Chapter 629: The Visitor
A crisp *click* rang out as the spring driven by the mechanism sent a slight tremor through the firing pin, propelling Xiao Cheng's "Dao" straight forward.
Xiao Cheng had a bad feeling. He sensed the trajectory of this "Dao" was far too straight.
If it continued like this, it would enter one of the third-row holes first—the "Double Infantryman" hole.
But thinking it over, even "Double" wasn't a loss overall. If he could win an opening victory here, it would be excellent news for the team.
After traveling about a meter, the "Dao" suddenly began to veer slightly. Then it quickly deviated from its intended path, just as it was about to reach the third row, slipping precisely between the center and left holes.
Xiao Cheng's eyes widened as he stared at the scene. If it could reach the second row or the first, the rewards would multiply exponentially.
But what Xiao Cheng never expected was that on a completely flat table, with the "Dao" pushed out in a straight line, this little sphere would carve out such an eerie arc across the smooth surface.
It didn't stop at the second row at all. Instead, after a few seconds, it charged straight toward the "Eightfold General" hole in the third row.
Though the situation was a bit unexpected, it seemed to be heading in a favorable direction.
At that moment, a fleeting thought crossed Xiao Cheng's mind. They always said first-time gamblers often had incredible luck. Could it really be possible that he would turn one "Dao" into eight?
If that happened, the three of them would go from having nine "Dao" to sixteen. And if Tian Tian and Zheng Yingxiong could earn a bit more, their "ransom" would be fully covered.
This naive fancy lingered for less than a second as the "Dao" approached the "Eightfold General" in the first row.
It seemed the table's spring mechanism was calibrated just right, allowing all "Dao" to gradually lose momentum as they neared the "Eightfold General." Moreover, the spring and firing pin were triggered by a button. In other words, the "participant" had no way to control the distance the "Dao" traveled by adjusting the spring's force—they could only let it roll on its own.
The closer the "Dao" got to the "Eightfold," the slower it moved. Finally, as if drawn by some invisible force, it rolled slowly toward the hole.
Xiao Cheng's heart was in his throat. He stared wide-eyed, his hands gripping the edge of the table.
The "Dao" kept decelerating as it neared the "Eightfold." But its path seemed slightly off. It skimmed past the top edge of the "Eightfold" hole and began rolling sluggishly toward the right side of the table, dangerously close to going off the board.
"Ah, damn it…"
The brief surge of excitement in Xiao Cheng's chest plummeted. His mood swung wildly with the little sphere, as if that single "Dao" carried all his hopes.
The "Dao" was about to fall off the right edge when, inexplicably, it slowed again. Then it reversed direction and made a second approach toward the "Eightfold."
What Xiao Cheng could never have anticipated was that this "Dao," which had started in a straight line, would, after a few seconds, begin circling around the "Eightfold."
Unfortunately, the mouth of the "Eightfold" hole was far too small. The "Dao" circled from left to right, then back again, looping around the opening repeatedly.
Though its speed kept decreasing, there was no sign it would actually drop in.
Xiao Cheng's emotions rose and fell with the rolling sphere. From a physics standpoint, a sphere circling a hole without external interference had a very high probability of falling in.
But this game seemed never to follow the course Xiao Cheng expected.
After the "Dao" had circled the hole seven or eight times, it finally slowed to a crawl, then paused beside the opening for several seconds. Just when Xiao Cheng thought it would stop moving altogether, it began to pick up speed slightly, heading toward the edge.
Without any suspense, it left the table entirely, falling into one of the side grooves—yet another casualty among the countless "Charge Warriors" who had perished there.
In a short span of time, Xiao Cheng's emotions had seesawed wildly. The sudden failure left him feeling strangely hollow.
It felt like it had all ended before it had even begun. He had merely tossed in one "Dao" and pressed a button at random, yet he felt as though he had lived through a heart-stopping gamble.
He had been so close.
That "Dao" had been closer to the "Eightfold General" than a single step.
Perhaps just a centimeter's difference had turned an eight-"Dao" reward into a total loss.
"No… the difference was even smaller than a centimeter…" Xiao Cheng shook his head, then pulled a second "Dao" from his pocket. "Maybe just a few millimeters…"
He felt this game setup was probably more rewarding than the others. At least the spring and firing pin weren't rigged—the "Dao" had shot out in a straight line. But since the "Dao" wasn't a perfectly smooth sphere and had some inherent elasticity, it could deviate slightly from its course as it moved.
Xiao Cheng thought for a moment. Rather than learning a whole new game, it might be better to try to win back his losses here first.
Just as he was about to toss in his second "Dao," a flippant voice sounded from behind him.
"Hey, gambler," the person called out. "Tell me—why are all the scattered 'Dao' only in the side grooves? Why aren't any left sitting on the table?"
"What…?"
Xiao Cheng had been so absorbed in the game that he hadn't noticed two onlookers standing behind him, who had apparently been there for a while.
The speaker had delicate features and a roguish look, but he seemed clearly still half-asleep, scratching at his messy hair with puffy eyes.
Snapping back to reality, Xiao Cheng quickly mulled over what the other had said. There was a point to it.
Why weren't any of the scattered "Dao" on the table?
The side grooves were already filled with so many "losers." Logically, the spheres should have been strewn about everywhere, maybe even some left sitting on the table. So why was there not a single one?
Xiao Cheng frowned, slowly crouched down, and looked at the table from a horizontal angle. Soon he spotted the trick.
This table wasn't flat at all. The cross-section of the surface was almost an "M" shape.
The positions of all the holes were imperceptibly raised. Because the slope was very gradual and the lighting wasn't too bright, the naked eye could hardly detect the secret of this irregular table.
That was exactly why his "Dao" had kept winding across the surface, even circling the "Eightfold General" endlessly without ever falling in.
Xiao Cheng felt a chill of fear. If the man behind him hadn't warned him, he would have probably tossed all three of his remaining "Dao" into this game.
He turned to look at the speaker, then at the other person behind him. He wanted to say something to thank them, but the two men didn't exactly look like friendly types.
One was full of roguish swagger, with a contemptuous look in his eyes. And the man behind him had his sleeves rolled up, revealing two tattooed arms covered in scars—clearly not someone to mess with.