Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1036: An Acquaintance After Meeting Twice

Chapter 1036: Chapter 1036: An Acquaintance After Meeting Twice

The balls on the pool table start with thirty in play, and after each shot, more can be added until the cap of five hundred. Each ball is numbered, and the shooter must hit the ball with the smallest number first. The number of balls that one can knock off the table in one shot depends entirely on personal skill. Besides the number of balls knocked off in the final shot, the number of balls pocketed with each shot is also scored.

Simply put, the more balls you pocket per shot and the more evenly you do this, the better. If one time you pocket one ball and the next you drop ten, such fluctuations will lower your score.

After each shot, it’s another player’s turn, and soon it’s Xu Huo’s turn. He examines the remaining twenty-six balls on the table, takes out the "Note Launcher," and casually grabs a handful of seeds. Tossing them in, the seeds shoot out and accurately hit the smallest numbered ball. But the force is not right, and the ball is knocked right off the table.

Laughter breaks out around him.

According to the rules of pool, an unsuccessful shot does not count towards the final score.

With a look of "disappointment" at the ball that flew off, Xu Huo picks up the seed that fell onto the table. "This shouldn’t count as the prop making contact with the ball, right?"

"Of course not," says a mixed-race player, slapping the table and laughing. It’s probably the first time he’s seen anyone hit a ball off the table because the entire building is floating in the air. Thus, all the furnishings here, including tables and chairs, are specially made and mostly metallic. Even the recreational items are heavier than usual. Rarely does anyone knock a prop out of bounds—because no one plays pool as if they were battling an opponent. Xu Huo’s action, in the eyes of the others, appears as if he’s made a joke.

Xu Huo doesn’t care and signals the mixed-race player to continue.

The mixed-race player’s smile fades a bit as he takes another shot, pocketing five balls.

Xu Huo’s turn again, and this time he seems to have gotten the hang of it, also sinking five balls.

Now they’re running out of balls on the table, so a waiter brings a new batch. The third time around, the mixed-race player seems to misjudge the angle, pocketing only three balls, while Xu Huo maintains a steady output of five.

Over the next few turns, the mixed-race player pockets a varying number of balls, but Xu Huo, after his initial miss, pockets exactly five balls each time. With time, he becomes even more accurate, not needing to spend much time finding angles and consistently hitting five balls with ease.

This gradually eats away at the mixed-race player’s confidence, and his performance becomes more unstable. The outcome is, undoubtedly, his loss.

Xu Huo retrieves his prop and leaves the prop he won on the coffee table as the wager for the next round.

This act is undoubtedly a provocation to the others present. A player with a mole by his eyebrow steps forward and succinctly says, "Next, me."

Xu Huo welcomes all challengers, and this time he increases the number of balls he pockets each time.

Starting with a single ball, it’s not unusual to hit several others, but to pocket multiple balls precisely is already difficult, let alone pocketing the same exact number of balls with perfect accuracy every time.

However, the mole-eyed player is clearly skilled, finding tricky angles, and after his own shot, does not forget to set up a difficult situation for Xu Huo.

As the competition between them intensifies, it draws a crowd of onlookers, and bets start rolling in.

Xu Huo continues to play while keeping an eye on the activity upstairs.

By now, the number of players has probably surpassed five hundred. Convoking so many players at once doesn’t look like a simple rally. Nearly all buildings in Snow City are equipped to open spatial passages – could the Zone 002 Government be planning to open such a passage in this skyscraper?

It sounds far-fetched, but it’s not impossible. For Zone 002 and Snow City, linking to the other zones should be a no-pressure plunder, particularly suitable for a festive occasion like this.

It would be problematic if the spatial passage is indeed set to open at tomorrow’s venue.

"This round, you win," says the mole-eyed player.

Xu Huo nods casually, not intending to continue the game. The commotion has drawn quite a crowd, making those who have no interest in the excitement or gambling stand out.

"Leaving just like that?" A man in a suit blocks his path. "Let’s play a round."

"I have something to take care of," Xu Huo says.

"I’ll up the stakes," the man in the suit casually places a Rank-B prop on the table. "If you win, the prop is yours. If you lose, just give me the two props you just won."

Xu Huo had no intention to stay, but changes his mind upon seeing the newcomer walking in from the door.

Three players enter the door – an older man and woman at the front, followed by a young man in his twenties. The older pair calmly orders drinks from a waiter, while the young man, although dressed formally, bows his head tentatively, seemingly too timid to make eye contact with others.

The middle-aged woman turns her head, signaling him to relax. However, the young man merely nods and then heads to a corner to sit down, lowering his head to fiddle with his Communicator.

He has a very delicate face, and if he were to cover his eyes, he would somewhat resemble a Player Xu Huo had seen before.

"What do you say? Are we betting?" the man in the suit asks again.

Xu Huo agrees, and the pool game restarts.

This time, however, the game changes; as Xu Huo plays, he also leaves tough situations for the man in the suit, putting him at a disadvantage right from the start.

Taking advantage of the breaks between shots, Xu Huo confirms that the young man who just entered is the same raincoat-wearing man he saw in Sea World. During that encounter, the raincoat man faced off with a Member of the Holy Sword Society, reminding Xu Huo that the other Player was not a true member.

The Holy Sword Society has a renowned reputation, and impersonations are not surprising. Still, that Player had come from Zone 011 with Xu Huo, causing chaos in Zone 011 and showing strong abilities that made it difficult to determine if he was truly a Member of the Holy Sword Society. However, the raincoat man seemed certain of it.

Xu Huo naturally thought he was very knowledgeable about the Holy Sword Society, and yet here he was, encountering him again.

He glances back at the middle-aged couple, who are extremely alert. Almost as soon as he withdraws his gaze, they look over accurately, although without eye contact, still giving the sense of having watched him for at least three seconds—an indication that they are aware of his recent actions.

Their behavior catches the rainy young man’s attention, and he looks up, making eye contact with Xu Huo.

Having met twice in the game makes them familiar, and Xu Huo nods at him politely.

But the other doesn’t seem to think so, expressionless as he lowers his head and swiftly taps at his Communicator, pulling out an earbud and smoothly inserting it into his ear as if in one fluid motion.

"My friend," the mixed-race player now stands by Xu Huo’s side, "in the middle of a bet, it’s still proper to respect your opponent, right?"