89: Chapter 89 Calculating the winning lottery numbers? This thing can't do that!

The golden Lucky Bag on the screen burst open, transforming into a sky full of firework special effects.

Su Yun looked at the ID that popped up, his eyebrows arching involuntarily.

"Want to Win Five Million."

This name was truly simple and crude, without any beating around the bush.

"Alright, let's connect with this friend who wants to win five million."

Su Yun tapped his finger, connecting the video call.

The screen flickered twice, then lit up.

What came into view was a dim, cramped little room.

The lighting was poor, and the only source seemed to be that incandescent bulb hanging overhead, covered in fly specks.

In the center of the frame sat a middle-aged man.

This man looked to be in his forties, with hair as messy as a bird's nest; who knew how many days it had been since he washed it, as it clung greasily to his forehead.

His face was covered in dark, thick stubble that obscured half of his face.

His eyes were deeply sunken, his eye sockets terrifyingly dark, and his eyes were bloodshot, looking as if he had pulled several all-nighters.

The most eye-catching things were the wall behind him and the table in front of him.

The wall was plastered with dense lottery trend charts, with red and blue lines drawn like spiderwebs.

The table was piled high with discarded lottery tickets, along with an ashtray so full it was about to overflow.

There was even a layer of cigarette butts on the floor; just looking at it made one feel choked.

This look, this background—he was undoubtedly a die-hard gambler who had lost his way.

The man's name was Shen Jie.

As soon as the connection was made, Shen Jie lunged toward the camera, his large face nearly pressing against the screen, giving many viewers a fright.

"Master! Master Su!"

Shen Jie's voice was terribly hoarse, as if he had a mouthful of sand.

He clutched a ballpoint pen and a tattered notebook tightly in his hand, his eyes burning with a somewhat frightening fanaticism.

"I finally connected with you! I knew I had the fate for it!"

"Master, I don't ask about my future, nor do I ask about good or bad fortune; I don't want to hear any of that fluff."

"Just calculate the first prize numbers for tomorrow's Grand Lotto for me!"

As Shen Jie spoke, he spread open the notebook in his hand, the tip of his pen trembling.

"You just need to tell me the numbers, and I'll write them down."

"As long as I win the prize, I'll split it with you half and half! No, sixty-forty! You get sixty, I get forty!"

"Master, I beg you, please tell me!"

The livestream chat went quiet for a second.

Immediately afterward, the comments section rolled in like an avalanche.

"Pfft, hahaha, I'm dying of laughter, is this guy here to be a clown?"

"Want to win five million? In your dreams."

"Look at his getup; you can tell at a glance he's a desperate gambler who's lost his mind."

"Splitting half? That's an even bigger pie in the sky than what my boss promises."

"People like this are hopeless; they don't think about working hard every day, just waiting for a free lunch to fall from the sky."

"Master Su, don't pay attention to this lunatic, just hang up; it's a waste of everyone's time."

"Look at that room full of cigarette butts; this guy probably doesn't do anything but buy lottery tickets. His wife and kids must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes."

The audience's mockery surged like a tide, every sentence sharp and stinging.

In their eyes, Shen Jie was a classic negative example, a wretch devoured by greed.

Su Yun looked at the bloodshot-eyed man on the screen without rushing to speak.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

Calculate lottery numbers?

He had never actually tried this before.

"System, we have a job."

Su Yun recited silently in his heart.

"Calculate the first prize numbers for tomorrow's Grand Lotto for me."

[Ding! Deducing heavenly secrets for the host...]

Su Yun leaned back in his chair, waiting for the system to provide that string of numbers.

If it could really be calculated, this would be a great way to get rich.

When the time came, he could buy a hundred tickets and empty the prize pool directly; wouldn't that be sweet?

However.

Less than two seconds later.

The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded again, but this time, the content made Su Yun pause in surprise.

[Ding! Deduction failed!]

[Warning: The lottery drawing process is subject to extremely complex artificial magnetic field interference and physical intervention, with too many variables and uncontrollable backend operational factors.]

[The fixed outcome has been disrupted; heavenly secrets are chaotic and immeasurable.]

Su Yun almost spat out a mouthful of water.

Good grief.

This system was actually quite honest.

What was "artificial magnetic field interference"? What was "physical intervention"?

Wasn't that just clearly saying that someone was manipulating the game behind the scenes?

Since someone was manipulating it, it was artificial, not divinely ordained.

Since it wasn't divinely ordained, it naturally couldn't be calculated accurately.

After all, the human heart is harder to fathom than heavenly secrets.

Su Yun looked at the red exclamation marks on the system panel, unable to help but complain internally.

This lousy system, failing at the critical moment.

But on second thought, this made perfect sense.

If lottery numbers could really be calculated, then every fortune teller on the street would already be a billionaire; who would still be setting up stalls to tell fortunes here?

Su Yun closed the system panel, the expression on his face returning to calm.

He looked at Shen Jie on the screen, who was full of anticipation, pen even raised in preparation to record, and sighed softly.

"My friend."

Su Yun put down his teacup, his tone very flat.

"Put down the pen."

"I cannot calculate these numbers."

Shen Jie's previously excited expression froze instantly on his face.

He widened his eyes, as if he hadn't heard Su Yun clearly, and stood there stunned with his mouth agape.

"You... you can't calculate it?"

"How is it possible that you can't calculate it? Aren't you a divine calculator?"

"You calculated the one about the hidden corpse earlier, and you calculated the one about the stolen money, so how can you not calculate a few numbers?"

Shen Jie panicked; he stood up abruptly and brought his face even closer, spit nearly spraying onto the screen.

"Master, are you unhappy with the amount of money?"

"Thirty-seventy split! You get seventy, I get thirty! Will that work?"

"If that doesn't work... twenty-eighty! I only need twenty percent! I just need to be able to pay off my debts!"

The haters in the livestream, having seized the opportunity, were as excited as if it were the New Year.

"He's crashed! He's finally crashed!"

"Didn't I say he was a fraud? The previous ones must have been scripted; now that he's met a real passerby, he's been exposed, right?"

"And he calls himself a divine calculator; he can't even calculate a lottery ticket, stop acting like a big shot."

"Out of words this time, aren't you? Let's see how you spin this."

"Everyone, report him quickly; he's a fraud using feudal superstition to swindle money, it's confirmed!"

Su Yun couldn't even be bothered to glance at the screen full of mockery and abuse.

He just looked quietly at Shen Jie, watching this middle-aged man on the verge of collapse.

Shen Jie, seeing Su Yun not speak, felt as if his entire being had been drained away, collapsing onto that broken chair.

The ballpoint pen in his hand dropped to the floor with a "clatter" and rolled into the corner.

The notebook he regarded as a treasure was also tossed aside by him.

"It's over..."

"It's all over..."

Shen Jie clutched his head, his fingers gripping his greasy hair tightly, letting out a desperate whimper.

"There's no hope, there's really no hope..."