In the vast waiting lounge, Old Yang sat alone on a sofa, making the room seem silent and empty.
His eyes were a little vacant as he stared at the floor, his body motionless as a statue.
He did not know why. Sitting out this round meant a free pass to the next stage, yet Old Yang felt more apprehensive than happy. Everything that had happened today felt unreal, like a dream.
For an ordinary man who had spent his whole life keeping his feet on the ground, walking this tightrope brought little pleasure, only more unease.
Time ticked by. Old Yang kept drinking water to ease the complicated feelings inside him.
[Ding~ The quarterfinals have ended. Winning Players, please proceed to the waiting lounge for a ten-minute rest. Eliminated Players, please return to the spectator hall.]
The Star Gate's announcement rang out, and Old Yang slowly raised his head.
A little while later, footsteps sounded in the corridor, followed by someone's heart-wrenching cries.
"Gone, it's all gone! Why the fuck didn't I quit after the last round?!"
"I'd already turned things around!"
"Too greedy, too greedy... It's all gone."
"...!"
The cries of someone falling apart reached the waiting lounge. Old Yang listened quietly, his left hand unconsciously moving to his heart. Although he had not seen who was crying, he felt an intense connection in that instant. He could even picture the despair on that person's face.
Ordinary Players had been squeezed dry here for twenty days, reduced to something neither human nor ghost. The few chips they had painstakingly saved were effectively bought with their bodies and lives. After finally making it to the table, never seeing any hope would have been one thing. But to ride a lucky streak all the way to the