Watching the Game Coins continuously pour out of the prize slot, he estimated this payout was at least several hundred coins... It was a true jackpot.
Initially, no one around was paying any attention to the coin pusher machine the bearded man was playing.
But now that it was causing such a commotion, it was impossible not to notice.
Seeing the machine spit out so many Game Coins, some of the people nearby let out cries of envy.
The bearded man pulled down the brim of his baseball cap, ignoring the envious gazes directed his way.
He quickly squatted down, scooped a handful of Game Coins from the prize slot, and dropped them into his empty plastic basket.
Standing not far away, Lin Li had seen everything the bearded man just did.
âTsk... This guyâs using a Superpower to cheat. Should I tell the arcade staff...?â
Just as Lin Li was watching the bearded man rapidly filling his empty plastic basket with Game Coins, wondering whether or not to alert the arcade staff...
...three tall, uniformed men came rushing over from a distance.
THUD, THUD, THUD...
"Please, make way."
"Excuse us."
The three tall, uniformed men pushed through the crowd, strode over to the bearded man who was still collecting his coins, and surrounded him.
"Huh?" Noticing the arcade staff surrounding him, the bearded man immediately stopped what he was doing.
He then quickly stood up, looking bewilderedly at the three staff members who had him surrounded. "Whatâs the meaning of this?" he asked.
The staff leader frowned at the bearded man and spoke.
"Sir, this establishment has a clear rule: no Cultivator may use a Superpower to cheat and obtain Game Coins while playing games.
Since today is our grand opening, we can overlook the fact that you used a Superpower to cheat for Game Coins.
However, thatâs on the condition that you return all the Game Coins you won by cheating and then leave."
When Lin Li heard what the arcade staff said to the bearded man, he thought to himself,
âHuh? The staff actually caught him cheating?!!!
Well, that solves that. Now I donât have to worry about whether to report him for cheating.â
"Holy shit, that guy was actually using a Superpower to cheat..."
"Iâve tried that coin pusher before. I spent over a hundred Game Coins and only got about a dozen back. Itâs a total ripoff.
I saw that guyâs basket earlier, and he only had a dozen or so Game Coins in it.
And yet he managed to win several hundred with just those? Thatâs definitely not normal..."
"You canât just assume that. Maybe the guyâs just lucky!"
"Thatâs a possibility, but the arcade staff came right out and accused him of using a Superpower. Looks like he really was cheating.
After all, itâs only a few hundred Game Coins. For a brand-new arcade, they wouldnât make a public accusation like that without solid proof."
After hearing what the staff said to the bearded man, the faces of the surrounding onlookers filled with surprise.
They began to huddle with their friends, whispering amongst themselves about the situation.
"You... How can you just accuse an innocent person out of nowhere? I won all this through sheer luck..."
The bearded man, accused of cheating with a Superpower, panicked inwardly. However, he didnât let it show on his face, immediately refuting the staffâs accusation with a cold expression.
Seeing the bearded man try to turn the tables on them, the staff memberâs face grew serious. "Sir, please have some self-respect. Weâre running a business here; we wouldnât just make baseless accusations against someone."
"Fine. Since youâre accusing me of using a Superpower to cheat, then bring out your proof! If you donât have any, can you get out of my way? Having you all crowd around me is making me very unhappy..."
The bearded man spoke with an air of arrogance, as if he were the one who had been wronged.
"..." The three arcade employees exchanged a glance, then glared angrily at the arrogant bearded man. Inwardly, they all cursed the shameless cheater.
They had initially planned to let the guy off, but seeing how shameless he was, they decided to see the matter through to the end.
"Xiaowang, call the Superpower Administration Bureau," the staff leader said to his colleague. "Tell them a Cultivator is using a Superpower to cause a disturbance in our shop and disrupting our business."
"Got it." The staff member, Xiaowang, nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Seeing Xiaowang about to make the call, the bearded man, who was already panicking, felt his facade of calm shatter. He burst out in a flustered rage,
"Go on then! Call the Investigators! Go ahead, call them! I want to see how youâre going to clean up this mess when they get here.
And let me be clear, I wonât let you get away with slandering me like this. Iâm going to hire a lawyer and sue you!"
Lin Li, watching the spectacle from the sidelines, heard the bearded manâs tirade and saw his flustered expression. He couldnât help but snark to himself,
âAll bark and no bite. If youâd just kept your cool, you might have swayed some of the onlookers.
But acting like this? Anyone with half a brain can tell youâre guilty as sin.â
Just as Lin Li had thought, after the bearded manâs flustered outburst, the surrounding crowd started murmuring.
"Heâs rattled. The guy is totally rattled."
"Looks like he really did use a Superpower to cheat. Otherwise, he wouldnât be so flustered."
"Letâs just wait for the Investigators. The truth will come out then. But look how calm the staff is. They must have solid proof that he cheated."
The staff leader calmly addressed the fuming, bearded man. "Of course we have proof you were cheating. Iâll hand it over to the Investigators from the Superpower Administration Bureau as soon as they arrive."
"A Cultivator using a Superpower to cheat and disrupt a business... Get ready for jail time!" Xiaowang sneered, then dialed the number for the Superpower Administration Bureau.
"Hello."
"Hi, Iâd like to file a report."
"Hereâs the situation. We have a customer in our arcade whoâs a Cultivator. Heâs using a Superpower to disrupt our business..."
"No, itâs not a mistake. We have proof that he used a Superpower to cheat."
"Okay, could you please send someone over to handle this as soon as possible...?"
After finishing his call with the Superpower Administration Bureau operator, Xiaowang put his phone away. He looked with a grin at the bearded man, whose forehead was now covered in fine beads of sweat.
"Oh? Sweating so much already? Werenât you acting all high and mighty just a moment ago?
The Superpower Administration Bureau said their Investigators will be here in about five minutes.
You can use the time before they get here to think long and hard about your future in a prison cell..."
The bearded man had been planning to tough it out, but after Xiaowang finished filing the report, his already fragile mental defenses completely crumbled.
Drenched in sweat, he spoke in a panic to the three staff members surrounding him, "I... I just remembered I have something urgent to take care of. You can have these Game Coins back..."
With that, he set the large basket of Game Coins on the floor and tried to leave.
...