Chapter 5: I, Jin Dun, Did Not Cheat!

Wu Chang said smoothly, "My brother Jin Dun, just hitting cards is boring—let's wager something."

Jin Dun's eyes darted, locking onto the potatoes in Wu Chang's pocket; he licked his lips and grinned, "Let's not start big—how about wagering your breakfast? If I lose, I'll give you my breakfast tomorrow."

Wu Chang immediately agreed, "Fine."

Jin Dun's enthusiasm surged; his bear-paw-like fat hands revealed dexterity utterly incongruous with his appearance.

The playing cards fluttered between his hands, rapidly shuffled and cut, the patterns on their backs swirling like a kaleidoscope in motion, dizzying to watch.

"Twenty-one, Belote, Sheephead—noble style, city style, or village style—how do you want to play?"

Wu Chang didn't understand any of Jin Dun's game styles; after a brief hesitation, he said, "Keep it simple—just compare sizes."

Jin Dun's expression turned strange. Had he not explained clearly? His nickname was "Lucky Jin Dun."

"As you wish."

Jin Dun confirmed the rules once more; Wu Chang, in the posture of a seasoned gambler, nodded vaguely and urged the game to begin.

He only needed the game to start—the outcome didn't matter.

During the time Jin Dun confirmed the rules and shuffled and dealt the cards, Wu Chang kept staring at the large crimson resentment behind Jin Dun.

The more than twenty resentments clinging to Jin Dun all came from players.

Such a glorious record, in a game, would make him at least an elite-level Newbie Killer—like the Great Tree Guardian who drove away countless players, or the Great Cat Vanguard who grew tired of monkey heads.

Among these resentments, the two most common ways players died: one was losing everything at the gambling table, then being dragged out of their room in the dead of night by Jin Dun like a chicken.

When collecting debts, Jin Dun entered a special state; players could barely resist at all—once dragged from their room, they died instantly under mysterious forces.

This also confirmed Jin Dun's ability to move at night.

The second way players died was by sensing Jin Dun's peculiar nature and attempting to kill him outright using their high player stats.

But Jin Dun only appeared in the activity room during daytime; if attacked there, he would dodge while screaming for help.

Then four or five nurses wielding cleavers would appear, teaching the disruptive players what true stats really meant.

Anyone who's played an RPG knows: even if your character is invincible and the king begs you for favors, the gate guards in town can still cut you down with two swings and send you straight back to the respawn point.

The crimson resentment Wu Chang cared about had a death method unlike either of the above—uniquely novel.

He died directly at the gambling table.

The owner of the crimson resentment was a pure gambler; even the dragon tattoo across his shoulders was a single, unbroken dragon, and all his skills and items leaned heavily toward gambling.

His exceptional gambling skill meant he saw through Jin Dun's cheating from the first glance.

The cards bore special spiritual markings, visible with just a few minor tricks.

So he played along, controlled the game, and lured Jin Dun into continuously raising the stakes.

Until finally, he feigned a losing streak, pulled out a contract, and challenged Jin Dun to bet their lives.

If he succeeded, he could directly control Jin Dun, this key NPC.

Unfortunately, nine out of ten gamblers cheat—and Jin Dun held back too, using a cheating technique beyond the gambler's comprehension, causing the gambler to lose an unbeatable game.

Under the contract's effect, the gambler was instantly erased, dying right on the gambling table.

As a seasoned gambler, the resentment's owner's final bloodied words were also uniquely distinctive.

【Defeat Jin Dun at the gambling table, or expose his cheating.】

Dying in a dungeon, yet his greatest lingering obsession was gambling—should one praise his pure devotion, or say he died without injustice?

Wu Chang, a "non-lucky" player who always needed the guaranteed drop to get anything, had full confidence in his luck; he drew and flipped cards without hesitation, and in just one minute, easily lost his breakfast.

He lasted a full minute only because Jin Dun spent fifty seconds shuffling to show off his technique.

Victory came so easily that even Jin Dun, accustomed to winning, was stunned; he stared at Wu Chang across the table, lips moving but words unspoken.

Could this kid across from him not be delusional—but truly an idiot? Jin Dun gathered the cards, already considering retreating.

Mother said: never play with idiots. "Xiao En, if you can't raise more stakes, let's end today's game."

"Wait, don't rush." Wu Chang reached out and pressed his hand on the playing cards, then turned to the patrolling nurse and whispered something.

Two minutes later, Zhu Li ran into the activity room; seeing Wu Chang—limbs intact, hopping around—then glancing at Jin Dun across from him, her cold expression flickered, revealing clear displeasure.

"What is it?"

Wu Chang, like a child spotting his parent, leapt up and hid behind Zhu Li, then shouted at a volume audible throughout the entire room: "He's cheating!"

Instantly, the entire activity room fell silent; every eye turned to Jin Dun.

Everyone in the Moonlight Sanatorium—including medical staff—had lost something to Jin Dun.

If it were luck, everyone could accept it—but if Jin Dun won through cheating, he'd be in trouble.

Moonlight Sanatorium was a small town in the countryside, where the folk were simple and honest; they wouldn't make a big fuss over something as trivial as cheating at cards—just chop off hands or feet.

Jin Dun's expression stiffened, his lips twitching slightly. "Xiao En, you lost—don't slander someone's reputation so lightly."

Wu Chang hunched his body, fully hidden behind Zhu Li, and confirmed again: "You cheated just now."

Jin Dun's gaze turned solemn; the plump, Buddha-like warmth on his face gave way to anger.

More than being accused of cheating, he was furious that Wu Chang questioned his gambling skill.

To defeat a rookie like Wu Chang, he could win with his eyes closed—why would he need to cheat? "I didn't! Everyone in the sanatorium has checked my cards—there's no way they're tampered with."

Wu Chang pointed at the cards on the table and shouted, "Your cards are marked—you only need to swallow three special pills at once to see the markings."

In any other place, proving Wu Chang's accusation would've taken effort—swallowing a full day's dosage at once—but here, in Moonlight Sanatorium, no one here is normal.

At these words, the patients in the activity room hesitated not at all; they shoved pills into their mouths and surged toward the gambling table.

Facing the zombie-like rush of patients, Jin Dun's anger froze; he frantically gathered the cards, afraid others might see.

He glared at Wu Chang, hidden behind Zhu Li, his eyes filled with fury and grievance.

He who hunts birds all day gets pecked by them.

He never expected this new kid was pretending to be stupid—actually seeing through his cheating at a glance, and then, without honor, exposing it publicly.

Furious as he was, he also felt deeply wronged by Wu Chang's actions.

If he really cheated and got caught, that would be fine, but he didn't cheat this time—the feeling of being framed was just too damn unbearable.

He had no time to settle accounts with Wu Chang; he turned to explain to his hostile fellow patients.

"The marks on the back of the cards weren't made by me. A friend used my deck to demonstrate how to cheat. After I watched, I realized cheating wasn't for me, so I refused my friend and sealed the deck away. Today, I left the room in a hurry and accidentally grabbed the wrong deck, causing Xiao En's misunderstanding."

Jin Dun declared solemnly: "I, Jin Dun, did not cheat!"

Such a flimsy excuse wasn't believed even by the patients of Moonlight Sanatorium; the atmosphere grew heated, and soon fists flew everywhere.

The medical staff responsible for maintaining order turned their backs collectively, ignoring the chaos in the activity room entirely.

As the crimson resentment on Jin Dun's body faded, Wu Chang's attribute panel and personal space changed.

The reward for completing the Blood Last Words had been credited.

Although Wu Chang still wanted to berate Jin Dun a little, now wasn't the time—the fish had bitten the hook; he needed to make his next move.

He leaned out from behind Zhu Li, face filled with regret, and said:

"Brother Jin Dun, from my personal standpoint, I'm willing to believe in your integrity. How about this—we find time for another game. If you win, I'll admit I was mistaken, and you didn't cheat just now."

Jin Dun's face lit up; ignoring the rain of punches striking his face, he shouted: "Now?"

Wu Chang smiled warmly. "No. I want to play your favorite private game. You know the time and place."

(End of Chapter)