CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 157 UNEASE MASS RELEASE (3/10)

Tong Dongnuan happily dragged a bag of stuffed toys, searching everywhere for more cute dolls. She was greeted by the envious looks of the crowd, and a feeling of extraordinary happiness bloomed in her heart. Even her grip on Xia Liang’s arm tightened.

Watching Tong Dongnuan act like a giddy young woman, still full of energy, Xia Liang inwardly mourned for the shopping mall for a moment before following along at an unhurried pace. With his Spiritual Power, Xia Liang didn’t even need the claw to get the dolls out; to him, the "claw machine" was merely an exercise in controlling his Superpower.

The fifty-odd Game Coins they had were already gone, so Tong Dongnuan bought another hundred. She did this under the noble guise of winning back everything she had lost in the past. Under Xia Liang’s "never-miss" technique, several more claw machines suffered a terrible fate. Some were even completely emptied by him. Tong Dongnuan had somehow procured a large bag specifically for all the stuffed dolls Xia Liang won.

"Wow! Xia Liang, we really scored big today!" Tong Dongnuan said gleefully as she stuffed doll after doll into the bag.

A large crowd had gathered around them. It was inevitable; causing such a commotion and hauling prizes away as if they were clearing out inventory made it impossible not to attract attention. Furthermore, Xia Liang’s hundred-percent success rate was simply jaw-dropping. Many people were staring at Xia Liang and Tong Dongnuan, whispering amongst themselves.

"Wow, look at that guy! He’s so handsome! And he’s a master at claw machines, too. I wish I were his girlfriend!"

Hearing this, her friend couldn’t help but dash her hopes. "Take a look at his actual girlfriend! Compared to her, you’re a plain Jane!"

There was even one couple who started arguing because the boyfriend couldn’t win a single doll.

...

Hearing these words of praise, Tong Dongnuan felt even prouder. This is the man I’ve had my eye on for seven years.

At this moment, Xia Liang’s mind wasn’t on the crowd. The carefree Xia Liang didn’t concern himself with such things; the only thing that mattered was not missing a single one. Only then could he receive Tong Dongnuan’s "reward." He had already won over one hundred and twenty dolls. Just a dozen more and the mission would be a success.

Holding the last handful of Game Coins, the two looked for their next target. The intrigued crowd followed closely, eager to see if Xia Liang could maintain his "100% Claw Machine Success" myth.

"Excuse me, please let me through! Make way, everyone!"

Just as the crowd was following them, a man in a suit scrambled through the throng, hurrying after the pair. This man was none other than Zhang Qiu, the manager of the mall. He had rushed over the moment he received news of the commotion at the claw machines on the first floor.

By now, Tong Dongnuan had already led Xia Liang to a new machine. He inserted a coin...

Xia Liang expertly controlled the mechanical claw, grabbing a plush doll that was teetering on the edge of the prize chute.

Loosen up! Loosen up! Drop it! Zhang Qiu screamed internally, but since he wasn’t a Superpower user or a martial arts master, it was completely useless.

"Haha! Number one hundred and forty-six!" Tong Dongnuan cheered as she happily picked up the toy and placed it in the large bag. Another doll was added to their collection.

"Which one do you want next?"

Tong Dongnuan looked around and pointed at a Patrick Star toy.

"Here!"

Xia Liang subconsciously pulled out another Game Coin, about to put it in the slot. Seeing this, Zhang Qiu rushed forward with a professional smile plastered on his face.

"Hey there, young man, wait a second! Let’s talk this over!"

Hearing someone call out to him, Xia Liang instinctively turned his head. He saw a man in a suit and tie, sporting a small mustache.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"Ah, my friend, I’m the manager of this mall. Here’s my business card." Saying this, Zhang Qiu cheerfully took out a card and bowed slightly as he handed it to Xia Liang.

Xia Liang took it, gave it a quick glance, and nodded. "Okay, so?"

Hearing Xia Liang’s blunt reply, Zhang Qiu wrung his hands in embarrassment before finally steeling himself to speak. "Young man, look, you’ve won so many dolls today. How about... we just call it a day?"

Before Xia Liang could even speak, Tong Dongnuan jumped in, clearly displeased. She remembered all too well how much money these rigged machines had cheated her out of in the past. She immediately stepped forward.

"Mr. Manager, I paid for these Game Coins with my own money. Are you saying I’m not allowed to play? Does your mall have a rule against winning too many dolls?"

Hearing this, Zhang Qiu quickly and awkwardly waved his hands. "No, of course not! That’s the customer’s prerogative. It’s just that what your boyfriend has done is... well, it’s a bit frightening."

As he spoke, Zhang Qiu looked at the huge bag of toys in Tong Dongnuan’s hands with a pained smile. The wholesale price of these dolls wasn’t high, averaging just a few milliliters each, so it seemed like the mall wasn’t losing that much money. Even if Xia Liang emptied every single machine, it wouldn’t be a catastrophe. But who knew how many more he intended to win? If he cleared out all the dolls in the entire mall, that would be a huge problem, amounting to a daily loss of a few thousand milliliters.

Seeing the cold sweat beading on Zhang Qiu’s forehead, Xia Liang simply turned back to the machine and inserted the Game Coin he was holding. While casually maneuvering the claw, he said, "Since you don’t have a rule against it, don’t disturb me."

A moment later, Xia Liang bent down and handed the freshly caught doll to Tong Dongnuan.

They probably tamper with the machine’s settings behind the scenes. I ought to teach them a lesson.

Watching Xia Liang effortlessly grab one doll after another, Zhang Qiu started to wonder if the technicians had forgotten to adjust the claw strength today. But with so many people watching, he didn’t dare inspect the machine. Some things were an open secret, but they couldn’t be acknowledged publicly.

Zhang Qiu stood beside Xia Liang, numbly watching him pull out toy after toy. The more he watched, the more astonished he became. He initially thought that even with Xia Liang’s skill, winning four out of five times would have been impressive. But in this short time, Xia Liang had made seven attempts without missing once. He even managed to grab two dolls in one go, a seemingly miraculous feat that the surrounding crowd took completely in stride.

Zhang Qiu now understood that this devastatingly handsome young man truly had the skill and the confidence to empty every single claw machine in the mall.

He watched Xia Liang win several more dolls with no sign of stopping. Zhang Qiu was on the verge of tears. Bro, have some mercy! How are we supposed to do business if you keep this up?!

Xia Liang’s guess was correct: the claw machines were indeed rigged. On average, the claw was only programmed to have normal grip strength once every fifty coins, so they didn’t keep a large stock of replacement dolls on hand. If this continued, every machine on the first floor would be emptied, and he, the manager, would be held responsible.