Lying on the bed, Chen Nan truly did not know whether to laugh or cry. Was his current situation happiness or misery? Even he could not quite tell anymore.
If possible, could he also say, "Auntie, I don't want to work hard anymore"?
But that was impossible. It could only be a joke.
So what was he supposed to do now?
"Ring-ring-ring..."
Chen Nan's phone rang. He sat up and saw an unfamiliar number. After pondering for a moment, curiosity got the better of him and he answered.
A seductive female voice came from the other end. "Little hero, why are you bothering our Chen Xiao?"
Chen Nan realized who this might be, but he still asked, "Who are you? What is your relationship with Chen Xiao?"
The woman gave a coquettish laugh. "I'm Chen Xiao's older sister. My name is Feng Wu. I vaguely overheard some of your conversation with Chen Xiao. If you need any help, I can provide it too."
Chen Nan smacked his forehead. After considering it for a moment, he said firmly, "Fine. I only hope you can take me to an illegal casino—the kind that doesn't restrict children from entering."
Feng Wu was slightly surprised, then said softly, "That's easy. Our Wu City looks glamorous on the surface, but there are plenty of places that hide filth and corruption. Big sister here knows pretty much all of them.
"But if I take you there, what do I get out of it?"
Hearing that, Chen Nan relaxed instead. Any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem at all. He smiled. "Simple. If I win money, I can give you ten percent as commission."
Feng Wu sneered. "What makes you so sure you can win?"
"I naturally can't guarantee it," Chen Nan said. "That's why I need to take a look first. If I have a way, I'll gamble. Otherwise, I can only obediently stay far away from gambling.
"This is also a gamble for you. Decide for yourself."
Obviously, a woman like Feng Wu, accustomed to counting money in bed, found it hard to stand up and earn money herself. Since Immortal Realm had been completely shut down, her avenues for making money had dwindled.
Right now, she merely wanted to make use of Chen Nan.
Of course, calling Chen Nan back had only been her way of casting a wide net. She had not fully overheard the conversation between Chen Xiao and him.
But borrowing Chen Xiao's phone and conveniently saving Chen Nan's number had been very easy.
Since the danger had been completely eliminated, Chen Xiao had not been guarded about such things.
After thinking for a while, Feng Wu ultimately decided to make an investment in Chen Nan. To her, Chen Nan was practically a legendary figure.
She had originally been trained by the Wang Clan, so she naturally understood the Wang Clan's foundations even better. For Chen Nan to uproot such a powerful, deeply entrenched evil force root and branch showed just how terrifying he was.
She believed Chen Nan possessed methods ordinary people did not, so she made her decision. "Very well. I'll work with you."
Chen Nan breathed a sigh of relief and arranged a place to meet Feng Wu the next day. Naturally, they also exchanged contact information.
The next day, Chen Nan met Feng Wu at the designated location.
She was a woman whose figure formed an S-curve from every angle. Her clothes did not interfere with that S-shape in the slightest; instead, they fanned the flames.
Of course, in one particular area, it would be more accurate to say they propped up the waves.
She had the cynical gaze common to women of her kind. The curve of her lips displayed both seductive charm and a haughty arrogance, as though she had seen through the world's pettiness.
She had done her nails, their colorful appliqués making her delicate hands look unbearably gaudy. A slender cigarette rested between the index and middle fingers of her right hand. When she saw Chen Nan arrive, she took a light drag and blew the smoke toward him.
It was a common tactic. If a man inhaled smoke exhaled from her mouth, it could be considered a kind of physical exchange through the smoke.
Moreover, smoking was originally a spiritual need, so it could be viewed as an indirect union of spirit and flesh.
But Chen Nan clearly did not want any foundation of that sort with her. He held his breath and waited for the natural breeze to scatter the smoke before taking a breath and asking, "You're Feng Wu?"
Feng Wu looked Chen Nan up and down. Her eyes seemed almost to possess X-ray vision, making Chen Nan feel as though his clothes were merely decoration.
A woman who was too perceptive and heartless always made men uncomfortable, but women's perceptiveness and heartlessness were often brought about by men themselves. That was called reaping what one sowed.
Faced with Chen Nan's feigned composure, Feng Wu could only sneer inwardly. Plenty of men had pretended to be gentlemen before her, but she was not about to make cutting remarks to a child.
She nodded slightly. "Yes, I'm Feng Wu. The illegal casinos you want to visit only open after ten at night and close at five in the morning.
"Without me taking you, you wouldn't be able to get in. Casinos like that won't let anyone enter without an introduction from an acquaintance."
Chen Nan was somewhat skeptical of that, because the latter part sounded suspiciously like she was emphasizing her own importance.
But it did not matter. He had already agreed to certain terms, and there was no taking them back.
At that moment, Chen Nan's suspicion rivaled the anxious heart of a daughter worried about her lover—every suspicion hit the mark.
The underground illegal casino Feng Wu intended to take Chen Nan to naturally did not require anyone's introduction. It was a casino openly operating at night. From infants freshly weaned off milk to dying old men whose oxygen tubes had yet to be removed, it refused no one.
The reason was that the casino's owner had quite the background.
His name was Yang Wankun, while the chief of Wu City's Patrol Bureau was named Yang Wangan. The two had been born of the same mother, sharing the same father's essence and mother's blood.
The names of the two brothers, Qian and Kun, were quite meaningful. Not only did they signify that they would achieve great things after growing up, but they also contained profound philosophical principles.
Namely, there was Kun within Qian, and Qian within Kun.
The Kun within Qian represented darkness within sunlight; the Qian within Kun represented that even within darkness, there was light.
Put simply, the brothers worked together and had both the underworld and the official world in their pockets. They were formidable beyond measure.
And because of that, beneath this bright and clear sky, what was there that these brothers would not dare do?
An illegal casino could evade taxes and faced no restrictions. Aside from spending some money greasing palms, it was practically a treasure basin.
Therefore, as long as one knew which way its doors opened, one could stride right in. Yet many people lived out the saying: they entered upright and left sideways, the complete opposite of how people were born.
Chen Nan was taking an enormous risk by going there, but if he wanted to get rich overnight, he had to bear such risks.
But the time was wrong at the moment. No matter how anxious Chen Nan was, he could not find his way inside. Only after Feng Wu arranged another time and place with him did they each return home.
After returning home, Chen Nan began making preparations.
Though he had never personally experienced what a casino was like, he had at least seen plenty in television dramas and movies.
It was like watching countless educational films starring famous instructors, with very simple settings. Even without firsthand experience of intimacy between men and women, one would still feel fully prepared.
There was also the more refined saying: read three hundred Tang poems, and even if one cannot compose poetry, one can at least recite it.
It was clear that whether it was human instinct or spiritual elevation, the principles all connected.
With that principle in mind, Chen Nan imagined what entering the casino would be like, what abilities he could use, and what dangers he might encounter.
According to the AI System's earlier prompt, it seemed that it could only affect the neural impulses of his various tissues and organs.
He generally understood that.
For example, during his battle with Ghost Head, it had been precisely because the AI System affected his motor system that he had been able to deal with him so perfectly.
If that was the case, then his visual system, auditory system, and the like should also have undergone similar changes.
He simply had not paid attention to those aspects before, so nothing especially conspicuous had appeared. But what would he need at the casino?
As the saying went, prepare for danger in times of peace. Before thinking about how to win money, Chen Nan decided to first consider whether he had any means of protecting himself.
As soon as the thought arose, the AI System began showing him a series of self-defense options.
The first items listed were various traditional martial arts.
In a society dominated by high-tech weapons, such things had already been completely reduced to fitness and performance activities. In actual hand-to-hand combat, they could not be mentioned in the same breath as free fighting and the like.
But free fighting required a physical foundation. One needed sufficient strength, physique, endurance, and resistance to blows.
Chen Nan was a ten-year-old child. All those things were far beyond his reach.
That was why the AI System had listed traditional martial arts for him.
How should he put it? Chen Nan rejected this stuff from the bottom of his heart. It had far too many flashy forms and no real combat ability. What use was it?
But after thinking it over, this seemed to be the only thing he could use to make up the numbers. Just like the hypocrites in storybooks who loved putting on airs: they would not use the oil at home for cooking, instead smearing it all over their lips to pretend their household was well provided for.
After making his choice, Chen Nan suddenly felt as though his body had been struck by electricity. His whole body convulsed, his eyes rolled upward, and foam spilled from his mouth as he abruptly had a seizure.
Fortunately, Jiang Lili was at work and not home, so she did not catch him in such an embarrassing state.
Only after a long while did Chen Nan regain consciousness. He barely managed to drink a glucose injection solution, and only then did he feel somewhat better.
"Ah, when will this condition of mine ever end?" Chen Nan said bitterly.
With his current abilities, using the AI System still came with backlash. Fortunately, he now understood that it was the AI System's effect rather than an illness in his own body, so he did not feel too troubled by it.
Before you continue