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Chapter 7: The Bet

In the past, the logic of letters in blood was clear, and even the punctuation marks were not forgotten.

But this time, the writing in blood was not only blurry and heavily altered, but the content was also fragmented, like babble in a dream.

Jesse Dryden can only barely understand a few words.

It can be seen that "I" was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when I left this string of notes, and "I" seemed to have doubts about my human identity.

"Dogs are man's friends."

This is the first paragraph of letters in blood.

Jesse Dryden remained skeptical of the clue, given the vague and scrawled handwriting.

The barking of a dog does not seem to exist to anyone else.

But it is also possible that they can hear the barking, but are too afraid to acknowledge it because of the force of the rules.

The barking must also be a key clue to the truth about the hospital.

The identity of "me" is also a place worth reasoning and digging.

When in the ward, there is a rule "there are always two people in the intensive care unit", perhaps Jesse Dryden's invisible patient friend is "me".

"So...I now the role of, in fact have schizophrenia? But as far as I can tell, I'm not showing signs of schizophrenia. Or is it possible that the second personality in me has been removed from my being and has become the 'Great Old One' in this instance?"

Jesse Dryden stood in front of the bulletin board and talked to himself, carefully analyzing all the clues he had.

So far, he does not know exactly what the hospital is treating, and what the specific treatment is. However, by the afternoon, Jesse Dryden had a chance to experience the treatment process at the hospital.

Jesse Dryden ran to the edge of the square, walked to a walking machine, and followed the other patients to wander.

There are many security departments patrolling around the square. They all wear dog-head masks and work meticulously. Anyone who dares to look at the hospital door will be scolded by them.

"Don't think about escaping yet, now is not the time."

Jesse Dryden shook his head and chatted with the patients next to him while walking on the walker.

He found these patients to be very indifferent.

No matter how Jesse Dryden spoke, they ignored themselves.

Not only that, the other patients are playing their own games and rarely communicate with each other.

Even the two patients who threw frisbee together did not communicate from beginning to end, and occasionally broke out a few laughs and soon converged.

-- There must be something wrong with these patients, too!

Using various fitness equipment, Jesse Dryden spent a full two hours.

Now his mental power is up to 20.

Accumulated enough mental force, Jesse Dryden immediately began a new round of deduction.

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(The inference begins.)

(You have tried all the sports in the square, and there are no valid clues.)

(You step off the stroller.)

(You find the concession stand at the southeast corner of the square.)

(The owner was a man wearing a pig's head mask, but he was slighter than the kitchen cook.)

(The shopkeeper: What do you want to buy?)

(You: What do you have here?)

(The shopkeeper: general merchandise, recreational snacks, everything.)

(You: "You have everything? Can you tell me the truth about this hospital?")

(The shopkeeper: "I don't understand what you're talking about.")

(You sneer and point to the signboard next to the store, which reads the rules of gambling.)

(1. You can gamble with the store manager, and the bet can be anything, but your bet can only be your life.)

(2. The bet is binding on both parties, and no one can back out.)

(3. The shopkeeper only accepts gambling invitations from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.)

(The shopkeeper: "So you want to gamble with me? Well, let me make it clear that I don't know what truth you're talking about, but I can tell you how to find it. Are you willing to bet with me?")

(You: "I am.")

(Hearing that someone wants to gamble, all the patients around gather around, shaking their heads at you, indicating that you shouldn't gamble, but you ignore them.)

(The shopkeeper takes out three cards, two of which are A, and one is a Joker.)

(The shopkeeper: "If you find the Joker, you win. If you lose, you have to give me your life.")

(You: "Let's do it.")

(The shopkeeper shows the faces of the three cards, then flips them over on the table, quickly changing the order of the cards.)

(You can't see the store manager's moves clearly.)

(You can't determine which card is the Joker.)

(The shopkeeper: "Guess.")

(You point to the card in the middle.)

(The shopkeeper flips the card over, and it's an Ace.)

(The shopkeeper: "You lose.")

(The shopkeeper pulls out a gun and shoots you in the head.)

(Your vision turns blood red.)

(You're dead.)

(The inference ends.)

Jesse Dryden exited the inference state.

After dying so many times, Jesse Dryden had become accustomed to death.

"I must have been distracted just now, let me try again."

(The inference begins.)

(This time, you directly found the shopkeeper and explained that you wanted to make a bet with him.)

(The shopkeeper gladly accepted.)

(Your eyes remained fixed, and you were certain that you had tracked the Joker card.)

(You chose the middle card.)

(The shopkeeper reached out and turned over the card, revealing an A.)

(The shopkeeper pulled out an axe from under the table and split open your head.)

(Your vision turned blood red.)

(You died.)

(The inference ends.)

"How could I be wrong again?"

Jesse Dryden shook his head and carefully recalled every detail from the previous two simulations.

Finally, a realization dawned on him, and he understood the shopkeeper's trick.

—He must have been cheating!

Jesse Dryden confidently walked to the entrance of the convenience store in the southeast corner.

"What do you want to buy?"

"I want to make a bet with you."

"A bet? Have you read the rules?"

"Of course."

"What do you want?"

"I want to know the truth about the hospital."

"I can only tell you the way to find the truth. Even so, do you still want to bet with me?"

The shopkeeper took out three playing cards from his pocket and placed them on the table.

The other patients in the vicinity saw Jesse Dryden's intention to gamble and gathered around, shaking their heads and gesturing for him to stop.

Jesse Dryden shook his head and insisted on gambling.

Just like before, the shopkeeper started shuffling the cards, using the same techniques and actions as in the simulation.

"If you pick the Joker card, you win."

Jesse Dryden pointed to the third card, saying, "This one..."

The shopkeeper reached out to flip the card, but Jesse Dryden immediately stopped him.

"Wait, let me flip the card." Jesse Dryden said, "This one is not the Joker

card."

Then, Jesse Dryden flipped open the third card, revealing an Ace.

"This one is not it either."

After saying that, Jesse Dryden flipped open the first card, which was also an A.

"So, the middle one is the Joker card."

The shopkeeper blinked and discreetly hid the swapped Joker card in his sleeve. He reluctantly nodded at Jesse Dryden and pointed to a shop behind him, saying, "Come with me, I'll give you something."

Jesse Dryden followed behind the shopkeeper.

After rummaging through boxes and cabinets, the shopkeeper took out a pair of 3D glasses and handed them to Jesse Dryden, along with the instructions for using the glasses.

Clearly, this was also one of the inexplicable rules created by the "Great Old One."

1. You can use these glasses to watch the 3D movie "Monster Siege."

2. If you see a monster coming out of the screen through the glasses, immediately take them off and step back three paces.

3. Please do not wear the glasses in your daily life.

Jesse Dryden flipped the instructions over, and there was a string of bloody words written on the back.

"Believe me, don't look! It's all fake!"