Charlie offered no reply.
Qi Si continued, speaking as if to himself. "A single beam of light pierces a dark tower, exposing the filth and corruption inside. And for that, the light is deemed guilty."
"If we judge sin by the act of killing alone, our crimes are all buried in the past. The dust has settled, yet you insist on excavating these rotting graves, churning up the stench of decay for all to see, and you call it justice. Don't you see how absurd you are?"
"That's right, I'm guilty!" Charlie roared with laughter. "Every one of us is guilty, and I am no exception! This is a carnival of sin—what a magnificent theme!"
Qi Si stared at his mask and scoffed. "A pity. You're not the dawn breaking through the darkness; you're just a gaudy stage built to entertain the masses. You orchestrated this whole trial of sinners for one reason: to grab the audience's attention. So let me ask you—have you planned your own death scene?"
Charlie straightened his back, his voice chilling. "Sir, you seem to forget, this is my stage! The thought of judging the host in his own theater... how utterly laughable!"
"Oh?" Qi Si's gaze shifted to the vacant Seat 2. "Then tell me, why did you keep Seat 2, and even place three chips there?"
The players simultaneously recalled that before the "Catch the Fox" game, Charlie had placed chips at every seat, including the one that had belonged to the late Hansen.
At the time, they had dismissed it as lazy instance design—a simple way to account for not knowing who would die in the first act by treating every seat identically.
Looking back, that assumption was absurd. The Weird Game's instances were notoriously meticulous; they would never be so crude.
"Even I was nearly misled," Dong Xiwen thought, a wave of belated fear washing over him. "Treating this instance like a literal stage play makes you subconsciously think in terms of simplifying the production..." Just then, a spark of realization flashed through his mind.
He had a gut feeling he was onto something, but he couldn't grasp the concrete thought. It was like trying to poke a finger through a thick, oiled paper screen—infuriatingly close, yet impossible to break through.
His heart clenched painfully, a frantic, jittery feeling, as if a thousand tiny figures were dancing and scratching at it...
He felt he'd forgotten something important, but what was it?
Qi Si, his expression unreadable, made an inviting gesture toward Charlie. "It seems my guess was correct. Now, would Player 2 please take their seat?"
Charlie's head twitched, a guttural, rattling sound catching in his throat. His body began to shake violently, like an insect struggling against an immense, crushing force.
Within seconds, he moved like a true marionette, pulled by invisible strings. With stiff, jerky movements, he shuffled toward the empty seat and dropped into it, his torso rigid.
Simultaneously, lines of text appeared on every player's system interface.
[Second Game: Crazy Blackjack. The rules are as follows:]
[1. Each player begins with two cards. Players may choose which of their initial two cards to reveal as their face-up card.]
[2. Each round begins with Player 1. On their turn, a player must choose to either "Hit" (take another card) or "Stand" (take no more cards). Once a player stands, they cannot take any further action. The game ends when all players have chosen to stand.]
[3. Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s are all worth 10 points. An Ace can be valued at either 11 points or 1 point. If counting an Ace as 11 would cause the player's total to exceed 21, it automatically counts as 1.]
[4. A hand totaling over 21 points is a "Bust," resulting in a loss. A hand totaling exactly 21 points is a "Blackjack." If any player achieves a Blackjack, all other players immediately lose.]
[5. During the game, each player has one opportunity to either "Swap" or "Give." To "Swap" is to exchange your face-down card with another player's. To "Give" is to pass one card from your hand to another player. Performing either action also counts as a "Stand," ending your turn.]
Perhaps because Charlie had been demoted from host to player, the game rules were displayed directly on the system interface this time, presumably for the sake of fairness.
The white text on the black background was perfectly clear, leaving no room to doubt the authenticity of the rules.
Dong Xiwen was the first to analyze the situation. "I think I get it. Our first priority is to keep our own scores low enough to avoid busting. Second, we need to force others to go over twenty-one. And if someone hits a Blackjack, we have to find a way to break their hand so the rest of us don't automatically lose."
"Exactly." Cynthia had already recovered from her earlier discomposure, regaining the effortless confidence of someone accustomed to being in charge. "We're all players here, which means we're on the same side. Once the game starts, we can all give our cards to Charlie and force him to bust."
The moment she finished speaking, two playing cards materialized in front of each player.
A moment later, the system's cold voice announced:
[Round One begins.]
The game seemed to be approaching its finale. It felt like a landslide victory for the players, a chance to finally put an end to the host who had been leading them by the nose. Even those trying to remain calm could hardly conceal their eagerness.
Without much hesitation, within a mere two seconds, everyone had examined their hands and revealed their face-up card.
[Player 1, please draw a card.]
Qi Si drew a card and, without even glancing at it, tossed it to Charlie beside him, executing a "Give" and "Stand" in one fluid motion.
Charlie calmly collected the card from Qi Si, then drew another for himself, laying it neatly on the table.
The other players followed suit. After drawing a card and checking its value, they each passed their highest card to Charlie.
After one round, every player except Charlie had stood.
Charlie chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. His masked face turned toward Qi Si before lowering to gaze at the "8" lying face-up on the table. "Mr. Number 1, you're a character I've grown quite fond of. I do hope your other card is less than a four."
The players instantly understood what Charlie was planning, and the color drained from their faces.
Qi Si asked coolly, "You have a ten?"
Charlie remained silent, flipping over one of his face-down cards. It was a King.
—which, according to the rules, counted as ten points!
Charlie flicked the King toward Qi Si, who caught it between two fingers and added it to his hand.
[Round One ends.]
At the announcement, all cards flipped face-up.
Qi Si's cards were a King, a 2, and an 8, totaling 20. A close shave, but no bust and no Blackjack.
Charlie's hand was a 3, 7, 9, 10, Jack, and Queen, totaling 49. A clear bust.
Despite this, he laughed with wild abandon.
Amid his raspy laughter, his limbs cracked apart, joint by joint, and scattered across the floor. A pile of hard wooden blocks clattered and rolled about, the sound mingling with his incessant cackling, creating a deeply unsettling scene.
A minute later, one of the chips at Seat 2 dissolved into a pool of blood that seeped into the tabletop. The wooden blocks on the floor then flew up and reassembled, once again forming the figure of Charlie.
The NPC seemed to feel no pain. He twisted his head to face Qi Si. "Mr. Number 1, it seems you're quite lucky! But good fortune is a fickle thing. You can't guarantee you'll win forever."
Qi Si let out a thoughtful "Oh?", the sound rising in inflection. "So, you're planning on taking me down with you?"
"No, no, no." Charlie shook his head. "I'm not targeting you intentionally. It just so happens that, thanks to a certain someone, you have fewer chips than the others. Of course, I would much prefer a win-win situation with you—you understand what I mean!"
"Are they really plotting so openly?" Dong Xiwen was stunned, but he also recognized the grim reality of the situation.
In the first round, it had been four against one—a landslide advantage for the players. But if Charlie managed to win Qi Si over, it would become three against two. While they would still have the numbers, considering Qi Si's abilities, it was impossible to say who would come out on top.
And Qi Si had every reason to cooperate with Charlie.
If he sided with the players, Charlie was determined to target him, leaving him with no way out. Knowing his personality, he would never sacrifice himself for the sake of others...
Cynthia turned to Qi Si, her tone persuasive. "Zhou Ke, think this through. If you side with Charlie, we will have no choice but to target you first and eliminate you. Death is inevitable. Rather than shamefully joining forces with a monster, wouldn't it be better to remain on the side of humanity?" It was blatant moral blackmail, an empty promise painted in noble colors. Qi Si watched her with a faint, mocking smile, making no effort to hide the derision in his eyes.
He Hui suddenly looked up and spoke softly. "Zhou Ke, in the next round, don't give a card right away. Wait for Charlie to stand, then give a card to me. Let me bust. That way, we'll have the same number of chips."
Qi Si remained noncommittal, but the Weird Game gave them little time to prepare.
[Round Two begins.]
With the system's announcement, fresh cards appeared before the players.
Qi Si flipped a 6 face-up and scanned the other players. "This round," he announced, "if anyone gives me a card, I will keep hitting until I draw a card large enough to give right back to them."
It was a crude threat, but an exceptionally effective one.
While Qi Si had the fewest chips and was destined to be the first one out, there was no telling if the chips might be useful in the third act. No one was willing to be the selfless hero and waste their resources here.
[Player 1, please draw a card.]
Qi Si drew a card, glanced at it, and kept it.
Charlie drew a card and also made no move.
—Holding onto the option to give or swap a card was the greatest threat one could pose.
After drawing her card, He Hui hesitated for a moment before passing it to Charlie.
Even though Qi Si had clearly sided with the monster, she couldn't bring herself to deliberately harm another player. Even if they were guilty, this was not the place for their judgment.
Cynthia also drew a card. Her eyes narrowed as she saw its face.
It was a 10. She already had a 7 face-up and a 5 face-down. Keeping this new card would cause her to bust.
—She had to get rid of it.
Giving it to Charlie would certainly make him bust, but that felt like a waste.
In the last round, Charlie's hand was 49 points. If those 28 excess points had been distributed among the players, it might have cost several people their chips.
Charlie was bound to bust anyway. Why not use this chance to eliminate "Zhou Ke" as well?
"Zhou Ke" could only give one card. He might just hand her a 9, giving her a Blackjack. Even if he stubbornly drew a 10 to give her, she wouldn't be at a loss.
After all, she still had three chips...
With this in mind, Cynthia pushed the 10 toward Qi Si with two fingers.
Beneath his mask, the corner of Qi Si's mouth curled into a mocking smile. "Are you sure you want to give me that card?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement. "I guarantee you'll regret it."
Cynthia assumed he was bluffing. "Of course, I'm sure," she said coolly. "A person who chooses to side with a monster in a life-or-death situation has no right to exist in this world."
She delivered the line with such self-righteous grandeur that Dong Xiwen's expression soured. He quickly drew a card and tossed it to Charlie.
[Player 1, begin the next round of draws.]
At this point, neither Qi Si nor Charlie had stood.
Qi Si drew a card from the deck and tossed it to Cynthia.
It was a 3. Cynthia was confused for a moment, but then a horrifying possibility dawned on her, and her breath hitched.
...It couldn't be that coincidental, could it? It couldn't be that unlucky...
Charlie also drew a card, then selected a Queen from his stack and passed it to He Hui.
[Round Two ends. Congratulations to Player 1 on your Blackjack.]
The system's icy voice rang out, punctuated by the sound of a cheap, crackling firework. The effect was utterly ridiculous.
At the same time, everyone saw Qi Si's hand clearly—
An Ace, a 6, a 4, and a 10. He had only reached 21 points because Cynthia had given him that 10!
Cynthia understood everything in an instant. She gritted her teeth. "Zhou Ke, you said all that deliberately to trick me into giving you the ten, didn't you?"
"I wasn't certain any of you had a ten, nor that it was in your hand," Qi Si replied casually, as if he were just playing for fun. "However, with 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all counting as ten, the probability wasn't insignificant. It was worth the gamble. And it seems my luck isn't as bad as I thought."
He paused, his tone turning sincere. "Ms. Cynthia, you should be grateful. My Blackjack means I now have more chips than Charlie. Otherwise, I would have had no choice but to work with him."
Charlie understood immediately and began to applaud enthusiastically. "Excellent drama! A brilliant reversal! I'm sure the audience will love it!"
Cynthia had a thousand retorts, but in the end, all she could manage was, "You... you lunatic..."
"Am I?" Qi Si raised a hand to his cold mask in a gesture of mock innocence. "I'm merely trying to ensure more people survive. By your own standards, doesn't that make me a great humanitarian?"
But at that moment, no one was in any condition to answer him.
One Blackjack meant everyone else lost.
The penalty for failure descended. Charlie once again fell apart into a pile of wooden blocks.
Cynthia, meanwhile, looked as though she'd been crushed flat, her body reduced to a meaty paste smeared across her seat, leaving only a shattered skeleton behind.
Dong Xiwen's head dropped from his shoulders, leaving a gaping, bowl-sized wound. Bullet holes then began to pepper his body, riddling him until he was a crimson ruin.
He Hui's face turned a deathly purple, her tongue lolling out as if an invisible noose had tightened around her neck, hoisting her entire body into the air.
Groans and wails rose and fell in a chaotic, lively chorus.
Qi Si calmly observed the players' varied and gruesome deaths, feeling quite pleased with himself.
The rounds of Crazy Blackjack were swift, each one taking less than a minute to complete.
He had been prepared, if he hadn't managed the Blackjack, to activate his [Fate Pocket Watch]. He would have rewound time to the start of the game and conspired with Charlie to relentlessly target Cynthia.
Failing that, he could have given a card to He Hui or Dong Xiwen to at least even out the chip count among the players.
But his luck had been better than expected. He had saved a use of his [Fate Pocket Watch], successfully cost everyone a chip, and reclaimed the advantage.
Now, every player had two chips, while Charlie had only one. The outcome was all but certain.
A minute passed. The players were restored to their original states, only their pale faces and sweat-drenched clothes betraying the ordeal they had just endured.
Amid a chorus of pained gasps, the system's emotionless voice chimed in:
[Round Three begins.]