Chapter 366: Survivor Game

On the afternoon of April 30th, Eagle County, Nevada.

A carnival sanctuary titled “Ruidan Deep (Redemption)” was located here. Formerly an underground casino operated in the gray zone, it successfully went public after the federation’s establishment, integrating various entertainment facilities into a scene of indulgence and decadence.

In the hall on the first basement floor, celebrities and politicians exchanged cryptic remarks over drinks, while second-generation heirs and the nouveau riche conversed loudly. Fair youths and elegant ladies moved gracefully amidst the neon lights and shadows, building an atmosphere of intense excitement. A gambling match that would focus everyone’s attention was about to begin.

At exactly two o’clock, the large screen in the center of the hall, which had been scrolling wins and losses, went dark. A deep male voice announced on time: “Ladies and gentlemen! The upcoming gambling match is called ‘Crazy Blackjack.’ We have selected four players to participate, and you can watch the match live on the screen to place your bets on their victory or defeat.”

When the screen lit up again, it showed a small room with walls painted in a black-and-white pattern. The camera focused on a black round table, with numbers from 1 to 4 marked in chalky white at the table’s quadrants. A person sat beside each number.

The male voice from the speakers was high-pitched: “Our four players come from different places, but without exception, they all appear on our ‘Death List.’ Only fate can save them. Whoever wins this ‘Crazy Blackjack’ will have their name removed from the ‘Death List,’ their debts cleared, and will be provided with a certain degree of protection.”

“I’m sure you all understand that this gambling match is different from the past. What the losers face is not massive debt, but—a painful death. Therefore, you are not just betting on victory or defeat, but on the life and death of these four players!”

The young man sitting in Seat No. 2 was dressed in a black suit and had a refined look. He was none other than Dong Xiwen, who had been caught after accidentally trespassing onto a gambling ship not long ago.

After hearing the introduction from the speakers, he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “‘Crazy Blackjack’ again. I didn’t expect to have such a fate with this game… Is this going to turn into a reality TV show now?”

Shortly before the game started, Dong Xiwen finally received a response from Qi Si. The latter nonchalantly stated that he would handle everything and told him to play it by ear without worrying about the consequences.

He was secretly wondering when this humanoid had become so easy to talk to, only to then receive an order to take care of a player who had been brought over from Jiang City.

The instructions were still vague; the extent of “taking care of” remained unknown. However, the rhythm of the conversation had undoubtedly returned to a territory familiar to Dong Xiwen: it was nothing more than a carrot and a stick. If things weren’t handled well, the one being “handled” would likely be his corpse.

Dong Xiwen turned to look at Player No. 1 beside him, the only other East Asian face among the four present.

He had inquired before the game started; this person was named Yang Yao, a local from Jiang City. He had been brought here because he owed too many gambling debts and had been caught cheating in a recent game.

This man seemed beyond saving. His mind was filled with the idea that he could win if given a few more chances. There was nothing else in his current life or future plans besides gambling.

Dong Xiwen learned that this guy had a mother who worked from dawn to dusk selling breakfast to earn money to pay off his debts, which made him feel even more contemptuous.

He didn’t understand why Qi Si wanted him to take care of this scum, and he even suspected that the so-called “taking care of” was sarcasm.

In his view, such a person’s existence only brought disaster to their family; it would be better for everyone if they died sooner. But then again, perhaps as a piece of trash himself, Qi Si took pleasure in the suffering of others?

“Game start!” the organizer announced loudly, interrupting Dong Xiwen’s thoughts.

A slot appeared in the center of the round table, containing a stack of black-backed playing cards.

The other three players made no move. Dong Xiwen took the cards and lined them up in front of him, looking at the bloodshot eyes of Yang Yao: “No. 1, according to the rule, you draw two cards first.”

The gamblers in front of the screens in the hall watched Dong Xiwen’s movements with bated breath. The surveillance had 360-degree coverage with no blind spots, making cheating impossible.

He was merely using this to put psychological pressure on the other players while giving Yang Yao, his “mission target,” some hints.

Yang Yao was a complete wreck, and it was unclear if he understood the hints. After glancing at him twice, he took the two cards on the far right and turned one face up; it was an 【A】.

“Brother, you’ve got good luck. If the other one is a 10, K, Q, or J, it’s a ‘blackjack’.” Dong Xiwen smiled and used two fingers to pluck two consecutive cards from the deck. His face-up card was a 【10】… In the hall, many gamblers began to add to the betting pool, wagering on Dong Xiwen’s victory.

After all, compared to the other three who were as quiet as cicadas in winter and as dull as wooden chickens, Dong Xiwen’s calm and relaxed performance was truly striking.

A balding, middle-aged white man pushed through the crowd and walked toward the counter behind the betting pool, slamming a gold card onto the table: “Miss, I want to see your person in charge.”

Without waiting for a reply, he added, “By the way, they call me ‘Bob the Pig Farmer.’ Your person in charge should know who I am.”

Before long, a man wearing a silver mask and a silver suit came out to meet him, extending a hand: “Hello, I am the general manager of Ruidan Deep Casino. You can call me ‘Jack.’ I didn’t know you were visiting. How can I help you?”

Bob shook the man’s hand and said with a smile, “An old client asked me to handle something. He hopes to save those two people from Long County. Mr. Jack, feel free to name your price.”

“No, no, no,” Jack shook his head repeatedly. “You probably don’t understand the rules of Ruidan Deep Casino. The Survivor Game is our casino’s most important program. The winner lives, and the loser dies; no one can change that. You should have come earlier, before the candidates were chosen.”

Bob also shook his head: “That client has no intention of breaking Ruidan Deep’s rules. He just hopes this match will be as fair as possible to ensure the winner definitely survives.”

“Are you suggesting we would go back on our word?” Jack countered, and as if thinking of something, his tone turned unfriendly. “‘Crazy Blackjack’ usually has only one winner, yet you want to save two people. You seem to have far too much confidence in a specific outcome with an extremely low probability.”

Bob looked him in the eye, his expression unchanged: “You must have heard of the ‘insomnia syndrome urban legend’ near the Mississippi River, and you’ve likely heard of the Balance Church’s recent movements. If you have any reverence for unknown powers, I suggest you don’t hold too much hostility toward him.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m just here to pass a message. And to show my sincerity, I won’t bet on a ‘tie’.”

…In the room, “Crazy Blackjack” had gone through twenty rounds. Whether it was due to incredible luck or excellent calculation skills, Dong Xiwen won more than he lost, seemingly amassing most of the Chips on the table.

The Chips in front of the other three were each reduced to a tiny pile. Once their Chips reached zero, what awaited them would be a miserable death.

The middle-aged man with stubble in Seat No. 3 covered his face, on the verge of tears. If he hadn’t been secured to his chair, he would likely have shown even more undignified behavior.

The blonde woman in Seat No. 4 was pale, staring blankly at the cards on the table, resignedly waiting for death.

Dong Xiwen’s gaze also fell on the thin stack of cards on the table. He tapped his chin and asked with an air of importance, “If the cards run out and no one has used up all their Chips, how is the winner determined?”

The male voice from the speakers said, “In that case, the person with the most Chips wins.”

The woman gave a miserable smile: “Even though I know losing is certain, I still want to try.”

“Give it a try. The game is almost over anyway. And I feel that according to tropes, since you’ve said that, Ma’am, there’s a high probability you’ll survive.” Dong Xiwen’s tone was very casual, as if he were just playing for fun.

The blackjack deck consisted of eight decks with the jokers removed. At this point, there were fewer than fifty cards remaining.

Dong Xiwen was good at math; card counting and tracking were no trouble for him. Plus, having played “Crazy Blackjack” once before in the Grand Performance instance, he was more than familiar with the rules and tropes.

It was not difficult for him to control the entire situation.

Within five rounds, the game would end, with Dong Xiwen’s victory and the others’ deaths set in stone.

But to the bewilderment of those outside, Dong Xiwen seemed to lose all his gambling skills and abilities in an instant, quickly busting in one round.

In the next two rounds, his total points were consistently lower than everyone else’s, and the Chips were about to even out.

In the final round, after drawing the last card, Dong Xiwen faced the camera in the room and gave a brilliant smile: “Everyone has ten thousand Chips. It’s a tie.”

The hall immediately erupted in an uproar. No one could have predicted this outcome with such an extremely low probability—

How could “Crazy Blackjack” end in a tie? How could such a life-and-death gamble end in a tie?

No one had bet on this outcome, and all the gamblers lost everything.

Curses and protests rose in waves. Someone shouted, “Cheating! It’s definitely cheating! I demand a full investigation!”

A crowd chimed in with various demands: “Either check the surveillance or have another match! Do it over!”

The large screen in the center of the hall went black again. When it lit up, Jack’s figure appeared against a gray background, his voice calm: “Please trust that in the Survivor Game organized by Ruidan Deep, it is impossible for anyone to cheat…”

Meanwhile, Yang Yao slumped in the backstage area, his face filled with the joy of a survivor: “Haha, I told you my luck wasn’t bad. This is truly bliss coming after the depth of misfortune!”

Dong Xiwen crouched beside him, helplessly holding his forehead: “Brother, take my advice. If you don’t want to die, don’t gamble anymore. Ruidan Deep is not some generous, legal organization…”

“What do you mean?” Yang Yao glared at him suspiciously. “Are you jealous of my good hand, you little brat? I was the only one with a blackjack in the last round!”

Dong Xiwen sighed in his heart, knowing this man was completely beyond saving.

In the last round, he had seen that Yang Yao’s face-up card was a 【K】, so he deliberately fed him an 【A】 and took the card he passed… With a creak, the locked iron door of the backstage was opened from the outside. A line of light leaked into the dim corner, illuminating the floating dust.

Dong Xiwen instinctively tensed his back, ready to act at any moment, but saw the newcomer smiling kindly.

“Hello, I am Bob, here at the request of my old friend Qi Si.” The middle-aged white man nodded to Dong Xiwen and pulled a red-backed card with black patterns from his coat. “Qi Si asked me to give this to you.”

The card depicted a magic performance. A magician in red on stage took a deep bow, surrounded by cheering Audience members simplified into black shadows. One person’s chest was adorned with a crimson block of color, which at first glance looked like a bleeding heart.

Dong Xiwen instinctively felt the card looked familiar. Although his physical body had been controlled by Ruidan Deep recently, he had found time to enter the Eerie Game once.

Combining the Revelation Fragment from the Ruins of the Sunset and the players’ discussions about the Final Dungeon, the answer was obvious.

“Ha, so even in the Final Dungeon, I can’t escape the fate of working under the table for someone…” Dong Xiwen laughed at himself, reaching out to take the card. In an instant, silver-white text wove itself into the void before him.

【Blood is the sacrifice for the gratitude of a scam, applause is the sacrament for a lie】

【Revel in the illusion feast carefully prepared by the trickster】

【After all, even death is but a rehearsal prop for the final curtain call】

【Congratulations, you have unlocked the Identity Card “Audience” (belonging to the “Jester Trickster” set)】

Seeing him take the card, Bob no longer looked at him and turned to Yang Yao: “Friend, before I take you away, I need you to sign a Contract…”

…In the morning market of Jiang City’s Lower District, Qiu Lihua put an egg pancake into a plastic bag and handed it to the young man standing at the stall.

Half a month ago, she had given her son a sum of money and returned to the countryside. Before she could finish handling her affairs, she received news that her son had been caught cheating.

She hadn’t expected that her son, instead of turning over a new leaf, would gamble even more. The debt he owed was an amount she had never seen in her life.

She didn’t understand what “Ruidan Deep” was, nor did she grasp the relationship between the casino and the federation government. She only heard that if the money wasn’t paid back within a short time, her son would truly die.

She withdrew all her savings to pay back what she could, and continued to run her stall to earn money, intending to use everything she made to repay the debt.

But it still wasn’t enough. The hole was too big, and time was too tight… Those people said her son was certain to die.

Just as she fell into despair, the young man appeared.

At six o’clock yesterday evening, as Qiu Lihua was preparing to close the stall for her night shift, the young man in a red suit and trousers appeared like a ghost at the alley entrance, reaching out to her.

“You seem to be in some trouble? I might have a way to help you.” The young man paused and asked with a smile, “You can try making a wish to me; it might just come true.”

Qiu Lihua felt the person’s phrasing was inexplicably strange, but upon closer inspection, she realized he was none other than the regular customer who often came to buy egg pancakes from her.

—However, with a change of clothes, he didn’t look like the same person.

Negative emotions were already weighing on her heart, desperate for an outlet. Seeing the person before her seemingly full of goodwill, Qiu Lihua, in a state of turning to anyone in a desperate situation, told him everything about her son.

She murmured, “It’s my fault for not teaching him well, but no matter how many faults he has, he is still my son… I only hope he can come back safely. I can pay off the debt bit by bit…”

The young man listened patiently, then smiled and placed a flower stem in her hand: “This wish is not difficult to fulfill. Plant this rose, and on the day it blooms, everything will be as you desire.”

Although Qiu Lihua felt it was strange, she still found a small flowerpot as if possessed, planted the rose, and kept it with her.

Just now, she saw the originally bare flower stem grow buds, unfold petals, and release pollen at a speed visible to the naked eye… Yes, the rose that had no trace last night bloomed without warning, as vivid and sudden as a dream.

The young man at the stall curled his lips into his usual gentle smile: “It seems your wish has come true.”

The next second, the phone rang. Qiu Lihua pulled out her phone and answered, hearing a raspy “Mom” from the other end.

She covered her eyes, weeping uncontrollably.

The young man turned to leave, his pace pausing slightly as he passed the trash can at the end of the alley.

A black dog looked up at him and suddenly began barking loudly, its cloudy eyes flashing with obvious fear.

He didn’t care, casually tossing the egg pancake he was carrying to the dog before continuing on.

Behind him, the incessant barking continued… At the corner of the morning market, Qiu Lihua stood behind her stall, wiped her tears, and picked up the brush to spread another layer of oil on the pan.

Her son was saved, but life had to go on. she still had to sell more pancakes, pay off those debts, and ideally save some money… Her thoughts were a jumble, and her already hunched figure slouched a bit more.

“I’ll take one egg pancake,” a deep voice said coldly and suddenly.

Qiu Lihua looked up and saw a young man in black clothes with golden eyes standing at the stall. He had an unfamiliar face, and his gaze was as gloomy as a ghost crawling out of hell.

Qiu Lihua was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, deftly throwing a piece of dough into the pan, cracking an egg on it, and adding a sausage.

“Coming right up!”