Apocalypse: System of lotteries

"Is this his unique talent?" Inquired Eve, as she stood upon the ramparts, beholding Ming unfurl an impressive tent, turning her visage to Marie at her side.

The latter replied, "Indeed, I've changed clothes within, yet perceived no particular use for it."

"Nothing remarkable about it?"

"I've entered it twice..."

Marie reminisced, remarking, "If anything were special, each time I would encounter two toads gazing intently upon us. Eventually, I learned they were Gutmann's cherished pets."

"Two toads?" Eve mentally noted, never expecting this straightforward man to be fond of small creatures, suddenly finding him rather endearing.

09:00.

A hum~

Dozens of beams of white light descended, all landing within the labyrinth of the well city. A zombie happened to land in front of Ming, with golden, wavy hair, a prominent nose, and a ghastly visage!

Ming gazed at it, grinning from ear to ear. In the next instant, he dragged it into the tent, causing the puppeteers atop the ramparts to erupt with excitement.

"I'll offer 1,000 gold coins for this one, David!"

"1,300 from me!"

"2,000!"

"..."

David chuckled, feeling exceptionally fortunate at the start of the day.

Within the tent, after a series of actions, Ming reemerged, addressing Mike and Perugia, "You two, go capture them. The usual type, the wealthy ones! We need only twenty today."

"Alright!" Mike charged into the western labyrinth.

"Gutmann, I still don't quite understand what you mean by 'wealthy.' What is that?" Perugia, somewhat puzzled, had never engaged in such activities before. Today marked their first collaboration, and he feared tarnishing the reputation of District 31 if he misunderstood.

Ming considered for a moment, finding this fellow even more naive than Mike. His survival thus far must have been a stroke of extraordinary luck. He responded, "Just follow your intuition; no need to overthink it."

"Alright..." Perugia furrowed his brow, seemingly understanding yet remaining somewhat confused, before charging toward the eastern labyrinth.

Atop the city wall, Hawkins bellowed through a loudspeaker, "Everyone, do not attack the zombies! Wait until Gutmann has made his selections before commencing your assault!"

He repeated this three times. On the other side of the wall, Marie expressed astonishment, remarking, "Eve, they're truly unflappable."

"Not surprising," Eve observed the western labyrinth, "that Mike fellow has truly mastered the art of taunting."

Benjamin laughed, "Indeed, he insults the zombies so fiercely, they cannot help but pursue him relentlessly."

...

Within the tent, Ming touched his nose, aware that he couldn't afford to dawdle today. Firstly, he was wary of the ultimate monster's arrival, which would complicate matters. Secondly, there was a random personal side quest to attend to.

If he didn't go before midnight, he'd miss an opportunity for advancement. He was nearly level 40 and couldn't let minor gains distract him from the main objective. With this in mind, he produced a broken bowl, approached the zombie enclosed within the golden cabinet, and activated his exclusive skill, "Give One Coin." He then pleaded pitifully, "Please give me some money."

[Skill activated, effect failed.]

[The target thinks you do not need money...]

"..."

Ming was momentarily stunned. He hadn't taken the initiative to capture zombies today because he wanted to test the potential of his broken bowl skill, hoping to enhance its prowess.

It seemed the bowl was indeed broken.

ƥαṇdαηθνε| ming eyed the zombie, fetching from the warehouse an unappraised Chainsaw Maniac coat, tattered and stained. The stench of blood was overpowering. To verify the skill, he wore the coat over his crocodile-skin outfit.

A minute later, Ming presented the broken bowl to the zombie once more, activated the "Give Me One Coin" exclusive skill, and pleaded pitifully again, "Please give me some money, I'm hungry."

[Skill activated, effect failed.]

[The target is heartless...]

Thwack! Ming broke the zombie's nose.

A minute later, "Please give me some money, I'm really hungry."

[Skill activated, target's compassion triggered.]ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom

Ding~ Received one gold coin.

"..."

Ming felt a surge of joy; one gold coin was also money. He glanced at the zombie, wondering if the payment was somehow related to hitting it.

Thwack! Another punch.

The zombie activated its skill [Tent effect triggered, target silenced.]

Ming waited for time to pass. After a minute, he threw another punch at the zombie, simultaneously brandishing the broken bowl and activating his skill, "Please give me some money, I'm starving~"

[Skill activated, target's compassion stimulated.]

Ding~ Received one gold coin.

"..."

Ming gazed at the zombie with its collapsed nose bridge, indeed, compassion was beaten into existence!

Nevertheless, this method was rather inefficient. Yet one detail satisfied him: every time he demanded money from the zombie, it genuinely hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps it was 0.5 seconds or maybe 0.3 seconds, but that pause presented an opportunity for a killing blow. Thus, it was evident that both the broken bowl and its skill were effective. Subsequently, Ming handed a prescription to the zombie.

[Skill activated, extracting 3000 gold coins from the target.]

Ding~ Received 2199 gold coins.

[No money, or goods exchanged.]

Ding~ Acquired the target's swimming trunks, swimsuit, and diving goggles.

Ming looked at the zombie, redressed it, and opened the tent door, just as Perugia returned with a zombie in tow.

"How about this one?"

"Take it back and capture another one."

"This..." Perugia didn't understand.

At that moment, Mike sprinted back, followed by a horde of stunning European and American female zombies with golden, red, and blue hair. Ming greeted them with a smile, ushering them into the tent and closing the door.

Perugia left outside and glanced at the zombie he was holding: bald, tattooed, with a bearded face. He realized the problem wasn't with him, but rather the zombie's inadequacy.

Atop the city wall, David quickly took notes while calling out, "The pink skirt one starts at 2000! Are you joking with your 800 bid?"

"The swimsuit one? Starting at 3000! You can go for a free one! Someone is holding one that's free. Don't want it? Don't want to spend money? Go play with your left hand."

"You want the one in a suit? Well, look here, brother, that one's not free. Who said male zombies are all free? We're judging the zombies by their power, not appearances, you know? You can't be so superficial."

"Gutmann is struggling with the zombies inside the tent for your sake, yet you're so calculating. Is that fair to him?"

"..."

On the other side of the city wall:

"This guy is shameless!"

Marie looked at David in the distance and said, "How can he be so obsessed with money?"

"That's why I advised you to keep a certain distance from David."

Eve said calmly, "Although he's shameless, a district must have such people if it wants to become powerful. You'll understand later."

Benjamin nodded, "Yeah, it's unbelievable how he can turn Gutmann's good intentions into profit."

"Hehe~" Marie chuckled, "Actually, you're quite innocent sometimes."

"A few thousand gold coins can buy a five-star lord puppet, which is quite a good deal."

Eve looked at the puppeteer team in the maze's center and said, "Besides, at least their money is spent within the district, which contributes to our community. From now on, we belong to District 109, and we must coexist with the people here. So, adapt as soon as possible, and also, stay away from David."

"Okay." Marie and Benjamin nodded.

Eve furrowed her brows, "That tent with so many zombies must be extraordinary. If I have a chance, I'll talk to Gutmann in person."

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