Lu Ce: ...

[When I saw this game, I knew that with your personality, you would definitely choose the side that uses lives as chips.]

[That's also why I agreed to let 'Pleasure' take the seat at the gambling table. While any of us could win, I'd rather spend this final game time with you.]

This black box had now become a secret place for whispering, a place for private conversation.

This meant no outsiders could hear the dialogue here at this moment, including Nie Jiu Tian, who was far away, unable to hear it either.

Otherwise, what [Death] was saying now would seem quite mushy, even a bit indescribably awkward.

[Sigh.]

With a long sigh, [Death] shook his head somewhat regretfully.

[What a pity. When I saw the final candidate distribution perfectly match my ideal scenario, I knew you had already lost.]

[I was actually looking forward to you maybe giving me some surprise.]

As he said this, he remembered his own shock moments ago, watching the guy opposite him suddenly go crazy and pound on this black box.

As [Death], the endpoint of all things in the universe, he truly rarely felt any mental fluctuations anymore. The appearance of this "Sin" was a rare occurrence that had actually become somewhat interesting.

A pity, though. He too would still have to return to death, return to his embrace.

"What's all this gibberish? Are you so unbearably lonely that you can't stand me ignoring you, feeling utterly desolate?"

"Or are you saying you also want to apply some pressure on me? Talk like 'you've already won' and such? Heh, I've heard that far too many times, to the point I'm almost too lazy to mock you for it."

"The game's candidate selection is exactly as you predicted, but it's also exactly as I predicted. Rest assured, we will win. She will win too."

Seeing that "Sin" had finally started speaking, [Death] gave a slight shake of his head and spoke:

[Oh? Do you still have some hidden card you're currently waiting to play?]

"Was I not clear enough? Then let me be even clearer. Pleasure's pressure tactics won't play any decisive role. Blank will win."

[Death]: ?

[Oh?]

As he spoke, his interest was piqued a few degrees higher.

[How unexpected. You've always acted so arrogantly, as if you look down on everyone, completely self-centered and domineering.]

[Could it be you were acting all along? How could you suddenly have so much confidence in your teammate?]

[Or does she also have some hidden ability?]

In daily life, [Death] was not an entity that tended to speak much. This time, seeing something that piqued his interest, he found himself talking endlessly with Lu Ce.

"Hey, can you stop monologuing like you have a screw loose?"

"Isn't it possible that, in this game, you all simply aren't as strong as you imagine yourselves to be!"

Hearing this, [Death] was momentarily stunned, then let out a completely helpless laugh, not taking it seriously at all.

For Them, strength had long since become a default state. Even if "Sin" was strong, he was merely a somewhat interesting challenger.

What He didn't see, however, was Lu Ce's somewhat twisted expression as he said this, his eyes fixed directly on him, not a hint of joking in them.

He turned his head, looking outside the black box.

"See? They're playing right now. Why not watch together?"

[Death] didn't know what He was doing at this moment, but based on the other's aura, he could roughly tell the other had made a head-turning motion.

He couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. This guy spouting nonsense was one thing, but he even had to match it with actions.

The rules of this black box were forcibly set. Even He himself couldn't see the people outside... This "Sin"'s mental fortitude was indeed extraordinary, no wonder everyone said he had some mental issues.

However, judging by [Pleasure]'s pressure tactics and rhythm, the first round should probably be ending about now.

...

*Slap!*

A crisp sound rang out as Xie Antong took out three more chips from in front of her and slapped them down without hesitation.

This time, she didn't even wait for the time pressure, acting decisively.

[Hmm? Quite decisive this time.]

Even [Pleasure] was somewhat surprised now.

"I call. Show your cards."

Surprisingly, a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of Xie Antong's eyes as she looked up at her opponent.

"You made the correct choice. Thanks for going easy. If it were me, I might have raised even more."

[Heh? If you want to raise, you can totally raise the bet right now. Just make me call, won't you?] Pleasure replied with an annoyed laugh.

"Of course not. I'm talking about from your perspective. Because my hand needs combinations, your win rate in the first round is clearly higher than mine. You should have applied more pressure on me."

As she spoke, Xie Antong didn't dawdle. She drew two cards from the hand in front of her and threw them onto the table.

Her card-playing rule was a bit strange. The card values ranged from one to fifteen, and they were to be played in five rounds, but she had to play 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards respectively each round, totaling fifteen cards.

Not understanding the rules, she wanted to conserve her card count, so she definitely couldn't play too many cards initially.

However, she felt that the single-card hand type might have its own special properties. So for this round, she chose to play two cards.

[Looking at your expression and demeanor now, you seem to have gained some confidence. What? Do you think victory is already in your grasp?]

"Of course not. In the first round, not knowing the rules, the odds of me losing are definitely greater."

"You did well. Applying psychological pressure, leveraging your advantage to add chips, amplifying the effect of the wager."

[Pleasure]: ...

Although the other party seemed to be praising him, the words felt extremely grating to his ears, making him feel quite uncomfortable overall.

[Tch. Then what are you smiling about? Learning from your teammate, trying to bluff me?]

At this moment, the Arbitrator had already arrived at the gambling table, ready to reveal the cards for both parties. "The wager is set! Both parties, reveal your cards!"

During this process, Xie Antong looked up at [Pleasure], her eyes curving into a pleasant arc.

"You made the correct choice, using probability to add chips, maximizing your advantage..."

"Everything is so perfect, but this style of play... is exactly the rhythm I like!"

"If I'm not mistaken, that card you played couldn't have been thrown out randomly. It's a 'Dragon', am I right?"

Right at that moment, the Arbitrator happened to flip over [Pleasure]'s card.

—Dragon!