Deceitful Game

Chapter 47 The Patient Gambler

……take an exam?

Are these other players playing the role of students? Or...?

Mingpo looked at the lone girl with interest, narrowed his eyes slightly, and revealed a gentle smile.

"yes."

He adjusted his glasses, placed his hands on his knees, bent slightly, and said softly, "We seem to be lost... Excuse me, you look unwell. Are you feeling unwell?"

Mingpo's expression was sincere, and her eyes were clear.

When Mingpo bent down slightly, his gaze was almost level with the other person's.

The genuine worry and concern on his face made his dangerous aura vanish like an illusion. He looked like a gentle, reliable, and taciturn senior.

...Dude, your way of striking up a conversation is a bit... corny.

Chen Bingwen, standing to the side, silently grinned.

This game is bizarre and dangerous, regardless of whether the other party is a player or an NPC... Can such deliberate attempts to be friendly really make people relax?

Wouldn't that make people suspicious of him and even wary of him?

Since the other party didn't proactively explain or request help, it's clear that after exchanging identities, you should travel together for a while. Only after the other party repeatedly shows signs of discomfort should you then casually inquire...

By this time, they had been traveling together for some time and had several rounds of communication. The other party's wariness had mostly lowered, making it possible for them to get the truth out of them…

But unexpectedly, the other party's reaction was completely opposite to Attorney Chen's prediction—

"Hello, senior!..."

The girl immediately stood up straight and replied somewhat nervously.

At this distance, she could even hear Mingpo's long, drawn-out breathing.

Her cheeks flushed, and her voice became soft and gentle.

But as soon as she straightened up... perhaps she felt that she was too close to Mingpo, or perhaps she felt that puffing out her chest would make her look shy, so she subconsciously hunched her shoulders and bent her back slightly again.

"I have a bit of a stomachache..."

She whispered, "I went to the restroom... but when I came back I couldn't find classroom 2048."

Attorney Chen's eyes widened in disbelief.

Is this reasonable?

Does being handsome mean you can do whatever you want?

"You're not a student at this school?"

Under Attorney Chen's apprehensive gaze, Mingpo once again skipped the small talk and the usual attempts to build rapport, and went straight to asking for the most crucial information.

And the other person actually replied, "Yes, I just transferred here..."

"A transfer student? At this time?"

"Um... there was a problem there before..."

The girl said indistinctly.

"Oh, by the way! My name is Zhang Leyao!"

Suddenly, she remembered she hadn't introduced herself yet, so she quickly turned around and said, "Senior, you can just call me Le Yao! You can also call me Yao Yao, my friends all call me Yao Yao!"

"Hello, Yao Yao."

Mingpo smiled and said, "My name is Xiao Ke."

"I am Gao Xiaofan."

Gao Fan followed up, speaking in a very young voice, "You can call me Xiao Fan—"

As a result, the pressure immediately fell on Attorney Chen.

He hesitated for a moment when the other three turned their gazes toward him.

And in that very instant.

Chen Bingwen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the world around him seemed to darken. The other three people staring at him appeared to have turned into stone statues, shrouded in a shadowy black filter…

"My name is Chen Bingwen!"

Attorney Chen, drenched in sweat, exclaimed, "Old Xiao and I were classmates!"

He's never been the type to gamble with his life. Now that death is looming, he doesn't dare gamble on whether the names the other two mentioned are real or fake. He can only hand over his real name to save his life for now.

After Attorney Chen finished introducing himself, he felt the surroundings brighten up again.

Judging from the reactions of the others, they were clearly unaware of what had just happened to him.

It's okay, it's okay...

Since those two answered so quickly, it means they either gave fake names or were newcomers who didn't know the meaning of real names.

If it's the former, then they'll assume the name they revealed is a made-up pseudonym; if it's the latter, then they won't notice the name for the time being... probably.

Chen Bingwen comforted himself in his heart.

He is undoubtedly a smart man.

—And smart people like to deceive themselves.

Gao Fan clearly recognized Chen Bingwen's identity.

His memory wasn't that good, nor did he have the special skill of recognizing faces. At most, he could only feel that Chen Bingwen looked somewhat familiar... but now that the other party had mentioned this name, he immediately recalled the appearance of that famous anchor from his memory.

Then I compared it in my mind—hey, it's almost the same!

...Of course, he would never take the initiative to confirm with the other party.

Even without this rule of "must maintain student status," Gao Fan would never have taken the initiative to break the rules.

This is his experience of surviving as an orphan and barely managing to keep his family business afloat from his relatives.

Often, playing dumb or being slow-witted can actually help you survive; knowing too much is never a good thing.

Just like his reaction when he first met "Brother Xiao".

At that time, Gao Fan realized a few things:

First, the name that "Brother Xiao" from the realm of power gave must have been a pseudonym, so he knew the consequences of giving his name, which means he knew that charlatans could kill each other.

Secondly, his familiarity with the deceptive game was clearly insufficient; he didn't even know that the chips could be traded offline, which suggests that he had never been exploited by the team, or perhaps he didn't even have a team.

Third, although he seems to have some mental issues, he doesn't like being betrayed, and since he knows Chang Ning, he shouldn't be a bad person.

At the same time, he was strong, talented, and had great self-confidence—under these circumstances, Gao Fan judged that the other party would definitely not accept a team model like the "breeding team".

That's why Gao Fan deliberately suggested that he come back with him to meet his teammates. He knew, of course, that his two teammates didn't want to add any new teammates... because once it became a two-on-two situation, their advantage over Gao Fan would disappear.

Gao Fan's abilities are extremely useful; they can rent him out to make money at any time, and his base is the largest among them. The other bases either lack food or don't have enough appliances... In the dull and boring afterlife with almost unlimited time, ample entertainment is a very precious resource.

He had always wanted to get rid of those two bastards.

But he never found an opportunity—he thought about switching sides when he was rented out, but the teams that rented out teammates were not very reliable.

He didn't even know if "Wen Yu" was the woman's real name, or if her surname was Wen or if it was preceded by a surname. If he had another chance, he would definitely not hand over his base to anyone else.

— Rather than being bled to death, it's better to take a gamble!

I'll bet you, Brother Xiao is a trustworthy and good person—at least better than his current teammates!

Clearly, he won his gamble.

Until he grasped the kitchen knife, Gao Fan showed not a trace of malice on his face.

This ability to conceal one's true thoughts at any time and to survive harmlessly in any team is his talent... not a superpower bestowed upon him by a title, but something he inherently possesses.

But... why is Brother Xiao treating this person so well?

Gao Fan squinted and looked at Attorney Chen.

He looked like a complete novice, knowing nothing and unremarkable in appearance.

His acting is bad, and so is his presence. He doesn't even seem to know Brother Xiao... Or is it that Brother Xiao is the one who knows him?

Or perhaps this guy has some particularly useful ability?

And just then...

Suddenly, fear gripped Gao Fan's heart.

He had a vision of being crushed into mincemeat by some force—then he realized that the lights around him were flickering on and off.

—They may have been lingering here for a little too long!

Gao Fan immediately realized that the dungeon mechanics were driving them away.

"Let's go quickly."

He immediately urged, "We still have an exam, don't we?"

"Oh... okay!"

The girl realized what was happening and quickly agreed.

Then, she looked up at Mingpo.

It's obvious that she wants to follow Mingpo.

"Let's go first, we can talk as we walk."

Without hesitation, Mingpo walked straight ahead.

He had no idea where he was going, but he just started walking anyway...

He believed that Gao Fan must have had a reason for saying that.

As an extreme sports enthusiast, Mingpo has a good habit that almost everyone knows, but many people don't follow—that is, trusting the guide.

This point is very important.

Those who didn't believe in superstitions most likely ended up at Secret Garden.