The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 24: Overwhelming with Momentum

Getting the unattainable grand prize from the lottery seemed impossible, but it was also a rather easy thing to do.

Squeezing into the crowd of elementary school students, Chen An silently calculated as he looked at the Ding Dong Le booth.

Although Fang Dog King Icarus was quite enticing, the Ding Dong Le game, where one yuan gave you the chance to poke a hole, posed a significant economic challenge to the target customers. Currently, there were forty-one holes left in front of him, not even half gone.

He touched his pocket; after purchasing the Desert Eagle yesterday, he didn't have much pocket money left. To get that "Sky Spirit King, Fang Dog King Icarus," which was "born by fusing the burning wings that soar through the sky with the souls of five warriors who never yield," he needed...

"About thirty yuan?"

"Here you go."

A hand rested on his shoulder, holding three bills. Behind him, Tan Jing's voice was filled with interest, "Let me see how you manage to get a grand prize that can't be drawn."

Chen An leaned his forehead against his hand, "I can't just take money from strangers. I'll wait for Lu Li to arrive and ask her for it. After all, she's the one who wants Icarus."

"Uh... isn't it kind of lame to ask a little girl for money?"

Tan Jing blinked and said, "It's the duty of the police to help children in need. Take it."

"..."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen An accepted the money from Tan Jing and emphasized, "I'm not taking this for free. How about I exchange it for some good words about you from my mom?"

"A novel... I really hate paper products filled with text. But since it's Chen's work, I'll consider it."

Tan Jing crouched down with a smile, ready to watch how the young boy in front of her would draw a prize from the Ding Dong Le game that supposedly didn't have the grand prize.

"Boss, I want to buy this."

Seeing a boy push through the crowd and approach him with three bills, the woman who owned the stall had a slightly bewildered expression on her plump face. Pointing to the Ding Dong Le game, she asked in disbelief, "Child, are you really going to spend so much at once?"

"Yeah! I'll use all my pocket money to bring Icarus home!"

Chen An said naively.

The woman's heart tightened slightly. She quickly glanced at the Ding Dong Le game and calculated that there were still forty-one holes left.

Great, with thirty yuan, he won't be able to finish drawing. This deal can be made! The expensive 'bait' was truly worth it!

With a cheerful smile, the woman accepted the thirty yuan and pushed the Ding Dong Le board toward Chen An. He extended his finger and gestured on the board thoughtfully.

Why hasn't he poked it yet?

The woman looked at Chen An with some confusion, but then realized something was amiss.

She had seen many kids playing Ding Dong Le, and each one would focus entirely on the board. But this boy was different; his attention seemed to be elsewhere, like... the gathering crowd of children?

Plop...

The sound of paper being pierced by a finger interrupted the woman's thoughts. She watched as Chen An pulled out a plastic dog, the size of a thumbnail, from the pierced hole. A sense of unease crept into her heart.

Plop, plop, plop...

His index finger rapidly poked, and more people gathered around curiously, observing and discussing the prizes that were being continuously drawn from the holes.

"Hey."

A chubby classmate eagerly ran over, patting Chen An on the shoulder as he arrived.

"I followed your desk mate's advice and called everyone I know. I even had them call people they know. If you don't do something impressive, you'll look pretty lame."

"Don't worry. I won't let you down. I'm going to draw Fang Dog King Icarus today."

With Chen An's loud declaration, the crowd's interest grew, and cheers and chants erupted. These cheers attracted even more people, and soon the stall was packed to the brim.

These little rascals who don't treat their parents' hard-earned money seriously...

The woman shook her head secretly. No matter how much money they had, it was impossible for them to draw that toy.

As expected, when Chen An used up his last chance and pulled out a glass pendant from the hole, a series of disappointed sighs echoed around him. The woman was about to...

"Hold on, I want to buy this too, boss."

At that moment, a voice interrupted. Lu Li held up some bills and faced the woman, whose frozen smile quickly turned back to business. "For one yuan per poke, I have eleven yuan here. Please accept it."

The woman quickly regained her composure. She had already anticipated this situation. She pressed down on the Ding Dong Le board and shook her head, "Sorry, little friend, we can't continue this business."

"Why can you sell it to him but not to me?"

As she asked, Lu Li sneakily glanced at the boy next to her and delivered her preplanned lines, "That's not how business works."

Of course it is!

The woman's eyes wandered as she thought of excuses. Normally, when there were about ten holes left, she would hide the Ding Dong Le board, not continuing to sell it. But with so many eyes watching now, she couldn't just hide it roughly. She had to come up with an excuse.

"Because it's not fair!"

The woman declared loudly, "This little boy spent thirty yuan and couldn't even get the toy he wanted. Little friend, you can't use someone else as a stepping stone. So, I'm keeping this Ding Dong Le board for tomorrow. This little boy will get a turn..."

Sure!

Wait for tomorrow and find another excuse, like saying it got lost or stolen. That should send the child away.

The woman inwardly admired her clever strategy. She was about to put away the Ding Dong Le board when a resistance stopped her in her tracks.

"Hold on."

Chen An shook his head as he held onto the Ding Dong Le board that was about to be taken away, "Boss, why wait until tomorrow? Can't you sell it to me now?"

"Um... didn't you just say that was your last bit of pocket money?"

The woman asked, slightly puzzled. Her anxiety and impatience were evident in her arms as she pressed down on the Ding Dong Le board, causing the holes to sink under her touch.

"My last bit of pocket money is more than thirty yuan."

Chen An innocently pulled out another ten-yuan bill, "So, don't wait until tomorrow. Let me have another ten turns."

"..."

Bound by her previous excuse, the woman could only let out a helpless sigh. She released her grip and watched the boy in front of her drop his index finger once again amid the cheers of the crowd.

Eleven holes were left on the Ding Dong Le board. With just ten yuan, it wasn't a problem. She could still use the excuse that the kid had bad luck. After all, the kids around were innocent and easily deceived. But…

The number of these children is too many!