Card Room (Rebirth)
chapter-17

The teenager keeper declared, “The fifth game, No. 1 wins. Since No. 5 didn’t lose all his coins, both can advance to the next game.”

The two females present looked at Xiao Lou and were both relieved.

Xiao Lou smiled and took back the 5,000 basic bet, plus the 4,000 of his call and 4,000 from No. 5 for a total of 13,000 gold coins.

The guard said, “The sixth game is beginning. The dealing is random.”

The previous rounds were counterclockwise and this time it was random. This round of dealing was random and happened to land on No. 7.

No. 7 directly folded her cards and Xiao Lou followed. No. 2 and No. 3 also folded their cards. The four people’s cards in the discard pool all added up to more than 10.5. There was a 7 & 8, 9 & 5 and other rotten cards.

It was No. 5’s turn. The other four all had cards that were more than 10.5. No. 5 did nothing and directly lay down to win, gaining the 5,000 ante.

At this point in the card game, the slower people understood the way to live.

If the cards weren’t good, fold directly and only lose 1,000 gold coins. If they had to call, pay less and they would keep their lives. If they had gold coins then they wouldn’t be eliminated.

However, there were only five chances to fold.

For No. 5, he went all in during the first game and played the fifth and sixth games. He only folded three times and had more opportunities to fold. He had more than 10,000 gold coins so in the seventh game, he could immediately clear the cards by simply folding.

The remaining four people had exhausted all their folds. In the seventh game, the four people had to keep calling.

Still, by this time everyone had formed a tacit understanding. Only call the minimum amount to save their lives.

The dealing order was random and the seventh game ended up starting with Xiao Lou first.

For the opening card, Xiao Lou got an A.

The keeper opened his mouth. “The first round of dealing. No. 1, please choose.”

Xiao Lou looked at his card and then swept a gaze over the table before suddenly smiling. “I don’t want a card, call 1,000.”

Everyone was startled.

In order to get 10.5 points, at least two cards were needed. This was only the second round and he only had two cards. Yet he didn’t want a card? Did he get too many cards and was afraid to get more than 10.5. Or…

Sitting on his right side, the No.2 girl’s eyes turned around before they suddenly brightened as if she understood something. “Call 1,000, I don’t want any cards!”

No. 3 Yu Hanjiang was the second to understand. “Call, no card.”

No. 5 shrugged and indeed folded. The No. 7 sister also understood and threw a gold coin into the prize pool. “Call 1,000, no card.”

Xiao Lou took the lead to stop getting cards in the second round of dealing in order to give everyone a hint. Don’t receive any more cards and let the game end in the second round. Directly lose the game and their losses could be reduced to a minimum.

At this time, everyone didn’t have a transfer bead and it was almost impossible to get 10.5 out of natural luck.

In the last game, the four people had to call. According to the rules of the game, they had to call 1,000 coins every time they took a card. Why throw out a gold coin in vain and bet on luck? Wasn’t it better to stay their hands?

At this moment, the four players tacitly chose not to receive a card. The game was automatically ended.

The keeper stated, “The dealing has ended. Please reveal your cards.”

No. 1 Xiao Lou: A of Hearts.

No. 2 girl: A of Diamonds.

No. 3 Yu Hanjiang: A of Spades.

No. 7 ponytail girl: A of Clubs.

The four people actually got all As!

Since No. 5 folded and the other four were flat, there were no winners and the gold coins were recovered by the keeper.

The teenager declared, “The seventh game is over. This card game has finished.”

He took the gold coins back from the table. “Congratulations to the five challengers for successfully clearing the 2 of Clubs secret room, Challenge 10.5. The remaining gold coins in your hand are the rewards for this room.”

Everyone, “……”

Thanks to Xiao Lou taking the lead to suspend the dealing in the second round, the loss of gold coins was only 2,000. If they kept asking for cards and calling until the fifth round, their losses would be as high as 5,000 coins.

This was the wisest decision to make sure everyone was alive. Don’t be greedy and stop in time.

The No. 2 girl sitting next to Xiao Lou admired him and gave him a thumbs up. He took the lead in suspending the dealing and successfully rewarded everyone with 3,000 more gold coins.

Just then, No. 5 smiled and suddenly asked, “Clubs, you have been secretly controlling the cards in this game, right?”

The Clubs teenager looked at him in an expressionless way.

No. 5 continued, “I have played thousands of card game and the probability of gaining ‘king’ or ‘five small ones’ is less than one in 10,000. There is also the last game where everyone started with an A. It is impossible to have such a coincidence unless you are in control.”

His words caused the crowd to prick their ears and Xiao Lou to raise his head. Xiao Lou had long discovered this.

If the keeper wasn’t controlling the cards then it was hard to explain the second and third games.

The transfer bead could ensure that they got good cards. Then what about when two people used the transfer bead at the same time. Were the better cards really just determined by luck?

No. The person who remained and the person who was eliminated had been in the hands of the Keeper of Clubs.

In the second game, Yu Hanjiang and No. 6 used the transfer beads at the same time. No. 6’s hands had been shaking nervously while Yu Hanjiang always remained calm. The keeper decided to eliminate No. 6, controlling the cards to allow Yu Hanjiang to get the ‘king’ hand while No. 6 was eliminated.

In the third game, the No. 2 thin girl and the No. 4 curly-haired woman used the transfer beads at the same time. No. 4’s mental state had exploded while the No. 2 girl might be thin but she was stable until the end. Thus. the keeper controlled it so No. 4 was eliminated.

The coincidence of two consecutive games didn’t make sense at all.

In addition, there were the keeper’s words. “Luck is also a type of strength.”

Xiao Lou had understood the secret of the Clubs room at that time. The keeper was in control of the cards and eliminated people according to their strength.

The keywords: luck, strength.

The Clubs secret room didn’t look at luck but strength.

In the fourth game, Xiao Lou hinted to No. 7 to use the transfer bead. No one fought and No. 7 directly won.

In the fifth game, No. 5 wasn’t calling to force Xiao Lou to death. It was because No. 5 also saw the truth of the Clubs room and was doing a test. He had 14,000 gold coins in his hand and wouldn’t be eliminated even if he lost 4,000. It was understandable to do a test. If Xiao Lou couldn’t hold onto his mental state at this time, the two people would PK and it was likely that the keeper would control Xiao Lou’s cards to knock out Xiao Lou.

Fortunately, Xiao Lou was steady. The transfer bead wasn’t used blindly before the drawing. It was about looking at the timing according to your hand and deciding whether to use it or not.

Before drawing a card, using the transfer bead blindly meant really giving your life to the unknown ‘luck.’ Maybe the keeper wasn’t happy and would directly give you AA222.

It was only after touching two cards and then using the transfer bead that you could guess the type of hand you would receive based on your cads. There were always five hands on the screen to be compared to.

For example, getting J and Q and then using the transfer bead, the best type of hand that could be received was the JQK’ five small people.’

In the fifth game, Xiao Lou had received a K of Clubs and A of Clubs. If he used the transfer bead at the time, the best he could get was the ‘king.’ He made sure he would take the king by calmly calling to the end.

The keeper was obviously very satisfied with Xiao Lou’s performance and directly gave him a straight of clubs.

…

The teenager heard No. 5’s question and lightly glanced around the table. “Who else has questions about the game?”

Xiao Lou smiled and stated, “The four secret rooms have their own rules. The Clubs secret room definitely won’t be eliminated by luck. I agree with No. 5’s view that this isn’t a gambling game but a game of the mind. Since the first game, you have been controlling our hands. In the fifth game, I first got the K of Clubs and A of Clubs. My guess is that you gave me all clubs, right?”

Yu Hanjiang, “…”

No wonder why Xiao Lou could be so calm. He originally guessed that he would win.

Thinking carefully, every time the teenager shuffled, the cards would move in a dazzling manner between the slender fingers. It was reasonable to say that he shuffled the cards so many times that he would distribute the 52 cards evenly. No one would happen to get A234K or JJJJK.

In terms of probability, this possibility wouldn’t necessarily appear in tens of thousands of games. Today, it appeared so many times and in the last game, everyone’s initial card was an A.

There was only one explanation: the keeper was manipulating the game.

He could secretly arrange the cards and points. The person he wanted to get an A would get an A immediately.

Why control the cards?

The crowd remembered that when the No. 4 woman questioned him, the keeper’s calm words were, “Luck is also a type of strength.”

It was this!

The keeper judged everyone’s strength and controlled everyone’s points so that the strong people lived to the end.

The Clubs room was actually testing everyone’s psychological quality.

The No. 7 girl was stunned and spoke softly, “Then the Clubs room actually had a perfect clearance method. If the seven of us had a tacit understanding from the beginning and every person uses the transfer bead in turn, one person would win while the others fold or only call 1,000. After seven games, everyone will have gold coins and no one would be eliminated.”

“It makes sense.” The No. 2 girl whispered. “Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t know each other and were suddenly pulled into a gambling game. There is no possibility of a tacit understanding. People are selfish and will want to win. They won’t think of others and a win-win situation.”

The girl’s words hit the nail and silenced the room again.

Seven people with a tacit understanding would cooperate with each other and use the transfer bead in turn. Each of them winning a game was the method to perfectly clear the Clubs room. However, who could selflessly think of a win-win situation from the beginning? Even if they thought so, how to guarantee that the other six people would cooperate?

A person’s heart was unpredictable. Unless everybody knew that there was a tacit understanding of ‘living together’, the Clubs room couldn’t be perfectly cleared.

The teenager heard this and the tight corners of his mouth finally curved. He nodded to everyone and said, “You are very smart. Yes, I have been controlling the cards from the beginning. The people left behind and the people weeded out depends on your performance. The seven people who came to clear the instance yesterday fought and only three survived in the end. It is excellent that five of you ended up surviving.”

Everyone, “……”

Xiao Lou heard up to here and his back was cold.

The keeper secretly controlled the cards. Wasn’t this playing everyone between his palms?

The teenager seemed to see through Xiao Lou’s thoughts and said, “The D-grade Clubs secret room is the preliminary screening of the challenger. I will judge your strength and control your cards to eliminate players so it is far. If you really gamble then your luck might not necessarily be good. People like No. 4 and No. 6 have a poor mental state and aren’t suitable for the Card World. Being eliminated in the early stages is a kindness for them.”

Xiao Lou frowned. “How can you guarantee that the elimination of challengers is based on strength and not your personal preferences?”

No. 4 stood up to him and in the next game, he eliminated No. 4. Strictly speaking, the No. 2 thin girl wasn’t suitable for surviving in the Card World. If No. 2 and No. 4 PKed, either of them could be eliminated.

“My hand contains the clearance ratings of your other rooms.”

He waved and in front of everyone, there were the S, A, B and other clearance scores. The eliminated No. 4 and 6 had three clearance scores of all C…

The teenager continued, “I know the keepers of Hearts, Diamonds and Spades. The 2 of Clubs secret room is a primary screening barrier and it is bound to eliminate some players who perform too badly. As a keeper, I decide if you stay or leave according to your comprehensive performance. Setting up a game of gambling is the final test of your psychological quality. Are there any more questions?”

Everyone, “……”

So far, everyone understood the rules of the Clubs room.

The D-grade secret rooms were the easier but everyone was thinking too complicated when it came to Clubs. The moment they heard it was playing cards, everyone’s first reaction was to wonder if their luck was bad and they would subconsciously feel nervous.

In fact, the moment they entered the Clubs room, the ones who stayed and the ones who were eliminated were based on the comprehensive assessment in the teenager’s hands.

The 2 of Clubs room being a poker game was the last chance for everyone to fight.

If they could hold their mental state in the highly stressful card game, they could get a good card. Even if their results in the first three rooms weren’t good, they might still pass the Clubs room.

People like No. 4 and No. 6 had a very poor psychological quality. Their first few clearances were very difficult and they encountered the tense Clubs game. Their mental state collapsed and it was impossible to live to the end. No. 5 was the exact opposite. He scored a C in Hearts, a C in Diamonds, an A in Spades and he was able to live in the Clubs room. He was courageous enough to start a game of psychological warfare.

The No. 7 girl looked at Xiao Lou and whispered, “Thank you.” If it wasn’t for Xiao Lou seeing through the rules and suggesting she use the transfer bead while voluntarily folding the cards, the next one to be eliminated would be her. It could be said that Xiao Lou gave her victory.

Xiao Lou smiled. “Don’t thank me. In the future, the secret rooms will be more difficult and you have to be careful.”

The No. 7 girl nodded lightly. “I know.”

The room was silent again.

The Clubs teenager glanced at everyone. “After this level, you should understand that the Clubs room is a ‘challenge’ room and it will be a direct confrontation between players. It might be playing cards or other confrontational situation. As long as you enter a Clubs room, you might be eliminated. You must be prepared before entering a Clubs room.”

The five survivors were worried and didn’t want to experience the Clubs room at all.

Just then, the silent Yu Hanjiang suddenly opened his mouth. “The four D-grade secret rooms are over and next are the C-grade secret rooms. Can we form a team?” He glanced at Xiao Lou as he spoke.

Xiao Lou immediately followed up with the question, “A team needs a contract. Can I buy it now?”

He counted the gold coins in his hand and he just had 10,000. He could finally buy a contract!