Clement Kruger, having won the twenty-first round, visibly let out a long breath, as though setting down some heavy psychological burden.
But immediately afterward, Shade won the twenty-second round with the "Queen." This way, if he won the next round, all four cards Elder Harald had lost would return to his hand, and the game would end.
Clement Kruger rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed tightly on the remaining cards in his deck. Both sides drew a card, and just as Shade was about to confirm his number, a voice suddenly came from afar:
"Kruger! Kruger!"
A panting middle-aged man ran over along the park path. His shouting earned him a glare from a White-Haired Old Man who was taking a walk, but the middle-aged man paid no attention to it.
"Kruger, something happened at your home!"
As he shouted, the crowd watching the game immediately parted. The young man who had also been about to check his Hand Cards instantly changed color.
"Uncle Rudolf? What happened?"
He sprang to his feet, while the middle-aged man who had come here to deliver the news said breathlessly:
"Why are you still here playing cards? Something happened at your home. Your house suddenly collapsed, and your mother and brother are both trapped beneath it. The neighbors are rescuing them now, and they've sent people to the docks to find your father, but they haven't found him yet. Hurry back with me."
"What!?"
Clement Kruger's face immediately turned deathly pale. He desperately braced himself against the gazebo's round table to keep from collapsing.
"I understand. I'll go back right away."
He reached out to gather his deck, and before Shade could speak, directly flung Elder Harald's fourth card to Shade.
"Since I'm the one voluntarily interrupting the game, then I've lost. The