Base No. 7

Chapter 10:A Tai

Part Two

"Two, two, one!"

Five points!

The dice cup was lifted, revealing the points of the man with gold-rimmed glasses.

His eyes were fixed on the three dice, his expression changing rapidly. Five points? This was impossible—it couldn’t have been what he rolled.

"Thanks." Xu Mo returned the man's words, and the man adjusted his glasses, looking up at Xu Mo. "Another round?"

"People first." Xu Mo said coldly. The man glanced at Bai Wei, then his subordinates returned to his side. Bai Wei tried to escape. For her, Xu Mo might not be much different from the man with gold-rimmed glasses.

"If you leave now, do you think your father will let you go?" Xu Mo spoke without turning his back to Bai Wei. Her face stiffened as she looked at her father, who was still standing there with a pale face.

A wave of sadness rose within her, as if no matter how hard she struggled, it was all in vain.

"How do you want to play?" Xu Mo asked the man with gold-rimmed glasses.

"Three thousand four hundred Federation coins, bet her and your coins on the table." The man stared at Xu Mo, wanting to win it all back.

"Not enough." Xu Mo tapped his fingers on the table. "Five thousand."

"You..." The man with gold-rimmed glasses stared at Xu Mo. He had previously bet 1,700 Federation coins on Bai Wei, and now Xu Mo doubled the stakes. He hadn’t expected him to raise the bet suddenly.

"Will you play or not?" Xu Mo's voice remained calm.

"Fine." The man with gold-rimmed glasses stared at Xu Mo, his eyes cold. For him, it was no longer just about money.

He handed over five thousand Federation coins to the waiter, and the game started again. The waiter covered the dice cup, then made a gesture, inviting them to begin.

The man with gold-rimmed glasses withdrew his gaze from Xu Mo and focused on the dice cup. This time, he was clearly serious.

Xu Mo, however, continued to look at the opponent, completely unfazed as the man shook the dice cup.

If Bai Wei was gambling with her life, then he, too, was gambling with his life. No matter how high their gambling skills were, the outcome would be the same.

The dice cup rattled for a long time before the man with gold-rimmed glasses released his grip, raising his head with a sneer.

Xu Mo also stopped moving. The waiter first revealed the man with gold-rimmed glasses' dice, and the crowd, who had been anxiously watching, became even more tense, all eyes on the waiter’s hand.

The dice cup was lifted, and the dice were revealed.

A loud uproar exploded.

The dice rolled to: five, five, and six.

Sixteen points!

"Your turn." The man with gold-rimmed glasses narrowed his eyes and said. Xu Mo’s expression remained unchanged. The waiter placed his hand on his dice cup.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on it. The surrounding crowd fell silent. The waiter finally revealed the dice cup.

"Boom..." The dice points were revealed, and the crowd erupted once again. All eyes were locked in disbelief at the three dice.

"Intense!"

"Impressive!"

"How did he do it?" Many voices shouted out at once. The man with gold-rimmed glasses stared at Xu Mo’s dice with wide eyes.

Five, six, six.

Seventeen points!

First round, a small win.

Second round, a big win.

"A master!" At this moment, everyone around understood. The man with gold-rimmed glasses had encountered a gambling master, one they had never seen before.

"What's your name?" The man with gold-rimmed glasses seemed to have realized this too. He took a deep breath to calm down, then smiled at Xu Mo. He no longer wanted to continue gambling. After losing two rounds in a row, what made him think he could win the third?

He was not a gambler.

"Hunter." Xu Mo pocketed the Federation coins, a little over six thousand coins—quite a lot in the underground world. Those who participated in the fights usually risked their lives for a few hundred or a thousand Federation coins.

"The one who killed Laen, the Hunter?"

The man with gold-rimmed glasses clearly knew about the previous fight.

Xu Mo glanced at him, realizing that he might be able to gather some information here.

He turned to leave the gambling table, only to see Bai Wei's father walking up to him. "Hunter, two thousand Federation coins, and my daughter will be yours."

"Hm?" Xu Mo stared at Bai Wei’s father. Was he trying to sell her again?

"If I remember correctly, you’ve already sold your daughter once," Xu Mo said with a calm smile.

"Please, Hunter." Bai Wei’s father bent over, blocking Xu Mo’s path, like begging.

"Move!" Xu Mo’s tone remained calm.

Bai Wei’s father’s face twisted, and he lunged toward Xu Mo’s pocket, attempting to steal.

"Bang!"

Xu Mo raised his leg and kicked him, sending him flying across the table, crashing down hard, blood dripping from his head. The man curled up on the ground, looking at his daughter, crying out, "Wei’er, save your father."

Bai Wei’s face was streaked with tears as she looked at her father, a complex look in her eyes. She felt pity, but also hatred.

"You want to be sold again? I won’t stop you." Xu Mo turned his head, speaking to Bai Wei as he walked forward. For a man who had reached this dead end, any sympathy or pity would only help him continue his wrongdoing.

Bai Wei stared at Xu Mo’s back, and then resolutely followed, no longer looking at her father.

The crowd outside the fighting arena was still packed. The atmosphere was as wild as ever. In the underground world, the population density was incredibly high. There were almost no green spaces, with buildings connected side by side. The black market was even more densely populated. To watch a fight in the black market, one had to squeeze in.

This time, Xu Mo didn’t push through the crowd. Instead, he headed directly to the backstage.

"Hunter." Although Xu Mo had changed his appearance, he still wore the same mask from the last time. The receptionist recognized him immediately and politely gestured for him to follow. "This way, please."

"Can you give her a coat? I’ll buy it." Xu Mo pointed to Bai Wei behind him.

"Please wait, Hunter." The receptionist left briefly, returning with a coat to drape over Bai Wei and said to Xu Mo, "It’s my honor to assist you. There’s no need for payment."

"Thank you." Xu Mo thanked her. He felt a bit awkward. Such high-quality service might actually be pushing them toward death. After all, once they stepped onto the fighting stage, there was nearly a 50% chance of death.

"Hunter, would you like to participate in the fight? I can arrange a match for you. Of course, we’ll ask for your consent before finalizing the opponent," the receptionist said.

"For now, I won’t accept any challenges." Xu Mo responded.

The receptionist was stunned for a moment, but still politely nodded, "Understood."

As a newcomer, it was normal not to accept challenges for safety reasons. Most would first observe their opponents, but due to face, no one would openly say it. They would only refuse when facing someone with a high consecutive win streak.

"Can I stay and watch?" Xu Mo asked. Since Laen was here, perhaps the other people were too.

"Hunter, feel free." The receptionist smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." Xu Mo moved forward to the resting area.

There were quite a few people sitting there.

Like the casino, the fighting arena was also filled with gamblers. However, what made it more brutal was that here, people risked their lives as their wager.

As Xu Mo sat, he felt someone's gaze on him. He looked across the room and saw a man far larger than Sha Wa’er, sitting like a giant. When the man noticed Xu Mo looking at him, he grinned and extended his massive hand, as though to crush Xu Mo’s skull.

"Someone like you, I could crush with one hand. Come here to die?" The giant stared at Xu Mo. "Why not just go back home and enjoy yourself with the pretty girl behind you?"

Bai Wei’s face changed slightly, and she lowered her head. She wasn’t used to this atmosphere, like a lamb among wolves.

"How many people come here not to die?" Xu Mo replied calmly.

The giant was taken aback, then laughed heartily. "You have a point. It’s a one in nine chance of surviving. You’re not too old, and you’ve got a pretty girl following you. If you win, just leave. Why keep pushing your luck?"

"Everyone has the hope of luck, thinking they can win one more round," Xu Mo responded. The giant froze for a moment, then laughed again. "Kid, you’re interesting. If we were outside, we could be friends. My name’s A Tai, what’s yours?"