Chapter 16: Bet Agreement

"Hahaha, Captain Qin really is a smart person; chatting with someone like you is truly easy and pleasant."

Charlie's tone was full of ease and casualness, as if the conversation between the two was just a friendly afternoon tea,

"I don't need you to pay any price—money, supplies, not even a single soldier. I just want to make a simple yet thrilling bet with you, adding an unpredictable hue to the upcoming challenge."

"Bet?" Qin Meng's brows flickered with curiosity.

"Yes, exactly a bet."

Charlie's tone revealed a sense of having the victory in the bag as he said:

"Your Dragon Nation's Life-or-Death Duel third round is about to begin. Not to hide it from you, your opponent is our Beautiful Nation. And I am willing to add another wager on top of this challenge."

"If you win this contest, I will not only tell you for free who the mastermind behind the Summoned Creature attack is, but also give you an extra match!"

An extra match—right now Dragon Nation's score against the other nations is two to zero. In other words, once you accept the Bet Agreement and Dragon Nation defeats Beautiful Nation, the score will become four to zero!

"How about it! My terms are very tempting, right!"

"State your terms?"

A warning bell rang loudly in Qin Meng's mind; he knew Charlie must have some hidden agenda,

Who knows what mischief these foreigners are holding back; they might easily plant a trap within the Bet Agreement.

Charlie pretended to be relaxed as he said:

"It's not a particularly outrageous request—just a slight adjustment to the winning criteria of the match, adding some suspense to this duel. If your people cannot completely crush our Summoned Creature within three minutes, then the match counts as a loss for Dragon Nation. Conversely, as long as you achieve victory within the time limit, Dragon Nation will be the winner."

"How does that sound? Doesn't this condition seem quite fair?"

Charlie's mouth curved, as if everything was firmly in his grasp,

"Giving away a match and revealing who the mastermind is—no matter how you look at it, this deal is a sure profit for you."

Qin Meng fell silent for a moment, not rushing to reply, but then turned the conversation:

"The rules of the Divine Ghost Killing Arena cannot be altered at our discretion."

"Of course," Charlie chuckled lightly, seeming to have anticipated Qin Meng's reaction,

"So I specifically had an in‑depth talk with the Chief Mysterious Judge. To make the match even more spectacular, he ultimately agreed to my proposal. Now we just await your final answer."

"How about it? This invitation is full of sincerity—will you accept or decline?"

Charlie's gaze was full of anticipation, seeming confident about Dragon Nation's decision.

Either of these two options,

holds incalculable value for Dragon Nation.

However, defeating the Beautiful Nation's carefully selected,

summoned creature likely possessing astonishing defensive power, is a daunting challenge for anyone within just three minutes.

On this point, Qin Meng was not completely confident,

and his gaze involuntarily shifted to Zhang Cheng beside him.

Zhang Cheng pondered, his fingers lightly rubbing his chin, his eyes flashing with thoughtful light.

The time‑based win‑or‑lose rule on the arena is quite rare; Beautiful Nation daringly proposed such a condition,

clearly having made ample preparations,

they do not hope to defeat Dragon Nation directly, but instead count on the summoned creature's superb defensive ability,

to stubbornly drag through this crucial three minutes.

Zhang Cheng furrowed his brows, contemplating for a moment.

Indecisive, he decided to ask the System inside his body for help.

He closed his eyes, his spirit stirred, and soon the System's surprised voice rang out,

"What? A Summoned Creature with extremely high defense?"

The System's tone revealed a hint of astonishment.

"Isn't that a living target? What are you even worried about?"

The words, laced with mockery, instantly eased Zhang Cheng's mind.

Yeah! That's exactly a live target! What am I even worried about.

Zhang Cheng's mind suddenly cleared, and an effortless confident smile tugged at his mouth.

"Captain Qin, agree to him."

Qin Meng was not entirely without concerns; he looked up at Zhang Cheng, a trace of worry appearing in his eyes.

"Mr. Zhang, are you really confident?"

Zhang Cheng casually spread his hands, a faint serene smile at his mouth, his composure making it impossible not to be convinced.

"Don't worry, absolutely no problem. It's just about dealing with the opponent within three minutes, right? Simple."

Qin Meng nodded after hearing that, choosing to trust Zhang Cheng unconditionally.

He said into the phone,

"Dragon Nation agrees."

After hanging up, Qin Meng saw Zhang Cheng let out a low hum, and a strange ripple spread through the air.

Zhang Cheng whispered, summoning Ju Hun Jiang to appear,

With Zhang Cheng's summons, a mysterious figure slowly manifested before everyone's eyes.

Its form was ethereal, its eyes flickering with a pale green glow.

As the name suggests, Ju Hun Jiang is an Underworld ghost general that captures souls, famed alongside Black and White Impermanence.

"The most urgent matter now is to rush to support Dachang City; we cannot let more civilians die at the hands of Summoned Creatures."

"Ju Hun Jiang, you accompany the squad and Jiao Squad on a trip!"

Ju Hun Jiang grinned, his tone laced with a hint of arrogance and disdain.

Don't worry, I'll handle it, no problem.

No matter what monster or ghost, upon seeing this grandpa, they can only kneel and beg for mercy!

Having said that, Ju Hun Jiang said no more, turning to scan the surroundings; his sharp gaze seemed able to see into people's hearts.

Who are the Yu team and the Jiao team? What lousy names. Come out, grandpa—my time is precious!

Yu Haili and Jiao Hong hurriedly rose to salute, not daring to be negligent.

Hmm, spirit not bad. If later I, grandpa, need to act, remember to cheer me on!

Ju Hun Jiang's words carried a hint of teasing.

"Yes!" they replied in unison.

Then let's set out!

At Ju Hun Jiang's order, he stepped out of the meeting room first,

Behind him, Yu Haili and Jiao Hong followed closely, their silhouettes quickly disappearing outside the door.

……

Shen Gui Sha Li Tai, after a short five‑hour preparation and rest,

Like a tide, the crowd surged again; spectators from various nations returned to their seats, instantly filling the previously empty spots.

However, having lost the invisible protection of the shield, everyone's face unconsciously took on a solemn expression,

Their hearts felt as if a stone weighed upon them, anxiously awaiting the impending fierce battle.

In the center of the arena, the Mysterious Judge appeared again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Next is the third round of our highly anticipated Dragon Nation athlete's Life‑or‑Death Duel. To let everyone enjoy a more thrilling visual spectacle, we have slightly adjusted the rules for this bout."

Upon these words, the atmosphere on site suddenly tightened. Changing the rules?

The spectators' hearts were filled with doubt and incomprehension, after all the match had proceeded according to the original rules for so long,

The sudden change caught everyone off guard.

Especially for the Dragon Nation spectators, they were unaware of the bet behind the scenes between Dragon Nation and Beautiful Nation,

Their first reaction was opposition; temporarily changing the rules would likely put Dragon Nation at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, the judge immediately adopted his original stern attitude:

"Shen Gui Sha Li Tai, when did it become up to you to decide?"

"Now I announce the rules: Dragon Nation versus Beautiful Nation, requiring Dragon Nation's athlete Zhang Cheng to end the fight within three minutes."

Upon hearing this, all the Dragon Nation spectators became unsettled.

"Damn you, judge—three minutes to finish, why don't you go die!"

"There's definitely inside information."

"What are you even? You say change, change—isn't that just horror descending? We're not playing!"

"Right, we're not scared—let Zhang Cheng alone take on the Ten Nations, and still finish the opponent in three minutes. You're too bullying."