Volume One, Chapter 50: Kicking Back into the Abyss of Despair

As soon as those words were spoken, even the Red-Clad Sect Leader couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. At this moment, everyone’s gaze toward Chen Muzi was filled with mockery.

Seeing this, cold sweat broke out on Chen Muzi’s forehead in nervousness.

Could these guys be teaming up to trap me?

But the question he posed left me utterly clueless.

There was no clue at all in that question, was there?

So why are they all laughing?

Why are they all laughing...?

Seeing Qin Shang’s calm expression, Chen Muzi suddenly bared his teeth and snarled:

“I guessed it right, didn’t I? I definitely guessed right, so you’re trying to play some psychological game…”

At these words, Qin Shang’s face twisted with scorn.

“Guess?”

“Sorry, you lost!”

Boom—

Chen Muzi’s heart sank.

Wrong?

I guessed wrong?

“Why...”

“You didn’t give any clue at all...”

This time, Qin Shang didn’t let him finish, speaking coldly:

“Idiot!”

“Haven’t you memorized the periodic table of elements? Didn’t you go to middle school?”

After saying this, he turned to look at the Red-Clad Sect Leader and the Swindler behind him.

The Red-Clad Sect Leader understood immediately and, to make Chen Muzi lose convincingly, said calmly:

“The answer is 3, black.”

“All the clues were given to you. The chemistry professor was killed, so those numbers naturally represent a death message.”

“According to those numbers, on the periodic table, the elements correspond to Boron (B), Lanthanum (La), Carbon (C), and Potassium (K). Even if you don’t know the symbol for the less common element ‘Lanthanum,’ if you’ve memorized the first twenty elements, you should be able to deduce the other letters.”

“Then, just pick from the options, and you can easily determine the correct answer is 3.”

Wow!

At these words, a chill ran down Chen Muzi’s spine; cold sweat poured down as if his whole body had turned ice cold.

I lost—I really lost!

How could I miss such obvious clues?

I studied chemistry pretty well in school!

The next moment, Qin Shang licked his lips mockingly:

“Without your little sister helping you pay off debts, you’re just this useless?”

“Such a simple question could easily earn you twenty-five million. Isn’t that easy money in your eyes?”

“Don’t you think the God’s Path players are a group with a strong ability to make money?”

“This chance was right in front of you, and you didn’t even cherish it. Didn’t you end up missing out on that money?”

His tone was dripping with derision.

“The difficulty of the God’s Path game is far greater than such a simple reasoning question. You can’t even answer this, yet you dare to claim that God’s Path players are chosen ones, the easiest group to get rich.”

“People like you are cannon fodder in the game. Do you know why the God’s Path didn’t pick you? Because, to the game’s server, you’re a failure.”

“If this world is a huge game, and we are all save files…”

“Then you’re the account ruined by pay-to-win players—you don’t even qualify to be an NPC.”

Heartless.

“Your sister risked her life to earn money to pay your debts, and you take it for granted?”

“God’s Path players entering dungeons risk their lives; it’s common to lose your life by accident. Without the right timing, place, and people, dying on a first run is normal. Countless people have died in the game without completing the trial dungeons.”

‘Getting betrayed by everyone’ and ‘Big Sister’ are vivid examples!

The next moment, after finishing his words, Qin Shang crouched down and stared at Chen Muzi’s pale face.

“You can’t even solve a middle school reasoning problem. What right do you have to say God’s Path players are chosen ones, the easiest group to make money?”

“Why not just work hard and grind? Why dream of getting rich overnight?”

“It’s hard to believe that Grandpa Niu’s most unforgettable person at the end of his life is trash like you…”

When Qin Shang proposed the ‘bet’ to Chen Muzi, he already guessed this guy would accept.

There was no reason for him not to.

Either he’d be slowly tortured into becoming a ‘great organ donor’ by the Swindler, or he’d fight for a chance to turn things around against the odds.

Anyone would choose the latter, but Qin Shang deliberately played with his mindset.

He was certain that reasoning enthusiasts among elementary school groups could solve this reasoning question in seconds, yet Chen Muzi, an adult, couldn’t answer.

This is the [Confirmation Bias Effect]...

“People only focus on information that matches their expectations and ignore other information, leading to intuitive errors. If you believe in horoscopes, once you accept the traits assigned by them, you unconsciously magnify behaviors that fit the horoscope.”

This rule applies to gamblers as well. Why do gamblers lose everything and still keep gambling until they’re blind?

Same principle.

He accepted the belief that gambling could make someone rich overnight.

He selectively believed in getting something for nothing, in pies falling from the sky.

Therefore, Chen Muzi’s subconscious made him believe he was a gambler, a gambling saint, the chosen one among gamblers, a rising star destined to turn the tide.

When Qin Shang proposed the concept of ‘betting,’ Chen Muzi agreed without hesitation, which proves this point.

The next moment, Chen Muzi was emotionally broken by Qin Shang’s words. His eyes reddened as he suddenly sprang to his feet.

“This isn’t fair! Your bet is unfair! I won’t bet with you anymore! I won’t!”

“You lose, you just give me money. But if I lose, I have to risk my life.”

“I won’t... I won’t...”

Now he realized what he’d face after losing this chance to turn the tide.

The ecstasy brought by Qin Shang’s proposal of the ‘bet’ vanished instantly, replaced by a burst of hysterical madness.

The Red-Clad Sect Leader saw the matter concluded, especially delighted to see Qin Shang first give Chen Muzi hope, then push him back into the abyss of despair and fear. A wave of satisfaction washed over him.

This is how you deal with scum like him!

Looking at his desperate, broken-down state, there was truly a sense of vindication.

“Then we’ll be off, Swindler.”

Chen Muzi frantically scrambled up from the ground, only to be kicked back inside impatiently by the Swindler outside the door.

His eyes red and brimming with emotion, he shouted:

“Don’t leave! Don’t leave! Let’s start again! This time, let me set the question…”

At these words, Qin Shang, having taken just a few steps away, slightly tilted his head and said:

“Sorry, you’ve lost all your chips. Go accompany ‘Grandpa Niu’!”

At this moment, Qin Shang finally understood the meaning behind ‘Grandpa Niu’s’ last words: “Brother, I can finally see you.”

She realized that she had probably always been silently repaying Chen Muzi’s debts.

Even after becoming a God’s Path player, she quietly bore it all alone.

The brother she spoke of was not this scoundrel before her now, this beast who blindly believed God’s Path players were divinely favored.

It was the brother from her unforgettable childhood memories...

The brother who, even when beaten, would fiercely shield his sister in his arms.

The brother who, though frail, seemed as mighty as a titan.

In Grandpa Niu’s eyes, this brother had remained forever in that most touching moment of their childhood.

The degenerate gambler he became later was not her brother...

Exhaling deeply, Qin Shang came to terms with everything, feeling a heavy weight pressing on her chest.

It was as if something was lodged in her throat.