Cheating with the Little Joker

Wang Xiaoxiao gave him an encouraging gesture. "Go on!"

Mei Long said, "Good luck."

The other three said, "Our lives are in your hands!"

"Don't make it sound so suggestive! My Weird Object is in your hands too."

An Ying took one last look at Moonlit Night, who smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

As An Ying walked onto the stage one step at a time, as resolute as though he were mounting a guillotine, Moonlit Night recalled what his original body had told him and felt a little uncertain about how things would turn out.

According to the information 007 had provided, An Ying had died in this game.

They had likewise used their status as guests to win this opportunity. Unfortunately, the anomaly had cheated without fail, and they had been unable to complete the match. They had all died under the rules.

But he had already provided a way to break this deadlock. If An Ying still couldn't survive, then these saviors might as well all die and let him do it instead, with his original body helping him.

"Let the match begin!"

"Both sides may choose to use the playing cards they have brought with them, or randomly draw from the losers' playing cards for a high-card match. The time limit is five minutes!"

A blood-red countdown appeared before them. The anomaly at the round table reached into the stack of playing cards without hesitation and drew one, seemingly at random.

An Ying didn't draw a card. He reached up and stroked the rabbit on his shoulder, a playing card concealed in his palm, while his right hand strained to crumple a photograph.

Weird Object: Brat's Photograph

Rule one: Yours is better than mine. Let's trade!

Rule two: Shh! Stay quiet and we won't be discovered! It's a secret.

This was the Weird Object Fang Yi had given him. It could exchange an item of a certain size in his hand with someone else's.

The anomaly's hand paused as it drew a card. It chuckled softly, as though it had expected this, and placed the card in its hand face down on the table, though it had still been swapped. Its voice was loaded with meaning. "What are you trying to do, guest?"

An Ying ignored it. The anomaly controlled this game from start to finish; he'd have to be a fool to believe it had really drawn a card at random.

He smiled and waved the card he had swapped from the anomaly's hand in a provocative manner, looking as though victory were already his.

The anomaly's laughter grew more grating.

Brimming with confidence, An Ying turned his wrist and flipped the card over.

It was only the three of spades! An Ying's expression changed drastically.

So low?

Wang Xiaoxiao cried out, "Oh no, what happened?"

Mei Long immediately piled on. "How could that card possibly beat the anomaly? What is he doing?"

"What?" A stereotyped look of surprise appeared on An Ying's face. He looked at the anomaly in "disbelief." "You—"

Their astonishment made the anomaly even more pleased. It shook its head and spoke more slowly. "Ah, looks like your luck isn't very good."

"In that case, I should thank you for—" the high card you gave me.

It calmly turned over the card An Ying had swapped into its hand, intending to savor the shock, frustration, regret, despair, and other emotions that would appear in this human's eyes. But a glint of silver escaped from beneath its fingertips, more dazzling than all the lights in the room.

His fingers froze, and now he was the one in disbelief.

It wasn't that the card was too low, but... it was the little joker, a card that couldn't possibly be among the fifty-two playing cards!

The anomaly's hand froze in midair as it stared at the joker, with a silver crescent moon above its head and an expression that seemed caught between laughter and tears.

At this moment, it was like the joker in this card game.

The anomaly trembled with rage and instantly understood their true objective.

But before it could speak, An Ying slammed the table and jumped up. He snatched the silver playing card off the table and held it toward the host, shouting the most forceful words of his life while feeling utterly guilty inside.

"He broke the rules! He cheated! I won!"

The host was speechless: ...

It stared with its dead-fish eyes at the playing card in its master's hand, then looked at An Ying, who showed no sign of guilt, and froze on the spot.

Admit that its master had cheated? It must have a death wish.

Deny the cheating? The rules wouldn't allow it, and it would have to die too.

So the host chose to play dead.

The world fell completely silent when An Ying shouted those words. Everyone was watching the anomaly's reaction.

Moonlit Night watched the scene, a hint of amusement appearing in his green eyes.

This hadn't been part of his original plan. What a clever protagonist team.

The plan to swap cards had a major risk.

The anomaly could change the value of the card in its hand at will before turning it over. In other words, as soon as it noticed An Ying had deliberately swapped cards, it could swap the card he had given it for another card from the deck at any time.

To make sure it chose not to swap out the card An Ying had given it after noticing the exchange, An Ying and the others had made several preparations.

They had exploited this anomaly's wicked nature and set several traps through suggestion.

This anomaly loved games, gambling, and card matches so much that it wouldn't refuse a dramatic card game.

So, while the group discussed swapping cards, Fang Yi had given a clear hint when he handed An Ying the Weird Object. As the master of this place, they believed the anomaly behind the scenes would hear those words.

When An Ying went onstage for the match, he deliberately stroked the rabbit again. Although the rabbit wasn't how he actually activated the Weird Object, it was enough to make the anomaly notice and draw its attention, leading it to mistakenly believe he wanted to win by swapping away its high card.

The anomaly would then definitely lower the value of the card in its hand and deliberately let him swap it away, waiting to see his "wonderful" reaction when he discovered it.

After that, An Ying had to turn over his card before the anomaly did, to prevent it from seeing the little joker he had swapped into its hand and swapping cards again.

That was why An Ying had acted shocked after turning over his card, and why his teammates below had chimed in.

After the anomaly smugly turned over its card, An Ying had quickly pointed out the problem with it, leaving the anomaly unable to cover it up. Only then could the card swap succeed.

The anomaly had figured all this out too. Staring at the little joker on the table, it rubbed its fingers together. Its surging malice nearly erupted beyond its control, and energy shrieked as it transformed into rows of dark, sharp teeth that rushed at him from every direction.

An Ying's expression didn't change. The bamboo umbrella behind him snapped open and blocked the attack in front of him. Its ribs creaked under the strain as it struggled to withstand the oncoming energy.

Cold, suffocating, irresistible energy spread out. The ground began to shake, and everything around them suddenly began losing its color. Four familiar types of anomalies appeared starkly amid the black and white, surrounding everyone in dense numbers!

The malicious energy engulfed the group. Cold gripped their throats and cheeks first, and soon a layer of frost formed on their eyelashes, skin, and hair.

In an instant, death had arrived at their side.

This anomaly wanted to attack them directly!

"Are you trying to go back on your word?" Moonlit Night grew interested and stood up, lifting his blade.