Hua Ru glanced at her hidden card, her expression unreadable. Her face-up card was a 9, while Feng Zhun’s was a 5.

Both remained perfectly calm, neither making the first move to draw another card. The spectators around them, however, were growing increasingly tense, all waiting for Hua Ru’s next move. No. 7, the blond Feng Yifeng, was practically itching to shout advice. But after being zapped by Leonardo earlier, he’d developed a healthy fear of electric shocks and kept his mouth shut.

No. 6 Yi Xiaoxiao was growing restless. Her right hand slipped silently beneath her, testing whether the ankle restraints could be picked. She didn’t trust Hua Ru. Not only did she doubt Hua Ru could beat the old man, but even if she won, someone would have to die, and who would that be? She had no reason to trust that girl, none at all. So she focused on freeing herself in secret.

Meanwhile, Uncle Jiang and No. 1 Hu Zhuo showed little outward movement, appearing relatively composed. But Uncle Jiang’s fingers were unconsciously tapping the table, betraying his inner anxiety.

Even UncleBlack and Ling Wan, Hua Ru’s biggest supporters, couldn’t fully relax. They knew she was strong, especially in a battle of wits like this. She should have had the upper hand. But that first-round loss had put them on edge, proving the silver-haired elder was no pushover.

The prolonged silence in the room only amplified everyone’s unease.

“Not drawing another card, young lady?” Old Man Feng finally broke the silence. They couldn’t just sit there forever.

“But my total is already quite high. I’m worried I’ll bust. Don’t you think I should stand?” Hua Ru tossed the decision right back at him.

The old man didn’t answer right away. He knew it was a probing statement, but couldn’t quite decipher what she wanted to gain from him. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Since your total is already high, perhaps you shouldn’t draw.”

Would she really not draw? Impossible. Even if her hidden card was a 10, she had to keep drawing… because only a Joker could decide the game. Until a Joker was drawn, even 21 points wouldn’t guarantee victory.

“You must be joking, old man. I’ll take another card.” Sure enough, she chose to draw. The dispenser gave her a 3, an excellent card.

Since the Joker was the key to winning, it was the most powerful card in the game. After that, the most valuable cards were the lowest-numbered ones: A, 2, 3. The smaller the number, the lower the risk of busting, and the more chances you had to draw safely.

If someone drew 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, they’d need two Jokers just to cancel the 10 and 9, because otherwise, they’d bust. But if someone drew A, 2, 3, 4, 5, they wouldn’t bust even without a Joker. Furthermore, if they did draw one, they could even use it to attack their opponent. That was the advantage of low-value cards. The 3 Hua Ru had drawn was a very favorable pull.

“I’ll take one as well,” Feng Zhun followed, drawing an 8.

“Another card,” Hua Ru called promptly. This time, it was a 7.

“One more,” Feng Zhun drew again, finding a 6 this time.

Their rapid back-and-forth made the onlookers even more nervous. Everyone feared Hua Ru was making a misstep.

“Hey, be careful. Don’t play recklessly,” Uncle Jiang couldn’t help but warn.

Hua Ru ignored him, her face still a mask of icy calm, giving nothing away.

Her current face-up cards: [9], [3], [7]... total 19.

Feng Zhun’s face-up cards: [5], [8], [6]... also 19.

Including their hidden cards, eight cards were now in play. Only four remained in the deck. The six unknown cards were: A, 2, 4, 10, and two Jokers.

“Busted yet, young lady? Your revealed cards alone add up to 19. You don’t really expect me to believe your hidden card is a Joker, do you?” A wider smile spread across the old fox’s face.

“Old man, your face-up cards also total 19. Does that mean you’re busted too? I know what you’re thinking right now. You want to use a Joker to reset your points. But that means if you draw one, you can only use it on yourself. So this round… you’ve already lost.” Hua Ru smiled, her eyes like shards of ice. Whether she was mimicking the old man or truly confident, she threw his own words right back at him.

Was her hidden card really a Joker?

Feng Zhun hesitated, his eyes locked on Hua Ru's face. But she gave nothing away. This girl was far more composed in the second round than she had been in the first. Previously, she'd been indecisive at times. Now, her decisions were swift and sure.

Had she noticed her tell?

In the first round, he'd gauged her hidden card by how long she hesitated. No matter how good an actress someone was, the brain still needed time to think. When the situation was favorable, decisions came quickly; when it was dire, they took longer. For a strategist like her, someone who had to weigh countless factors, that hesitation was an incredibly reliable indicator.

But this round, Hua Ru's reactions were unnaturally fast. Either she'd realized her mistake from before, or she'd drawn an incredible card. Something like a Joker.

"My odds aren't bad. With four cards left, I have a one-in-four chance of drawing a Joker," Feng Zhun said, his sharp gaze boring into her. But the girl's expression remained like stone.

Not good. Her demeanor is flawless. Not a single crack.

"Actually, your chances are even better. One in two," she countered dispassionately, meeting his piercing stare without flinching. "My hole card isn't a Joker. I'm over the limit."

"Is that so? Well, it's your draw now. You'll need a Joker to turn this around, right?"

"Naturally. Hit me." She drew decisively, finding an Ace. The remaining unseen cards were now just the 2, 4, 10, and the two Jokers.

"Oh, a question about the rules," she interjected, as if it had just occurred to her. "Can you activate one Joker per turn, or two? For instance, if your hole card is a Joker and you draw another, you can't just activate both immediately and end the game, right?"

It's almost certainly a Joker. Or maybe a 10. Feng Zhun grew even more certain of her hole card.

This girl was clever. She'd asked that question at the perfect moment, as if trying to make him believe her hole card was a Joker. An amateur might think she was bluffing, pretending to have a strong card when she actually held garbage. But Feng Zhun thought a layer deeper. This might just be a double-bluff.

Her hole card is a Joker. To mislead me, she's deliberately acting like she's pretending it's a Joker. It's reverse psychology. If I assume she's bluffing, I'll walk into her trap, when in fact, she's telling the truth.

"Of course you can't activate two Jokers in one turn," Feng Zhun clarified, immediately imposing the rule. "That would break the game." He himself didn't hold any Jokers yet.

"So, to be clear," the girl pressed, seemingly oblivious that he'd seen through her ploy, "if your hole card is a Joker and you draw another, you can only activate one now. You'd have to wait until your next turn to use the other, correct?"

"Yes. Your understanding is correct."

It was Feng Zhun's turn to draw again. The moment his fingers touched the card, he knew he'd won. He straightened the ring on his left middle finger and let out a sigh. "The game is over."

He had drawn a Joker, the one card that could overturn everything.

Hua Ru's face-up cards were: [9], [3], [7], [A]... a total of 20 points.

Feng Zhun rose from his chair. The confident look was gone, replaced only by disappointment, as if he were preparing to leave.

"That's it? You just drew a Joker. How does that mean you've won?" Hua Ru didn't understand how she could have lost.

“You don’t actually think you can turn this around, do you? Do you think I’d use this Joker to cancel your hidden card? Don’t be naive. If I did that, I might actually lose.” The silver-haired man stopped and stared at the girl. “Still not convinced? Fine. I’ll use this Joker to cancel your 7. That drops your face-up total to 13. You’ve lost.”

“Is that so? But I’d still like to draw one more card,” Hua Ru refused to give up.

No one else really understood what was going on. Neither side offered an explanation. Leonardo, following her request, dealt another card… and out came another Joker!

Feng Zhun’s expression finally shifted, frowning. He hadn’t expected the second Joker to appear here. But what difference could it possibly make? It couldn’t change the outcome.

“Old man, I agree with what you said earlier. It looks like the game is over,” Hua Ru offered a light smile.

“What can this card possibly change?” Feng Zhun raised an eyebrow.

“It’s simple. The only reason I kept drawing was for this last Joker. Care to guess which card I’ll cancel now?” She was utterly confident, victory in hand.

“No matter which card you cancel, you can’t win. Your fate is sealed. The outcome has been determined,” Feng Zhun replied with equal confidence.

“Stop the act. I’m not falling for that, because my hidden card is a 4. You can’t win.” Hua Ru flipped her hidden card over, revealing a 4.

Feng Zhun sighed. He didn’t argue further and simply sat back down. He’d been bluffing. The moment she drew that second Joker, he knew he’d lost.

“What just happened? I still don’t get it,” UncleBlack said, voicing the confusion on everyone’s mind.

Hua Ru calmly explained: “It’s simple. He was trying to mislead me the whole time. We all know the Joker decides the game, and you don’t stop drawing until you get one. He didn’t know my hidden card. My face-up cards totaled 20. He didn’t dare touch my hidden card, because canceling it would leave me with exactly 20 points, a winning hand. Besides, he had no reason to cancel it. Even if my hidden card were a Joker, I’d only lose half my points. So instead, he canceled my 7, leaving my face-up total at just 13. That way, if my hidden card was a 10, I’d bust. If it was a 4, I’d only have 17.”

“So it all came down to who drew the final Joker. Whoever drew it would win. And unfortunately for him, I drew it. So as long as I cancel his 5, I win no matter what. There were two cards left unseen: a 2 and a 10. If his hidden card was the 2, canceling his 5 leaves him with 16. If it was the 10, canceling his 5 gives him 24. He busts. Whoever drew that last Joker was guaranteed to win.”

“So this game isn’t really about skill, unless the gap is astronomical. It mostly comes down to luck.”

Hua Ru wrapped up with a simple summary. She knew not everyone would follow all the details. The gist was that this game depended more on luck than skill.

Ling Wan looked completely lost. He didn’t understand the reasoning, only that Hua Ru had won.

Uncle Black got most of it. He realized Feng Zhun’s hidden card was either a 2 or a 10, and either way, the man would lose.

But their lives weren’t safe just yet… because now, someone had to die.