Founding the Playing Card Organization

Xing Yao propped his chin on one hand, his brows knotted together as he racked his brains for ways to earn resentment points, thinking so hard his head nearly exploded. He turned it over and over: he couldn't bring trouble down on himself, but he also had to send people's blood pressure through the roof. Yet however hard he thought, nothing seemed cursed or efficient enough.

Just as he was scratching his head and ears, nearly tearing himself bald, a "ding" rang through his mind, and a flash of inspiration suddenly exploded!

The next second, Xing Yao's eyes lit up, and he instantly perked up. The corners of his mouth curled uncontrollably into a wicked, eerie, scheming smile that made people's skin crawl.

Clone No. 1 looked up and caught that expression head-on. He shuddered on the spot, then hurried over, his face full of curiosity and anticipation. "Holy shit, that smile is creepy as hell! Did you come up with some brilliantly cursed idea? Tell me, tell me!"

"For the simplest example-we could go to the park and secretly feed those pigeons some laxatives."

Clone No. 1 froze, then burst out laughing. "Holy shit! Is that something a human would do? If the pigeons all started shitting at once, wouldn't the people strolling, taking photos, and going on dates lose it right there? Wouldn't the resentment points blast straight through the roof?"

Xing Yao nodded, growing more fired up as he spoke. "And those exercise machines in the park-we could secretly loosen their bolts half a turn. Not broken, just wobbling whenever someone used them and squeaking whenever someone stepped on them. They couldn't get a satisfying workout, but fixing them would feel like too much trouble. The more they thought about it, the angrier they'd get."

"Then there are the shared bikes. We'll hit them right where it hurts: wherever office workers gather, we'll lower every seat all the way. The moment they sit down, they'll curl up like shrimp, unable to stretch their legs, uncomfortable the entire ride. Along streets with lots of students, we'll raise the seats all the way. The shorter ones won't even be able to swing a leg over. Unable to get on or get off, their mental state will collapse all the way to their grandma's house."

"And, and!" Clone No. 1 suddenly cut in, his eyes absurdly bright. "We can mess with the square-dancing aunties! When they're not looking, we'll swap out the music on their speakers. The rhythm will go haywire, the genre will change out of nowhere, and they won't know whether to keep dancing or stop. They'll be so embarrassed their toes will curl, and the whole group's anger will shoot straight to the max!"

Clone No. 1's eyes rolled, and he added with a sleazy grin, "Oh, right! The public toilets in packed malls, wet markets, and food streets-we'll strip out every bit of toilet paper, not leaving a single roll! When someone rushes in desperate and reaches out to find absolutely nothing, they'll crack apart on the spot. The resentment points will definitely go straight off the charts!"

Xing Yao immediately dropped a king bomb. "Here's something even better! We'll pick the busiest intersections, plazas, and subway entrances, get up early when nobody's around, and polish the ground until it's gleaming and ridiculously slippery. Guaranteed to send crowds of passersby slipping and stumbling, with no culprit to be found even if they want to curse someone out!"

Xing Yao clapped his hands and summed it up with complete self-righteousness:

Clone No. 1 shook all over as he listened, slapping his thigh and laughing wildly. "Holy shit, main body, you're seriously cursed! With that whole combo, won't we corner all the resentment on the entire street? I want to head out and get started right now!"

Xing Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled, calm yet cocky:

"What's the rush? First, we pick our route-parks, plazas, shopping districts, and shared-bike hubs. The more people there are, the more people lose it, and the faster our resentment points rise."

"Today, we'll let everyone around here get a proper taste of what it means to be walking along the roadside when anger falls from the sky!"

Xing Yao turned, his gaze landing on the slightly yellowed photo at the corner of the table. It was one of the few photos he had with his older brother. He fell silent for a few seconds, then casually pulled a crumpled note from the drawer beneath the sofa. His fingertips brushed lightly over the paper, and as his gaze settled on the handwriting, he immediately sank deep into thought.

After a long while, he sighed softly, his voice carrying a loneliness he couldn't quite conceal. "I wonder how my brother's doing now... Our parents suddenly disappeared before I turned eight, and we never heard a word from them again. Three years ago, my brother left only this note and went off alone to take the entrance exam for Abyss Suppression Academy. Abyss Suppression Academy... I've never even heard of it. Sigh, I'd better get into Azure Dragon Academy first. I have a feeling Azure Dragon Academy is definitely connected to Abyss Suppression Academy."

Clone No. 1 immediately chimed in, mercilessly twisting the knife. "Your strength won't allow it, though. Their minimum requirement is peak eighth stage, and you're only at seventh stage right now. Besides, you still have to participate in the secret realm. You have to place in the top three there!" Clone No. 1 dealt the blow without mercy.

Hearing that, Xing Yao sighed softly. "True. I can use resentment points to raise my level directly, but the cost is enormous. Sigh, resentment points are also extremely scarce. Saving them up is too hard."

Xing Yao's gaze sharpened, and his tone abruptly turned resolute. "No, we have to pick up the pace. Before the secret realm trial starts, we need to get me to peak eighth stage and split off another five clones! And awaken talents for every one of them!"

Hearing this, Clone No. 1 instantly broke into the same scheming, feverish expression and nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of anticipation for causing trouble. "Let's go! We have to go right now! I've been waiting for this moment forever. Today, we're not coming back until we've farmed resentment points till our hands go limp!

"Oh, right," Clone No. 1 suddenly piped up to complain. "We can't just go out there naked like this! What if someone with an agenda sets their sights on us, or we get caught on camera? Wouldn't we be completely done for? Besides, it's not like we're doing anything respectable. If someone actually reports us and has the surveillance checked, they'll nail us every time. We'd crash and burn right on the spot!"

Xing Yao smiled faintly, looking utterly composed. "Relax. I've already got a contingency plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually pulled three masks from his consciousness world, each printed with an incredibly eye-catching playing-card design that made it instantly recognizable. The first was a big joker mask with a one marked beneath it; the second big joker was marked two, and the third big joker was marked three. In addition, beneath the heart and spade masks in each set, the first set was uniformly marked one, the second two, and the third three.

Clone No. 1 immediately leaned in, his eyes shining with curiosity. "What exactly are those numbers for?"

Xing Yao raised a hand and lightly flicked his forehead, exasperated and amused. "Are you stupid? Would I only make one set of clones? Would I stop at just fifty-four? These are the markings for the first set, and those are for the second and third sets."

The clone's eyes instantly blazed, and he shouted on the spot, "Then I've got to claim the big joker!"

"Of course." Xing Yao nodded, then pulled his own exclusive mask from his consciousness world.

The mask was pure black all over, with a ring of chilly blue shadow patterns winding around its edges. The lines were cool and dazzling, its aura dialed all the way up. It was on an entirely different level from the ordinary card-face masks, so handsome it left no room for friends.

One look, and Clone No. 1 immediately turned sour with envy. He leaned over to inspect it from top to bottom, his face full of indignation. "Why does yours get to look so cool? This big joker mask in my hands suddenly doesn't seem appealing at all!"

Xing Yao replied as though it went without saying, "I'm the main body. Obviously, I have to stand apart from you guys. The presentation has to be on point."

Clone No. 1's face instantly fell. He curled his lips unhappily and rolled his eyes hard at his own big joker mask, complaining sourly, "Fine, stand apart, but does the gap have to be this huge? Yours is all premium and flashy, while mine looks like roadside wholesale stock! Being the main body means you get special treatment, huh? Us clones need to save face too, okay!"

He folded his arms, looking thoroughly aggrieved, while his eyes kept sneaking glances at Xing Yao's outrageously cool mask. The more he looked, the more stifled he felt. He kept muttering under his breath, resentment practically spilling out of him.

Xing Yao shook his head and sighed regretfully. "Sigh, clone, I can't farm resentment points from you guys."

With that, he lightly tapped his fingertips against his palm. His gaze swept over the rows of card-face masks, a glint of rock-solid assurance flashing in his eyes as his tone turned serious.

"From now on, we'll officially establish an organization."

Xing Yao paused, a cocky yet assured smile curling his lips, then made the official announcement, one word at a time:

"From now on, we'll be called-the Playing Card Organization."