"Damn it... it's that 'Gambling Dog' from the third floor! How did it become an A-level calamity?"
"This monster is unkillable, we have to leave!"
"..."
As described in the information, bullets hitting this monster's body seemed to sink into asphalt, causing ripples before restoring. They had no lethal effect.
The faces of the dozen or so mercenaries were filled with terror. They had all heard about the horror of this calamity. Whoever it targeted never survived!
Even the mechanical-arm girl's face changed drastically. She urgently reminded Ji Xun, "This monster is a curse type. Whoever it targets will definitely die! I can't resist that kind of curse either."
She cursed under her breath, "Damn it, why is this calamity here?"
She was confident she could handle other monsters head-on. But curse-type monsters couldn't be dealt with using conventional means. They were just too bizarre!
Avoiding it was the best option.
Ji Xun's expression remained unchanged as he listened. He didn't think they were just unlucky. In fact, he felt that encountering this monster made the challenge seem normal.
Before he could finish speaking, the dozen or so mercenaries displayed the correct way to face this monster.
The bald captain shouted, "Run!"
They had no intention of fighting and immediately chose to run.
The bad news was, whoever the monster targeted was sure to die. The good news was, it only targeted one person at a time.
At this moment, everyone was gambling, hoping the monster wouldn't choose them.
...
However, since this calamity had appeared, someone was bound to die.
The mercenaries hadn't run far when a shadow flashed by. The gambling dog reappeared mysteriously right in front of the mercenaries, as if it had teleported.
Ji Xun's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise, "Teleportation?"
Hearing about it was one thing, seeing it was another.
The mercenary in front of the [Cursed Gambler] hadn't expected to be chosen. His face turned deathly pale.
The bald captain and other mercenaries, although sympathetic, sighed in relief. At least it wasn't them.
The bald captain glanced around, hesitated not for a second, and shouted, "Quick, leave him!"
Everyone knew that once the monster chose someone, there was no hope. Staying was pointless.
The moment he finished speaking, the group ignored their comrade and the vault.
The monster ignored the escaping mercenaries, spread its hand, and two glowing cards appeared in front of it.
It displayed one card with a 'Spade Ace' on it.
The cards shuffled rapidly, switching positions countless times.
It was a simple two-choice gamble, seemingly testing the eye.
The monster's voice was low and demonic, "Take a gamble. Where's the Ace of Spades?"
The chosen mercenary, standing still as if bound by a mysterious force, was pale. He trembled as he reached out, not wanting to choose but knowing he had no choice. He might have a 50/50 chance to live, "I... choose this one."
The dog-headed monster looked at the chosen card and grinned a demonic, mocking smile, "Congratulations... you guessed wrong!"
The chosen card turned over, blank. The other card revealed the Ace of Spades.
Instantly, the mercenary's terrified expression froze, and he dropped dead on the spot.
...
Not far away, Ji Xun, who had just run a little distance, saw this and thought, "So this is a curse. What a bizarre way to kill."
He had wanted to see how the monster killed, and it was beyond anything he imagined.
As the intel said, this instant-death curse was immune to conventional means.
The mercenaries saw this too, and they ran even faster, terrified out of their wits.
However, after killing one, the dog-headed monster teleported again, blocking the mercenaries' path.
With so many people, the odds of being targeted were higher.
This time, the chosen one was the locksmith, "Old Six."
As before, the mercenaries decisively abandoned their comrade and ran.
But they realized that being in a large group made them easier targets. As they ran, the bald captain's eyes flashed with malice. He suddenly threw two cards at Ji Xun and the mechanical-arm girl.
The mechanical-arm girl quickly raised her gun and shot the cards in mid-air.
To everyone's surprise, the cards exploded into fluorescent powder.
The girl instinctively dodged, but some powder still landed on Ji Xun.
She looked at the powder, her face changed, "Not good, these are 'Dirty Bomb Cards'! The powder is bait made from zombie worm poison glands. It strongly attracts most calamities... Take off your vest, we need to leave!"
Ji Xun glanced at the powder on himself. Although he didn't know what zombie worms were, he guessed its purpose.
He said in an unsurprised tone, "The mercenaries didn't attack earlier because they planned this. To them, our only value is as bait. But it doesn't matter..."
The girl found his words strange: you knew, and you still got caught?
Now wasn't the time to say more. She led him away.
...
Ji Xun wasn't surprised.
At least when the bald captain looked back, he had guessed his intent.
Ji Xun calmly took off his tactical vest and, out of the corner of his eye, noticed...
He continued to focus on the ongoing gambling match.
He wanted to figure out some tricks.
The monster still took out two cards, asked "Old Six" the same question, "Take a gamble. Where's the Ace of Spades?"
Old Six was drenched in cold sweat, but he clearly had an idea. His small eyes shifted, and he pointed to one card, "I guess it's this one..."
Then, he quickly grabbed that card and said, "I guess this one isn't it."
Since he knew the monster would cheat, Old Six assumed the card in his hand had already been swapped. Using a bit of cunning, he made his guess after grabbing the card.
And then, Old Six dropped dead.
He guessed wrong again.
The card in his hand was still blank.
The gambling dog's cheating skills were better than Old Six anticipated.
...
"Guaranteed death."
After two deaths, Ji Xun realized something. It appeared to have a 50% survival rate, but it was clear that the dog-headed monster would always cheat.
So, no matter which card was chosen, it would result in death.
The monster could teleport, so running wouldn't make a difference.
Running around this unknown lab carried greater risks.
Thinking this, Ji Xun slowed down as he rounded the corner and told the mechanical-arm girl, "If we get targeted, leave me and run. I'll try to buy time. With your speed, you should be able to outrun the mercenaries. If I survive, come back for me."
The girl's eyes widened, thinking she misheard, "???"
What she hadn't said earlier was that if the monster targeted them, she'd want to help but wouldn't be able to.
But... what did he mean?
Did this guy think he could survive against the [Cursed Gambler]?
Where did his confidence come from?
Before she could ask more, Ji Xun explained his reasoning, "Since the mercenaries can't kill this [Cursed Gambler], we'll have to face it sooner or later, or face another monster. Exploring unknown areas carries risks just as high as facing this monster. It's good to let those mercenaries take the lead. Besides..."
"???"
The girl initially thought her temporary teammate was babbling out of fear. But his steady tone made her feel something was off.
Yet, thinking it over, she realized he had a point.
If the [Gambler] from the third floor could chase them, what about the more terrifying calamity on the fourth floor? Or others?
The exploration was only 30% complete; there were unseen dangers far worse than this [Gambling Dog].
In a battle royale, it was impossible to avoid all monsters by luck alone.
But now, if not running, what could they do?
The girl was conflicted.
After a pause, a barely noticeable mad glint crossed Ji Xun's eyes as he said, "Besides, I want to gamble too."