Chapter 169 Vital Card
Su Shan reached out and drew a card, with Qi Xia following suit.
The card itself was inconsequential—their next steps had already been decided.
Qi Xia set the {handgun} on the table, while {Su Shan} placed down a {knife}. Neither concealed their intentions, pushing their cards forward, face up.
"Su Shan, I’ve got a {handgun}, and you picked a {knife}," Qi Xia remarked.
Su Shan nodded and asked, "Qi Xia, have you ever fired a gun before?"
"Do you even know what model of handgun appears after we play our cards?" Su Shan pressed. "Would you know how to chamber a round? Or disengage the safety?"
Qi Xia's brow furrowed slightly, but he remained silent.
With that, she drew out her {handgun} card, flipped it over, and waved it in front of Qi Xia. "And as long as Zi Chen’s still breathing, I’ll give him this {handgun} in the next round. That turn will decide everything."
Qi Xia locked eyes with Su Shan for a long moment before speaking. "I sincerely hope you won’t die here."
"Hah, is that so?" Su Shan sneered. "Yet you keep pushing for the kill. One of us isn’t walking out of here alive."
"That’s not what I meant." Qi Xia scratched the back of his head. "Let’s put it this way—after this game... once you’ve pieced it all together, come find me at the school in the west."
"What?" Su Shan’s expression faltered. "After this game?"
"It’s complicated to explain." Qi Xia shook his head, his tone carrying a trace of resignation. "And there’s always the chance you’ll never remember me."
"Stop trying to change the subject," Su Shan cut in sharply. "Before me lies only victory or defeat. Let’s keep going."
Terrestrial Chicken raised his hand after glancing at their cards, and the props in the glass room came crashing down.
Zi Chen lunged forward, snatching up the chopper knife from the floor. But before he could make another move, the cold muzzle of a gun was already trained on him.
"Don't move," Doctor Zhao commanded.
"You..." Zi Chen's eyes locked onto the man before him. The slight tilt of his shoulder, the precise bend in his arms, and the firm, two-handed grip on the weapon spoke volumes—this wasn’t the posture of an amateur.
At that moment, Doctor Zhao’s mind kept replaying Qi Xia’s words: “When I play the handgun, make sure it doesn’t hit the ground.”
The current situation was exactly as Qi Xia had foreseen.
"This Glock 19 is identical to the one I trained with in shooting class," Doctor Zhao said through gritted teeth. "I have it locked on your chest. A gunshot to the upper torso leaves little chance of survival without immediate medical attention."
Zi Chen’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. The man’s calm demeanor made his words feel dangerously credible. But retreating now was out of the question. Pressing his lips together, Zi Chen forced out five defiant words: "Your bluff doesn’t scare me..."
"You’re welcome to test that theory." Doctor Zhao’s hands remained steady, not so much as a tremor betraying him. His eyes stayed fixed on Zi Chen. "Drop the knife. In return, I won’t pull the trigger."
"Drop the knife?..." Zi Chen’s mind raced. The man clearly had a gun—so why was he so fixated on making him surrender his weapon?
"I’ll count down from five," Doctor Zhao said, his voice steady but firm. "If you don’t drop the knife, I’ll pull the trigger." He paused briefly before beginning. "Five... four... three... two—"
"Like hell I’ll put it down!" Zi Chen roared. "I’m going to kill you!"
He lunged forward, the chopper knife raised high, but before he could close the distance, a cold mechanical voice echoed from the interface: "Time is up. Please cease all actions."
"Wha—" Zi Chen froze, his eyes snapping to the display. Ten seconds had already passed.
Whether Doctor Zhao’s threats had been genuine or not no longer mattered—he had only been stalling for time.
But why? For what purpose?
"Please discard your props."
Without hesitation, Doctor Zhao turned and tossed the handgun into the opening. Zi Chen hesitated, confused by the move, but ultimately followed suit, discarding his weapon into the slot behind him.
For the second time, he was given a knife—and for the second time, he hadn’t been able to act. The frustration gnawed at him, a suffocating weight he couldn’t shake.
"Qi Xia, what the hell are you playing at?" Su Shan demanded, her voice sharp.
"I..." Qi Xia paused, his gaze steady as he measured his words. "I’m prepared to gamble—ready to stake everything on this table."
"If possible, I want to drive you into despair too," Qi Xia said calmly.
"You’re completely out of your mind..." Su Shan’s hands trembled slightly. She couldn’t fathom what the man before her was plotting. "Not only do you want to kill me, but you want to crush me first?"
"I..." Qi Xia trailed off and simply gave a nod.
"Round eight, please draw a card."
Qi Xia drew a card and set it aside without so much as a glance.
Su Shan followed suit, slowly drawing her card. No matter what was running through his mind, she knew one thing for certain—this was her best chance to end him.
She followed her strategy and laid down her {handgun}.
Qi Xia, in turn, placed a {knife} on the table.
Neither of them intended to conceal their cards, once again playing them face up.
"The positions have reversed, Su Shan," Qi Xia remarked, his voice steady. "You hold the gun this round. What will you do?"
"I’ll kill you both without hesitation," Su Shan replied, her tone resolute.
Terrestrial Chicken waved his hand, and the props for the eighth round descended.
As soon as Zi Chen spotted the handgun, he reached for it, his hands quick and desperate, aiming it at Doctor Zhao. But within half a second, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
The gun in his grasp... felt far too light.
Doctor Zhao, unfazed, calmly picked up the chopper knife, lifting his gaze. "Apologies in advance," he said, and without another word, he lunged forward.
"What the f*ck is this?!" Zi Chen shouted in disbelief as he pulled the trigger, only for a tiny stream of water to shoot from the muzzle of the gun.
Su Shan's eyes slowly widened in realization. She had never even considered this possibility. All the {props} in this game were designed for killing—the sticks had been carefully polished, the knives sharpened... but the {handgun} was a toy?!
Doctor Zhao closed the distance in an instant. With a swift motion, he swung the knife and struck Zi Chen’s thigh with brutal force.
"AHHH!!" Zi Chen cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground as blood poured from his wound.
He thought this was the end for him.
Yet, after Doctor Zhao’s single strike, he did not follow through with another attack. Instead, he took a slow step back, his face grave. He waited for the countdown to pass before casually tossing the chopper knife into the opening behind him.
Zi Chen gritted his teeth, rising to his feet despite the searing pain, and discarded the toy gun.
"So, you knew the gun was a toy..." Zi Chen muttered through clenched teeth. "That’s why you caught it before it hit the ground... Otherwise, I would have realized it was made of plastic."
"You have no idea how terrifying our {Strategist} is," Doctor Zhao said with a faint sigh. "It was his idea to use the water gun to disarm you."
At that moment, Su Shan began to grasp the gravity of the situation. The card she had believed to be the most powerful, the {vital card}, was nothing more than a useless piece of plastic—its lethality no greater than a simple rope.
"This rooster actually left me a mirage of hope in this deck..." Su Shan muttered, raising her head slowly, the weight of realization dawning on her. "He made a fool of me..."
"He didn’t make a fool of anyone," Qi Xia replied, shaking his head. He pointed at the words on the card, his voice calm but resolute. "This card is called {vital card}, but it’s labeled {JOKER}."
"Consider it carefully. The shield in this game is made of wood, meaning {handguns are a guaranteed win}," Qi Xia explained coolly. "With a sure-win card in play, why should we go through the hassle of battling through wits and courage? The one who draws the {handgun} will inevitably triumph, but that’s not the spectacle {Terrestrial Chicken} seeks. Look at the cards in our hands—he wants us to drag this out in a prolonged struggle. The {handgun} is merely a mischievous prank. When this {vital card} is played, no one will die that turn."