Non-Human Seeking Re-employment

As they already possessed 3000 chips, Fang Qi naturally wanted to leave this rotten place as soon as possible rather than having side issues arise.

Shen Dongqing, on the other hand, was calm. He raised the small basket in his hand and took out his phone, tapping a few times on the screen, doing something.

Fang Qi cautiously poked his head out and found that Shen Dongqing had opened the camera app.

Huh?

What was this for?

Perhaps Fang Qi's perplexity was too clear. "For commemoration," Shen Dongqing explained.

Fang Qi felt he had misheard and inquired hesitantly, "…Commemoration?"

Shen Dongqing: "This is the first time I've been robbed."

Following his remark, he pointed the front camera at himself and the players sprawled across the ground, and took a group photo.

Shen Dongqing nodded with satisfaction after inspecting the snapshot from various angles.

Fang Qi leaned in for a closer look. Although his photography skills were mediocre, they couldn't resist Shen Dongqing's natural foundation, so despite the fact that it was a casual shot, he looked wonderful in it.

Shen Dongqing grabbed a bunch of chips and pushed one into everyone's hands after taking a photo to keep as a souvenir.

Fang Qi was completely baffled by this conduct.

Shen Dongqing finished stuffing the last chip for the last person, straightened his waist, and smiled, "You have succeeded in the robbery."

The players were almost unable to continue holding the chips. Their lips moved, as if they wanted to declare they could replace all the chips he'd seized.

However, they were forced to accept the bitter fruit in tears due to the disparity in strength.

Shen Dongqing then generously spared the group of players on the ground and carried the small basket to where the chips were exchanged.

A young lady dressed in an OL suit sat at the counter. When she saw someone approaching, she spun around with a smile: "May I inquire as to what the guest wishes to put up as collateral? Our prices are absolutely fair. We'll not let our guests suffer losses."

This round of gambling had only been open for two days, and the young lady naturally assumed that Shen Dongqing was there to mortgage things in order to trade chips; she had no notion that players had already collected 3000 chips.

"Please look, one arm may be traded for fifty chips, and internal parts can be exchanged for one hundred chips," the young lady said softly in her thin voice as she took out a list and placed it on the counter enthusiastically.

Shen Dongqing: "No need."

When she saw the customer had not been duped, the young lady became anxious and responded quickly, "The first exchange of the day also receives a 5% bonus! There's no time to lose! If you don't grab the chance, it won't come again!"

Thunk—

Shen Dongqing interrupted the young lady by placing the small basket straight on the front desk.

She saw the chips in the small basket wobble and some spilled out.

The young lady was stunned: "This?"

Fang Qi said, "Here are the 3000 chips!"

The young lady had been a money changer for a long time, and she had never seen somebody acquire 3000 chips so quickly. She jumped up from her seat, startled.

She stared stupidly at the chips for a long time before reacting and stepping forward to count them.

She gave a number after a long period of counting. There were 3270 chips in total.

The young lady scribbled this amount in her notebook and stated, "There are 270 extra chips.  Do you want to trade them in for something else?"

"What are the rewards?" Shen Dongqing queried, leaning on the counter.

"Everything on this can be exchanged," the young lady said as she grabbed a flier from under the counter.

Shen Dongqing took the flier and examined it from top to bottom.

This flier had a lot of things on it, but if you looked closely, they were all useless.

"Oh, it's pretty cheap." Shen Dongqing turned to Zhou Wenyan and pointed to the flier, saying, "Fifty chips can buy a bunny girl."

"What do you want to buy one for?" Zhou Wenyan asked as he came over and took away the leaflet.

Shen Dongqing pondered for a moment: "Yeah, it's totally pointless. Forget about it."

The majority of the items on the list were showy and troublesome to exchange.

Given her inability to sell it, the young lady could only say: "In that case, I'll return the guests the 270 chips first. You can use them before you leave the casino."

Shen Dongqing gave a nod.

He eventually received three departure tickets and 270 chips from the cashier.

"Let's go play again!" he exclaimed, shoving the tickets into his pocket and clutching the chips.

Anyway, now that they had the tickets and could leave whenever they wanted, they weren't in a hurry and returned to the casino for another round.

Fang Qi's mentality had fully changed in less than half an hour. How gloriously fresh and pure the air was now, how wonderfully bright the lights were, and even those players who had previously shown bitter faces became amiable.

Shen Dongqing didn't care if he won or lost. He stood in front of the gambling table, just like a sancai boy, and made a bet without even looking.

But maybe his luck had finally turned. He kept betting and winning until he became tired of playing.

"It's so boring," said Shen Dongqing, holding the small basket of chips in his arms.

He turned his head after he finished speaking and found that the nearby players were looking at him with an immense bitterness and deep loathing kind of gaze.

Others were terrified and tense, but they were unable to win much. You've won a lot casually and you still say it's not fun?

Shen Dongqing took out the three tickets: "Let's go."

The tickets' appearance immediately drew the attention of others.

They had never seen the ticket before, but they knew at a glimpse that it was the key to exiting the casino.

Ca atf wbwfca, atf qijsfgr lc atf ibyys kfgf vlnlvfv lcab akb ugbeqr. Ycf qjgas kfca ab gby Vtfc Gbcudlcu yea kjr lcrafjv ibbafv, jcv atf batfg ugbeq vlv cba ajxf qjga lc atf jaafwqa.

Ktf qijsfgr ktb kfca ab gby Vtfc Gbcudlcu cbk vlvc'a vjgf ab ibbx ja tlw jujlc, yea atf ugbeq bo qijsfgr ktb vlvc'a ajxf qjga lc la tjv fnli lvfjr.

Those players exchanged glances before rising silently to follow him. They were completely unaware of what had occurred outside the casino. When they saw Shen Dongqing's conduct, they believed he was really fortunate to have won so much.

Shen Dongqing was about to leave the casino when he noticed a swarm of small tails following him.

Fang Qi was fully unaware of this and was eager to exit the casino. As a result, he was once again encircled by players before taking even two steps out.

This scene appeared to be rather familiar.

A hooked nose guy came out of this bunch of players: "Little brother, hand over your tickets, and we'll just…"

"Pfft!" Shen Dongqing laughed before he could continue his speech.

Hooked Nose: ?

Shen Dongqing covered his mouth and struggled to keep laughing: "You, you go on, it's all right."

Hooked Nose kept feeling that the mood was a little odd after such an interruption, and that continuing to talk like this was not acceptable, so he could only stiffly adjust his words: "Hand over the tickets!"

"The script is wrong," Shen Dongqing corrected earnestly.

Hooked Nose: "Who cares if you think it's right or wrong? Hand over the tickets and beat it!"

The voice fell, and the players beside him took an aggressive step forward, blocking Shen Dongqing and his party's escape.

Hooked Nose was on high alert. He looked towards the security guards standing at the door after he finished speaking, fearful that this group of NPCs would try to stop their actions.

Fortunately, the security guards remained still, albeit their expressions were odd. They undoubtedly wondered why this scene was being replayed so soon after they had just watched it.

Same start, same outcome.

The group of players only lasted three seconds in front of Shen Dongqing before collapsing to the ground.

Shen Dongqing stepped on the Hooked Nose, patted his hands leisurely, shook his head and stated, "Each new try is worse than the last."

The previous robbers were able to complete their script, but this group didn't even know their lines.

Hooked Nose covered the area where he had been pounded and sluggishly considered a point: "New try?"

The players watching the show next to him couldn't stop laughing.

When I'm unlucky, I don't feel anything, but when others are unlucky, of course I'm glad.

The security guards next to him were uninterested, having witnessed this spectacle twice in one night.

Shen Dongqing directed Fang Qi to cleanly plunder the chips from this group of players, and his small basket was once again tightly packed.

Fang Qi remained mystified: "We already have tickets, Brother Shen. What is the point of having so many chips?"

Shen Dongqing: "To reward."

Fang Qi: "Huh?"

Shen Dongqing: "It's good to reward the robbers."

He carried the basket and handed the chips to the slim man watching from the sidelines.

The thin man was flattered and a little scared to accept it. Even if he did take it, he was cautious. He raised the heavy basket, unsure what to say, and could only manage a few words: "I will be a good person in the future, and I will never steal again!"

Shen Dongqing was baffled: "What? I want to encourage you to work hard in the future and learn how to rob properly."

Skinny Guy: ?

Players lying on the ground: ?

Shen Dongqing taught seriously: "In the future, you'd better bullshit less and do it directly, or you won't be able to rob anything."

The thin man was a little dazed. Why did he feel something was fishy?

Shen Dongqing: "Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand," the slim man said immediately.

Shen Dongqing nodded in satisfaction.

He liked educating others the most!

After educating the thin man, Hooked Nose, who was lying on the ground, cried out unwillingly: "I can also learn. Why don't you just hand me the chips?"

Shen Dongqing shot him a glance at him: "Whoever robs will be robbed in the end."

Hooked Nose, who was not well-read, was confused and at a loss: "Please explain."

Shen Dongqing smiled slightly, exposing a small dimple on his cheek: "I will give it to whomever I like."

Hooked Nose: …

Shen Dongqing turned around and prepared to leave. He took a few steps and then had an idea. He turned to face the group of players who couldn't keep up with his rhythm and said: "What is the point of simply looting players? The counter over there is crammed with chips. They simply said that you are not permitted to rob the customers. Did they say you couldn't rob the counter staff?"

The players looked pensive.

It seemed like…they really hadn't.

After this mess, the players in the casino were dumbfounded, and so were the NPCs.

It took a long time for the casino's NPCs to set up this game. It took two days to warm up and let the players experience the horrors of the casino, and then throw out such a condition that they could leave after winning a thousand chips, then sit back and watch the players kill each other, and it would be great if there was a bloodbath.

The players were eager to leave the casino, but there were only 10,000 chips available. Those who did not want to be left behind could only rob other players until they reached 1000 and then depart the casino.

Originally, the current setup should have been the players guarding against each other while the NPCs watched on the sidelines.

Shen Dongqing's action unexpectedly woke up all the players, causing the NPCs' plan to fail.

To summarize, the entire casino was in disarray, the NPCs were at their wits' end, and the players intended to collaborate to rob Miss OL at the chip exchange counter.

Shen Dongqing, on the other hand, patted his butt and left, indifferent about the terrible mess he left behind.

Anyway, he was having fun and didn't care about anything else.

Using the ticket, Shen Dongqing boarded the bus and sat next to Zhou Wenyan. After casting a meaningful glance at them, Fang Qi looked for a corner, deciding it was best to pretend he didn't exist.

Shen Dongqing cocked his head and rested on Zhou Wenyan's shoulder.

Zhou Wenyan looked sideways at the person beside him: "Did you have fun?"

"Just so-so," Shen Dongqing said, grabbing Zhou Wenyan's finger and playing with it.

This casino was a little novel at first, but it quickly became boring.

He yawned and closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep," Zhou Wenyan whispered, lightly touching his forelock.

When he awoke from his nap, Shen Dongqing discovered he was not in the bus, but rather in a familiar room. In a daze, he opened his eyes to find Zhou Wenyan staring down at him.

In fact, ignoring some of Shen Dongqing's typical maneuvers, he actually looked cute.

A few strands of hair fell on his brow, and his eyelashes were curled and long, like a miniature fan, quietly quivering in response to his breathing. People wanted to kiss him when he fell asleep with his mouth slightly open.

Zhou Wenyan agreed, so he did just that. Shen Dongqing had no idea how many times he'd been kissed while sleeping.

So when Shen Dongqing awoke, he witnessed this scenario.

And he was quite serious about it.

In the light brown eyes, there appeared to be only one person.

"Mn?" Shen Dongqing raised his hand, hooked Zhou Wenyan's neck, leaned up and kissed him freely, then laid back and asked, nasally, "What are you staring at?"

Zhou Wenyan pushed down the man attempting to flee, deepened the kiss, and smiled as he stated, "I'm looking at you."

Shen Dongqing roused slightly more and turned his cheek to the side sheepishly: "To look at what I'm doing?"

Zhou Wenyan: "Just looking at my little darling."

Shen Dongqing blinked and hugged the pillow beside him.

Then he heard Zhou Wenyan say, "I want to eat something."

Shen Dongqing became enthralled as soon as he heard the words "eat something." He looked around and asked curiously, "Eat what?"

Zhou Wenyan kept him in suspense: "Guess?"

Shen Dongqing soon discovered what Zhou Wenyan wanted to "eat."

… … …

Zhou Wenyan had been looking forward to this meal for quite some time. He had previously been interrupted in the middle of a play, but now that he had a chance, he had to double the recompense.

A new day had arrived when he had finished eating and drinking his fill.

Shen Dongqing felt energized and vivacious after a sleep. "Do you think we'll be dragged to patch bugs again?" he asked, bouncing his legs as he lay on the table.

"It shouldn't be so fast," Zhou Wenyan said as he warmed a glass of milk and set it on the side.

Shen Dongqing grasped the glass in both hands and drank the milk in one go, gulp, gulp. He had a film of white "mustache" on his lips after setting down the glass.

When it came to eating, he was far too childlike.

Zhou Wenyan leaned in, kissed him, and assisted in cleaning the milk from his lips.

But it was lovely; he adored this side of Shen Dongqing.

After sampling his lips, Zhou Wenyan sat on the side: "But not necessarily."

Who knew what this stupid game would come up with.

After all, there were so many instances in the game. Maybe it would find a special game field with bugs again and then pull them in and trap them.

If there was a next time, they would not be so fortunate. After all, there was only one special prop card for "external aid," and there would be no more.

Shen Dongqing grew nervous upon hearing what he said: "What if I get stuck in a ravine next time?"

Not having food or drink was manageable, but without electricity, Internet, and entertainment, wouldn't it be similar to being imprisoned?

"As long as we enter other game instances, we'll be alright," Zhou Wenyan reassured.

Except for the already configured reminders, the game could not interfere with anything once the instance was launched.

That is, even if there were 180 bugs outside, the game couldn't cut them off halfway and drag them from a game instance.

Shen Dongqing nodded, only half-understanding, "Then let's hurry in."

Zhou Wenyan took out the black leather notebook.

Others may not find this prop valuable, but with it in their hands, they could easily and quickly pop out a copy of the token and go in to clear the instance.

The sole disadvantage was that high-level game instances had a very low token drop rate. So far, only a few low-level games have been harvested.

Zhou Wenyan opened the notebook, and it rattled before flipping over to one of the pages directly. It had something on it, and when he picked it up, it was a letter.

Letters were an old mode of communication. Modern folks seldom ever wrote anything, let alone letters.

Then the location where this letter was delivered must be backward and closed.

When Zhou Wenyan opened the letter, the handwriting was still legible.

[…Grandma's health is deteriorating rapidly. She's hoping to see you one last time… We still live at the same place in the village. Will you come back?

Inscription: Ah Ying]

An electric tricycle wobbled and drove on the country road.

Autumn had arrived. There were golden ears of wheat on both sides as far as the eye could see. The wind made a faint sound when it blew.

An elderly man with gray hair was riding the tricycle. The back seat had an old-fashioned radio playing sporadic sounds, but that didn't stop the old man from enjoying himself and singing at the top of his lungs.

Fizzzz—

Finally, this radio couldn't hold on. The singing voice vanished, leaving just the harsh electric noise.

The boy nearest to it felt uncomfortable listening to it, put up with it for a bit, then tried to turn off the radio when it didn't stop crackling. But because he didn't know anything about this old-fashioned facility, he just punched a few buttons blindly, and the static was silenced.

After a brief pause, the radio resumed its blaring. The boy tried to duplicate the trick, but before he could, a familiar game sound rang out in the buzzing.

[You have arrived in an ancient town.]

[Your identities are distinct, as are your objectives for visiting the ancient town. Please complete your task and leave the ancient town safely.]

[Please note: The mode of this round of games is slightly different from the previous ones. Not only are the players improving, but the game is also striving to learn. Requesting all players to experience the new mode for themselves. It could be easier than the earlier game fields, or it could kill you oh]

The way it said "oh" was just asking for a beating.

After saying a bunch of rubbish, the game system vanished, leaving only the radio to continue belting out Chinese opera.

The youth repeatedly swatted the radio in disbelief, but was unable to get the gaming system to return to explain it fully, and nearly smashed the radio, earning the elderly man's supercilious glare on the spot.

The youth was a little terrified by the sight of the old man, so he put down the radio and turned to face the other passengers in the electric tricycle.

After entering the game, the players were changed into ancient-style disguises. This procedure might be described as routine. Only a novice who had just arrived was taken aback, while the other players seemed unfazed.

The only difference was that the game had prepared personal belongings as well as an identity explanation, which was a little too considerate.

"I'm a private detective, and I'm here to investigate a disappearance eighteen years ago," the boy explained. "The missing person vanished in this ancient town." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's been eighteen years. I believe the leads will be cold…wait a second!"

He flipped through the identity description: "My skills are Tracking and Unlocking?"

The old players on the scene turned a little stupid.

Why was the game being so nice and assigning skills this time?

However, because the rookie girl was unaware of the circumstance, she accepted it faster than the older players: "Isn't this an RPG? Or even a TRPG? I'll check my character card…"

The girl went through her belongings: "I'm a recent graduate intern. Because the previous doctor was ill and unable to work, I was appointed to temporarily fill his position. So my skill is Healing, but as an intern, I can only handle non-fatal injuries."

Like a Nanny.

The girl exhaled a sigh of relief. No matter what game it was, everyone prioritized protecting the healer.

Another tall girl said: "My identity is that of a photographer. I came to photograph the scenery. My skills are Persuade and Library Utilization. Maybe it's because photographers work outside all year."

The three were identified as a detective, a doctor and a photographer.

They didn't seem to fit, yet they'd appeared on the same electric tricycle.

They looked at the other two people who had not said anything after they introduced themselves.

Wait…where did they get the ice cream in their hands?

The players were full of doubts.

Zhou Wenyan followed the crowd to introduce himself, holding the pink ice cream that didn't exactly fit his temperament: "My identity is that of an aborigine who left the ancient town at a young age to attend a university elsewhere. Because my grandmother recovered from a difficult illness, I have Affinity and Psychology skills."

The detective turned to face the person seated next to Zhou Wenyan.

Probably because he was assigned the identity of a detective, he could keenly sense the unusual relationship between the two.

Crunch, crunch. "I'm his boyfriend, and we came back together," Shen Dongqing replied vaguely after taking two bites of the crisp waffle cone surrounding the ice cream.

The game did not play a trick on him this time, and assigned him a normal identity.

"Skills…" Shen Dongqing glanced at his character card. "Empty? I don't have any skills!"

Players: ?

Was it a BUG?

The electric tricycle came to a halt at this point, and the old guy yelled, "Here we are!"

This was a secluded ancient settlement that had not been eroded by modern civilization. It looked like a scroll of Jiangnan ink wash painting.

The town's buildings were entirely white-walled and black-tiled, with bluestone streets. The only thing that stood out was a bright temple halfway up a distant mountainside. The temple appeared blurry as white mist drifted up in spirals.

The players all gazed at the temple at the same time as they heard the game prompt again.

[You seem to have detected something. You need to pass an Investigation Check.]

The old players who had long been accustomed to fleeing once the game finished providing the key information of the instance: ?

But the intern girl reacted quickly: "We're simply role-playing. In the game, throwing dice determines whether you acquire clues or fight monsters." After she finished speaking, she looked suspiciously at the old players who stood there with confused faces, "How come you don't know anything?"

Old players: …

They had no idea that this stupid game could be upgraded to learn as well!

***

The author has something to say: I've been very interested in TRPGs recently, so I let Xiao Dongqing go in and play. There are many magical changes that I beg TRPG bosses to ignore!

Translator:

Dear US readers, Happy Independence Day!