Volume Four: Fading from the World of Men - Chapter 322: The Game

"I'll accept your hand, Urahara Sakura Dance."

-- at that very moment.

With a thud, Xiao Wu's left hand fell to the ground.

It wasn't chopped off, torn off, or broken; it simply detached itself from the body, with even the break being perfectly smooth.

A large amount of blood gushed from the wound, but it was immediately stopped thanks to Xiao Wu's super-powerful self-healing ability.

And Xiao Wu--

"Enemy attack!!!"

The instant she sensed something was wrong, she swung a punch at the man. The cannonball-like blow was enough to instantly splatter the man's brains, but the man made no attempt to dodge, simply watching as everything magnified in his vision.

Then it stopped.

Just as she was about to hit him, Xiao Wu abruptly stopped her movement.

Her fighting instincts told her of danger, a chilling feeling that went straight to the bone. If she actually punched the man in the face, who knew what would happen...

"Oh? Not fighting? What a pity. I was all prepared to 'intentionally let you break the rules and blow my head off so we could die together. Plan A fails."

Violation of the rules?

What rule was violated?

Does this refer to your earlier action of almost attacking the man?

"Of course! We're all civilized people. Have you ever seen a player beat up the winner after losing a bet? And speaking of which—is your hand alright?"

"Hands--Eh!!??"

Xiao Wu then realized something was wrong.

My arms feel so light.

Looking down, the cut surface was still the one where the bleeding had just stopped.

But the hand—

"... No, regeneration?"

This would be normal for most people, but it's not normal for Xiao Wu.

For her, regenerating her hand should be a matter of seconds, but now there's not even the slightest sign that bone is growing back!

Why?

"Not surprising, is it, Urushihara? The bet I made with this child was that 'the loser loses organs in order from distal to proximal.' If they can regenerate after being lost, what kind of loss is that?"

"You... tsk! You're one of the organization!!!"

Xiao Wu almost wanted to beat her chest in frustration. She had maintained a high level of vigilance towards the Holy See throughout the journey, but she hadn't expected to overlook the threat posed by the organization!

Sin Annihilation was starting to lose track of how things were going.

This fat, middle-aged man was clearly after Xiao Wu, and I almost couldn't resist making a move! If I had, I would have been exposed, and the consequences would have been unimaginable!

What to do...

Xiao Wu around. Despite the bloody scene of her left hand suddenly falling to the ground, the waiters and the boy from before showed no intention of running away. They all stood there, pale-faced and stunned... So that's how it is. This guy had already set up a trap! He used certain methods to force innocent people to obey him, and then at the right time, he put the boy in a deadly predicament, ultimately luring her into the trap!

Although Xiao Wu was filled with regret, she realized that she couldn't act rashly now. This man's ability was strange, and neither attacking first nor fleeing the battlefield immediately was a good choice. She could only wait and see what happened, wondering what he was up to.

"You, you really were too careless, weren't you? Urushihara? Where did that caution you had when you were going head-to-head with Old Stone go?"

"... Old Shi?"

"That's right, that's right, it's Old Shi, the guy who fought you in a world-destroying battle and then died a swift and satisfying death."

"You mean... Stone Strike?"

"Although I've never been very ambitious, so my position in the organization isn't very high, and we have very different personalities, that doesn't stop us from becoming best friends... Ugh, ugh, saying lines from manga like that directly is so embarrassing! Anyone who can do that so easily must be shameless (Ye: Achoo!)."

"Can I take that as you're here to avenge your old friend?"

"Haha... it seems that's how it should be," the man sighed softly, a hint of sorrow in his eyes, "But I know Old Shi very well. For him, dying in the fiercest battle would be the best end. If he could know this in the afterlife, he would definitely stop me from avenging him..."

"But... just because he could calmly accept dying in battle doesn't mean you can, right?"

"Probably, so... haha, although I'm using the noble cause of avenging a friend, I'm really just angry on my own. To be honest, I never imagined that someone like me, who's always lived such a carefree life, would one day want to avenge a friend."

"... I'm quite curious how you became friends with him. Stone Strike is arguably the most principled person I've ever met, completely different from you, who casually drags innocent bystanders into things."

The saying "birds of a feather flock together" is inherently flawed. Alright, enough chit-chat, let's begin the fun game!

"Wait, I still don't know your name." Xiao Wu finally couldn't help but ask the crucial question. The organization members she had met before had never been shy about mentioning their names, but this strange man just wouldn't say it.

"A name? That's a bit of a problem," the man scratched his head, looking troubled. "A long time ago—probably a hundred years ago—I lost my name while playing with Yu He. A bet is a bet, and since then I've been nameless. No new name, title, or even nickname can stay with me for long. But it seems awkward not having a proper way to address me, so just call me 'you'."

The man wriggled his obese body, opened a large canvas bag that had been lying at his feet for a long time, and dumped its contents onto the table with a clatter.

Even the emotionless Sin Annihilation was taken aback.

Poker, chips, dominoes, dice, dice cups, mini roulette, mahjong, marbles, various board games... For a moment, Xiao Wu wondered if she had stumbled into an underground casino in the Central United Academy. The sheer variety and completeness of these toys made it hard to believe they could all fit into a single canvas bag. Besides the gambling-related items, there were also seemingly unrelated things like banknotes, toothpicks, book pages, cutlery, tablecloths, and cookies... leaving her completely baffled.

"Well then—welcome to my mobile entertainment center! You can play anything you want~ But to prevent everything from ending abruptly, I must first explain my special ability!"

The man spread his arms wide, letting diamond-encrusted chips and dominoes slip through his fingers. With a snap of his fingers, like a stage set change, the simple and elegant café interior was completely replaced by a new scene. The carpeted floor and the walls adorned with gold bricks stretched out rapidly, surrounded by hundreds of ornate gambling tables, thousands of slot machines, and all sorts of high-end gadgets that Xiao Wu couldn't even name. The café had vanished, replaced by the luxurious interior of a high-class casino.

There are only three people in this new space: the man, Xiao Wu, and Sin Annihilation.

"My ability is simple—once you join my game, you can never escape unless it ends. If you forcibly leave, you will suffer all the losses! No matter what we're betting on—money, items, or lives—once a winner is decided, the prize must be paid out! Cheating is absolutely forbidden. If you cheat, regardless of whether others discover it or not, you will receive the same punishment as forcibly leaving the game! Understand? If you understand... then let's change the format and continue the game!"

Let's continue the game.

I see...

Did this man even factor in this?

Xiao Wu wasn't a player from the beginning; she joined the game halfway through when she saw the boy was about to lose.

So the game isn't starting from scratch; it's just a new way of playing.

In other words--

"In other words, although that kid has been squeezed out of the battle because of my substitution, the bet you made with him at the beginning—'the loser loses organs in the order from distal to proximal'—is still valid, right?"

The man's facial muscles contorted, revealing a bizarre smile.

"You're quite perceptive, Urushihara. I was just wondering if I could let you suffer in silence. Since that's the case, let me tell you a prerequisite: the condition for forcibly fulfilling the bet is 'my ability is still effective,' which means 'I'm still alive.' In other words, as long as you can defeat or even kill me, you won't be restricted by 'losing an organ,' and your left hand can regenerate normally."

"Heh... it seems we really have no choice but to continue. But could we ask this child to leave first? She has nothing to do with our grudges; let's not drag her into this."

Xiao Wu pointed at Sin Annihilation, staring intently at the man, clearly enraged by his ruthless pursuit of his goals without regard for the safety of others.

"That won't do. She's with you. Once she's joined, there's no reason for her to leave. Even I can't go against that."

"Just as I thought..."

Xiao Wu looked at the exquisite profile of Sin Annihilation, who was making an expression, and secretly made up her mind.

At the very least, we must protect this poor girl who was inexplicably dragged into this mess.

"Stop talking nonsense, just choose. What do you want to play?"

The man pointed to the table—the original small dining table had now been turned into a large gambling table, but the stuff was still the same pile of things.

"Well..."

Xiao Wu and Sin Annihilation exchanged a glance, both somewhat at a loss.

When Xiao Wu Scavengers, she went into underground casinos a few times for missions, but it was just ordinary infiltration. She never played any of these games herself, and she never even watched others play.

The same applies to the Sin Annihilation.

Both had absolutely no experience in gambling, a truly overwhelming disadvantage.

The man chuckled softly.

"Don't worry about your experience. If I were serious, I'm confident I could beat anyone except Yu He in gambling skills, but I won't do that—in my opinion, the greatest pleasure of gambling lies in the word 'gambling.' The tension before the cards are flipped, the trepidation while staring at the slot machine, the unease when handing over chips—these kinds of stimulation are what make gambling so interesting. Nowadays, people are always getting into all sorts of nonsense, whether it's observing people's micro-expressions, constantly evolving cheating techniques, or racking their brains to study the odds of winning or losing. In the end, the original meaning of gambling becomes increasingly diluted. So-called 'fate' is 'life' and 'luck.' Luck is so important that people always put it together with life, and the most primitive essence of gambling is a contest of luck! Not to mention—I've played with these toys to death long ago, so it doesn't matter what you choose."

"..." "..."

Xiao Wu and Sin Annihilation exchanged another glance.

After hesitating for a moment, they simultaneously reached out and grabbed—

"... Oh, this? That's quite a tradition."

It was a set of exquisite dice and three beautiful dice cups.

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School is closed today for the sports meet, so I'm quietly catching up on my homework QAQ