Chapter 23
Since Kai had revealed himself, he wouldn’t give his prey the chance to struggle and escape. He leaned in, closing the distance with the retreating Shen Yuzhe and pinned him down.
“The card isn’t on me! It was taken by that guy just now! You should have seen it!” Shen Yuzhe panicked, no longer possessing the same composure he had when he deceived Little Wolf earlier. He knew that his opponent wasn’t a simple fool to be fooled but a war god who attacked without hesitation.
“Do you know what kind of card I’m after?” Kai grabbed Shen Yuzhe’s flailing arm and began to search him. He retrieved a remaining piece of crushed beans and a strip of beef from the depths of Shen Yuzhe’s pocket. He looked at him with a mocking expression. “Throwing food, using fake cards to deceive people. How many tricks do you have?”
Shen Yuzhe’s entire body trembled. He knew Kai had seen everything.
He breathed rapidly, abandoning any thoughts of trickery. In a fluster, he confessed, “These foods were meant for you…”
Kai squinted, displeased, seemingly concluding that Shen Yuzhe was a smooth talker. Without any concern, he tossed the food aside and continued searching.
“I really don’t have a single card on me!” Shen Yuzhe argued desperately, his face turning red with frustration. He wanted to struggle, but Kai’s strength was overwhelming. He was immobilized, unable to move. All Shen Yuzhe could do was close his eyes and wait for Kai to give up.
Eventually, the search was complete, yet Kai didn’t release Shen Yuzhe. He continued to gaze at his face, lost in thought.
Kai had assumed that the familiar scent he detected on Shen Yuzhe was due to the food he brought every time. But besides the crushed beans, he found nothing that matched the scent he recognized. Could it be that this scent was inherent to Shen Yuzhe himself?
“Why?” Kai recalled Shen Yuzhe’s earlier words and asked.
Shen Yuzhe believed Kai was asking why he didn’t have any cards on him. He pondered how to answer to convince him, but Kai paused and completed the sentence, “Bring it for me.”
He was asking why Shen Yuzhe brought him food?
Shen Yuzhe’s mouth hung open, he hesitated for a while, and finally, his gaze flickered as he said, “I feel like I might know you.”
These were the words he wanted to say the first time he saw Kai. Now he finally said them, but there was no palpitation in his heart, only a jumble of unease.
… What would Kai think? Would he assume Shen Yuzhe was trying to get close by making up stories about knowing him?
Kai’s pupils contracted after hearing this, and he stared at him, partly convinced, partly doubtful.
Shen Yuzhe wanted to explain further, but suddenly, he felt a pain in the back of his neck. His vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
Kai withdrew his hand, carried him out of the thatched house, and gently placed him on the ground. He squatted down, deliberately waiting for the sound of approaching footsteps.
After a short while, several figures appeared, groping their way toward this direction.
“Where the hell did that kid hide?”
“Wait till I find him, I’ll give him a good beating to vent my anger!”
“…Wait, isn’t that Kai?”
“Huh, that kid’s here too…”
“Damn it! He actually let Kai snatch it first!”
These people were quite discontented, and from the scene, they guessed that a fierce battle had taken place here recently.
At this point, they didn’t need to waste time on someone without cards. They just stared at Kai’s direction for a moment with envy, jealousy, and hatred before gnashing their teeth and leaving.
Shen Yuzhe’s period of unconsciousness wasn’t long. He woke up after about twenty minutes.
He found himself outside and wondered how he ended up there. Besides a slight ache in the back of his neck and the chest where Little Wolf had struck him, he felt fine.
Shen Yuzhe quickly sat up and looked around. Kai was nowhere to be seen, but Mar and the others were lying not far away…
A thought struck him, and he got up, sneaking to the side of one of the unconscious men. He searched and indeed found a card—Kai didn’t take their cards when he defeated them. Although it was just a basic card, it was better than nothing.
Taking considerable risks, Shen Yuzhe checked the others one by one. He managed to retrieve two more cards, with one of them even being an intermediate card.
Surviving a near-death experience and gaining such rewards, Shen Yuzhe felt a little relieved. He recalled how Kai had dealt with these people using karate chops, raised his arms in the air, imitating the moves a couple of times. However, something seemed to cross his mind, and he lowered his arms, looking somewhat forlorn.
Since the people on the ground might wake up soon, Shen Yuzhe, who had obtained three cards, didn’t dare linger. He left immediately.
From a certain tree nearby, Kai, who had returned to the shadows, watched Shen Yuzhe’s departing figure. An inexplicable trace of softness appeared on his face.
As Shen Yuzhe walked and contemplated the recent events, he suddenly realized something was amiss: If Kai couldn’t find any cards on him, he might suspect that he and Mina had swapped cards. They were in danger!
Although he knew that even if he rushed back, it might not necessarily be of any use since Kai had knocked him out without mercy, Shen Yuzhe still hurriedly ran back.
He had long forgotten about hiding, but strangely, none of the trackers who had been chasing him were around anymore.
The current situation actually made Shen Yuzhe feel a strong sense of unease. Logically speaking, apart from Kai, no one knew that Little Wolf had taken his card. Could it be that those people already knew that the advanced card and the gold card had changed hands, so they lost interest in him?
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious or how much time was left until the game ended. Were his companions already in danger?
Anxiously, Shen Yuzhe rushed to the spot where he had initially parted ways with his companions. “Yuzhe!” Jay crouched in a concealed thicket and was the first to spot him.
Shen Yuzhe immediately rushed over, but he didn’t have time to feel relieved before he was shocked by what he saw.
Mina was huddled among a pile of dry branches that had been hastily arranged as cover. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were swollen, her lips were split, and she was wrapped in Jay’s coat—her own dress was torn and disheveled.
Shen Yuzhe’s expression changed dramatically. “What happened? Where’s Lily and Johnny?”
Mina, usually cheerful and gentle, was like a soulless person at the moment, hugging herself tightly and not saying a word.
Jay let him in and covered the area with big leaves. After carefully observing the surroundings for any movement outside, he leaned back and told Shen Yuzhe the sequence of events.
It turned out that shortly after they separated, Mina discovered that Shen Yuzhe had switched cards with her. She had also followed Shen Yuzhe’s plan and gave her card to Jay.
However, not long after they parted ways, they fell into an ambush. The assailant was powerful, with black hair and black eyes just like Shen Yuzhe’s. Jay and Johnny were no match for him.
The only person with black hair and black eyes like Shen Yuzhe was Kai.
Jay fell silent for a moment and continued, “That guy took the gold card, and when I woke up… they were all gone.”
Shen Yuzhe was shocked. So Kai had known that the gold card was with Jay all along. But if that was the case, why did he knock him out just now? What was he searching for on him?
There were faint sounds from outside, and Shen Yuzhe quickly straightened up, but Jay was faster. He lifted the leaves for a peek and then relaxed.
Shen Yuzhe thought it might be Johnny and Lily, but to his surprise, it was someone else.
He recognized this person, the first person they had seen when they entered the Zoe’s Club for the first time. It was the blond young man, Joe.
“You…” Shen Yuzhe was puzzled by how Joe ended up here, and Jay was caught off guard.
“Hey,” Joe smiled at him and held a bowl-shaped wooden vessel filled with water. He handed it to Shen Yuzhe, gesturing for him to help Mina clean her face.
Shen Yuzhe didn’t quite understand the situation, and Jay explained in a timely manner, “He lent a hand when I was unconscious.” He paused and continued, “Anyway, he helped a lot.”
From the fragmented accounts of the two, Shen Yuzhe pieced together what had happened to Mina. It was likely that while Kai was dealing with Jay, the remaining three fell into an ambush. Someone targeted Mina and Lily. Johnny focused on protecting Lily, and as a result, Mina was abducted.
At the critical moment, Joe passed by and lent a hand, delaying the situation’s escalation. This allowed Jay, who had awakened, to arrive in time to assist.
“Thank you,” Shen Yuzhe didn’t expect there to be a Good Samaritan on the scene. It seemed that beneath Joe’s seemingly carefree appearance was a kind-hearted person.
“She’s so foolish. At the time of the incident, she was screaming ‘Master, save me’ as if her heart was being ripped apart. Tsk, your master was just standing outside watching everything unfold. He might have even been quite excited watching…” Joe’s words trailed off, but his tone was far from likeable.
—However, this guy’s mouth was really not likable at all.
As Joe spoke, he glanced at Mina and shrugged. “But then again, she got slapped and had her clothes torn. Nothing too serious happened, was it necessary for her to be so traumatized? Compared to the females here, she’s much better off…”
“Enough…” Shen Yuzhe’s face reddened as Mina’s face grew paler. He whispered to stop Joe.
For Mina, who regarded Evan as the ultimate authority and persistently believed in his kindness, today’s events were enough to break her.
Seeing that Mina had someone accompanying her, Jay decided to go out and look for Johnny and Lily, who should be nearby.
Joe chatted with Shen Yuzhe for a moment, mainly about the cards. He was quite curious if Shen Yuzhe had originally drawn the gold card.
Shen Yuzhe didn’t hide it, smiling wryly as he admitted it. He also mentioned that Mina had drawn an advanced card, but both cards were gone now.
Joe leaned against a tree trunk and sighed. “You’re really lucky. But those who have good luck when drawing cards usually don’t have much luck during the game. That’s what happened to me too. I initially drew an intermediate card… Sigh, the game is almost over now, and I don’t have a single card left. I’m done for.”
Shen Yuzhe asked, “You lost your cards?”
Joe shot him a look. “Yeah, all for the sake of saving your woman.”
Shen Yuzhe’s face grew warm as he explained, “She’s not my woman.”
Joe looked at the two of them suspiciously. “Your relationship seems pretty good.”
Shen Yuzhe: “The few of us are companions, and our relationship is pretty good.”
Joe looked up at the leaves above his head and commented, “That’s quite strange.”
Shen Yuzhe asked, “What’s strange?”
“Nobody knows if the next person you’ll fight against on the field might be the new partner you just made. Such feelings will only drag each other down, and they’re completely useless,” Joe sneered.
Shen Yuzhe didn’t respond. He was contemplating whether to give Joe a card as compensation. However, he was worried that his own card supply might not be enough, and giving them away might mean they couldn’t go back together.
After a while, Jay successfully found Johnny and Lily and brought them back.
Lily wasn’t seriously hurt, but Johnny was wounded, and the severity was beyond everyone’s imagination.
He had been carried back by Jay, covered in blood, unsure whether it was his own or splattered on him.
When Jay laid him down on the ground, Johnny was already semi-conscious.
Jay briefly explained the situation—it seemed Lily had already told him along the way. He explained that Johnny had been hit by a large stone and then attacked. He had endured to protect Lily until now.
The food they carried had saved Johnny’s life. When two people tried to take their food, they let them go, preventing the situation from getting worse.
Seeing Mina in the corner, Lily rushed over and hugged her, wailing, “How could this happen? Isn’t Master supposed to care about us?”
Mina finally reacted upon hearing this sentence. She hesitated for a moment, but her eyes quickly turned red, and she started crying silently.
Lily’s tears also welled up as she seemed to recall the near-death experience they had just gone through. The cries of the two women filled the air, casting a sense of inexplicable sadness and despair over everyone.
“Lily…” Semi-conscious Johnny thought Lily was in danger and unconsciously worried, “Hide… quickly…”
Lily rushed to Johnny’s side again. “What do we do? Is Johnny going to die?”
“He won’t,” Jay said firmly.
Jay never lied. Those three words gave Lily some comfort. However, Jay quickly added, “At most, he might lose his memory, just like you.”
Lily’s face paled. Clearly, she was reminded of what had happened to her earlier. Mina had told her about the incident.
Johnny slowly regained consciousness. Seeing that everyone was there, he breathed a sigh of relief. He weakly pulled out a blood-stained card from his pocket and handed it to Lily.
Lily shook her head vigorously. “No, you’re hurt. You should go back.”
Johnny’s thoughts were still muddled, but he was insistent. He hoarsely said to Lily, “Lily, I like you…”
Lily was taken aback, clutching the card in her hand as tears welled up in her eyes.
As if sensing that the tide had turned, Johnny’s gaze became unfocused, and he muttered, “If… only I could be free…”
The bell rang overhead at that moment, sounding almost like a death knell.
Shen Yuzhe, his eyes red, urgently questioned, “Who among you doesn’t have a card?”
Lily’s cards had been taken, but Johnny gave her his card. Mina’s card had been taken as well, but Jay’s card was still with him. Apparently, he woke up to find an ordinary card had been slipped into his pocket—presumably by Kai, who had knocked him out.
Two people were left without cards. Shen Yuzhe took out the cards he had hidden in his pocket and handed an ordinary card to Johnny and Mina each. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Jay, take care of them and tend to their injuries. I’ll stay.”
Jay opened his mouth, looking puzzled. Didn’t Shen Yuzhe still have cards?
Mina almost immediately lifted her head, trembling lips wanting to say something.
Shen Yuzhe said, “Don’t worry about me. We’ll be able to meet again in about a month. I’ll stay here… there’s something important I need to do.”
Aside from searching for their new escape companions, it was even more crucial for Shen Yuzhe to find an opportunity to make contact with Kai. After witnessing Kai’s strength firsthand, Shen Yuzhe was well aware that only by winning him over would their escape plan have a better chance of success.
Shen Yuzhe held Mina’s hand and said, “Get well soon. Once I find a way, we’ll escape together.”
Mina trembled all over, and a glimmer of light appeared in her dim eyes. It was as if she had glimpsed a new hope. Finally, she softly murmured, “Okay.”
Shen Yuzhe handed Joe the last intermediate card and said, “Take care.”
Joe, who was originally lamenting his interference in others’ business, didn’t expect good luck to come his way so quickly. He nodded immediately and said, “Sure thing.”
The actions hidden beneath the leaves were not captured by the cameras. After the bell rang, the audience outside the arena saw the hiding little figures emerging from their cover, converging towards the center of the fighting arena.
Evan was feeling frustrated. Although the game had many exciting aspects, he had suffered heavy losses. Despite starting the game with a favorable position, one person out of five was severely injured, one had no cards and would be left behind, and even an intimate scene was abruptly cut short. It was as if he had lost both the woman and the army.
What gave him some solace was that someone was even more frustrated than him—Steven.
He had originally anticipated his ace warrior causing a scene inside the arena. However, after snatching Shen Yuzhe’s advanced card, Little Wolf found a hidden tree hollow and slept soundly with the card, rarely appearing in the latter half of the game.
Just ten minutes before the game ended, Fox had found Little Wolf and, after admiring his card, told him he had been deceived. That card wasn’t a gold card; it was an advanced card.
Little Wolf screamed in agony, tore the card in his hand, and nearly crushed the wine glass in Steven’s hand out of frustration.
Seeing this scene, the audience burst into laughter, including Zois.
In this comparison, Evan felt like he didn’t lose too miserably after all.
As the game concluded, Shen Yuzhe and Little Wolf, who had no cards, would be left at the club. In the end, Zois was the biggest winner on the gambling field.
He smiled contentedly and falsely comforted the two, saying that since it was a gambling game, there were winners and losers. If you can afford to win, you should also be able to afford to lose. There would be another chance next time.
At this moment, Evan felt that the female member who didn’t send her little people into the arena had some foresight.
However, he didn’t know that when that female member bid farewell to Zois, she said, “Zois, don’t forget to notify me of any special activities next time. It seems my little princess is a bit interested.”
Zois raised an eyebrow, his eyes squinting like an old fox. “Oh? My dear Vivian, which of my little people has caught her eye? Kai? Or Ais?”
The woman, named Vivian, elegantly withdrew her hand from Zois’s grasp, and with a mysteriously playful smile, she said, “Let’s wait and see on the field next time.”
Zois squinted his eyes like a cunning old fox. “I’m looking forward to it.”
As he watched his companions being carried out of the sandbox by mechanical claws, Shen Yuzhe felt somewhat melancholic.
In reality, he didn’t know what his fate would be next… but he was certain that if he were taken back to that greenhouse cage, all hope would be lost.
Seeking a breakthrough would inevitably involve taking risks.
However, Shen Yuzhe was surprised that Little Wolf had also chosen to stay. Didn’t he snatch his advanced card earlier?
Seeing that Shen Yuzhe wasn’t impulsively charging at him, Little Wolf slightly narrowed his eyes, giving him a fierce glare. A wicked smile hung on his lips, as if saying—I remember you.
