Blood Poker

Chapter 13: "Blood Poker"

The hall, which had moments before seemed leisurely and even peaceful, immediately became noisy and chaotic.

"What?"

"In an hour?"

"Everyone has to participate? Isn't this too sudden!"

Clearly, many were completely unprepared psychologically.

Although the introduction to the basic rules in the hall yesterday had emphasized that the "Gallery might open at any time," it still caught everyone off guard.

More importantly, this game required mandatory participation from everyone.

According to the basic rules originally introduced, the games in the Gallery had a certain filtering aspect.

It might only select a portion of people to participate, and it wasn't necessarily mandatory; there were also voluntary cases.

This had led many to harbor a sliver of hope.

They thought the Judgment Game wouldn't start so soon, and even if it did, it wouldn't necessarily fall on them immediately.

At this moment, the shattering of this hope intensified the panic.

Some sat on chairs or sofas, helpless, their faces ashen, while others paced anxiously.

"Everyone, don't panic, we still have an hour!

"Since this game is called 'Blood Poker,' it means it's related to poker cards. You can all think about the rules of poker!"

The person speaking was Wang Yongxin. It was evident he was anxious too, but he was still trying his best to calm down.

Li Renshu's voice was steadier.

"This is the first game we've encountered. Since it's full participation, it shouldn't be too difficult.

"The most important thing now is to stay rational and calm."

At the same time, she held Qin Yao's trembling hand and gently patted it to comfort her.

The words of these two had a certain effect, and the panicked crowd calmed down slightly.

Cai Zhiyuan, holding a book, quickly walked towards Fu Chen.

He had clearly found it in the book reading area.

Upon seeing the title, Fu Chen's eyes lit up. He quickly said loudly, "Everyone gather around, there's a book here about poker rules.

"We still have an hour. Let's quickly go over the basic rules of various ways to play; it might help."

Everyone cast grateful glances at Cai Zhiyuan and Fu Chen.

It was obvious that within this hour, apart from a few individuals with strong mental fortitude like Cao Haichuan, most people were terrified.

While cramming at the last minute might not be effective, it was enough to stabilize morale.

Fu Chen quickly flipped through the book. He certainly wouldn't read it from beginning to end; there wasn't enough time.

"I'll focus on a few popular rules: Texas Hold'em, Blackjack, Fight the Landlord, Golden Flower, Rummy...

"Let's start with Texas Hold'em, as it's the most likely."

Everyone listened intently as the seconds ticked by.

00:01

00:00

As the countdown on the large screen reached zero, everyone felt their vision go black before losing consciousness.

"Beep--"

A sharp beep sounded, and Qin Yao gradually woke up.

She immediately realized she was securely bound to a metal chair.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Qin Yao tried to speak, but received no response.

A special mechanism around her neck restricted her head movements.

Not only that, but Qin Yao's thighs, waist, and other key areas were locked to the seat. Her left hand was secured to the table in front of her, with her elbow, wrist, and even fingers firmly immobilized, unable to move at all.

Her right hand was free, but when she tried to touch the mechanisms, they were perfectly fitted and unmoving.

Qin Yao looked around. She was in an extremely cramped single cubicle, less than 1.5 meters wide. A dim overhead light on the ceiling instilled a sense of dread.

The table in front of her was covered with a green tablecloth, and there was a deck of poker cards and two mechanical arms with a simple, rugged design.

On the wall to her left was an introduction to chip exchange.

On the wall to her right was the rule introduction for "Simplified Golden Flower" along with a detailed card type chart.

Qin Yao felt her heart rate accelerating and her body temperature rising. Clearly, this strange and oppressive environment was creating immense psychological pressure on her.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead.

Qin Yao looked towards the sound and found a very small speaker, made of just a few simple round holes, which made the sound quality muffled and unclear.

The addition of an emotionless electronic voice added another layer of horror to the atmosphere.

[Welcome to "Blood Poker."]

[This is currently the chip exchange area for the game.]

[The machine in front of you is the "Chip Exchange Machine," used to exchange chips required for multi-player gambling matches.]

[The exchange rate is: 100ML blood = 10000 chips = 10000 minutes of visa time.]

[When exchanging, you must gamble against the "Chip Exchange Machine" according to the rules of "Simplified Golden Flower."]

[For every 10000 chips exchanged, you must gamble at least 1 game and at most 20 games before you can leave.]

[After the gambling match, based on the outcome of the game, the "Chip Exchange Machine" will issue the exchanged chips to the player and allow the player to unlock the mechanism and move freely.]

[Now, please state the amount of chips you wish to exchange, in units of 10000 chips. The initial exchange requires at least 20000 chips.]

Silence returned to the booth, leaving only Qin Yao's somewhat rapid breathing.

After a moment, no more electronic voices came, and Qin Yao gradually sorted out her chaotic thoughts.

"This machine can exchange chips. What are the chips for? They should be used in the upcoming games.

"But the exchange method isn't direct; I have to gamble against this machine once...

"And it's exchanged for blood."

Qin Yao looked at her left hand, firmly secured to the table by the mechanism, then looked at the mechanism suspended above and to the left.

It was some kind of special blood-drawing device. The needle glinted coldly, and the device was connected to a large blood storage tank, smooth and transparent, marked with different scales in units of 100ML.

This made Qin Yao instinctively feel resistant and scared.

But she also knew she had no choice. If she did nothing, the game couldn't continue.

[Now, please state the amount of chips you wish to exchange, in units of 10000 chips. The initial exchange requires at least 20000 chips.]

The muffled prompt sounded again.

"The initial exchange requires drawing at least 200ML? This amount of blood shouldn't be dangerous, right?"

Qin Yao thought for a long time before finally mustering the courage to say, "Exchange... 20000 chips."

[Exchange commencing.]

After the muffled electronic voice ended, the mechanism above and to the left made a harsh grinding sound and moved.

Qin Yao felt the restraint mechanism on her left arm instantly tighten. The cold locking ring squeezed her painfully, and the veins on her arm bulged.

The sudden sharp pain made Qin Yao's body tremble involuntarily. The blood-drawing needle had already pierced her vein, and scarlet blood flowed along the needle and soft tube towards the storage tank.

It stopped only when it reached the 200ML mark.

A sharp metallic grinding sound rang out again, the blood-drawing needle was withdrawn, and the mechanism returned to its position.

At the same time, the mechanism locking Qin Yao's left hand pressed a small cotton ball against the puncture site to help stop the bleeding.