One person asked, and twenty-four answered; nineteen answered "yes," and five answered "no"—"no" wins!

Zhou Kai and Gu Fangyi looked towards Lu Luo at this moment. In this situation, without saying anything, they knew Lu Luo had probably made the wrong judgment. The significant disparity between the numbers of the winning and losing sides would render the entire game's state unclear all at once.

"Brother Luo," Zhou Kai said, looking at Lu Luo whose complexion had slightly darkened. He wanted to crack a joke but then gave up. It was quite a serious moment; wouldn't it be inappropriate to make jokes now?

Lu Luo carefully observed the five winners in the center of the arena while the Observer collected information from the losers.

"Aside from you," the Observer communicated, "out of the seventeen losers, twelve of them were looking at two of the winners. If this was intentional, then the key to the matter should lie with these two individuals."

Lu Luo focused his gaze on the two individuals pointed out by the Observer. Both were expert Fourth Tier fighters with indistinct auras and formidable strength. As winners, there wasn't even a hint of joy on their faces; only indifference remained in their eyes. In the eyes of the losers, most held an expression of disbelief.

Lu Luo went straight to the center of the losers and spoke in a voice that wasn't loud but was enough to calm people, "Everyone, before you made this choice, did you hear any particular words?"

At this, several candidates exchanged glances, and finally, one person hesitantly stepped forward. "I think I overheard someone muttering that since it's impossible to judge this time, one might as well follow their own heart."

"I think I heard that too."

"Me too..."

These people spoke up one after the other. They were not foolish and quickly realized that the words were not overheard by accident but deliberately spoken by someone.

"If that sentence was deliberately spoken by someone, then were we misled?"

"You considered human nature before, but you also ignored it," the Observer's message continued. "This time, you erred by focusing too much on thinking. Indeed, people will think because of the power of the Nightmare Demon, but they also have ambitions."

The Observer has suddenly become so impressive!

The Observer's hint reminded Lu Luo. Indeed, these people would think because of the power of the Nightmare Demon. But these individuals also harbored great ambitions. They were all chosen by the Nightmare Demon, and the temptation for them must be that power which exceeds their limits, right? Since they had come to this place and gone through one round of thinking, when facing the second round's question, many could consider the issue of thought and human nature. When everyone felt that the situation was roughly equal and they accidentally heard a sentence about following one's heart, many would indeed follow their instincts—their instinct being to obtain the power of the Nightmare Demon.

That's why nineteen people had chosen "yes"!

"Incredible! Just a sentence, barely audible, can sway the hearts of others," Lu Luo muttered. He knew he had been outplayed in understanding people's hearts, but no matter; he still had a chance to turn things around.

The priority now was to get Gu Fangyi out!

"Brother Gu, go!"

"Alright!"

The exchange between the two men was very brief. Lu Luo told Gu Fangyi to go get food, and Gu Fangyi immediately set off. However, as soon as Gu Fangyi took a step, others among the eighteen losers immediately made a move! A shockwave launched towards Gu Fangyi, forcing him back.

Many people had noticed Lu Luo's previous ability to choose the correct food. So they could be certain that among the fifteen stacks of food Lu Luo had touched before, a few were edible. The plates of edible food were exactly where Gu Fangyi was heading! As long as they got the food in Gu Fangyi's hands, they would be safe.

The candidates, who were just discussing issues together, suddenly turned hostile. Lu Luo was about to make a move when Bitter Ding's staff was already blocking his way.

"Mr. Lu Luo, as a victor, you should now be enjoying your food, not fighting with a bunch of losers. If you insist on doing so, the guards of the Nightmare Castle, including myself, will stop you!"

Lu Luo looked at Bitter Ding, his eyes narrowing slightly. Bitter Ding's power was very strong; he had to be one of the top Lords of the Fifth Tier. The balance and strength of his attributes were only a bit inferior when compared to Zhuang Yanshan, the Nightmare Demon Centipede.

Steam began to appear on Lu Luo's body, and Bitter Ding also twisted his collar. The two faced off, but no fight broke out because the Observer had already given a hint.

"[Gu Fangyi has already obtained a portion of food and is temporarily safe for now.]"

When Gu Fangyi arrived at the dining table, two of the three items Lu Luo had pointed out earlier had already been snatched away by others. Fortunately, Gu Fangyi used his large-caliber revolver to intimidate one person and took the last safe dish.

"Brother Luo!"

Now he had two choices. The first was to eat this dish of food and then give up. The second option was to gamble on another dish. One wrong bite meant death, but if he won, he could choose to leave. The odds of leaving were one in three, and the odds of death were two in three.

Lu Luo didn't hesitate much and said directly, "Brother Gu, choose to give up. Next, just wait for me!"

Even if he failed, there would still be chances to turn the tables. If he gambled, the likelihood of death was high, so it wasn't necessary. He wouldn't let Gu Fangyi take that risk.

"Okay." Gu Fangyi was very obedient. He knew very well that Lu Luo's judgment was definitely better than his. At this time, not speaking was the biggest help to Lu Luo, as it could reduce his need to think. Random self-judgment would only cause trouble for Lu Luo and their team.

Gu Fangyi quietly ate the dish that could enhance his Constitution, his eyes slightly brightened, then chose to give up and stood aside.

Lu Luo and Zhou Kai were more or less the same. As victors, they had also obtained food that was beneficial to them. However, the situation was very different from the last time because there were too many losers. Out of nineteen losers, eleven experienced mutations, leading to a problem—the number of mutants was too high. Even if the people who had just given up joined in to help, they couldn't kill them all.

ROAR!

An Exotic Species roared and sent Gu Fangyi flying, but its body stopped in front of Qi Gefei. Qi Gefei, with his Holy Seal activated, had the strength to wrestle with Lu Luo. Naturally, dealing with such mutated Exotic Species was no problem for him.

At this moment, Lu Luo didn't hold back either, instantly activating the second level of steam and moving quickly. With the Fenrir Type VI, he killed three with a single strike each. Throughout the battle, Lu Luo was observing the other two victors. But they remained aloof, paying no attention to the battle here.

Soon, the second round of the Exotic Species' rampage returned to calm. Bitter Ding also returned to his previous spot like a good-natured old man, showing no sign of his earlier confrontation with Lu Luo.

Next, it was just a matter of waiting twenty minutes before starting the third round of the game.

Zhou Kai looked at the current number of people—a total of six—and became even more uncertain about the upcoming game. "Brother Luo, what should we do this round?"

Lu Luo closed his eyes and started thinking. Currently, there were 5 + 1 victors, making six people in total. One person would seize the right to speak, and the remaining five would compete. With an odd number of people, the final result must be that three to five would lose. Whether five people lost or three people lost, it was all the same to Lu Luo, because he had already determined that he and Zhou Kai were going to be on the losing side. Playing the game in the Red and White Castle with two other people was too draining; he had to send Zhou Kai out.

However, to send Zhou Kai out, he had to lose, and losing meant he wouldn't be able to obtain the Twilight Ceremony token. The upside was that he could get two portions of enhancement food, so it wasn't a clear loss or gain. But the Twilight Ceremony token was related to Qi Xinzhu, which was Lu Luo's ultimate goal.

"Brother Kane, carrying both of you is a bit too much pressure for me. This round, I'll send you out. Get ready."

"I understand. What should I do?" Zhou Kai was very considerate at this time and didn't make things difficult for Lu Luo. This kind of consideration was one of the reasons Lu Luo had been able to be brothers with them for so long.

"Next, we just need to choose the same answer. There are six people left in the game, and it will end when there are five, so as long as this round ends, the minority game will also be over. Both of us making the same choice will most likely result in a loss, and I just need to turn this likelihood into a certainty. Once we lose, I can help you find edible food, allowing you to leave the Red and White Castle after eating two portions. As for what to do after getting out, we can talk about that later."

"Turning a loss into a certainty? How do you do that? Do you need my help?"

"No need. Just leave it to me."

"Got it! I'll listen to whatever you say, Brother Luo."

After giving Zhou Kai his instructions, Lu Luo went straight to the two winners with expressionless faces. "Up next, no matter the question, my companion and I will choose 'no.' I've put it out there. Whether you believe it or not, we will choose 'no.'"

Lu Luo's voice wasn't quiet, and the other four heard what he said. Qi Gefei and the other two looked at Lu Luo with some surprise, not quite understanding why he would say that.

The reason Lu Luo said this was simple: it was to induce the others to spread their bets to prevent a total wipeout. If these two people spread their bets, then with 1+2, Lu Luo's side was guaranteed to have three votes for 'no.' With three for 'no,' there would be two for 'yes,' and 'no' would definitely lose. This was Lu Luo's strategy—very simple, yet highly effective.

The two people opposite each other glanced at one another but did not speak.

The twenty-minute rest period quickly passed. Bitter Ding slowly walked to the center, poured himself a cup of wine from the jug before him, and then slowly set the jug down.

"Only six people remain. So many elite candidates have died. It's truly a sad affair. The departed are gone, but our future must continue. The world is never equal; the harder you work, the luckier you get. Now, it's time for our third round of the game. This time, the person who grabs the right to speak won't just enjoy the privileges of the victors. They can also drink this cup of wine in front of me! This wine is called Netherflame Wine."

WHIRR!

A ball of Netherflame rose from the cup. Lu Luo could feel the power of this Netherflame through the Seed of the Nether Source. It was much more advanced than ordinary Netherflame but significantly weaker than the Seed of the Nether Source, probably about the same as Bitter Ding's own Netherflame power.

Lu Luo had no interest, but that didn't mean the others didn't. When they saw this ball of Netherflame, light shone in the eyes of the other four! They hadn't come to the Nightmare Castle for the bride. Their goal had always been the power of the Nightmare Demon. Now, the power of the Nightmare Demon was within arm's reach!

Apart from Lu Luo and Zhou Kai, the other four glanced at each other. They were very clear about the rewards for the victor. A battle for the Netherflame Wine was inevitable!

"Then, the third round begins!" Bitter Ding waved his hand, and the four of them subsequently unleashed their strongest powers with a sudden Outburst!

Qi Gefei activated the Evil Holy Seal once more, but one of the two who had joined forces directly blocked him. Although Qi Gefei, having been defeated by Lu Luo and reflecting deeply on that loss, had trained diligently and possessed formidable strength, it was, after all, a Third Tier facing a Fourth Tier, and the opponent was no easy match either. The two quickly became locked in a standoff.

Another Fourth Tier rapidly approached the main seat, but this time, someone was faster. A green aura Outburst erupted from the thin, horse-faced man's entire body as he dashed straight for the main seat. Moving so fast, he didn't engage with the others. He sat down at the head table, two body lengths ahead of the other candidate.

"Hehehe, the Netherflame is mine." Excited, the horse-faced man reached for the wine glass, but Bitter Ding stopped him.

"Mr. Jiang Cheng, it's best you ask your question first before drinking this Netherflame Wine."

"Ah, okay."

Bitter Ding smiled and turned to look at Lu Luo and his group. "This time, it's probably our last round of the game. So please, Mr. Jiang Cheng, ask your question."

"Will we be the final winners?"

Hearing this question, Lu Luo didn't hesitate much this time and, together with Zhou Kai, chose "no," as they had previously agreed.

After making the selection, Lu Luo silently asked in his heart, "Observer, will we be the final winners?"

"[You will definitely be.]"

"Heh, that's what I think too," Lu Luo affirmed to himself. He always believed that he would be the final winner of this Twilight Ceremony. It wasn't that he had to win. He just didn't want to lose. Because this time, it was for Qi Xinzhu.

"A six-person game, one person speaks, five choose," Bitter Ding announced. "Among them, three choose 'no,' two choose 'yes.' The two who chose 'yes' win."

"Yes!" Qi Gefei and the other person who chose 'yes' clenched their fists tightly and swung them hard. The victors would receive a Twilight Ceremony token, though its use was unknown. But undoubtedly, they had moved a step closer to the ultimate outcome.

On Lu Luo's end, there was no pointless talk. A loss was a loss—at least he could send Zhou Kai out safely. Not one less!

In the gambler's dictionary, there was a phrase with which Lu Luo particularly agreed: To lose less is to win.

He had already started selecting edible food and soon found two portions of enhancement food that Zhou Kai could eat. Leaning down, he whispered in Zhou Kai's ear, "Brother Kane, you'll have to act according to the situation when you get back. If there's a problem, don't act rashly. Think things through. Also, tell Dumb Hair and the other members of Circular that we're fine. I will bring everyone back."

"I got it. Is there anything else?"

"Indeed there is, but I hope you can stay calm and not get angry about what I'm about to say."

"Just say it. I won't get angry. We've bled together. How could I possibly be mad at you!" Zhou Kai joked.

"When you get back, you just need to manage internal coordination and maintain the stability of Circular members' morale. As for the leadership and the command of Circular moving forward, leave it to Dumb Hair, got it?"

Zhou Kai was first taken aback, then nodded. "I understand."

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