Floor 8: The Casino of Fate.
The air smelled of cigar smoke, expensive perfume, and desperation.
Lin Fan and Fatty Wu stood on a plush red carpet. Around them, hundreds of slot machines (manifested as Golden Spirit Beast mouths) chimed and flashed. Card tables made of floating jade were staffed by multi-armed puppet dealers.
[Trial: The Golden Gamble.] [Objective: Earn 1,000 "Fate Chips" to pay the Exit Toll.] [Starting Funds: 10 Chips.] [Warning: Violence is disabled. Cheating is punishable by death.]
"Gambling?" Fatty Wu's eyes lit up. He hugged his wok. "Captain! This is my domain! My father was a merchant, my mother was a bookie!"
Lin Fan looked at his hand. The Ring of the False King pulsed with a dull, cursed grey light.
[Luck: -50.]
"I can't play," Lin Fan realized. "If I touch a slot machine, it will explode. If I draw a card, it will be a dud."
He handed the pouch of 10 Chips to Fatty Wu.
"You play," Lin Fan ordered. "I'll watch."
The Streak.
Fatty Wu sat at a table playing "Dragon's Tooth" (Blackjack).
"Hit me," Fatty Wu said, sweating.
The dealer flipped a card. Golden Dragon (Ace). "Blackjack!" Fatty Wu cheered. "That's 20 chips!"
Lin Fan stood behind him, arms crossed, his face hidden by the hood of his Mantle. He acted as the silent bodyguard.
Fatty Wu moved to the Roulette Wheel. "Red 9!" Fatty Wu yelled. The ball landed on Red 9. "Winner!"
Within an hour, Fatty Wu turned 10 chips into 800. He was on fire. His +50 Luck was fighting the House and winning.
"We almost have enough!" Fatty Wu laughed, stacking his chips. "Captain, I'm a genius!"
Lin Fan watched him. He felt a cold calculation forming in his mind.
Fatty is useful, Lin Fan thought. But he's getting confident. A confident tool is a dangerous tool. I need to remind him who owns the luck.
Suddenly, the lights in the Casino dimmed.
A spotlight hit the center of the room. A table rose from the floor. Sitting at it was a man in a gold tuxedo with a skull for a head.
[Floor Boss: The Gambler King.] [Challenge: High Stakes.]
"I see a winner," the Skeleton King's voice rattled. He pointed a bony finger at Fatty Wu. "You have 800 chips. You need 1,000 to leave. I offer a single game. Win, and I give you 5,000 chips and a Golden Ticket. Lose... and I take your soul."
Fatty Wu froze. "I... I don't want to play with him. He looks scary."
"We play," Lin Fan said, stepping forward. He shoved Fatty Wu into the chair opposite the Skeleton.
"Excellent," the Skeleton King grinned (somehow). He reached under the table and pulled out a weapon.
It was a Revolver. Gold-plated. Six chambers.
"Russian Roulette," the Skeleton said. "But with a cultivation twist. One chamber holds a Soul-Shattering Bullet. The other five are empty."
The Skeleton spun the cylinder. Whirrrrrr. Click.
"I go first," the Skeleton put the gun to his own temple. Click. Empty.
"Now you," The Skeleton slid the gun to Fatty Wu.
Fatty Wu stared at the gun. He was shaking violently. "Captain... I can't. That's a 1 in 5 chance of death!"
Lin Fan looked at the chips. 5,000 chips meant huge rewards in the shop. It meant power.
"Pick up the gun, Fatty," Lin Fan whispered.
"No! I want to cash out! We can earn the last 200 chips slowly!"
"Pick. Up. The. Gun."
Lin Fan leaned down, his voice dripping with malice. "You have +50 Luck. You won't die. But if you walk away now... I will shoot you with my gun. And my gun has infinite ammo."
Fatty Wu looked at the Skeleton. Then he looked at Lin Fan.
The Skeleton was a monster. Lin Fan... was the Devil.
Fatty Wu picked up the golden revolver with trembling hands. He raised it to his temple. He squeezed his eyes shut. Tears streamed down his face.
"Please..." Fatty Wu whimpered.
"Pull it," Lin Fan commanded.
Click.
Empty.
Fatty Wu sobbed in relief, dropping the gun. "I did it! I survived!"
"My turn," the Skeleton picked up the gun. Click. Empty.
"Your turn," the Skeleton slid it back.
The odds were now 1 in 3.
"No more!" Fatty Wu cried. "We won the first round! Let's stop!"
"The bet is for the game, not the round," the Skeleton laughed.
Fatty Wu looked at Lin Fan, pleading with his eyes. Save me. You're the Captain.
Lin Fan looked at the odds. Fatty's Luck: High. Outcome Probability: Favorable.
"Do it again," Lin Fan said.
"Captain!"
"DO IT!" Lin Fan roared, his aura flaring.
Fatty Wu picked up the gun. He was hyperventilating. He put the cold metal to his sweat-slicked head. He looked at Lin Fan one last time. In that moment, the admiration Fatty Wu had for Lin Fan died, replaced by pure, distilled fear.
He pulled the trigger.
Click.
Empty.
"Ha... haha..." Fatty Wu laughed hysterically. "I'm alive!"
The Skeleton King frowned. He picked up the gun. Odds were 1 in 2.
The Skeleton pulled the trigger.
BANG.
The back of the Skeleton's skull exploded in a shower of gold coins.
[Game Over.] [Winner: Fatty Wu.] [Reward: 5,000 Fate Chips + VIP Pass.]
The Casino erupted in cheers from the puppet staff. Coins rained from the ceiling.
Fatty Wu sat in the chair, covered in gold dust, staring blankly at the wall. He had won. He was rich.
Lin Fan walked over and scooped up the chips.
"Good job, Asset," Lin Fan said, patting Fatty Wu on the shoulder.
Fatty Wu flinched at the touch. He didn't smile. He didn't celebrate. He just stood up, clutching his wok, and walked silently toward the exit.
The Shop (Floor 8 Exit).
Lin Fan had 5,000 chips. He was the richest man in the Tower.
He stood at the Exchange Counter.
"I'll take the Qi-Refining Pills," Lin Fan said. "And... that."
He pointed to a black skill book.
[Skill: Aura of Tyranny.] [Effect: Converts 'Fear' directed at the user into temporary Qi.]
"A fitting skill for you," the Puppet Merchant smiled.
Lin Fan bought it. He learned it instantly.
He felt the fear radiating from Fatty Wu standing behind him. It tasted... sweet. It fueled him.
"This is efficient," Lin Fan noted. "Why make them love you, when their fear makes you stronger?"
They walked to the portal for Floor 9.
[Floor 9: The Colosseum of Blood.]
The Sovereign's Palace.
"Dark," The Sovereign muttered, sipping his whiskey. "Very dark."
"The System User forced a subordinate to play Russian Roulette," Unit Alpha noted. "His corruption rating has increased to 40%."
"He didn't just break the Skeleton," the Sovereign observed. "He broke the Fat Man. That loyalty is gone. Now, it's just slavery."
He looked at the screen for Floor 9.
"Next is the Tournament. Lin Fan has power. He has money. Now... he needs to display Dominance."