The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4766 The Next Stage Begins (Part 2)

Chapter 4766 The Next Stage Begins (Part 2)

The agent's second skill is running, or more accurately, a launch start. When the ghost is within a certain range of him, he can start at double the speed. And if attacked by the ghost, this multiplier can even increase to three times, making it practically a teleportation.

The third skill is lockpicking; basically, he can open any door he encounters, regardless of whether it's locked or not. Most interestingly, he can create lock traps. Locks he's picked will spray a corrosive liquid, slowing down the ghost's speed—a kind of soft control skill, perfect for door-based tactics.

The key to this skill set lies in their racial traits. In the previous round, their racial trait was that of humans, which allowed them to recover a certain amount of sanity when they gathered together. However, since they couldn't gather together and had very limited time to talk to other humans, it didn't have much of an effect.

However, this racial trait almost completely changed the gameplay. All five players had the "Gambler" trait, and this new racial trait introduced a brand new system: the economic system.

Each gambler starts with five chips. These chips can be used to start a game at different gaming tables or on different machines. During the game, they can acquire various items and key clues.

If you run out of chips but still want to gamble, you can find a chip exchange machine and exchange your possessions for chips. These possessions include valuable items found in the casino, as well as your own blood—you can exchange blood and wounds for chips.

If all goes well, there should be five seal-like items this time as well. Completing them all results in the gambler's victory; otherwise, the house, Arkham Batman, wins. Items obtained from the gambling games and machines will be beneficial for completing the mission.

This is equivalent to adding a shop to the game of tag, where you can search for money on the map to buy things and exchange for various items to strengthen yourself, making it much richer than before.

The detective read the description once and understood the gist of it. If all went as expected, these gambling games and machines would likely be placed in some rather dangerous location, meaning they'd have to gamble while simultaneously guarding against ghosts trying to capture them. That was certainly a heart-pounding experience.

However, with his running skill, he could launch himself into the air when the ghost appeared. He knew that the map of this game could never have a completely dead end; if a window didn't lead out, there were at least two doors.

In reality, aside from some private rooms upstairs, there are practically no places where you can block off a door and prevent everyone from leaving. Casinos aren't exactly safe, and if a hostage situation occurs, having the robbers block the door would be a huge problem. Places like staff lounges or kitchens usually have at least two or three doors.

The agent thought for a moment. There was an advantage to being born in the lobby on the first floor: there weren't many small rooms, and most areas offered a wide view. Using his launch start, he could kite the hunter and buy time for his teammates.

Thinking this, the detective left the restroom. He walked down the corridor and cautiously glanced into the lobby. This wasn't a brand-new casino; the entire lobby looked like it had been swept by a tornado. Not only were chandeliers knocked down, but tables and chairs were overturned, various gambling equipment was scattered all over the floor, and the lighting was very dim.

This made the detective hesitate, because poor visibility would increase the risk of him escaping. He needed to familiarize himself with the terrain to ensure he wouldn't get caught.

The hall was enormous, at least half the size of a football field, and seemed to stretch endlessly. It had various levels, including sunken circular areas and elevated sections, seemingly to differentiate between different games. There was also a buffet and drinks area, which was where the detective had come out.

The detective had barely stepped forward when he heard a noise coming from the stairs behind him. He rolled silently behind the dessert table and cautiously peered out, only to see an extremely tall figure descending the stairs.

The agent gasped inwardly. He hadn't usually felt this intimidating about Arkham Batman. Arkham Batman was indeed incredibly strong, a true giant among the entire Batman League. Coupled with his metal armor, which was far thicker than any other Batman, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

But the guy who stepped down looked like a giant. The sound of his armor scraping against each other was sickening, and his eyes, shrouded in the shadow of his bat mask, gleamed with a blood-red light.

"No, is this right?" the agent silently cursed the game planner in his mind. While asymmetrical gameplay is supposed to buff the side with fewer players, didn't you consider that Batman is already an overpowered monster in real life? Buffing him? Does that even make the game playable?

The agent mentally grumbled. However, because he reacted very quickly and the two were far enough apart, Arkham Batman didn't see him and walked towards the other side of the stairs.

The agent certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to shoot him at this point. It wasn't a question of whether he could kill him, or even wound him. Whether the bullets from that small pistol could even penetrate his armor was a serious question mark.

The agent sighed. He'd thought the script was going to be a 007 movie, but now it looked like a battle against aliens. Where's Superman? Superman, please save us!

Superman arrived just as expected. Or rather, his voice arrived before he did. A scream came precisely from the other side of the hall. It seems Superman couldn't dodge as quickly as the agents.

But then another flash of red light appeared, almost illuminating the entire hall. The agent looked over in surprise. Wait, what's with the laser eyes? This is really like Alien vs. Predator!

Just as the detective was hesitating whether to go to the rescue, a loud shout rang out: "Stop!"

The detective looked over in shock. Was he playing a game of tag? Shouldn't this be a variation of hide-and-seek? Why was someone actually fighting a ghost head-on?!

And it actually happened. There was a loud "bang," followed by a series of very rapid footsteps; it was unclear who was hitting whom. Anyway, the detective, hiding behind the dessert table, saw two dark figures dart past in a flash. The taller figure followed shortly after.

Then came another loud "bang," and a table was overturned, blocking Arkham Batman's path. This time, the agents saw clearly that Matt, who was running ahead, had struck Arkham Batman with a club, knocking him unconscious.

The detective covered his forehead. "Attorney Ma, you're really brave. He's dressed like that, and you still dare to go up and hit him???"

Wait, Matt can't see. Even if he had the ability to sense things, without eyes, he couldn't perceive certain atmospheres, so naturally he wouldn't be afraid. Batman's strategy of portraying himself as an embodiment of fear to intimidate criminals is useless against him; it's just throwing a wink at a blind man.

Batman from Arkham also discovered that Matt's staff technique seemed to be able to chain attacks, meaning it would get faster the more he hit. The more he chased, the more Matt would use him to rack up combos, making him easier to hit. Although the ghost was invincible and couldn't be killed, taking hits was a complete waste of time.

Batman from Arkham stopped chasing after the enemy. He paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed to see something and walked straight in one direction.

The agent had a bold idea. Since he had a launch start, why not follow him and see what Arkham Batman was looking for?

He acted immediately. He silently followed behind Arkham Batman, who seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. He may have noticed him, but he didn't pay any attention to him.

They crossed the hall, first arriving at the dining room on the other side, and then from there to the kitchen. The kitchen was brightly lit, clearly with its own individual lighting, which is why the agents spotted Lucifer playing the slot machines there at a glance.

Although he didn't know where the slot machine in the kitchen came from, or how Lucifer could have such leisure time, the agent knew that if he didn't save Lucifer, he would die on the spot.

As Arkham Batman entered the room, Lucifer finally caught sight of him, but it was too late. Arkham Batman was only three meters away from Lucifer, practically face to face.

Lucifer turned around, gasped, and tried to run. But Arkham Batman had already made his move; though it was unclear what weapon he was using, his hand was already raised. The agent rushed into the kitchen, gun in hand.

"boom!"

Arkham Batman was stunned for a second after being hit and staggered in the opposite direction from which the bullet came. Lucifer took the opportunity to dodge to the side and then quickly ran behind the island platform.

A flash of red light appeared in Lucifer's eyes. Suddenly, several ghostly hands appeared beneath Arkham Batman's feet, tripping him up. Lucifer seized the opportunity to slip out of the kitchen through the side door, shouting to the agent, "Run!"

The agent ran faster than anyone else. He ran straight out the door he'd come in through, still marveling at how this casino was a gathering of heroes, a veritable den of wolves and tigers. A Predator with gleaming eyes, a Double-Cardred Red Stick immune to the aura of fear, and now, a Satan who could use magic. And himself? He was just an ordinary agent whose skill was running.

However, the agent was also a little puzzled. Batman's skills didn't seem very strong. Was his only scary appearance?

But he quickly forgot about that, because he spotted a table emitting a faint glow. This must be the place where the gambling games could be played. The agent looked around; it was a side hall next to the main hall, seemingly used for holding events. This table was in the far corner, and it looked like it was playable.

With the launcher in hand, the agent wasn't too worried about Arkham Batman coming after him, so he simply walked over and tossed in a chip. The game started instantly.

This time they were playing blackjack. However, the chair opposite him seemed to have been pulled out of thin air, as if a ghost was sitting across from him playing. He could only see the cards, not the person.

The agent had a 7 and an 8 in hand, totaling 15. This number was a bit awkward; drawing another would easily lead to a bust, but not drawing any would leave the hand too low. The agent gritted his teeth and decided to draw another card. He drew a 10, and unsurprisingly, he busted. The opposing team easily won the game.

The good news is that the game allows for a best-of-three format; the bad news is that the agent didn't win a single round and quickly lost a chip.

Not only him, but Lucifer, who had also found a slot machine, and Matt, who had also found a gambling table to play Texas Hold'em, all stared grimly at the blood-red word "failure" in their field of vision.

But Arkham Batman wore a knowing smile. In his vision, the first skill extended three red lines, firmly attached to three brightly lit machines.

"Presidential Decree: The President orders casino officials to lower the odds of winning in gambling. At the same time, up to three gambling facilities will be linked, increasing their odds of losing by 50%. All chips lost by gamblers while using these facilities will be converted into 'Presidential Prestige,' with each chip adding 10 points."

A battle of wits and courage