Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Life is Full of Surprises

After Wang Xi hit something good on his ten-pull, he didn’t continue drawing Cards. He’d heard from Brother Xun that luck is a conserved quantity.

You either throw a hundred thousand in for nothing...

...or you throw a hundred thousand in and summon a windfall.

Faced with the choice between splurging and suicide, he chose to quit while he was ahead.

Bai Qimeng, however, seemed to be a firm believer in gacha superstitions, so she goaded Lin Xin’Er into going up to pad the pull count.

The result?

The girl did a ten-pull and hit something good, too.

DING DONG DING DONG!

The rainbow-colored ring of fire shot out pillars of light.

Nine white, one green.

After scanning, the haul consisted of eight junk Cards, one White Two Stars full-body armor, and one Green One Star Silver-Plated Firearm.

Some were happy, and some were sad.

The happy one was, naturally, Lin Xin’Er. That set of armor was perfect for her; it would make her reckless charges even more potent. If she had been wearing it during her fight with the Demon King Cat earlier, she wouldn’t have had such a rough and dangerous time.

And although she couldn’t use the Silver-Plated Firearm, it would sell for a good price—all in all, it was a profit.

Under Bai Qimeng’s gloomy stare, Lin Xin’Er fought back a smile and carefully put the Cards away.

Then, she took a sealed bag of dirt, dug up from who knows where, from her backpack and sprinkled it on the ground.

Then she stood on it.

The sword wound on her left arm began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye... Only then did Wang Xi remember that back in the third round of the assessment, Lin Xin’Er had drawn a Green Function Card in the Maze: Mushroom Physique.

As long as she was in a moist, earthy environment, her wounds would heal faster.

’She can use it like that?’

Wang Xi was amazed.

Carrying a bag of soil was like having a first-aid kit, and the effect was instantaneous.

’It must only work like this because the wound isn’t deep. If the injury were any more severe, she’d be better off getting buried in the dirt for good...’ he thought to himself.

At that moment, Bai Qimeng heaved a long sigh and spoke.

"I had you two pad the numbers for me, so how did you both end up hitting good pulls?"

She gritted her teeth and took out an Artificial White Card.

"Hmph, good thing I came prepared!"

A white light flashed.

A small, flip-top metal case the size of a shoebox appeared before Bai Qimeng. It had a matte, brushed silver finish and looked like a high-end lockbox for valuables.

She bent down and turned the dials on the combination lock a few times, the metal tumblers making a crisp clicking sound.

The moment the lid popped open—

WHOOSH!

A deep purple light suddenly leaped out, flowing through the air as if it had a life of its own.

Wang Xi’s pupils contracted, and his breath caught in his throat.

A whole case of Magic Stone Ingots!

Each was a standard 200-gram piece, its sharply cut facets reflecting an uncanny light. They looked like dormant purple hearts, beating in an orderly rhythm inside the box.

"Miss Bai, how much Magic Stone is in that box?"

Wang Xi asked cautiously, unable to guess.

Bai Qimeng put her hands on her hips and scoffed.

"20 jin."

"..."

Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er looked at each other.

jin. That was 10 kilograms.

A full 100 pulls.

Over a million.

It’s so damn good to be rich!

This was the third time today that Wang Xi had screamed this in his head.

"I refuse to believe that after I throw this whole box of Magic Stones at it, I won’t even hear a single meow!"

Bai Qimeng snorted coldly.

"Meow—"

A cat’s meow suddenly sounded nearby.

She and Lin Xin’Er whipped their heads around, only to see Wang Xi meowing as he furtively bent over and picked up the box.

"..."

The two women fell silent.

"What are you doing?" Bai Qimeng asked ominously.

"I’m just checking to make sure it’s the full weight."

Wang Xi turned his head and gave a brilliant smile.

"There are a lot of scammers these days, Miss Bai. I’m worried you got cheated."

"So, did your inspection turn up anything?"

Bai Qimeng said with a nod.

Wang Xi scanned it with his monitor watch, which beeped, and then he cried out in alarm.

"It’s only 19 jin!"

Lin Xin’Er hesitated at the side, then spoke up:

"Wang Xi, why is your pocket bulging like that?"

"..."

"Oh." Wang Xi pulled Magic Stone Ingot after Magic Stone Ingot from his bulging pocket and put them back in the box. "I was wondering. Turns out they fell into my pocket."

"No discrepancy now. It’s exactly 20 jin."

"Alright, that’s enough."

Bai Qimeng rolled her eyes.

She extended her arms, opened her hands and said:

"Come, give me your hands."

"What for?"

"To soak up some of your good luck, of course!"

Bai Qimeng said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er each extended a hand and placed it in her palm.

There was no helping it. She was the boss, after all.

Next, Bai Qimeng held their hands and walked straight to the ring of fire.

"Xin’Er, help me put in the Magic Stones!"

"Boss, how much?"

"Let’s start with twenty pulls."

"Got it."

Lin Xin’Er stepped forward. With one hand held by Bai Qimeng, she used the other to take ten Magic Stone Ingots in succession from the box Wang Xi was holding and tossed them into the ring of fire.

DING DONG DING DONG!

The fiery ring spun and shot out pillars of light.

Twenty white orbs in a row.

"Damn it! How could this be?!"

Bai Qimeng took a deep breath and spoke through gritted teeth.

She couldn’t even be bothered to collect the twenty White Cards floating before her, instead urging Lin Xin’Er to keep feeding in resources.

"Keep going!"

"Okay, Boss."

Another ten Magic Stone Ingots were thrown in.

DING DONG DING DONG.

However, the twenty orbs of light spat out by the fiery ring were still the same ghastly white.

"Keep going! Put them all in this time!"

"Okay, Boss..."

Lin Xin’Er agreed, but she looked up at Wang Xi. He immediately understood the meaning in her eyes, flipped the box over, and gave it a shake.

Instantly, the remaining thirty Magic Stone Ingots inside clattered out and rolled into the ring of fire.

DING DONG DING DONG!

The fiery ring flashed, erupting violently.

Dazzling motes of rainbow light danced across their faces. Bai Qimeng’s beautiful eyes shone, her face full of anticipation.

...

...

"Waaaah! I don’t want to live anymore!!"

Bai Qimeng beat her chest and stomped her feet before plopping down on the ground.

"Why..."

Her face was a picture of dejection as she held a thick stack of White Universal Cards.

A full hundred pulls.

All White Cards.

Not even a speck of green to be seen.

"Is my luck really that bad?!"

Bai Qimeng looked up at the two of them.

"But I definitely soaked up your good luck!"

"Is it possible," Wang Xi began cautiously, "that Miss Xin’Er and I already used up all our luck on our ten-pulls?"

"So I soaked up your bad luck instead?!"

Bai Qimeng shot to her feet.

She grabbed Wang Xi by the collar again, shaking him back and forth as she lamented in anguish:

"I will never forgive you! Never!"

"Hey, don’t you still have a bag of Magic Stones?"

"...Oh, right."

Reminded by Wang Xi, Bai Qimeng finally recalled that she hadn’t touched her bag of loot yet.

She let go, her face showing pleasant surprise.

As if seizing her last chance at a different future, a final flicker of hope ignited in her heart. She rushed to the fiery ring and dumped all the Magic Stones from her leather pouch into it.

DING DONG DING DONG!

The fiery ring began to spin again.

VMMMM—

A perfectly neat and tidy row of twenty-two white lights.

"I don’t want to live anymore!!"

Bai Qimeng collapsed onto the ground again, her face twisting into a mask of pure agony as she began to wail.

"..."

Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er looked at each other, and once again saw the familiar look of pity on the other’s face.

Suddenly, Bai Qimeng stopped wailing.

She whipped her head around to stare at them and said ominously:

"I remember, you two still have Magic Stones..."

"Miss Bai, it’s already been a hundred and twenty pulls,"

Wang Xi said in alarm.

"Even if you add our twenty pulls, what difference will it make? Life is full of surprises. It’s time to stop."

"You’re right."

Bai Qimeng stood up, put away the stack of White Cards, and then, rallying her spirits, her confident expression returned.

"Life is full of surprises. Who knows, maybe your twenty pulls will be the ones that hit!"

"..."

Wang Xi’s expression froze.

’She’s hopeless.’

’A lost cause.’

He sighed, preparing to offer up his own bag of Magic Stones and let her continue chasing her dream.

A loud bang suddenly sounded.

KABOOM!!

The three of them quickly ran out of the small wooden cabin.

Looking up, they saw that a large hole, several meters wide, had been blown open in the mesh fence wall on one side of the Iron Cage Theater!

Metal fragments and brick dust flew everywhere!

"Hm?!"

Bai Qimeng looked surprised.

"The intel said the barrier wall in the theater stage was supposed to be indestructible. How..."

"It probably can’t be destroyed from the inside,"

Wang Xi said after a moment of thought.

"This *Circus* scenario requires a ticket to enter the corresponding stage. You can’t leave before the battle is over, nor can you break the fence or the gate to escape."

"But that hole over there was clearly destroyed by an external force."

Bai Qimeng paused, then nodded, saying that made sense. Her gaze remained fixed on the dust-shrouded hole.

It was as if she was trying to discern what had happened.

Just then,

a terrified cry came from within the dust:

"Help!!"

It was a young man’s voice.

All three of them recognized the voice. It seemed to belong to that young streamer who had entered the Maze with them earlier, the one called Liu something-Jie.

However, none of them made a rash move.

Maze scenarios were complex and unpredictable; humanity had yet to fully unravel their mysteries. How could they be sure this sudden accident wasn’t a trap? What if the owner of that voice was some kind of monster in disguise?

Better to be safe than sorry.

Bai Qimeng silently put on her rabbit mask, and Wang Xi’s eyes turned into yellow horizontal pupils.

"It’s definitely that guy."

Through the dust and smoke, Bai Qimeng let out a soft sound of surprise.

"He’s not dead, but his injuries are serious."

"Should we go rescue him?"

Wang Xi asked with a nod.

In his vision, there was only a single red line within the swirling dust, indicating a heartbeat that was pulsing violently.

"Since we’ve run into him, we can’t just watch him die,"

Bai Qimeng’s voice came out as a girlish, mechanical tone.

"You two go check the situation first, my transformation takes a bit of time... Also, be careful."

"Yes, Boss."

"Okay."

Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er moved at the same time.

The dust had gradually dispersed, and behind the torn-open fence, a young man covered in blood was lying face down.

Hearing the urgent footsteps, the young man struggled to raise his head. When he saw Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er, his face lit up with the joyous relief of a survivor.

But soon, his expression changed slightly, and he shouted hoarsely:

"Watch out!"

SHIIING—

A sharp, ear-piercing sound cut through the air toward them.

Lin Xin’Er’s pretty brows furrowed slightly, and she threw a punch.

POW!!

An explosion of air rang out.

She seemed to have shattered some kind of invisible projectile with her fist, unleashing a powerful gust of wind.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Even with Lin Xin’Er’s impressive Physique, she was knocked back several steps before she could regain her footing.

"It’s the Magician’s vocal mimicry act..."

Liu Wenjie said in a grave voice.

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