“Gamble with lives?
Like underground boxing, where you sign a life-and-death contract?”

“No, of course not that kind. Boss, I can guarantee you've never seen anything like it.”

The old Taoist became interested. He'd spent half his life wandering, a veteran of the streets. Despite his Taoist robes and being from a family with a long Taoist lineage, he'd seen all sorts of shady things and unorthodox practices.

He hadn't eaten pork, but he'd certainly seen pigs run.

“Heh, tell me about it. I really don't believe I haven't seen it.”

The old Taoist elegantly lifted his robe.

“Just so you know, the minimum investment here is fifty thousand,” the man said, looking at the old Taoist. “You don't have to worry about me cheating you out of your money. We're a big operation now, very big. And we just take a cut, so whether you win or lose, our platform makes a steady profit.”

The old Taoist snorted, clearly unwilling to spend the money.

He'd done his fair share of swindling and deception and was naturally unwilling to be pecked in the eye by a sparrow in his old age. Besides, he was very fond of his money.

“I'm interested,” Zhou Ze suddenly said.

Yes,

he was interested.

Whether it was the old woman from last night,

or the good policeman he'd sent to hell,

they had both mentioned the term "gamble with lives" to him, directly or indirectly.

Zhou Ze really wanted to see what this gamble with lives was all about.

Five or six souls had already entered hell because of this "gamble with lives" thing,

so,

what kind of game was it?

The man glanced at Zhou Ze, who was sitting there looking sickly.

His disdain was obvious.

He was handsome, quite good-looking,

but he looked like a bookstore clerk.

You're interested?

Heh,

do you have money?

He didn't say it outright,

but his expression and eyes made it clear.

You look broke,

I've seen enough people to know, can I be wrong?

Zhou Ze licked his lips,

wanting to smile to ease the awkwardness,

but then felt that smiling now, with Bai Yingying and the old Taoist present, might be even more awkward;

but this feeling of not knowing whether to smile or not

was even more awkward…

And then,

how annoying,

I really want to send you to hell,

how dare you make me feel awkward!

Seeing his boss's expression turn sour, the old Taoist's heart immediately skipped a beat.

As a veteran Taoist who had served two "ghost bosses," he had plenty of experience sucking up to ghosts!

Immediately,

he slammed his hand on the table

and said directly:

“Damn it, it's just fifty thousand, a drop in the bucket, no problem at all;

Stop looking down on people, I'll transfer the money to you. I'm not afraid of you trying to trick me.

Anyone who dares to trick me,

I have ways to send him to hell!”

The old Taoist smiled, revealing his white teeth.

“Alright, going to hell is fine.” The man took out his phone. “I'll open an account for you first, then you can put the money in.”

The man didn't think anything of the threat of going to hell. He assumed the old Taoist was using underworld slang, meaning if you dare to cheat me, I'll have you taken care of.

He probably never dreamed

that in this bookstore,

helping people go to hell

was a real source of income.

“Open two accounts. I'll transfer you a hundred thousand.”

The old Taoist transferred the money without hesitation and then moved closer to Zhou Ze, grinning as he invited the boss to see what this gamble with lives game was all about.

He wasn't really afraid that this guy would try to cheat them.

As the saying goes,

it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with the little devils.

Of course, he couldn't say those words to the boss, or he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

Unfortunately, the old Taoist didn't know that he'd already been flirting with death several times these past two days, first by actively volunteering to help Zhou Ze scrub his back, then by gifting him the electric wheelchair, and then by playing with mud.

“Where did you get so much money?”

Zhou Ze asked.

“The rebroadcast, there were a lot of donations yesterday,” the old Taoist explained.

There's something wrong with this world,

really wrong!

Even Zhou, usually so calm and collected, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

His neighbor, Xu Qinglang, was rich,

his maid was rich,

his wife was rich,

and now,

the old Taoist he took in could easily come up with a hundred thousand!

And then there was him, still in debt.

The man was happy to have brought in two more customers and immediately turned the laptop around, starting to explain the details and gameplay, while saying:

“Don't worry, this game is absolutely thrilling. This is a high-end game for the truly wealthy because in this game, you can gamble with lives and determine fates.

How about it,

do you feel like you're a grim reaper?”

The man cracked what he thought was a witty joke.

The old Taoist's mouth twitched.

“Heh,” Zhou Ze said.

…………

“Boss, we really should have brought Bai Yingying. It's easier for her to take care of you.”

This time, the old Taoist was very self-aware. He let Zhou Ze walk forward with his cane without foolishly offering to carry him on his back again.

“If she comes, there'll be no one to watch the bookstore,” Zhou Ze replied.

“Ah, isn't there Miss Tang?”

“She's watching the store?”

Zhou Ze looked at the old Taoist,

the old Taoist looked at Zhou Ze,

and both silently shook their heads.

Alright,

no need to say more,

everything is understood.

Just imagine Miss Tang Shi watching the store alone.

If a grumpy customer came in shouting for coffee or demanding to buy a book and hurrying her along,

a pen might fly over and turn him into a human honeycomb.

“Boss, be careful ahead, it's a bit bumpy.”

Zhou Ze leaned on his cane, looking around.

This was a location in Tong City's urban area, not very remote, but a bit far from the city center, and in an old district. Several small clinics and hospitals were open here, and there were also many hostels.

Of course, these small hospitals didn't look very legitimate.

There weren't many people on the streets, and if your nose was sensitive, you could smell disinfectant. Overall, the place gave off an uncomfortable vibe.

“The address is this way, right?” Zhou Ze said.

“Yes, it should be here.”

The two walked into the alley together. The alley was a world of its own, with many doors opening onto it. Zhou Ze and the old Taoist knocked on a door with the number 203 on it.

Soon, a middle-aged man opened the door, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his eyes scrutinizing Zhou Ze and the old Taoist.

“Show me the account,” the middle-aged man said.

“Here.” The old Taoist handed him his phone.

The man checked it, nodded, and smiled. “You've already placed your bets? You bet without even seeing it?”

“That's why we came to take a look,” the old Taoist explained.

“Alright, come in.”

The middle-aged man stepped aside, coughed, spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground, and then wiped his snot with the back of his hand.

Zhou Ze and the old Taoist walked inside. It was cramped, with a spring bed, and several instruments were placed beside the bed, a bit like a hospital's intensive care unit, but much simpler.

At the same time, two cameras were placed in the corner of the wall, monitoring every corner of the room without blind spots.

An old man was lying there, very thin, like a mummy lying under a pyramid, his skin even turned dark brown.

A bed,

an old man,

profoundly interpreting the idiom - like a candle flickering in the wind.

On the bedside table, there was half a bowl of thin porridge.

The old man squinted his eyes, occasionally opening them, but he didn't pay attention to Zhou Ze and the old Taoist who came in. He seemed to have gotten used to it. People should often come in to see him like this.

Come to see him,

to see when he would die.

He was the bet of many people.

Many people had already placed bets online, betting on how long this old man could live.

A month? Two months? Three months?

The odds were different every period of time, like playing football lottery.

At the same time, during this period, the old man would not be allowed to receive any treatment. The instruments here were only to monitor the old man's physical condition. The data would be made into a data sheet and uploaded to the platform every day for those who bet and those who were about to bet to see and analyze.

At the same time, those who placed bets had the right to come and see the old man's condition in person.

After all, superficial knowledge is shallow, to truly understand, you must practice.

Absurd?

No,

not absurd.

The old man was looking at the wall clock.

In the position on the wall he could see when he opened his eyes, there was an electronic clock, showing the date and time.

On him,

Zhou Ze saw a hint of the old woman's expression from last night.

“Boss, what disease does he have?” The old Taoist knew that Zhou Ze used to be a doctor and should be able to see it accurately.

“Cancer, late stage,” Zhou Ze replied.

“Oh, a terminal illness.”

“It's a terminal illness, but if treated properly, it can actually prolong life, and at the very least, reduce some pain.”

Obviously, this old man would not receive any treatment, because the platform rules had already stated that it would be a breach of contract if he received any treatment.

“Have you seen enough, you two?”

The man walked over with a bowl of instant noodles in his hand.

“Let's go,” Zhou Ze said.

“Go?” The old Taoist was a little confused.

How could they just leave?

Damn it,

save him!

This is really gambling with lives!

Just let everyone watch him die in public!

“What's the point of not leaving? He knows what we're here to do.” Zhou Ze pointed to the old man.

Obviously,

the old man knew he had been abandoned,

and,

he understood what Zhou Ze and the old Taoist were doing here every day.

Just like that old woman,

he understood everything.

Even,

they were cooperating themselves.

Like that old woman, who kept holding on to live until that day, this was her obsession, which led her to not realize she was dead and became a wandering soul in the bookstore.

“This…………”

The old Taoist still felt guilty, but he followed the boss out anyway.

Walking to the door,

the middle-aged man leaned against the wall, slurping his instant noodles, and shouted, “Hey, want to know some inside information?”

“What inside information?” The old Taoist turned his head and asked.

The middle-aged man rubbed his fingers,

the meaning was obvious, if you want inside information, you have to spend more money.

“You can add more bets, it's actually worth it.”

The man kindly reminded them.

“Hey, who are you to him? Why should we believe you?” The old Taoist retorted.

In his opinion, the man was just a doorman, that is, a caregiver.

“I also placed a bet.”

The man took a sip of the noodle soup and pointed to the room with his mouth,

said:

“He's my dad.”