"Betting on life?

Like underground boxing, signing a life-or-death contract?"

"No, of course not that kind. Boss, I can guarantee you've never seen anything like it."

The old Taoist became interested. He had wandered half his life and could be considered a veteran of the martial world. Although he wore a Taoist robe, he came from a family with a long Taoist tradition. But by his generation, he had seen all sorts of shady dealings and unorthodox practices.

Even if he hadn't eaten pork, hadn't he seen a pig run?

"Heh, tell me about it. I really don't believe there's anything I haven't seen."

The old Taoist elegantly lifted his Taoist robe.

"Let me explain beforehand, the minimum bet here is fifty thousand," the man said, looking at the old Taoist. "You don't have to worry about me swindling your money. Our business is very, very big now, and we only take a cut. So whether you win or lose, our platform always profits."

The old Taoist snorted, clearly unwilling to spend the money.

He had done his fair share of swindling, so he was naturally unwilling to be taken advantage of in his old age. Besides, he was very fond of his money bag.

"I'm interested," Zhou Ze suddenly said.

Yes,

he was interested.

Whether it was the old woman from last night,

or the good policeman he had sent to hell,

they had both mentioned the term "betting on life" to him, directly or indirectly.

Zhou Ze really wanted to see what this "betting on life" was all about.

In his place, five or six souls had already gone to hell because of this "betting on life."

What,

exactly, was this game?

The man glanced at Zhou Ze, who was sitting there looking a little sickly.

His disdain was obvious.

He was good-looking, quite handsome,

but he looked like a bookstore clerk.

You're interested?

Heh,

do you have money?

He didn't say it outright,

but his expression and eyes made it clear.

You look like you don't have a penny to your name.

I've seen countless people, can I be wrong?

Zhou Ze licked his lips,

wanting to smile to ease the awkwardness,

but suddenly felt that smiling at this moment, with Bai Yingying and the old Taoist present, might be even more awkward;

but this feeling of not knowing whether to smile or not

was actually even more awkward...

And then,

how annoying,

I really want to send you to hell,

how dare you make me feel awkward!

Seeing that his boss's expression was starting to change, the old Taoist's heart immediately skipped a beat.

As a veteran Taoist who had served two "ghost bosses," he had a wealth of experience in flattering ghosts!

Immediately,

he slammed the table,

and said directly:

"Damn it, fifty thousand is just pocket change, no problem at all!

Don't you dare look down on people, I'll transfer the money to you, and I'm not afraid of you trying to trick me.

Anyone who dares to trick me,

I have ways to send them to hell!"

The old Taoist smiled, revealing his white teeth.

"Alright, if you want to go to hell, then go to hell." The man took out his phone. "I'll open an account for you first, then you can put your money in."

The man didn't think that being threatened with hell was anything special. He thought the old Taoist was just using underworld slang, meaning that if you dare to cheat me, I'll have you killed.

He probably never dreamed that,

in this bookstore,

helping people go to hell

was actually a real source of income.

"Open two accounts, I'll give you one hundred thousand."

The old Taoist unhesitatingly transferred the money directly, then moved closer to Zhou Ze, grinning obsequiously, inviting his boss to see what this "betting on life" game was all about.

He really wasn't afraid of this guy welching on the bill.

As the saying goes,

it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with petty devils.

Of course, these words couldn't be said to the boss, otherwise he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

Unfortunately, the old Taoist didn't know that these past two days, he had first volunteered to scrub Zhou Ze's back, then sent an electric wheelchair, and then played with mud, already flirting with the edge of death several times.

"Where did you get so much money?"

Zhou Ze asked.

"The live stream was back on, and I got a lot of tips yesterday," the old Taoist explained.

There's something wrong with this world,

there's really something wrong with this world!

Even a calm and steady doctor like Zhou had to sink into deep thought about this.

His neighbor Xu Qinglang was very rich,

his maid was very rich,

his wife was very rich,

and now,

the old Taoist he took in could easily take out one hundred thousand!

Looking at himself, he was still in debt.

The man was very happy to have brought in two new customers, and immediately turned the laptop around, starting to explain the details and specific gameplay, while saying:

"Don't worry, this game is absolutely thrilling. This is a truly high-end game for the rich, because in this game, you can bet on people's lives and decide their fate.

How about it,

doesn't it feel like being a Yama?"

The man made what he thought was a witty joke.

The old Taoist twitched his lips upon hearing this.

"Heh," Zhou Ze said.

…………

"Boss, we really should have brought Bai Yingying, it would be more convenient for her to take care of you."

This time, the old Taoist was very conscious. He allowed Zhou Ze to walk forward with his cane and didn't foolishly volunteer to carry Zhou Ze on his back again.

"If she comes, there will be no one to watch the bookstore," Zhou Ze replied.

"Ah, isn't there Miss Tang?"

"Her watching the store?"

Zhou Ze looked at the old Taoist,

the old Taoist looked at Zhou Ze,

and they both silently shook their heads.

Alright,

no more words needed,

everything is implied.

Just imagine Miss Tang Shi watching the store alone.

If a grumpy customer came in and shouted for coffee or demanded to buy a book and urged her to hurry up,

a pen might immediately fly over and stab him into a honeycomb.

"Boss, be careful ahead, it's a bit bumpy."

Zhou Ze walked with his cane, looking around.

This was a location in Tongcheng's urban area, not very remote, but a bit far from the city center. It was in an old district, with several small clinics and hospitals, as well as many hotels.

Of course, these small hospitals didn't look very legitimate.

There weren't many people on the street, and if you had a sensitive nose, you could smell some disinfectant. In short, the place gave off an uncomfortable feeling.

"The address is this way, right?" Zhou Ze said.

"Yes, it should be here."

The two walked into the alley together. There was a hidden world inside the alley, with many doors. Zhou Ze and the old Taoist knocked on a door with the number 203 on it.

Soon, a middle-aged man opened the door. He had a cigarette in his mouth and scrutinized Zhou Ze and the old Taoist.

"Show me the account," the middle-aged man said.

"Here." The old Taoist handed him his phone.

The other party checked it, nodded, and smiled. "You've already placed your bets? You bet without even coming to see?"

"That's why we came to see," the old Taoist explained.

"Alright, come in."

The middle-aged man stepped aside, coughed, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground, and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

Zhou Ze and the old Taoist walked inside. It was a bit cramped, with a spring bed and some instruments beside the bed, a bit like an intensive care unit in a hospital, but much simpler.

At the same time, there were two cameras placed in the corner of the wall, which could monitor every corner of the room without any blind spots.

An old man was lying there, very thin, like a mummy lying under a pyramid, even his skin had turned dark brown.

A bed,

an old man,

profoundly illustrating an idiom: "a lamp running out of oil."

On the bedside table, there was half a bowl of thin porridge.

The old man squinted his eyes, opening them from time to time, but he didn't seem to notice Zhou Ze and the old Taoist coming in. He seemed to be used to it. People probably came to see him like this often.

Come to see him,

to see when he would die.

He was the bet of many people.

Many people had already placed their bets online, betting on how long this old man could live.

A month? Two months? Three months?

The odds were different at different times, like playing the lottery.

At the same time, during this period, the old man was not allowed to receive any treatment. The instruments here were only to monitor the old man's physical condition and create a data table, which would be uploaded to the platform every day for those who had placed bets and those who were about to place bets to see and analyze.

At the same time, those who had placed bets had the right to come and see the old man's condition in person.

After all, what is learned on paper is shallow, and one must put it into practice to truly understand.

Is it absurd?

No,

it's not absurd.

The old man was looking at the wall clock.

In the wall position that he could see when he opened his eyes, there was an electronic wall clock, which showed the date and time.

On him,

Zhou Ze saw a hint of the old woman's expression from last night.

"Boss, what disease does he have?" The old Taoist knew that Zhou Ze used to be a doctor, so he should be able to see it accurately.

"Cancer, late stage," Zhou Ze replied.

"Oh, terminal illness."

"It's a terminal illness, but if treated properly, it can actually prolong life, and at the very least, reduce some pain."

Obviously, this old man would not receive any treatment, because it was already written in the platform's rules that it would be a breach of contract if he received any treatment.

"Have you seen enough, you two?"

The man walked over with a bowl of instant noodles in his hand.

"Let's go," Zhou Ze said.

"Go?" The old Taoist was a little confused.

How could they just leave?

Damn it,

save him!

This is really betting on life!

Just let everyone watch him die in public?

"What's the point of not leaving? He knows what we're here for." Zhou Ze pointed to the old man.

Obviously,

the old man knew that he had been abandoned.

And,

he knew what people like them came to see him for every day.

Just like that old woman,

they all understood.

Even,

they themselves were cooperating.

Just like that old woman, who kept holding on to live past that day. This was her obsession, which caused her to die but not realize she was already dead, turning into a soul and walking into the bookstore.

"This..."

The old Taoist still felt a pang of conscience, but he still followed his boss out.

As they walked to the door,

the middle-aged man leaned against the wall, slurping his instant noodles, and shouted, "Hey, want to know some inside information?"

"What inside information?" The old Taoist turned his head and asked.

The middle-aged man rubbed his fingers together.

The meaning was obvious: if you want inside information, you have to spend more money.

"You can increase your bets, it's actually not a loss,"

the man kindly reminded.

"Hey, who are you to him? Why should we believe you?" the old Taoist retorted.

In his opinion, the man was just a gatekeeper, just a caregiver.

"I also placed a bet,"

the man took a sip of the noodle soup, gestured towards the house with his mouth,

and said:

"He's my dad."