"The game is called: [Desperate Zodiac]
Players: 4.
On the table is a deck of 72 zodiac cards.
Each card features one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger... Pig. Each zodiac has six cards, numbered from 1 to 6, indicating their respective points.
The rules of the game are as follows:
After shuffling, the cards are placed face down. Players take turns drawing cards at random, placing each card face-up from left to right.If the same zodiac card appears consecutively, such as: Ox 1, Pig 2, Dragon 1, Dragon 3, the consecutive appearance of the [Dragon] zodiac is considered a zodiac explosion, and the player's final score becomes 0.At any time, a player can choose to stop drawing cards. After stopping, the points on the cards are added up to calculate the total score. The other players continue drawing until they also choose to stop, and the game ends.Finally, the two players with the lowest scores will be eliminated.
For example:
Player A's cards: Rat 3, Ox 1, Dragon 5, Rooster 6, Rat 6, Pig 5, Rat 1.
Player A chooses to stop, and their total score is 3 + 1 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 1 = 27 points."
As the pig-faced man finished speaking, a collective murmur rippled through the crowd.
This game was a true test of both luck and courage. The longer you dared to keep drawing, the more points you could potentially accumulate.
But greed was dangerous. Two consecutive identical zodiac cards could lead to an explosion, instantly reducing your score to zero.
Once your score reached zero, the likelihood of being among the lowest two players—and thus being eliminated—was all but certain.
Moreover, because the zodiac cards already drawn were displayed on the table, players could analyze the remaining chances of drawing consecutive matching cards, adding a layer of strategy and intellect to the game.
However, probabilities were fickle, and in the end, luck ruled all.
The pig-faced man gestured for silence, then addressed Jiang Yu and the others: "Of course, this game has special item cards. You may exchange your current item card for one of the same level from the game. For example, an A-level item card can only be exchanged for an A-level item card in [Desperate Zodiac]. So, is there anyone here who wishes to exchange?"
Jiang Yu pulled out the item card he had just received, concealing it in his palm as he sneakily glanced at it.
[B-Level Item Card: Zodiac Swap Card]
Description: Allows you to swap your zodiac card with another player's zodiac card. After swapping, both players can choose to place the swapped cards in a position that avoids triggering an explosion.
Having volunteered to participate in the game, Jiang Yu started with an extra item card, giving him a significant advantage.
Number 11, the large man, sneered and remained indifferent. It seemed that the item cards for this game held no allure for him.
The young woman, Number 18, hesitated before deciding not to exchange for an item card.
Only Number 34, the young boy, stepped forward to exchange for one.
Triumphant, energizing music began to play, its fast-paced rhythm filling the hall.
Under the guidance of the referee, Jiang Yu and the other three players took their seats. Jiang Yu sat to the right of the large man, Number 11, and to his left was the young woman, Number 18. Opposite him sat Number 34, the boy.
They all seemed uneasy, their hands fidgeting on the table, unable to hide their nervousness. It was impossible not to feel the weight of the game, as it was one where life and death were on the line.
Jiang Yu's mind suddenly echoed with the system's voice:
[Host has entered a death game: Random BUF bonus has been triggered.]
[In this game, Host's Luck is increased by 100%.]
Jiang Yu widened his eyes, his excitement building. In a game of life-and-death card drawing, luck was everything!
The system had just doubled his luck—this was like rain on a parched land.
Before the game began, the voting phase took place. The remaining players observed the four participants carefully, analyzing their advantages.
"I think that girl seems calm. She's probably the safest bet."
"The big guy doesn't look trustworthy. His luck must be terrible—he's going to explode for sure. We can't pick him."
"I'd go with the little boy. He looks no older than twelve or thirteen. Heaven won't let him die so young."
The crowd seemed to unite in their quiet analysis of the players, murmuring amongst themselves.
Soon, only a few players voted, while the majority abstained.
However, some players had begun to harbor ulterior motives, sneaking glances at the votes of others.
For example, Number 14 quietly stood on tiptoe, peeking at the vote held by Number 47, committing it to memory.
Others were more clever, hiding their votes from prying eyes, determined not to reveal their choices.
A Minotaur-masked referee approached the table and, after shuffling the cards several times, spread them face down across the table, making the card faces hidden from view.
Next, he took out a die and said, "We will take turns rolling the die. The player with the highest roll goes first, and then players will draw cards in clockwise order."
Jiang Yu reached for the die, but Number 11 suddenly stood up and snatched it from him with a disdainful snort. "I'll roll first."
He exhaled deeply several times, as though preparing for a ritual, before tossing the die onto the table. It landed on 1.
Laughter rippled through the crowd, seemingly mocking the big guy's ritual as ineffective.
Number 11's face flickered between red and white, his pride wounded, as he angrily pulled out a chair and sat down.
Number 34, the young boy, rolled a 3. He looked disappointed, the result average.
Number 18, the young woman, rolled a 5 and seemed satisfied, blinking in quiet contentment.
Finally, Jiang Yu casually tossed the die. It spun, and when it landed, the result was a perfect 6.
The others stared at him in surprise, eyes filled with a strange curiosity. This guy seemed unnaturally lucky. Surely, his luck wouldn't hold for the whole game, would it?
Jiang Yu, grinning, turned to them. "Apologies, but I'll go first."
He reached into the card pile and randomly drew a card. As he placed it face-up on the table, he saw it was [Dragon 2].
Huh, that was odd. With his luck, he expected a higher-value card. But still, with his "Get Out of Jail" card and the ranking swap card, he felt much more at ease.
If he drew a dud, he could always swap rankings—his opponent would get a 0, while he'd absorb their points.
Wasn't this essentially invincible?
Next, it was Number 18's turn.
She stared at the backs of the cards for a long while, seemingly unable to discern anything special. She hesitated and then drew a card at random.
The three others watched closely as she turned the card over.
It was [Rat 6].
The young woman, Number 18, covered her mouth and let out a long breath, clearly relieved and a little excited.
Next, it was Number 34, the young boy's turn to draw.
He stood on tiptoe and carefully picked a card from the edge of the zodiac card pile, then gingerly flipped it over.
It was [Rabbit 4].
The boy beamed with happiness and sat down, appearing quite pleased with his card.
Now, it was Number 11, the large man's turn.
He stood up without even glancing at the cards, casually picking one and holding it between his hands, muttering under his breath:
"Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven. Buddha, Jade Emperor, Tai Bai, Guan Yin, Earth God... and God of Wealth, bless me."
Then, he turned the card over to reveal [Sheep 6].
He burst into hearty laughter and sat back down, satisfied, before clasping his hands together and bowing left and right in the air in a comical gesture.
The spectators murmured in low voices.
"Wow, looks like I should have voted for Number 18 and Number 11. They've got such good luck!"
"Yeah, too bad, I voted wrong. I shouldn't have supported Number 6. His luck is terrible!"
"Don't rush, this is just the first round. There's still a lot to see, especially when it comes to the bigger score cards. Plus, 11 and 18 could still draw an explosion card!"
Jiang Yu glanced at the [Dragon 2] card on his table, frowning slightly. Something didn't feel right—had his luck run out already?
At this point, he was in the worst position, ranked last. He'd need to draw high-point zodiac cards in the next rounds.
Though he had his item cards, so did everyone else.
Without knowing the full functionality of their item cards, Jiang Yu knew he had to stay completely focused and go all in to secure victory. Not a single slip-up could be afforded.
Who knew if their item cards were as powerful as his?