A Shocking High-Stakes Gamble

"Are you playing this high?"

The strangers from Black Gate City who overheard Xiao Xiao's conversation with Lin Bo, a member of Dante Organization, were startled.

Even Yang Jia was clearly taken aback, and hesitated to speak.

She wanted to say something to Xiao Xiao as soon as possible, but she was afraid of offending him in front of so many people.

These few words were indeed a big gamble, and in everyone's eyes, Xiao Xiao was the one who had really gone all out. The Dante Organization was an elite group selected from outsiders in various cities. They were either Branders or people with extremely keen and bold speculations about this world. It could be said that their understanding of this world and special items far exceeded that of ordinary people.

To some extent, they are the authority.

Xiao Xiao was still a newcomer, and it was not a wise move for him to argue with others on this matter.

But amidst their worried gazes, Xiao Xiao clearly showed some excitement, a slight grin spreading across his face. He leaned back slightly, looking at Lin Bo, and said with a smile, "We don't need the heads... we can just exchange them for something else."

"For example... is your head worth a promise to help us fight against the Hell Organization without any conditions attached?"

"For example, this head is worth at least tens of thousands of points, right?"

"For example... as a divine messenger of the Dante Organization, I wonder if you have any impressive collections?"

"..."

At that moment, he truly felt a strong urge to act.

He was originally angry because this arrogant guy ruined the Butcher's chance for a direct promotion.

But since they were there to help, and they were also Yang Jia's colleagues, he couldn't show too much resentment out of respect for them. But he never expected that he would have an opportunity to gamble with them so unexpectedly...

He has his own understanding of how to enhance special items.

To outsiders, he was merely jokingly guiding the conversation, but in his mind, he was secretly analyzing the situation with unwavering composure.

The guy named Lin Bo made a remark that inadvertently touched him.

Prior to this, Xiao Xiao had always had an inexplicable confidence that he would succeed in enhancing special items. That's why he dared to use such a risky method to achieve the second stage of the Butcher's enhancement. However, this intuition was something he couldn't explain to others; he could only say that he believed it, without any reason. But in the eyes of others, this was nothing short of a reckless gamble.

But now, he suddenly understood something.

If we follow Lin Bo's theory, all special items are actually just projections in the spiritual world, products of fantasy. Then, the risk of strengthening special items is that the sudden increase in Pain Substance will affect one's split spiritual power, causing it to break the balance between itself and the main personality, resulting in incalculable disasters and the threat of backlash against the main personality.

After all, enhancement involves a surge in Pain Substance, sometimes even a tenfold increase.

A normal person who is suddenly subjected to such intense pain will experience a mental breakdown.

Moreover, he was a stranger who had been constantly troubled by the side effects of various Enhancement Element.

The more Xiao Xiao understood this point, the more relieved he felt.

No one can withstand the impact on their mental world when there is a surge in Pain Substance.

But I can do it myself.

After all, I had endured this torment for four whole years...

For four years, I have been struggling in this constant cycle of pain, surviving under the constant onslaught of mysterious incantations and mental assaults from all directions. In this state, I even learned to control my thoughts and reason. Now, I am numb to the impact of this secondary spiritual power and have even learned to coexist with it...

Perhaps the reason I've been able to successfully enhance special items is precisely because of this advantage?

It's not that the special items I choose are particularly special, but rather that because I am special, they won't fail to enhance me.

Of course, this is just a conjecture, and no evidence has been found.

But Xiao Xiao, who had already decided to strengthen the Butcher, felt that this gamble was necessary.

I'm not a gambler, but why not take advantage of a sure-win situation?

"Hehehehe..."

Upon hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Lin Bo suddenly sneered, his arrogant face even revealing a look of disdain.

It's that disdainful look a top student gives to a struggling student.

He sneered, "Our Dante Organization's principle is to believe in our own research findings and never gamble with others."

Xiao Xiao's heart sank slightly upon hearing this. "I didn't expect him to fall for it..."

"As expected, there aren't really any idiots in a high-class organization like the Dante Organization..."

"..."

Before the thought could even form, Lin Bo continued, "But it's precisely because I believe in the patterns and research findings summarized by our Dante Organization that I know you'll definitely fail if you rashly try to strengthen it. I can't tolerate someone as ignorant as you ignoring the results we've researched with endless effort and even risked our lives. So, I'll make an exception and bet with you!"

"Holy crap!"

Xiao Xiao silently replied to the statement that there are no fools in Dante Organization.

"Can't..."

But before Xiao Xiao could add another word to confirm, several voices suddenly rang out from the side at the same time.

There was Red Eyes Ling Ping, the Serpent Sisters, and even Ruan Ruan and Yang Jia looked nervous, but they held back and didn't say anything.

Red Eyes Ling Ping and other seasoned outsiders simply couldn't understand Xiao Xiao's actions at this moment. What kind of crazy gamble was this? Putting aside the probability of success, the consequences of failure alone were unacceptable. The failure to enhance a Class B special item was equivalent to the emergence of a source of calamity in Black Gate City that could pose a Class B threat, and the guild leader would instantly suffer the backlash from the source of calamity.

Not only that, but they will also be ostracized by Black Gate City, and their points may be completely wiped out, swallowed up by a huge malice.

The Hell Organization hasn't even launched its attack yet, and the chairman is already gone. How are we supposed to get the work done?

Xiao Xiao overheard their conversation, and countless explanations flashed through his mind. But then he realized that explanations wouldn't make things clear, so he simply remained silent, just smiled and glanced at them.

"Holy crap..."

When Red Eyes Ling Ping were looked at by Xiao Xiao's empty and indifferent gaze, they felt a chill run down their spines.

I was too hasty and forgot about the president's personality...

Who can he listen to?

... He didn't take us seriously when he wasn't the president!

He subconsciously looked at Yang Jia, his eyes pleading. "You raised this kid, can you talk to him?"

But Yang Jia also looked thoughtful and didn't try to persuade him.

After demonstrating his imposing presence, Xiao Xiao turned to Lin Bo and smiled:

"In that case, how should we specify the stakes?"

"..."

Lin Bo took a deep breath and said, "Our original plan was to help Black Gate City create a powerful weapon, giving you the confidence to force the Hell Organization to sit down and talk. With this weapon, and after we took away that secret compass, the Hell Organization would have no need to attack Black Gate City anymore. They are crazy, not stupid. They won't do something that loses them money."

"But since we're going to gamble, things become even simpler. Win or lose, I will help Black Gate City complete this weapon."

"But if I win, I will take the Arcane Compass with me."

"If I lose... I will only keep this weapon and never mention the Arcane Compass again."

"How?"

"..."

"This guy is actually quite generous..."

Xiao Xiao hadn't expected that the bet proposed by this person wouldn't be so tricky.

This guy's arrogance is probably ingrained in his bones; he doesn't even bother to take advantage of me...

... Fortunately, I am a humble person.

After a moment's thought, he said, "I have no objection to these."

"If you win, you can take that thing called the Arcane Compass with you. I won't stop you, but do you want to add a little something..."

"... Like betting tens of thousands of points?"

"..."

Lin Bo was immediately taken aback and looked at him in disbelief.

As an observer, Xiao Xiao sensed strong resistance from him and quickly said:

"A few thousand points are fine?"

"..."

Lin Bo's expression was cold and stern as he looked at him.

"This won't work either?"

Xiao Xiao's expression was also a bit strange. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked, "How about betting a few hundred points?"

After a while, Lin Bo suddenly sneered and said, "What's the point of betting tens of thousands, thousands, or hundreds of thousands?"

"If you want to gamble, I'll bet my entire fortune with you!"

"..."

As he spoke, he took out a dark red card and slammed it onto the coffee table in front of him.

Seeing this, Xiao Xiao's eyes suddenly narrowed. He saw the determination on Lin Bo's face. After a moment's thought, without changing his expression, he slowly took out the dark red card in his hand and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it little by little towards the center of the table. He said in a low voice, "You have this kind of boldness, do you think I don't? I'll bet my life on it with you!"

"Whoosh..."

Everyone present was stunned by what they heard. They felt that the clash between masters was so powerful that they dared not look directly at them.

At the same time, outside the city, a dark red blood mist perpetually hangs in the air. From time to time, one can see massive, crisscrossing flesh and blood structures stretching across the sky, emerging from the dense fog whose source is nowhere in sight, and extending into the fog whose end is nowhere in sight. A huge black skull ship slowly and heavily sails through the fog, quietly disturbing the indescribable rustling and strange sounds around it.

"By now, we should already be enjoying ourselves in Black Gate City..."

Inside the ship, a man intently applying clear glue to playing cards said coldly, "During a break from the last killing, I bought some stinky tofu from a stall on the sewage street in the Downtown District Black Gate City. It tasted really good..."

"But they just had to hold some kind of art exhibition, which has kept us from making a move until now."

"Is that Chairman Xiao really that interesting?"

"..."

On the other side, a man in a white suit, who was cutting up a piece of paper with scissors, immediately retorted with dissatisfaction:

What are you saying?

"That's my good friend, and also our future good companion!"

"..."

The person applying glue to the sign gritted his teeth, looking like he had a toothache, and said, "You artists are really incomprehensible..."

"You managed to persuade the president?"

"..."

"Of course."

The person who had cut up a large bunch of paper strips smiled with some pride:

"That supreme invitation has already been sent to Black Gate City in the form of a wager."

"Come on, let's fight to the death today."

"I'm going to stick all these notes on your faces, and then I'll take you to see my friend!"

"..."

"..."

"Are you really going to gamble this much?"

At the same time, in Black Gate City, where the meeting had just ended, all the strangers felt immense pressure, and even felt that it was unreal.

Yang Jia found Lin Bo squatting in the bar's kitchen eating a specially prepared staff meal. Leaning against the door frame, he watched the guy devour three meals before suddenly frowning and saying, "I didn't expect you to actually agree to this bet. What intrigues me even more is that you promised not to mention the Arcane Compass again if you lose... Do you have the authority to decide for the Dante Organization?"

What's wrong with that?

Lin Bo took a bite of the chicken leg with the pistol on it and said, "When I get back, I'll tell my advisor that he refused to hand it in, and I couldn't do anything about it."

"I'm not the one taking the blame, so what can I do if I agree?"

"..."

Yang Jia was speechless for a moment, then suddenly said, "Then you still dare to gamble your life savings with him?"

Lin Bo slowed his pace as he gnawed on the chicken leg, seemingly deep in thought, before suddenly looking at Yang Jia and whispering:

"Do you know? We haven't received any funding in a long time?"

"Everyone in the team is counting on getting a huge reward after bringing the Arcane Compass back..."

"..."

"Hiss..."

Yang Jia couldn't help but gasp and asked, "So how many points do you have on your information card?"

Lin Bo paused for a moment, seemingly a little embarrassed, but still managed to say it:

"Good..."

"... Several dozen!"

"..."

"..."

"Xiao-gege, do you really have any way to ensure that I can successfully enhance myself?"

At the same time, Ruan Ruan was also clinging to Xiao Xiao, her face full of curiosity and excitement. "Although your bet sounds like you're going to lose, I know you too well. You're just a little sick, not stupid. How could you possibly bet on something you're sure to lose?"

"Have you thought of some way to exploit a loophole? If so, that would be amazing..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, then realized that explaining it would be too difficult, so he could only say cautiously, "I wouldn't say I'm entirely confident..."

"I just tend to trust my intuition..."

"..."

"Is it just intuition?"

Ruan Ruan was taken aback. "Then you still dare to agree to give that compass to the other party?"

"I only agreed to let them take the compass..."

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "The prerequisite for taking them away is that they have to find that compass first, right?"

"Hiss..."

Ruan Ruan was genuinely taken aback, exclaiming in shock, "But you agreed to gamble your entire fortune with them..."

Xiao Xiao looked a little embarrassed. After a while, he looked at Ruan Ruan seriously and said, "I earned a lot of points before, especially after I killed the Silver Bullet Family. Ling Ping, the Serpent Sisters and others gave me a lot of points as a thank you. So when I was at my richest, I had a lot of points... almost ten thousand, you know?"

Ruan Ruan widened her eyes and nodded.

"But I later underwent three phases of enhancement, which cost me a sum of money, and then there were other things that cost me a sum of money."

Xiao Xiao said, "Furthermore, during this period, we took down several freaks, and each freak deducted one hundred points."

Ruan Ruan listened in a daze. "And then?"

Xiao Xiao said a little embarrassedly, "Do you have any extra points you can lend me? My points are almost gone."

"?"

Ruan Ruan was completely stunned. "So, how much of your fortune did you gamble away?"

Xiao Xiao looked somewhat embarrassed, paused for a moment, and then whispered:

"More than ten..."

Who said I went on a blind date? I didn't!!