[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-339":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299308,4497,"Chapter 339: Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-339",339,"\u003Cp>The man set down his wine glass, pulled a silk handkerchief from his suit pocket, and calmly wiped the blood seeping from the wound on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the gambler, back at his seat, emptied all three glasses—his own, Betang’s, and Mei Lin’s—then refilled them with the bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I designate you to make the next coin toss,” the man said, tucking the bloodstained handkerchief back into his pocket and pointing at Mei Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Lin and Betang exchanged a glance, then nodded silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was the mysterious Chinese woman, the strange man whose personality had changed utterly after his skull was split open—as if he’d become a different person—or the bizarre event itself named “The Gambler,” all were shrouded in thick mystery, the truth elusive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever they wished to do, the immediate priority was to quickly determine a winner and end the game, so they could escape the Gambler’s rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Mei Lin took a deep breath to calm herself, then pinched a copper coin between her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, please don’t get hurt…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man pressed his skull, his gaze shifting to the curtained viewing platform, and smiled: “Talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Talk,” Ning Zhe agreed readily. The two rose from their seats and stepped to the outer edge of the viewing platform, separated only by a curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Betang wanted to eavesdrop on what they were saying, but he was not permitted to leave the gambling table; he could only watch as the two “losers” departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen Wu approached the edge of the viewing platform, leaned against the railing, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his chest: “One?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t smoke,” Ning Zhe declined with a shake of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Smoking’s bad for your health,” Fen Wu said, lighting one for himself, inhaling deeply, and exhaling a hazy cloud from his lungs: “It’s wise for an Elevationist to cherish their body—after all, the body is the foundation of revolution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks for the advice,” Ning Zhe shrugged. “It’d be better if the person giving it weren’t some lunatic who’s been trying to kill me all along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen Wu burst out laughing, shaking so hard that ash fell from his fingers, nearly dislodging the skull atop his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it that funny?” Ning Zhe asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry,” Fen Wu chuckled, one hand holding the cigarette, the other pressing his slipping skull in place. “Every time I see you wearing my wife’s face speaking to me in that sarcastic tone, I can’t help but laugh. My wife’s family is traditional—she’s conservative and shy, not the type to joke around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand,” Ning Zhe nodded, glancing down at his own bulging chest. “Shall I change identities and talk to you then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, this is fine,” Fen Wu said, his smile fading. “Like I said before, I think you’re impressive. You’d be even better if we weren’t enemies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hope so,” Ning Zhe replied indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen Wu drew another deep drag, his eyes drifting over the empty audience seats and dance floor below. “To be honest, we don’t have to fight to the death. The chance of turning swords into plowshares is slim, but it still exists, doesn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does it?” Ning Zhe raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because from the beginning, all I’ve ever needed is Zhao You,” Fen Wu said without turning to look at him. “My luck is terrible—you know that. So I need Zhao You’s rules to compensate for that flaw. I must obtain Him. It’s a necessary condition if I’m to continue on this path of Elevation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you released Lei Te at Bishui Bay Estate, ambushed me in Chenyu Valley Prison, and now you’ve followed me overseas,” Ning Zhe frowned. “Three strikes, and you’re out. This is your third attempt on my life. What makes you think I’ll just let it go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because our core interests don’t actually conflict,” Fen Wu said coolly. “Zhao You has already been stripped from you by the Gambler, hasn’t he? Yet you’re still alive, standing right here in front of me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elevationists’ lives are fragile. We constantly harness new anomalies to patch old flaws, only to generate new flaws, forcing us to keep searching for the next rule that can extend our lives—exhausted, endless, chasing one after another. Rules interlock at the points of flaw, extending into the thorny path called Elevation—a path so fragile that even one misstep means utter ruin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe understood his meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Elevationist’s life rests upon a chain of interlocking rules—each link indispensable. Like a sturdy iron chain that breaks if any single link is missing, an Elevationist’s system built from multiple malevolent spirits collapses if even one is lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ning Zhe had not collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gambler had taken Zhao You, yet he still lived—well, unharmed, showing no sign of dying from rule backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t actually need Zhao You, do you?” Fen Wu said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know what happened in Hejiacun, but I can guess,” Fen Wu finished his half-smoked cigarette, crushed it underfoot, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao You was originally discovered by me and entrusted to Tu Yu to imprison in that village, because I needed time to study His specific rules, judge whether He suited me, to what extent, and how best to control Him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spirits aren’t medicine—you can’t just swallow them. For someone like Fen Wu, such caution was basic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, Tu Yu told me the seal on Hejiacun had encountered unexpected changes—some ordinary people had accidentally entered Hejiacun and fallen into Zhao You’s cage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be honest, I was arrogant then. I thought the worst-case scenario might be some lucky fool stumbling upon Zhao You’s rules and controlling Him. But I didn’t expect…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t just those few ordinary people who entered Hejiacun. There was another spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One, an outsider, a wandering ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That must be ‘Tai Yi,’ then?” Fen Wu smiled at Ning Zhe, the wound on his forehead oozing fresh blood again—time to wipe it once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you think so, then it is,” Ning Zhe replied noncommittally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t strange that Fen Wu knew the name “Tai Yi.” He could manipulate memories; acquiring surface-level information like this was trivial for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Tai Yi’s core rules and true abilities, Ning Zhe had never told anyone—not even Feng Yu, who had experienced Hejiacun with him, understood how he controlled Tai Yi. Lan Shiwen still believed his power was merely “impersonation” or “mimicry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll take that as your silence of consent,” Fen Wu smiled, lighting another cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1091,"2026-06-20T06:29:22.815Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","522bab114e9820da7aed5edf9e930e89a8e3ae51db40acbc5f51b1dc5445b226","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-340","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-338",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]