The room fell silent.
Technically, Zhao Yi's actions could be considered cheating.
Yet, he did not violate the rules of the game.
Outside the window, dark shadows seemed to be stirring, but without the clown's command, they could not enter.
After a long while, the clown slowly inserted his left hand's fingers into the guillotine, and with a crisp sound, his finger was severed! This action symbolized his admission of losing in the tenth round of rock-paper-scissors. They... didn't have to die!
Raising his head, the clown looked at Zhao Yi, who was bandaging his blood-stained palm with gauze, with great interest.
"Mr. Zhao, I'm curious... when did you start planning against me?" Zhao Yi shrugged.
"From the moment I cut off my third finger."
"It is well known that rock-paper-scissors is a game of luck."
"Since it is a game of luck, there can't be a constant winner. Your continuous victories clearly indicated that you had your own method of cheating."
"So, in the fifth, seventh, and eighth rounds, I deliberately changed my hand gesture inside the black cloth."
"But I still lost as expected."
"At that point, I guessed... that you must have the ability to see through."
These actions were actually deliberate gestures by Zhao Yi to conceal his ability to see NPC data. He wouldn't reveal his ability to see NPC data.
"At that moment, I suddenly understood that in order to win against you for the last time, I had to set up a situation to deprive you of your insight ability and force you to make a fixed choice in rock-paper-scissors... Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Zhao Yi explained his thoughts, and the clown couldn't help but applaud.
"So, when you cut off your seventh finger and deliberately chose the right thumb for rock-paper-scissors, making everyone believe that in the final round, you could only show scissors or rock."
"So, when I closed my eyes and couldn't use my insight ability, in order to ensure a win, I would definitely show rock."
"Ultimately, you cut off your finger early, turning your scissors and rock into paper..."
"I have to say, Mr. Zhao, your moves were truly brilliant!"
"This is the most interesting game of rock-paper-scissors I've ever played!"
The clown stood up, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed to the several people.
"I will fulfill my promise."
"From now on, this general store will provide unlimited supplies to you and your guild for free."
"And I owe you a personal favor..."
"Also, when you leave this store, according to the rules of the game, I will give Mr. Zhao three talent points, and each of the others one talent point... this is also personal!"
Personal gifts meant that these three talent points were not included in the main world mission.
The group clenched their fists in excitement!
The clown walked to the door and personally opened it for Zhao Yi and the others.
As they left the room, they were enveloped in a warm, pure white light!
...
[Congratulations to Zhao Yi, Fang Bai, Bai Shuiji, Liu Han, and Tian Tian for successfully unlocking the new guild scene - the grocery store. The area within a radius of ten meters in the station will now be a safe zone, where players will not be harmed!]
...
Upon hearing the announcement, all the players in the guild were filled with emotion!
"Someone actually unlocked the grocery store?"
"Damn! Didn't thousands of people die there?"
"Yes, I remember wanting to play a guessing game with the clown...either way, one of us would end up dead!"
"The newcomers this year are so amazing? They actually defeated that stupid clown?"
"Damn...Zhao Yi is the top newcomer this year, no wonder he's so impressive!"
"We finally don't have to eat the stuff in the base's warehouse...we've had enough of it!"
"..."
Outside the station, Xiang Weishan stared at the grocery store, his expression dark and cold!
He clenched his fist tightly, unable to understand.
Why didn't Zhao Yi die?!
He had deliberately given him false information...why did he win?!
Could it be...he saw through his scheme?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, hesitated for a moment, Xiang Weishan immediately called over his subordinates and whispered a few words in their ears. The subordinate nodded and bowed, then headed towards the crowd in the distance.
Zhao Yi and the others appeared once again inside the grocery store. Bai Shuiji touched her body, trembling with excitement!
She...won the bet!
Not only did she survive, but she also inexplicably gained some talent points!
She didn't hesitate to invest them into her strength attribute!
Don't underestimate this small increase in strength.
It affects all-around attributes related to physique!
Liu Han and Fang Bai were also incredibly excited, hitching their wagon to Zhao Yi's star, feeling incredibly pleased!
"Brother Zhao, should we go back to the guild headquarters first...your injuries are important!"
Fang Bai wasn't a person who forgets loyalty for personal gain. The first thing she thought of wasn't to complete the Butcher game, but to have Zhao Yi return to the guild to heal his injuries.
As long as it wasn't injuries caused by certain mysterious powers, injuries from world quests or dungeons could be healed at the guild headquarters.
However, Zhao Yi didn't seem to mind his injuries. He stood at the entrance of the grocery store, looking towards a dark spot on the second floor with dim red lights, appearing eager to try.
"It's just a little blood, no big deal."
The clown appeared next to Zhao Yi, seemingly out of nowhere, and they both looked at the meat shop in the distance. His tone was somewhat meaningful.
"A lunatic lives there."
"He's not as rule-abiding as I am."
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment.
"What does he want to do?"
The clown grinned and patted Zhao Yi on the shoulder. "The butcher is looking for his daughter," he said before turning back to his shop counter and greeting a few players who had approached.
Zhao Yi walked towards the meat shop, followed closely by Fang Bai and the others. Having tasted success in the clown's game, they now had more confidence in Zhao Yi and were willing to follow him. However, as Zhao Yi approached the elevator to the second floor, he was blocked by a dozen players.
"Zhao Yi, you've already completed a game and received a reward. Shouldn't this task be left to others?" one of them, with a challenging tone, remarked.
To be honest, he himself didn't dare to take on this task. After all, the butcher's game claimed even more lives than the clown's game. The danger posed by the butcher's game was even more terrifying. But they didn't want to do it themselves and neither did they want others to. They were all still on the same starting line and, once someone gained a lead, it would become increasingly difficult for the rest to catch up.
The head of the Hooligan Guild didn't intervene in such matters, leading to fierce and cutthroat competition within the guild. Not long ago, they had witnessed a lone player getting his legs broken and thrown to the butcher at the meat shop. In this world overrun by ghosts and monsters, humans were no more benevolent than the creatures.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"We're not going...are you going?" Fang Bai's normally round face now looked fierce. He knew that without the constraints of the law, people had no limits. These guys, unable to become stronger themselves, sought to weaken others to maintain their lead. Truly selfish and disgusting!
"Heh, the world task belongs to everyone. Wanting to hog the rewards is really selfish!" The green-haired man was not one to be trifled with. He drew a sharp dagger, a fierce glint in his eyes, while the group of players behind him closed in, brandishing some cheap weapons from their inventories, not intending to let Zhao Yi pass.
Zhao Yi didn't retort, but instead, using only his remaining middle finger on his left hand, he aimed it at the green-haired man, flashing a brilliant smile. "Do you know, I only need one finger to take your life."
The green-haired man was caught off guard by Zhao Yi's smile. After all, he was just a small leader with plenty of underlings watching. Where would he put his face if Zhao Yi's words held true?
"Damn you!" The green-haired man, infuriated, advanced with his knife, intent on giving Zhao Yi a taste of his own medicine. Little did he know, Zhao Yi's strength had already reached 21 points, while his...was still in single digits.
As soon as he raised his knife, Zhao Yi swiftly moved forward with a graceful step, turned, and bent down to deliver an elbow strike, hitting the green-haired man's liver. The latter instantly doubled over and bulged his eyes out in pain!
In the next moment, Zhao Yi, with one swift motion, accurately stuck his middle finger into Green Hair's nostril!
Splat!
Blood splattered everywhere, and in an instant, Green Hair felt a strange and marvelous sensation. Sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy all rushed to his heart in an instant.
This feeling was like when his beloved grandmother, wearing a vibrant floral coat, would search for him with a bowl of feces to feed him when he was a child.
The profundity of this experience cannot be described by outsiders.
Instinctively, Green Hair dropped the knife in his hand and covered his face, trying to remove Zhao Yi's middle finger! But in the next moment, he found himself being lifted into the air by a tremendous force and thrown far away onto the stairs!
His massive blood-spurting nostrils suddenly felt an unprecedented emptiness.
Thud!
He crashed heavily onto the ground, in a sorry state. Only now did the excruciating pain spread from his nasal cavity to his brain. He screamed in agony, clutching his nose, and his eyes towards Zhao Yi were filled with fear!
Other people who had gathered around couldn't help but take a few steps back!
Zhao Yi looked at his middle finger, which was covered in blood and mucus, and couldn't help but wipe it on the nearby white clothes of Fang Bai. Fang Bai froze for a moment, finally reacting, and exclaimed:
"Damn it, Zhao Yi! You've gone too far!"
"I respect that you're ranked first, but you can't just wipe such a disgusting thing on me!"
"I have tissue!"
Zhao Yi glanced at his middle finger and chuckled:
"No worries, I've already cleaned it off!"
Fang Bai: "..."