Chapter 103: The Joker Holder, Fond of the New and Tired of the Old
The voice of the red-haired burly man, [Jack], began to resonate,
Much like his robust physique, his voice was equally rugged, but compared to previous exchanges, it now carried a certain chill,
"I did not draw the Joker, believe it or not, that's the truth. As for whom I suspect, it's quite simple. I've been paying attention to everyone's reactions when they looked at their cards,"
He pointed directly at Lin Ye,
"Just at the moment when everyone was looking at their cards, I noticed the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. What kind of card would make someone smile? What would make someone happy? I think we all can guess."
"This round of 'Joker Drawing' is extremely favorable to the 'Joker player'. If the Joker player successfully deceives everyone, they can monopolize 50 eerie coins."
In an instant,
The gazes of all six participants converged on Lin Ye,
"I think I noticed that too,"
Spoke the blonde beauty, [Sophia].
She seemed to be recalling, her expression tinged with a hint of uncertainty.
"Miss, illusions born from verbal misdirection are not to be trusted!"
"If you're not the one, why not refute his accusation?"
The green-haired punk immediately interjected.
"Refuting would only deepen suspicion,"
Lin Ye shrugged, completely unperturbed,
"Everyone should stick to their initial thoughts and voice their original judgments. Once everyone has shared their thoughts, I believe the identity of the Joker holder will become clear."
Sophia glanced at Lin Ye a couple more times.
Indeed, not refuting was the best choice. If Lin Ye had refuted, it would only have further increased his own suspicion. Moreover, couldn't [Jack] also be the Joker holder?
"Next, please speak,"
The manager prompted,
It was the turn of the lavishly dressed Lolita, Celestia, her red eyes brimming with smiles, her right finger resting on her card.
"I am not the Joker holder, and I actually don't have any suspicions. But since the manager insists on an accusation, I suppose I'll choose him!"
She pointed at the green-haired punk, Li Minghao.
Green-haired punk: ???
"What nonsense are you spouting, woman? On what grounds do you accuse me of being the Joker holder? Which eye of yours saw that!"
If accused of being the Joker holder, he would undoubtedly face death, his soul becoming the property of the 'Royal Casino', forever bound to work in this gambling den.
"Just a suspicion,"
Celestia paid no mind to the green-haired punk, still wearing a faint smile, showcasing her elegant and noble demeanor.
"Woman, you're the one with the Joker, aren't you? It must be you..."
"Next guest, please speak."
The high school girl, Xia Yun, couldn't help but move closer to Celestia, her voice tinged with nervousness, "I, my card is not the Joker, I, I think he's the Joker holder."
Again, it was the green-haired punk.
The green-haired punk was nearly driven mad,
How could two people already be accusing him of being the Joker holder?
"Are you blind, woman? Just because this woman treats you well, you follow her in accusing me? If this woman holds the Joker, you'll lose your soul and be trapped in this casino!"
The high school girl, Xia Yun, trembled twice and retracted her gaze, completely avoiding the furious, clawing green-haired punk.
It was now the turn of the middle-aged man, [Brother Fa].
With his slicked-back hair, he remained calm, a kind smile still on his face.
As a seasoned player, he wasn't panicked or nervous at all.
"I don't have the Joker, and I don't have a clear suspect. But if I were the Joker holder, I would definitely keep a low profile, avoiding drawing attention or suspicion, quietly watching others perform. So..."
[Brother Fa] looked at Celestia,
"She and this high school girl are my suspects."
"This judgment is based on the current speakers."
"As for Zero, I actually think it's unlikely. A veteran player, even the lowest-level one among us, wouldn't show an obvious smile after drawing the Joker. That's not in line with a player's normal psychology."
Unless one has been extremely lucky, any player who has accepted the invitation to become an eerie player and leveled up from 0 to 2 must have strong mental resilience.
"I think the reason he smiled is that he found the game interesting or perhaps discovered some crucial clue."
Lin Ye smiled, "As expected of an LV4 player, your analysis and judgment are on another level."
This made [Jack] twitch. He was only an LV3 player, and suspecting Lin Ye based solely on his reaction when looking at his cards was indeed a bit hasty.
But,
He was the first speaker and could only rely on his current judgment and intuition.
"Brother Fa, since you've said that, I actually find you more suspicious now. After all, as you said, the more normal a player seems, the more likely they are to be the Joker holder."
[Jack] slowly said to [Brother Fa].
"Haha."
The middle-aged man in a suit laughed, not minding Jack's suspicion.
"Next guest, please speak."
At the manager's reminder, the green-haired punk reacted,
"It's my turn now. I don't have the Joker, and my suspects are naturally these two women. As for who exactly, I don't know, but I agree with this uncle's statement. That's all I have to say."
He glared,Provoking Celestia, but Celestia remained smiling, unchanged.
"Not reacting at all makes me think it's her."
"Distinguished guests,"
The manager glanced around and continued,
"As the host of this event, I hope all guests will choose carefully and identify the Joker holder. The punishment for the game's loser is absolutely real. Who could be holding the Joker?"
"Next guest,"
The sixth person, the blonde beauty Sophia to Lin Ye's left.
Her cold eyes swept around, her tall figure accentuating her Proud figure, her ample chest trembling slightly.
From his position on the right, Lin Ye enjoyed the view.
"Hmph."
[Sophia] noticed Lin Ye's gaze and couldn't help but snort,
"It's not me. My initial suspect is her,"
Celestia,
"This woman's attitude has remained largely unchanged throughout. I feel there's something off about her."
The green-haired punk got excited, "Great minds think alike, blonde beauty!"
"Secondly, I suspect you."
Green-haired punk: ???
He cursed under his breath but swallowed his words under Sophia's cold gaze.
"Lastly, [Brother Fa],"
She finished and retracted her gaze, maintaining a scrutinizing look at everyone.
"Next guest, please."
The six pairs of eyes focused on Lin Ye again.
He was the last speaker.
"I don't have the Joker, but before I name my suspect, has anyone noticed how unfair this game is to the participants on both sides?"
Even someone who doesn't usually play card games can sense the unfairness, let alone eerie game players who have survived this long.
"The Joker holder and the non-Joker holders—this game's rules are extremely favorable to the Joker holder. One could even say that drawing the Joker gives a high probability of winning this game."
Everyone pondered, and the high school girl Xia Yun nodded repeatedly.
"If I were to design this game to make it fairer for both sides, I would design it so that the Joker holder needs to survive three rounds of accusations to win the game."
"When two non-Joker holders are eliminated, the surviving players can make more accurate judgments based on the first and second rounds of speeches, tilting the game in favor of the 'non-Joker players' and ensuring balance between the two sides."
[Brother Fa] tapped lightly. With Lin Ye's explanation, his vague thoughts became clearer.
"This event game, I think we're not the first players to participate, right? Manager?"
"Sorry, that information cannot be disclosed."
"See!"
Clearly, the manager's refusal to answer was an answer in itself.
"The casino isn't organizing this game for the first time. The game's flaws would be exposed with each event, so why hasn't the casino changed it?"
"Trouble?"
[Sophia] said.
"Can I say you're big-chested but brainless?"
[Sophia] rolled her eyes at Lin Ye, "Go on."
She wouldn't get angry over his teasing. No one who becomes an eerie player is simple.
Moreover, it's likely he's deliberately provoking her. She won't fall for it.
[Jack] interjected, "The casino wants the participants' souls."
"Yes, favoring the Joker holder allows the casino to harvest more player souls in one event."
The green-haired punk was stunned, "That seems to be the case. Six souls are definitely better than one. If I were the casino, I'd do the same, deliberately favoring the Joker holder."
"But after all that, it's still useless? Just nonsense? It doesn't help us identify who the Joker holder is?"
He said impatiently,
"Hurry up and name your suspect. We're moving on to the discussion and voting phase."
"Actually, the answer is already clear, isn't it?"
Lin Ye's gaze fell on [Sophia]. The blonde beauty frowned.
"Suggest you drink less milk. I don't know how you've survived this long."
Hold it in.
[Sophia] reminded herself.
"Brother Fa, what about you?"
"I won't steal your spotlight. I'm old and not as sharp. The younger generation is truly impressive. The new wave pushes the old."
The middle-aged man smiled, sighing a couple of times.
"Hey, hey, what are you two talking in riddles for? Who is the Joker holder?"
"Miss Celestia, what about you?"
Celestia didn't expect to be asked, "Sorry, I don't know."
"I was actually looking forward to Celestia is speech. I think Miss Celestia could provide the correct answer."
"Sorry, I can't think of anything. If Mr. Zero thinks I'm the Joker holder, I must apologize."
She maintained her elegant smile, speaking calmly.
But deep down, she felt as if Lin Ye had seen through her.
Could he be a past opponent? But was there such a person? Celestia was confident in her memory. As a gambler, without top-notch memory, how could one repeatedly defeat opponents and win games?
The high school girl and the green-haired punk were ignored, which made the green-haired punk very unhappy.
"Just say it already! Stop beating around the bush."
"Six players' souls are nothing compared to seven players' souls, right? Manager."
"What!"
This caused an uproar.
The blonde beauty [Sophia] glared at the two-headed manager. [Jack] showed a flash of surprise but then found it Take it for granted. When suspicion fell on the manager, many things made sense.
"How could it be him?"
The green-haired punk shouted,
"He's from the casino. How could the host also participate in the event? Besides, there are only seven cards. There's no eighth card!"
He completely refused to believe it, instinctively refute.
Sophia slowly said, "From the beginning, that Joker card never entered the deck?"
She was half-convinced, still somewhat doubtful.
"This is your speculation. I need more evidence."
"Right! With just your analysis and no evidence, it's not enough!"
Everyone was waiting for Lin Ye to provide more evidence.
"First, he never explicitly said the Joker would be given to one of the seven of us."
"Second, what else can the Joker be called?"
"The clown."
The high school girl Xia Yun spoke up,
"In English, it's Joker."
"Yes, in poker, Joker usually refers to the big and small Jokers. And this manager's self-introduction, what was his name?"
The manager's name? Wasn't it...
Everyone's eyes lit up at this moment.
"J."
Celestia said,
"From the beginning... he hinted at us."
Shocked,
The green-haired punk suddenly felt his IQ wasn't up to par.
The blonde beauty Sophia raised her judgment of Lin Ye by a level. This guy is only LV2 now, but that's just because he hasn't had enough time. Given more time to grow, he could reach terrifying heights.
"Third, why is it that the staff member with two heads is the one hosting this event? The loser will have their soul harvested by the casino. If he has two souls, one as the host and one as a participant, wouldn't that fit the rules perfectly?"
Damn it,
There's that point too!
With two heads, they mostly thought of it as an eerie external Image performance, just more frightening.
"What else?"
Sophia didn't think the evidence stopped at these three points.
"After the green-haired guy spoke..."
"Who are you calling green-haired!"
The green-haired punk couldn't help but retort a couple of times, but he quickly shut up to avoid further interruption.
"The manager spoke, unexpectedly adding a few extra sentences. Isn't this supposed to be his self-explanation phase? The self-explanation required for participants?"
"I agree with [Brother Fa]'s point. The more normal someone seems, the more likely they are to be the Joker holder. Who here fits their role better than the manager?"
Without Lin Ye's reminder and this line of reasoning, the other six wouldn't have been able to figure this out so quickly.
"Lastly, in his speech, he mentioned, 'Who will the card end up with?' At that time, among the seven players, only Miss Celestia is hand was on her card. The other six had their hands quite far from their cards."
"And the manager's hands were never shown."
In an instant,
The blonde beauty [Sophia] and the green-haired punk both turned their gazes toward the manager's hands, but due to the angle, they couldn't see.
The two tried to stand up but found their bodies seemingly glued to their chairs, unable to move.
Lin Ye looked at the manager, "Manager, don't you have anything to say at this point?"
"Since all guests have finished their statements and discussions, we will now proceed to the voting phase. Does anyone have any objections?"
The manager ignored Lin Ye's rebuttal and calmly carried out his duties.
At this point, there was no need for further discussion.
Although the thought of voting still caused some panic, there was no better choice now.
Given the current situation, the majority of the seven players would choose the 'manager.'
"Alright,"
"Let's move to the voting phase."
After seeing everyone agree, the manager slowly said, "Next is the voting phase. Please point at the participant you believe to be the 'Joker holder.'"
The green-haired punk immediately pointed at the manager, followed by the high school girl, Celestia.
In the end, all seven pointed at the manager.
Lin Ye was tempted to try not accusing anyone or accusing another player to see what would happen, but such a dangerous experiment was definitely not something he could test himself.
"Very well, the voting phase is over."
"Seven guests have identified me as the Joker holder."
"Unfortunately,"
This sentence sent a chill through everyone's hearts, especially the green-haired punk, who nearly went mad. "I knew it! The manager isn't the Joker holder! Zero is the Joker holder! We've all been fooled by this bastard!"
The green-haired punk was on the verge of a breakdown.
Snap...
The manager placed a card on the conference table.
A joker pattern was glaringly obvious.
"I am the Joker holder. The seven guests have accused correctly."
The green-haired punk almost cursed.
Damn it, were they messing with him on purpose?
With his earlier outburst, he had definitely offended Lin Ye! That guy was a powerhouse! Even the impulsive green-haired punk knew that in a dangerous place like this, having a powerhouse to rely on made all the difference.
"Next is the casino's soul collection phase."
He spoke calmly.
In the next second,
From the ceiling, a faint black-gray hand reached down and grabbed one of the two-headed manager's brains.
A human-shaped shadow was being pulled away.
"Ahhhh!"
Heart-wrenching screams filled the room.
"I'm not willing!"
"I'm not willing to accept this!"
"I've worked so hard in this casino, accumulating so much Performance for this chance..."
"I... I was so close... to freedom!"
"Ahhh, I'm not willing!"
The Phantom Shadow glared at Lin Ye, as if wanting to tear him apart, dismember him, and kill him in the most brutal way possible.
One of the manager's heads burst open, blood and white liquid splattering everywhere, brain matter scattering, leaving a gruesome mess.
The other head remained calm, showing no reaction.
A few seconds later, amidst the agonizing screams, the soul collection execution phase ended.
Everything returned to calm.
But this scene was far beyond the psychological Endurance limit of the newcomers selected for the 'Royal Casino.' The high school girl, Xia Yun, had never seen such a Stimulate ugly scenes. The Stomach acid in her stomach churned, and she nearly vomited.
Celestia is face wasn't looking much better.
As for the green-haired punk, his earlier furious demeanor had completely vanished.
Now, he was pale, his body trembling uncontrollably, betraying his fear.
The four other players maintained relatively normal expressions, though there were subtle changes. The blonde beauty [Sophia] pursed her lips, looked away, and stopped watching.
At this moment, she was more focused on the player 'Zero.'
Whether they could successfully earn fifty eerie coins, or even more, seemed to depend on him.
This made [Sophia] recall her thoughts when she first received the invitation.
'Royal Casino of the Inner World,'
It sounded like a place where one could earn a lot of points.
The risks were high, but so were the rewards, so she decided to give it a try.
Her luck had been terrible at the real-world casinos in Macau, losing so much that she had to rely on her looks to break even. That was the start of her good luck. Moreover, she didn't want to miss the rare 'Eerie Invitation Mission,' so she joined.
But after the first game activity, she realized her shortcomings. She had underestimated the difficulty of this invitation mission. Even with Zero's near-explicit hints, she hadn't immediately realized that the manager was the Joker holder.
This cold reality made her aware of how difficult it would be to earn fifty eerie coins in the 'Royal Casino.'
Since her own abilities were lacking, she would have to rely on her 'companions.'
[Sophia] glanced at Zero, then at herself, and made a decision.
The manager, now with only one head, chuckled. He brushed off the bloodstains on his left shoulder and smiled. "Congratulations to all guests for successfully completing this event."
He pushed fifty eerie coins to the center of the conference table.
"These fifty eerie coins now belong to you, our esteemed guests. Please enjoy your time at the Royal Casino."
"Additional reminder,"
"Due to Identity restrictions, guests can only participate in a maximum of ten gambling sessions. The number of times you can participate in each type of game is limited. Please choose carefully."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask the relevant staff members. Goodbye."
The manager nodded and left.
The opulent conference room was now left with only Lin Ye and the other six players.
The manager didn't distribute the eerie coins, leaving it to the seven players to divide them themselves.
All six pairs of eyes turned to Lin Ye. Everyone knew that he was the main reason they had passed this event. Without him, all their souls might have been taken by the casino, and they would have become Workers who lost their freedom in this casino.
"I'll take eight eerie coins."
Lin Ye immediately claimed eight eerie coins.
No one objected. Even if Lin Ye had taken half of the coins, the six wouldn't have opposed him, let alone him taking only eight.
"As for the remaining forty-two eerie coins, I suggest dividing them equally. When participating in the casino's games, I advise everyone to observe, think, and listen to others' opinions. I have extensive gambling experience and skills and am willing to provide some Off-site support, in exchange for half of your earnings."
The blonde beauty [Sophia] immediately understood that Lin Ye was targeting each player's limited 'ten' gambling opportunities.
This was restricted.
Through his previous performance and his current suggestions and attitude, Lin Ye had already established a high level of trust among the group.
"This game's rules prohibit Steal other people's weird coins, but borrowing is allowed. If anyone here loses all their chips, they can borrow from me. I am more than willing to lend eerie coins to help you through tough times."
Is this guy really that confident?
But thinking back to Lin Ye's earlier performance, they felt he wasn't just boasting.
Mortgaging a body part to Exchange for Strange Coins might be more reliable if borrowed from Lin Ye.
"One last suggestion, or rather, my guess: never let yourself run out of eerie coins. If you lose all your eerie coins, something very bad might happen."
After saying this, Lin Ye walked toward the conference room door.
[Sophia], who was closest to the remaining eerie coins, also spoke up. "I also suggest dividing them equally."
She took her share of seven eerie coins.
Soon, the other five also took their respective shares.
Lin Ye pushed open the conference room door and walked out.
It was a long,Luxury corridor, with no trace of anything 'eerie.'
As Lin Ye walked down the corridor, footsteps quickly approached from behind.
"Zero, mind if I join you?"
"Sorry, I don't hang out with smelly guys."
[Sophia]: ???
"I'm a woman!"
"Oh..."
Lin Ye glanced at her. "A tank, I see. A Tiger tank."
Sophia's Twitching of the corners of the mouth.
"Beautiful lady, my real appearance is just as stunning as my current look!"
This jerk, is he really that obsessed with women's looks?
"Oh."
Just an 'oh'?
Sophia handed over two eerie coins. "This is my Sincerity."
But Lin Ye remained unmoved.
"Two of my gambling sessions can be yours to use."
Lin Ye held up a hand.
Five?
"Five is too much."
"It's all of them."
Sophia slowly formed a question mark in her mind.
"No way."
"You will. Follow me, and you'll see."
[Sophia] thought about it and realized he might be right.
As long as she was sure that following Lin Ye's bets would earn her eerie coins, she would definitely agree.
"Let's go!"
After saying this,
Lin Ye wrapped his arm around [Sophia]'s waist. The blonde beauty trembled, her body instinctively reacting to being touched by a man, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.
For the sake of those precious eerie coins, she endured.
But,
In her heart, she kept gritting her teeth.
These men, the ones who are good at gambling, do they all love women so much?
This guy is like that, and so was that man at the Macau casino.
Damn it, damn it, this is why she hates men!
Behind them,
The other five players watched as Zero and Sophia had already hooked up, feeling that it happened so quickly.
But there was no denying that getting on Lin Ye's boat was surprisingly reassuring.
The black-haired ponytail girl, Xia Yun, a newcomer, looked at Lin Ye's back, then at the blonde beauty's back, feeling a slight sense of regret.
She was just a high school student, but she had her own thoughts. Now that she had experienced her first game and successfully passed it, she had accepted her current reality and was calmly starting to think about her next steps.
Relying on her own strength to earn 50 eerie coins was no easy task!
"Xia Yun, let's go! I have a bit of knowledge about gambling."
Celestia took the ponytail girl's wrist and said with a smile.
Facing this friend, Xia Yun nodded with a soft "Mm."
[Jack] and [Brother Fa] walked behind.
"Want to explore together?"
[Brother Fa] suggested.
"Sure."
Although it was a casino, and the direct harm was likely minimal, having a companion still made things feel safer.
"Can I join too?"
The green-haired punk, Li Minghao, walked behind the two. He thought that if they refused, he would just follow them around and eventually seek help from Zero.
He felt that Zero was easy to talk to and definitely wouldn't just stand by and watch him die.
[Brother Fa] didn't object.
[Jack] glanced at him and said, "Don't get in the way."
In non-competitive eerie games, unless it directly affected their interests, players generally wouldn't kill each other. Cooperation was more common.
After all, many rules in eerie games needed to be figured out through trial and error. If players started killing each other right away, it would only lower everyone's survival rate to the minimum, resulting in a total loss with no winners.
So,
In most cases, players tended to cooperate.
At the very front,
Lin Ye, with his arm around Sophia's waist, had already turned the corner of the corridor and entered the lobby.
As soon as he stepped in, the atmosphere changed.
The vast lobby,
Under the lights shining from above, the golden hall looked majestic and luxurious.
Figures moved about.
But they weren't just human figures.
Among the humanoid figures, less than a third looked completely human.
The majority had grotesque,ferocious appearances, with distorted heads and bodies.
Lin Ye suddenly noticed a sexy Bunny Girl in a tight, alluring uniform carrying a tray and walking back and forth.
"Are those ears... real?"
From this angle, he couldn't see any signs of them being accessories.
"Curious? Go ask her. She's probably staff."
[Sophia] snorted inwardly.
Men are so lustful. Just seeing a sexy Bunny Girl and they start fantasizing.
"Alright, let's go!"
Lin Ye immediately let go and walked toward the Bunny Girl, leaving [Sophia] standing there in shock.
"That fickle man."
She was furious.
It's just a Bunny Girl. What's so great about her? I'd look way sexier and more alluring in that Bunny Girl outfit.