Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 85 - 84: Tricks

Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Tricks

Prison life is certainly boring, but does that give you the right to scam people for fun?

For Yang Yi, that was definitely not okay, especially since he was the one being scammed.

Yang Yi initially had a lot of respect for Chris, purely from a newbie’s respect for a veteran, but that changed when Chris dared to deceive someone.

"Bored so you decided to con me for kicks?"

Yang Yi’s anger was instantly ignited and he took off his shoe, then wildly threw punches at Chris.

"That’s for deceiving me! That’s for deceiving me! You damn bastard, that’s for deceiving me!"

Chris howled in pain, then he yelled, "Stop hitting me! Enough, stop it! It was just a joke, I didn’t take your money, it was just a prank, haven’t you hit me enough already!"

Yang Yi paused, then he threw his shoe on the ground and asked with a sneer, "Just a joke?"

"Of course, just a joke. What could I possibly scam from you? You have nothing I can take, so it’s just a joke, please, no more hitting!"

Chris, who had seemed deep, melancholic, and somewhat enigmatic before, now appeared entirely different to Yang Yi, who suddenly found him insufferably annoying.

"You think you can scam me and get away with just a few hits? Hah, you wish."

Chris lowered his hands from his face, looking wary as he said, "What do you want to do now? What else do you want?"

Yang Yi hadn’t quite figured out how to deal with Chris; just beating him up didn’t seem satisfying enough, but stabbing him a few times was also not worth it, especially since Chris was right—he couldn’t really scam Yang Yi out of anything.

"You’re only twenty-eight? You look that young? You seem more like someone in their forties."

"I’m really twenty-eight. It’s the beard making me look a lot older, sometimes you have to appear mature, otherwise it’s not easy to deceive people..."

Yang Yi tilted his head, thought for a moment, then said to Chris, "Answer my questions honestly, and I might consider letting you off."

Chris replied, somewhat warily, "What do you want to ask me?"

Yang Yi took a breath and said earnestly, "When you swindle people, do you succeed more often or fail more often?"

"That’s hard to say; the odds of success are very low when making calls or sending emails. There aren’t many fools left, not so easy to fool, but—and I’m not bragging—whenever it’s gotten to the stage of face-to-face, I’ve never failed. Buddy, let me tell you, being a swindler also requires talent, and me, I’m a genius!"

"Genius?"

"That’s right, a genius among swindlers. I told you, once it’s face-to-face, I’ve always succeeded. You think that’s easy? No, no, no, it’s difficult. A lot of swindlers slip up at this stage leading to the scam’s failure, or even getting caught is normal, but someone like me who has never made a mistake is incredibly rare, incredibly rare, really."

Yang Yi earnestly asked, "Is there a trick to it?"

Chris seemed somewhat hesitant, but Yang Yi did not hesitate to take off his shoe again, so Chris hurriedly said, "Wait, wait, don’t hit me, I’ll tell you. There really is a trick, I have a trick that I’ve never told anyone. It’s the secret to my success, but now I’m telling you. Can I sit up to talk?"

Yang Yi took a step back and said, "You better be honest. If I feel like you’re lying to me, then it won’t just be shoes that I’m hitting you with."

Chris sat up, took a breath, reached under his blanket, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"There’s one thing I didn’t lie to you about, I really did bet on you because I think highly of you, buddy. I have a good eye for people. Do you want one?" he asked, offering a cigarette.

Yang Yi shook his head and said, "Get to the point."

Chris lit a cigarette for himself, blew a long smoke ring, and then rubbed the swollen spot on his face where he had been hit. "Being a con artist, the psychological aspect is so important. Many people, to boost their own psychology, have to deceive themselves first. For example, they hypnotize themselves into believing that the lies they tell are true, that everything is true. That way, they can complete their story. But I’m different, I have a trick."

After a pause, Chris looked at Yang Yi, hoping he would ask, but met with Yang Yi’s cold gaze, Chris involuntarily shrugged his shoulders and then said, "My trick is to treat the person you want to deceive like an idiot."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Fuck! Seems like you haven’t been hit enough."

Chris spoke anxiously, "Wait! What I’m saying is the truth. In this world, there really are a lot of fools. You just treat everyone you want to deceive as a fool, then you draft a detailed plan, targeting their weaknesses. It’s easy to succeed. I’m not saying you literally treat everyone like idiots, but you have to consider them as such before acting. What’s the advantage? First, you’ll be bolder, not timid because you have confidence. Many people fail because they lack confidence. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Yang Yi said coldly, "Your argument contradicts itself."

"I understand. How can I explain it to you... You have to take seriously the person you want to deceive, but you need to see them as a fool first. Fuck, I don’t know how to explain it to you..."

Yang Yi, with a cold expression, said, "On the strategic level, despise the enemy. On the tactical level, take the enemy seriously."

Chris, with a look of surprise, waved his arms and said, "Yes! That’s exactly right. Hey, man, you’re really cultured. I can’t articulate it like you do."

Yang Yi smiled and said, "Is that all?"

Chris spoke urgently, "Isn’t that enough? Buddy, being a con artist is tough. When you’re dealing with a rich person or someone of high status, you’ll feel nervous at first. It’s going to be difficult to deceive them, but if you treat them like an idiot, if you really consider them an idiot, then you’ll have nothing to fear, you’ll have confidence. What’s there to fear from a fool? So no matter who I deal with, they first believe in the identity I’ve created for myself because they think I have the presence and confidence of someone from high society. Then naturally they won’t suspect anything. Do you get what I’m saying?"

Yang Yi nodded and said, "Sounds somewhat reasonable, but I won’t just take your word for it. Hmm, let me give you some good news, I’m going to the maximum-security area tomorrow."

Chris looked astonished, then with a face full of regret, he said, "Is that so? What a pity."

Yang Yi gave a resigned smile and said, "You really are deceiving people all the time, huh? Well, let me give you some bad news too, I’m changing cells, but you still have to be my cellmate, so you’ll have to come with me to the maximum-security area."

Chris’s face changed color, then he jumped up, yelling, "Fuck! You can’t do this!"