Yin Yang City

Carlos used a special magic rope to tie Yanming's body around and around. Without his Yan Ming's eyes were somewhat unfocused and dazed, and it was unclear whether it was astigmatism or nearsightedness.

For the first time, he realized he had completely underestimated someone, and that one instance was enough to cost him dearly.

Yan Ming's mouth was also gagged. The blue-eyed youth smiled faintly, his fingers deftly tying a knot in the rope. He ruffled Yan Ming's hair, seemingly to soothe him. "Sorry, friend, I know you can curse, but I can't let you have the chance to curse me."

"..." Yan Ming blinked, indicating with a sigh that he would cooperate.

If Yu Xing were present, she would probably marvel at how Carlos still had the air of a kidnapper—the first time they met in Coffin Village, Carlos went out and kidnapped an important NPC. Once he became a kidnapper, the blue-eyed youth seemed to have become a monster, exuding an aura of evil.

Then, the Magician lifted Yan Ming up with one hand, like a blasphemous heretic.

He walked toward the door of an old house hidden in an alley, and the space suddenly distorted. The next second, the two of them were back in a restaurant in another district.

Yan Ming's eyes widened slightly, startled by this move.

What kind of spatial power is this? In all previous records, Carlos had to use paper figures to move, and he could only move himself!

Just how much is this guy hiding...?

Inside the restaurant, some people were chatting, and a girl was sitting by the window with a stack of papers in front of her, writing and drawing.

They all seemed a little surprised to see Carlos carrying someone. One burly man asked, "A'Luo, what... did you go out and kidnap someone?"

Carlos hoisted Yan Ming onto his shoulder, supporting him by the back of Yan Ming knees, so that Yan Ming's face was not immediately visible to others.

After asking, the burly man cautiously added, "Male or female?"

The girl who was drawing looked up abruptly upon hearing this. She blushed for a moment when she saw Carlos, then reassured herself, "He's obviously a guy. Girls don't have such a big frame. Hey, A'Luo, look at my new combat suit!"

The blank sheet of paper, held upright, revealed a sleek and aesthetically pleasing design of combat uniforms.

Carlos smiled at the girl, "Very good, but unfortunately we haven't found a suitable fabric yet, so making a product is unrealistic. Xiao Yao, could you two excuse us for a moment? I have something to say to my new friend."

"Okay." Xiao Yao and the burly man who was chatting nearby all agreed and left in a flash, completely emptying this corner of the restaurant.

Carlos pulled out a chair, placed Yan Ming on it, and then sat down across the table from Yan Ming.

He removed the obstruction from Yan Ming's mouth, and without saying a word, he rested his chin on his hand and observed Yan Ming's expression up close.

Yan Ming: "... Now can you tell me what you want to talk to me about?"

Carlos shrugged. "I know you all really want that ticket, but do you believe in the future?"

Future?

Yan Ming's eyes sharpened for a moment. "You foresaw the future?"

Carlos pondered for a moment, "You could say that."

Even the most amazing ancient books can't withstand the many unexpected events in this world.

The idea that one's future self could kill their past self is so rare that it might only happen once in a thousand attempts. Given the extremely low probability of such an event, coupled with the suppression of true-level power, it's normal that ancient books couldn't detect it.

In the timeline Carlos was in, he did not participate in the Yugi of the vengeful spirit virus, but the unexpected events that occurred in this Yugi made it very popular within the system, and Carlos had heard of it.

That ticket still sparked a bidding war among various parties. It is said that Yan Ming, unsurprisingly, found the ticket and was the first to obtain it.

But that was only the first one. In the end, the tickets were taken out by the Lingren. During the struggle for the tickets, Yan Ming was seriously injured by the Lingren, and even Lu Xiaorong was seriously injured, temporarily losing the ability to eat. His hungry ghost constitution almost backfired.

As a result, the Widow Investigation Team and Single Prism completely broke off relations. Yan Li, who was protective of his own, personally destroyed a large number of hidden high-ranking members of Single Prism, retaliating very ruthlessly. Unfortunately, the Lingren didn't care about the lives of his subordinates at all. This did not make the Lingren feel heartbroken; at most, it was just a bit of trouble.

At the time, Carlos didn't understand the purpose of the ticket, only lamenting, "It's a nightmare to fight with Lingren for things." Later, when other tickets appeared in other Yugi, all the strategists realized the importance of the ticket.

This ticket is for entering the Yin Yang City.

Yin Yang City... is the only real-level instance in the Absurdity System since records began.

It is mysterious, dangerous, and has a deadly allure. It is said to exist at the boundary between life and death, born between desire and good and evil, and existing outside the laws of heaven and earth.

Entering it might mean certain doom, or it might... grant eternal life.

The last two words alone are enough to drive everyone crazy, because immortality is not just about living a long life, but about truly never dying.

Some people suspect that if immortality were truly achieved, and death were allowed at will in other Yugi, the Absurdity System would no longer have the authority to eliminate them.

Of course, some people say this is a trap; perhaps the price of immortality is the inability to leave Yin Yang City.

But no one has ever been inside; it's all just speculation. Everyone is vying for tickets, and only those who go in themselves can find the truth.

Yin Yang City is not usually open to the public, and even the Absurdity System cannot detect its presence. However, this time, the Absurdity System has gained the right to allow people to enter, and thus, tickets have come into being.

The Yin Yang City is at the True difficulty level, but it does not restrict the level of the deducer who can enter. To enter, you must have a ticket, and even a newcomer can participate as long as they have a ticket.

There are only twenty-three tickets in total, mixed in with countless Yugi within the Absurdity System. Before the Yin Yang City officially opens, the owner of each ticket is uncertain. Someone might get a ticket one second and be killed the next. "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

The Lingren obtained a ticket to the apocalypse of the vengeful spirit virus and stayed until the very end.

Carlos's memories of Yin Yang City were extremely chaotic. That place was simply too powerful. Even though he was essentially reborn in a different way, he couldn't remember anything useful because of the rules of Yin Yang City.

He didn't remember if he was one of the twenty-three people, nor did he remember what happened after Yin Yang City opened. All he could remember was the ticket.

Carlos didn't know at first that this Yugi instance was the one that produced the first Yugi. He stayed in the instance for a long time before finally discovering clues from the participants and their movements.

The past has been broken. He did not join the Broken Mirror Squad or participate in the dungeon at this time, Yu Xing naturally cannot use him as an anchor point to arrive midway.

But now everything is different.

Carlos knew that the tickets would be snatched away if Yan Ming got them. He had a very good impression of the Widow Investigation Team, which is why he stopped Yan Ming and prevented Yan Ming and Lu Xiaorong from being seriously injured, intending to intercept them.

Yes, he did try to steal the deal.

Because the first ticket is special and carries special privileges, he didn't want to hand it over to the Lingren, Yu Xing probably wouldn't want that either.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to keep the tickets in our own hands from the beginning. With him there, and with Yu Xing, who has returned after a year of further study and whose abilities even he can't fathom, they are fully capable of keeping the tickets.

The current strategists are completely unaware, and for a long time to come, they will also be unaware that there are ultimately twenty-three tickets, and that every time a ticket appears, everyone is scrambling to grab it as if it were the last one.

That grand occasion would continue for three years.

Carlos was lost in thought, staring blankly at Yan Ming's watchful eye.

He suddenly realized something: the butterfly effect was at work. Would the Yin Yang City still open in three years? Or wouldn't it be earlier or later?

"What are you thinking about?" Yan Ming asked, trying to get his attention. "We agreed to talk, didn't we?"

Carlos snapped out of his daze.

A strange light flashed in his eyes as he looked at Yan Ming, and he grinned.

This time, he wanted the Lingren to go through the trouble of finding the tickets.

Then he urged Yu Xing to go and rob it together.

So Yan Ming... you shouldn't work so hard. Just rest here quietly. That's what the Magician thought.

I want to perform a magic trick for you.

"Don't rush off! This is a free magic show, performed by a top-tier Magician like myself. It's a rare opportunity."

Under Yan Ming's helpless gaze, a forced sale began.

"Who exactly are you fighting for? The broken mirror? Or do you have other interests at play?" Yan Ming asked several times.

Carlos muttered to himself, "I'm not telling you, just focus on the show~ Haha, serves you right for revealing my real name."

Yan Ming: "... So you still mind, huh?"