly suppressed it. To mask her discomfort, she shot back, "This has nothing to do with trust. Isn’t there that imperial jade in your Portable Storage? Even if I don’t step in to save you, it’s no big deal."

Zhong Rui was momentarily stunned before reflexively replying, "Even if I have it, I can’t use it. Didn’t Wei Dong say that when entering the lower level, you can only pick three items from your Portable Storage?" If he brought the imperial jade, the casino staff wouldn’t let him go to the lower level—he’d just redeem himself and return to the upper floor.

Su Han, "..."

In an attempt to cover her unease, she rambled a few words, only to make the atmosphere even more awkward.

After a brief pause, however, Zhong Rui added, "Just in case, I plan to enter the lower level on the 10th day." That way, even if something unexpected happened, he wouldn’t lose his qualification—at worst, he just wouldn’t beat the level.

Su Han immediately sighed in relief. She had genuinely feared her companion would place absolute faith in her without leaving himself any way out.

Used to playing solo, she hated being weighed down—whether by trust, expectations, or anything else.

Yet Zhong Rui kept getting all sentimental beside her. "You’re in the contestants’ faction, I’ll be in the beast fighters’ faction. It's good to have eyes on both sides."

"If there was only one person, no matter which faction they were in, it'd be rough. With two people, it’s much better."

"Because it’s you, I'm completely comfortable handing over five million chips for safekeeping."

*Being trusted…* Su Han suddenly felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Author’s Note:

Su Han (grumbling): I thought of you as a (regular) teammate, but you—

Zhong Rui (cutting in): As a lover. #Just some silly banter, don’t take it seriously#