Chapter 125: The Human Monkey
Yun Yao ultimately chose a "monkey" type game.
The mask worn by the "zodiac sign" at the door wasn't a monkey at all—it was a rotting baboon.
"Well? Qi Xia, do you dare give it a try?" Yun Yao asked, standing by the doorway.
"Give it a try?" Qi Xia glanced at the baboon, then back at Yun Yao. "I'm actually pretty curious about what 'strong luck' means. How about you show me?"
"Did you misunderstand something?" Yun Yao shook her head helplessly. "I told you before—the purpose of this team-up is to gauge your abilities so I can assign suitable game types later. How did it become you testing me instead?"
Qi Xia and the other two didn't quite know how to respond. Apparently, this idol was still somewhat willful.
"So you're not getting involved at all?" Qi Xia asked.
"‘Human Monkey’ is mostly intelligence or dexterity-based. Surely that can't stump you, right?" Yun Yao asked with a smile. "If you're willing, you can also bet your life directly against them."
"Bet my life?" Qiao Jiajin was startled. "You can bet your life here?"
Qi Xia knew that betting his life right now was definitely not a good idea. He didn't know the "Monkey's" tricks, and he hadn't obtained his "Echo" yet. If he lost a life bet now, all the information he'd gathered so far would be lost.
With that thought, Qi Xia sighed helplessly, walked over to the large baboon, and asked, "‘Human Monkey,’ is that right?"
"That's right," the Human Monkey nodded. "Want to join my game?"
"What are the rules?" Qi Xia asked.
"We take turns drawing ‘Tao’ from these boxes. Whoever draws the last ‘Tao’ wins. The winner takes all the ‘Tao’ on the table." The Human Monkey sounded young, like a teenager. He explained the rules very clearly.
Qi Xia lightly stroked his chin and asked, "What about the ‘entry fee’?"
"The ‘entry fee’ is the ‘Tao in the box.’ It depends on how many you want to put in. I'll put in at least as many as you."
"Wow... this is a ‘random entry fee’ game!" Yun Yao looked delighted. "If we win, we'll really strike it rich."
"Good heavens, a high-stakes gamble!" Qiao Jiajin yelled, turning excitedly to Yun Yao. "Sis! Quick, bring out eighteen hundred ‘Tao’! If this con man wins, we can go home directly!"
"Where would I get that many?" Yun Yao said irritably. "I only have this little bag on me. How am I supposed to conjure up eighteen hundred ‘Tao’?"
"There's no way anyone in this hellhole could carry eighteen hundred ‘Tao’ without being detected by the ‘Vicious Path’..." Qi Xia muttered, then looked up at the Human Monkey. "Monkey, how many do you have left in total?"
"I..." The Human Monkey hesitated slightly. "I can't tell you that."
"You're afraid I'll bet everything against you?" Qi Xia said.
"No matter what your intentions are, I won't reveal my ‘Tao’."
"Interesting." Qi Xia nodded. "Let's begin then."
The four of them entered the room, but since this was a "Human"-level mini-game, only Qi Xia was participating.
As soon as he stepped inside, Qi Xia realized he might have been tricked.
There was a table in the room, and on it sat two boxes.
"My game is called ‘Tao in the Box.’ We'll put our respective ‘Tao’ into these two boxes." The Human Monkey patted the two boxes on the table and continued, "I'll put in more ‘Tao’ than you. Once the game starts, we'll take turns removing any number of ‘Tao’ from any box. But note: whoever makes both boxes empty after taking ‘Tao’ wins. In other words, the one who takes the last ‘Tao’ wins."
Qi Xia pondered after hearing this. He examined the two sealed boxes and found that their openings were very small, barely enough to fit a hand.
If he wanted to devise a strategy, it clearly hinged on the issue of "first move" or "second move."
"Then who goes first?" Qi Xia asked.
"Decided by Rock-Paper-Scissors," the Human Monkey explained patiently. "The winner can decide who takes ‘Tao’ from the boxes first. The loser chooses which box to take from. The only thing you can't decide is the number of ‘Tao’ taken."
"I see..." Qi Xia nodded.
Yun Yao watched from the side for a while and asked, "Qi Xia, how many ‘Tao’ do you want to bet?"
"Ten," Qi Xia said.
"Ten?!" Yun Yao was startled. "Are you confident?"
"More or less."
If they were taking ‘Tao’ from a single box, Qi Xia was sure he could win.
But now the Human Monkey had prepared two boxes, making the game much more unpredictable.
Removing any number of ‘Tao’ from any box—this game was different from the logical game of "Human Pig." It relied entirely on the participant's strategy.
"Yun Yao, the Rock-Paper-Scissors at the start is very important," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "Can you use your ‘strong luck’ to help me out?"
"This..." Yun Yao lowered her head awkwardly and said, "Sorry, I'm not sure I can."
"Alright." Qi Xia had expected this answer, so he said, "I'll do it myself then."
Yun Yao nodded apologetically and began taking ‘Tao’ from her bag. "Qi Xia, help me out."
She first pulled out four and stuffed them into Qi Xia's hands. He couldn't hold them with one hand, so he cupped both hands like a bowl.
After a moment, Yun Yao fished out two more, then continued rummaging. Her bag seemed to be full of junk—not only various old cosmetics, but also wrapping paper, used tissues, and discarded makeup wipes.
"You need to clean out your bag," Qi Xia remarked.
"Don't tell me how to organize an idol's bag," Yun Yao snapped, then pulled out three more. "How many is that?"
"Nine," Qi Xia replied helplessly.
"Alright, alright, found it." Yun Yao retrieved the last ‘Tao’ and dropped it into Qi Xia's hands.
Qi Xia carried the pile of ‘Tao’ over to the Human Monkey, raised both hands and shook them, saying, "Ten pieces. I'm putting them in."
The Human Monkey nodded, then pulled out twelve ‘Tao,’ counted them in front of everyone, and tossed them into the other box.
"Monkey, let's do Rock-Paper-Scissors," Qi Xia said.
Qi Xia was a bit wary of this single-round Rock-Paper-Scissors.
He could normally judge an opponent's personality and throwing logic over multiple rounds to ensure a favorable result. But if it came down to a single round, it was pure luck.
"Monkey, what are you going to throw?" Qi Xia asked.
"That trick won't work on me. I won't answer," the Human Monkey said. "Let's begin."
Qi Xia sighed helplessly, leaving everything to fate.
In the first round, they both threw "Paper."
In the second round, they both threw "Rock."
Seeing this, Qi Xia felt this Rock-Paper-Scissors match was unusual—the opponent was using the exact same strategy as him.
In the third round, Qi Xia threw "Rock," while the opponent threw "Paper."
"So you've been thinking about it all along—never once throwing 'Scissors,'" Qi Xia muttered to himself.
"You're too kind," the Human Monkey said. "I've always been very good at Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia's pupils shifted slightly, his tone meaningful.