12dz Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Chapter 86: Word Spirit·Strong Luck
"Hm? Why…am I not dead?"
Guan Ming kept his eyes shut for a full 3 seconds before opening them in disbelief.
And he wasn't the only one.
The 2 Ghosts sitting across from him were so shocked they shot straight to their feet!
Especially the Thief Ghost—its eyeballs looked ready to pop clean out of its skull.
"This is impossible!!"
It had clearly used Ghost Energy to shift the live round into the 2nd chamber!
That bullet was absolutely real!!
In the Spectator Area further back.
Ye Yilin heard the sound and opened her trembling eyes.
She had squeezed them shut moments ago out of sheer terror.
"What…what just happened?"
Ye Yilin asked, equal parts stunned and relieved.
Liu Rui looked just as bewildered, scratching his head.
"No idea…did the gun jam?"
"Impossible."
The veteran prison guard Shi Zhongshan kept his eyes locked on the gambling table and shook his head.
"The mechanical structure of a revolver is extremely simple and reliable. The probability of a jam is essentially zero."
"It is the least likely pistol in the world to jam."
"Even if it did, it could only be a mechanical malfunction."
"Then what happened?" Liu Rui pressed.
"There is only one answer……"
Shi Zhongshan's gaze slowly drifted toward the woman sitting there with her legs crossed.
"This gun…was tampered with from the very beginning."
"Don't tell me…Desperado Sis?!"
Ye Yilin covered her mouth and followed Shi Zhongshan's gaze.
At that moment, Silk-Stocking Desperado was reclining lazily in her chair.
That wild, carefree smile visible even through her black stockings said everything……
"Look over there!"
Shi Zhongshan pointed to one corner of the mahjong table.
The 2 Ghosts followed his gaze downward.
In an instant, it was like lightning had struck them!
There, in the shadow beside Silk-Stocking Desperado's elbow…
5 bullets radiating an aura of death lay perfectly still!
Every scrap of their attention had been on that lunatic woman—they had completely missed the subtle movements of her hands!
All they saw was her loading 3 bullets into the cylinder.
But a revolver holds 6 bullets in total, and 5 were still sitting on the table!
Without a doubt!
What she had loaded just now were fake bullets sourced from who-knows-where.
Or perhaps she had used an incredibly swift sleight of hand to leave every chamber empty!
That was why Guan Ming hadn't died!
And the mastermind behind this life-and-death gambling game—was none other than this madwoman with a 65/1 win record!
The one who played Ghosts like trained monkeys!
"Oh my, little brother, what great luck~"
Silk-Stocking Desperado smiled and let out a whistle:
"Don't go falling for your big sis just because of the 'suspension bridge effect,' okay~"
"This is your own luck."
Then.
She lowered her legs and leaned forward.
"But now…everyone, do you still want to keep gambling with me?"
"For this 2nd round…those cute little tricks from before won't be usable anymore~"
"Hehehe~"
Silk-Stocking Desperado laughed like a deranged woman, sending chills through the Ghosts.
The moment her words fell.
Hummm!!
Directly above the mahjong table, a massive dark shadow suddenly materialized!
It was enormous, deathly pale all over, its body covered in crimson eyeballs.
In one hand it clutched a massive, blood-dripping Bone-Cleaving Knife.
It hung upside down from the ceiling, those hundreds upon hundreds of eyeballs fixed unblinkingly on every person at the table.
Watching to see who…
Dared to pull any tricks!
This was the additional rule for the 2nd round: 【Cheat Supervision】.
In the presence of this monster, any act of cheating would be utterly inescapable!
Swish!
In an instant, the Bank Ghost, which had been swaggering with arrogance just moments before, was the first to stand.
"I…I withdraw!"
It chose to surrender without hesitation.
It didn't dare gamble anymore—this was an unwinnable death game from the start!
Right after.
The Thief Ghost was the same: "I withdraw too!"
Both its tricks and the Bank Ghost's were easy to expose, but what about Silk-Stocking Desperado's?
She had swapped the bullets right under their noses, and not a single Ghost had caught it!
How were they supposed to play?!
And once the 【Supervisor】 above received the withdrawal signal from both Ghosts.
Those hundreds upon hundreds of eyeballs rotated in unison, mouths murmuring.
"Withdrawing mid-game…accept punishment…"
Swish! Swish!
2 cold flashes of light!
"Ahhhhh!!"
The Bone-Cleaving Knife dropped in an instant, severing the left hands of both the Bank Ghost and the Thief Ghost clean at the wrist!
It then grabbed both severed hands, stuffed them into its mouth, and chewed them to nothing on the spot.
The 2 Ghosts let out agonized shrieks before dissolving into black smoke and fleeing the scene in disgrace.
Leaving behind only their 500 Ghost Coin chips on the table.
At this moment.
Only Silk-Stocking Desperado and Guan Ming remained at the gambling table.
Guan Ming was still sitting dazedly in his seat, his mind spinning.
He didn't know what he was thinking—just that he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through long ago.
"Hm?"
Silk-Stocking Desperado raised an eyebrow and looked at Guan Ming.
"Little brother, don't tell me…you still want to keep gambling with me?"
"This time there's a Supervisor watching. It's pure luck."
"If you lose…it won't just be a hand you're giving up~"
At this point.
Shi Zhongshan in the Spectator Area could no longer hold himself back. He charged to the railing and bellowed.
"Guan Ming!! Stop being stubborn!!"
"A bad life beats a good death! As long as you're alive, there'll be more chances! "
"Your mother has already lost your father—would you really make her lose her only son too?!"
"Stop being so blind! Let go of that damned pride of yours!!"
Shi Zhongshan finally understood it now.
Why Silk-Stocking Desperado had insisted on letting them in as the "audience"!
Because from the very beginning, she had intended to win all the money at the table and fulfil her promise.
To take all of them out of this hospital alive!
The other prison guards and Ye Yilin, eyes red, all began shouting as well.
"Brother Guan! Come back!"
"We're a team!!"
Those voices, one after another, finally shook Guan Ming awake.
The arrogance and defiance he'd carried moments ago was completely gone.
Tears surged up and broke free.
Like a wronged child, he collapsed into sobs.
"I withdraw!!"
"I want to live! My mother is waiting for me to come home! She can't lose me!!"
Guan Ming finally came to his senses completely.
This wasn't a simulation drill at police academy, nor a one-man-hero performance—it was a reality as brutal as it got!
"Withdrawal received…punishment commencing…"
The Supervisor on the ceiling moved immediately.
Thud!
The blade fell.
"Ughhhhh!!!"
Guan Ming clutched his severed arm in agony, watching helplessly as his left hand was hacked off by the Bone-Cleaving Knife and stuffed into the monster's mouth to be devoured.
The searing pain nearly knocked him unconscious, but in his eyes…
There was no trace of regret.
This cut…was a lesson in humility.
It severed Guan Ming's laughable pride and arrogance—something he would never forget for as long as he lived!
Silk-Stocking Desperado stepped forward and hooked an arm around Guan Ming's neck, chuckling softly.
"How about it? Little brother?"
"Now you get it, right? That 'tsundere' trait has gone out of meta in this world."
"If I'm not mistaken, the reason you sat down at the table so confidently was because you have some kind of ability, wasn't it?"
Silk-Stocking Desperado patted him on the back, her tone turning genuinely serious for once.
"Stick with your Desperado Sis from now on. I guarantee you'll make it out alive to see your mother."
"If all else fails…you can call me Mom instead!"
"Anyway, by age, your mom and I are probably around the same generation! Haha!"
Guan Ming was in too much pain to speak—he could only nod desperately.
Through the searing agony, he recalled the scene of being cut from the undercover training program.
That stern commander had stood before him, flung his performance report to the ground, and berated him furiously.
"You are nothing but a lone wolf!!"
"You have never given a damn about your teammates. Your heart only has room for yourself!"
"Your pride will get everyone killed! We don't need people like you! Get out!!"
'Commander…I was wrong…'
Guan Ming wept silently in his heart, still crying.
'I never want to walk alone again…'
'A team is better…a team is so much better…'
Silk-Stocking Desperado was bothered by his face full of snot and tears dirtying her windbreaker, so she practically tossed him over to Shi Zhongshan.
"Take good care of him. Don't let him die—this guy will be very useful later!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Desperado!"
Shi Zhongshan, red-eyed, thanked her repeatedly.
Then.
Silk-Stocking Desperado walked over to Ye Yilin, planted both hands on her hips, and tilted her chin up with a smug grin.
"Well? Little princess, isn't your Desperado Sis something else?"
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
Ye Yilin nodded vigorously, admiration written all over her face—but then she asked with a note of curiosity.
"It's just…Desperado Sis, your win record above your head is 65/1."
"Since you're this good…who exactly was the person you lost that one game to?"
"……"
At that question, Silk-Stocking Desperado's carefree smile froze instantly.
She gave Ye Yilin an incredulous look and retorted.
"You little girl, you really have no idea how to hold a conversation. You jab people right in the windpipe."
"But actually—that clueless energy of yours kind of reminds me of who I used to be!"
Silk-Stocking Desperado dropped her smile, her expression visibly turning serious.
"That person, let me think."
"Anyway, her ability was incredibly troublesome—a pure mechanic monster practically born for gambling."
"I remember when she beat me, she revealed her identity…"
"Something about the Arashin-Kai…"
Silk-Stocking Desperado rubbed her chin, trying to recall the name.
"What was it…the 7th Seat, Gambler?"
……
Time flowed on.
11:59 PM, deep at night.
Seattle Mercy Hospital, Card Room on the 7th floor.
"Hehehe~"
"I'll be collecting everyone's chips without any hesitation~"
A woman with golden hair and blazing red lips.
An Eagle Nation woman with a pear-shaped figure of explosive proportions tossed a flying kiss at the people across the gambling table.
Slap!
She casually flicked 2 cards onto the table's surface—a 【Rocket】!
And across from her.
3 male prisoners who had lost everything sat frozen in terror as the 【Supervisor】 descended from above and pinned them down.
"No!! Give me one more chance!! I can still turn this around!!"
"My hand! My leg! Ahhhhhh!!!"
Their Medical Debts…had come due.
Accompanied by screams and the sound of flesh tearing from bone.
The 3 male prisoners were mercilessly dragged into the darkness, and the Forced Extraction Procedure for their collateral began.
And this golden-haired, voluptuous woman.
Happily stuffed the thick stack of Ghost Coins from the table into her own bottomless chasm.
She hummed a tune, swayed her hips, and turned to leave.
And as she passed the collateral exchange counter on this floor.
A man wearing a mask and dressed in prison clothes seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time.
"Beautiful Miss Tiffany~"
The male prisoner gave a slight bow and performed an extremely gentlemanly bow, hat in hand.
"Might I have a moment?"
Tiffany slowed to a stop and glanced at him, her gaze lingering for a moment on that familiar mask.
"Oh?"
Her red lips curved slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing her eyes.
"Isn't this the 6th Seat's Joker?"
"What's this—coming to find me in the middle of the night, looking to gamble a round and lose that broken mask of yours to me as well?"
"Haha, of course not, Miss Gambler."
Joker waved a hand and shrugged.
"I don't gamble. I'm here…to ask a favor of you."
His tone turned serious.
"Dusk and Lord Wu Wo ran into trouble—right next door at that Rose Campus of yours."
"Nightmare hopes you can find the time to go investigate. Find out exactly who put them both in that state."
"You know I can't stray too far from you."
"Hm?"
Tiffany stroked her chin.
She recalled the brilliant golden light that had shot into the sky from that direction in the early hours of this morning.
"There was indeed something unusual."
Tiffany nodded and agreed.
"All right."
"But you'll have to wait until I've completely taken over this hospital and won every last chip from that worthless director first."
"One week, and I'll give you all your answers."
"Haha, worthy of Miss Gambler, truly decisive. Nightmare and I await your good news."
With that.
The mask on the male prisoner's face instantly dropped away.
And his face, along with his entire body, lost all substance in the same instant.
Collapsing into a mound of foul-smelling rotten mud, pooling on the spot.
This was nothing more than one of Joker's stand-ins.
"What a reckless fellow."
Tiffany let out a cold snort, staring at the mud on the ground with utter contempt.
"Doesn't he know this is my territory? Leaving garbage everywhere—truly annoying!"
She kicked that heap of rotten mud aside and then sashayed away.
……
A few minutes later.
Tiffany arrived at the 【Safe Zone】 located deep within the 7th floor—one she had fully purchased open herself.
This place had originally been a run-down ward.
It had since been transformed, using furniture she had won through gambling, into a bedroom that was barely liveable.
The best thing in it was that enormous bathtub standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Tiffany kicked off her high heels without a care and slipped out of the obstructive red dress.
She switched on the purple ambient light in the room, its glow washing over a figure enough to drive any man to madness.
Then she lazily sank into the bathtub scattered with rose petals.
She raised a glass of red wine and gazed out at the endless fog beyond the window.
She started up the vinyl record player, closed her eyes, and savored the rare tranquility this apocalypse allowed.
However.
At this very moment.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!
A deafening engine roar suddenly surged up from below, completely shattering her music and her mood!
"Who is that? So blind!"
Tiffany opened her eyes in displeasure and walked barefoot to the window, wine glass in hand.
She looked down, her gaze piercing through layer upon layer of fog.
Faintly.
She seemed to make out, just beyond the hospital's main entrance, the silhouette of a towering behemoth parked there!
It was a…
Super-heavy Mobile Fortress!
……
At the same time, outside the main entrance of Seattle Mercy Hospital.
Inside the heavy armored vehicle.
Jiang Nan, lying on the 2nd floor Presidential Suite bed, also opened his eyes at precisely that moment.
【Ding! Midnight 00:00 has arrived.】
【Daily settlement complete.】
【Word Spirit Reserve refreshed: +1 (Current Balance: 6,102)】
【Current Location: Seattle Mercy Hospital·Outer Perimeter】
【Check-in successful!】
Jiang Nan slowly broke into a smile.
Sure enough.
Luck always arrives when you least expect it.
【Congratulations, Host—you have received Word Spirit·Strong Luck (Sequence 066)!】
【Word Spirit·Strong Luck (Sequence 066)】
Effect: Activates Word Spirit fortune enhancement. For the next 12 hours, the intensity of the Host's luck is completely bound to their level of self-confidence.
The more absolute the confidence, the more extraordinary the fortune—theoretically capable of triggering good luck that defies all rules.
Trait: Fortune fluctuates in real time with the Host's state of mind. No negative backlash. Affects only the Host. Duration: 12 hours.
Note: Bad luck does not disappear—it is simply transferred onto others.
Cost: 10 characters.
Activation Method: Point one hand toward the sky and say, "Luck springs from the heart; believe, and heaven follows—Strong Luck!"