Even though from the very beginning, Yan Hong had chosen to “have a go” at Lu Ce,

He still felt that “Sin” was, in some sense, “one of us.”

After all, he did smash that little Ssh*bal not long ago—consider that bringing honor to the nation, right?

Though now the country of Ssh*bal had denied Park Bu-cheng’s nationality with Han country, and even claimed that “Sin” was actually the Han countryman.

Watching his teammate beside him babble on nonstop, Jiu Tian couldn’t help but feel speechless.

He opened his mouth and asked:

“What? Why don’t you jump down and try it for him? See if people really die.”

“But what if I do die?” Yan Hong said dumbly.

“I’ll help you apply for a martyr certificate,” Jiu Tian replied.

Do I absolutely have to get that martyr certificate?

“Alright, just focus more on your own stuff. Didn’t you lose again just now? You’re down to only three Stars now.”

“Not much game time left—better figure something out for yourself quick.”

Jiu Tian advised wisely, not wanting him to waste any more time.

“Huh? Show-Off Guy in Red, last time you only cleared a Hell Mode Game because you leeched off him! You even said he basically saved your life.”

“And now you’re being so heartless, not caring whether he lives or dies?”

“First of all, by his standards, you’re also a Show-Off Guy in Red.” Jiu Tian said with complete seriousness—that was the key point.

“Second, panicking won’t help. You can’t help him, and he clearly doesn’t want your help.”

“You think he’s looking to die. You think he’s done for. Let me tell you—every game of his, people always think that!”

“So just wait and see. He must have some kind of plan.”

After saying that, Jiu Tian started his own gamble.

He completely ignored Yan Hong, who obviously was dealing with “Sin” for the first time—panicking over nothing.

......

Even though half the people didn’t join the game, their curiosity was just as strong.

In the hall, the number of people in front of all the machines had dropped noticeably. Everyone’s eyes were darting around.

On one side was “Sin,” casually playing in front of the roulette wheel.

On the other was a crowd that was about to come to blows. People were arguing like crazy, and Li Wei found everything spiraling out of control.

Especially after “Sin” voluntarily went first—he’d somehow become the new public enemy.

Nobody wanted to draw an early slot. Second or third was basically the same as straight-up dying.

But they couldn’t bet carelessly either. Most didn’t have many Stars left, and even if they wanted to increase the penalty tier, it wasn’t something you could just add freely.

From a safety standpoint, later positions were obviously better.

But no one joined this game just to stay safe—they came to win!

Whoever clears it first gets seventy percent of the reward. It could be said that everyone after them is just along for the ride.

If you’re the last one, you might survive—but you get nothing.

So from a reward standpoint, being placed at positions like eleven or twelve might be the sweet spot.

All at once, everyone wanted to bet a little more—but no one wanted to bet the most and end up the sucker.

The chaos gave everyone a massive headache.

Plus, just before Lu Ce left, he’d casually used his own ability again, which only stirred everyone’s emotions even further.

As a result, people started fighting!

Minute by minute, time passed.

When the game started, the three-hour timer had just reached halfway.

But now, there was less than one hour left, and people were still arguing. It made Xie Antong wonder—had “Sin” calculated all of this from the start?

Did he never even plan to play? Was his plan just to let these nineteen people tear each other apart until time ran out, and the game ended on its own?

What about Perfect Completion then......

Finally, with the Slime urging them along and Li Wei negotiating and compromising all over the place,

Everyone eventually placed their bets.

Some bet two Stars, some three, some four... in short, a portion of them placed the same number of Stars,

Which meant their order would be randomized.

That slight randomness gave people just enough hope—otherwise, the arguing really might’ve gone on forever.

A light beam enveloped all the players. The bet was set. The game began!

Lu Ce finished up at the roulette table and walked over as promised. Under the gaze of everyone, it was like a king’s coronation—with lines of soldiers on either side.

It made the Lust Mask ridiculously pleased. Peak main character treatment.

Even those who weren’t playing the game all stopped what they were doing to watch “Sin” stride toward the starting line.

Lu Ce raised his hand and fired two shots, each hitting a light screen in the front row.

But the energy bullets were completely blocked. Two booms sounded, but no marks were left behind.

【Only when a player passes through will there be a change between illusion and reality~】

The Slime’s voice came from nearby.

Just then, while everyone was watching, the eight Fake Humans that had blended into the crowd began slowly converging again.

They hadn’t followed “Sin” for two whole hours—Li Wei had even momentarily forgotten about those guys.

His heart instantly dropped. He quickly said to the Slime:

“You said earlier, only when a player passes through will there be a change, right? Fake Humans don’t count!”

【Correct!】

The Slime responded, and only then did the weight in his heart start to lift. Thank goodness.

But as Fake Human No. 1 passed by him, it looked him in the eye.

Then the eight Fake Humans gathered one by one from different spots and regrouped beside “Sin.”

“Heh, love is about undying loyalty and going through hell for someone. But from the start, I just gave the order to maximize utility.”

“Am I kind of a scumbag?”

A pervy expression appeared on the Lust Mask (〃｀ 3′〃) as he reached out and exposed the Fake Human’s ribcage, then said:

A flicker of ghostly flame danced in the eyes of Fake Human No. 1, and it suddenly spoke to Lu Ce:

“I know—I can’t possibly love you.”

“But I also know that right now, I truly do love you.”

“This is a curse, isn’t it?”

Wearing the Lust Mask, Lu Ce shrugged and said: “Love itself is a curse, isn’t it?”

“.....” The Fake Human didn’t respond.

But Lu Ce could clearly read layers of complex, painful emotion from those long-decayed white bones.

“There are many curses in this world. Life is one of them—especially eternal life.”

“Life is a curse, and love is also a curse.”

“If one curse can put an end to another—then I thank you for coming.”