The second round of card drawing began.
Jiang Yu casually drew a card from the deck, refusing to believe his luck could be so bad that it would explode this soon.
It was a [Rat 3].
He placed the [Rat 3] next to the [Dragon 2] on the table, in proper sequence.
Next, it was the young woman, Number 18, who drew.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reached for a zodiac card, slowly turning it over.
It was a [Monkey 4].
A smile of delight spread across her face as she nodded in satisfaction.
In this game, cards valued at 1, 2, or 3 points were considered low-scoring, while those valued at 4, 5, or 6 were high-scoring.
Another high-point card for her.
It was now Number 34, the young boy's turn. He stood up and drew a [Pig 1], looking somewhat disappointed as he sat back down.
Jiang Yu glanced at the boy, his dislike for him growing deeper.
In the first round of the game, Jiang Yu had secretly hoped the boy would be eliminated so that he and his wife, Zhou Qingqing, could survive.
However, things hadn't gone as planned.
Initially, Jiang Yu had intended to throw scissors, but due to the boy's lie, he had changed his choice to rock.
Thus, he harbored deep resentment towards the boy.
Finally, it was Number 11, the large man's turn.
He repeated his earlier ritual, praying fervently to the heavens, gods, and all manner of deities, wasting quite some time before drawing a card.
When he flipped it over, it was a [Monkey 3].
He muttered some curses under his breath, sat back down, clearly dissatisfied with his draw.
The third round of drawing began.
Jiang Yu quickly analyzed the current situation.
Jiang Yu: [Dragon 2] + [Rat 3] = 5 points. [3rd place]
Number 18: [Rat 6] + [Monkey 4] = 10 points. [1st place]
Number 34: [Rabbit 4] + [Pig 1] = 5 points. [3rd place]
Number 11: [Sheep 6] + [Monkey 3] = 9 points. [2nd place]
Jiang Yu, tied for last place with Number 34, found himself in an increasingly precarious position.
If he stopped drawing cards now, he would certainly be eliminated. Though he did possess a life-saving item card, he didn't want to waste it on such a trivial round.
His mind raced as he quickly calculated the odds.
There had already been two [Rat] cards drawn, and four remained in the deck.
So far, eight zodiac cards had been drawn, leaving 64 cards in the deck.
The probability of drawing a [Rat] was roughly 4 out of 64, or 6.25%.
This was a very low probability.
He concluded that continuing to draw was more profitable than stopping.
He didn't need to concern himself with the probabilities of the others. His best option was clear—keep drawing.
Without hesitation, Jiang Yu drew another card.
There were no theatrics, no dramatic pauses—he simply drew a card.
He believed in his luck.
The card he drew was a [Rabbit 3].
Jiang Yu was mildly surprised.
Three consecutive low-scoring cards.
But at least he hadn't exploded.
Next, it was Number 18's turn.
With her previous good luck in mind, she confidently reached for a card, casually pulling one from the deck.
Everyone's eyes were on her right hand.
When the card was flipped, it was a [Rat 5].
"Damn it, are you from a long line of lucky ancestors? All high cards—how are we supposed to play?"
Number 11, the large man, looked at her with envy and jealousy, slamming the table and muttering curses under his breath.
"Pff, what's it to you, you stupid idiot?"
Number 18 shot back at him, unfazed by his loud taunts. Instead, she kicked the table and retorted defiantly.
The large man was taken aback, about to snap back when he suddenly noticed the Minotaur-masked man lifting his gun, aiming at him.
Immediately, he froze, obediently sitting back down and falling silent, not daring to utter another word.
Jiang Yu watched the scene, his thoughts trailing off.
This referee was hardcore.
"Wow, looks like my sister has some serious luck,"
Number 34, the young boy, said, eyeing the three cards in front of Number 18 with longing. His expression mirrored his envy.
"Pure luck, little brother. Keep it up."
Number 18 smiled and replied with a teasing laugh.
Jiang Yu found her interesting—efficient, decisive, and full of life. Despite her innocent and cute appearance, there was a tomboyish toughness about her.
Her temper was fiery too. She had boldly gone toe-to-toe with the large man, never once backing down.
Next, it was the boy's turn.
After hesitating for a while, he picked a card from the middle of the deck.
It was a [Horse 2].
He sat back down, staring at the three cards in front of him. His expression was somber, clearly upset by his poor draws.
Finally, it was the large man's turn again.
He repeated his ritual, praying longer this time, as though his previous prayer hadn't been enough.
It seemed he was now preparing to pray to the Minotaur-masked man as well.
Soon, he flipped over his card.
It was a [Sheep 3].
"Damn it, another crappy card. What use is 3 points?"
He cursed, mumbling to himself.
The surrounding spectators gathered around the table, murmuring among themselves as they discussed the state of the game.
"By the looks of it, Number 6 and Number 34 are probably going to be eliminated. Their scores are too low."
"You can't say that. Even if you have high points now, if you draw two consecutive cards of the same zodiac, you'll explode and end up with zero."
"Ugh, I voted for the little boy. Maybe I made the wrong choice. I thought fate wouldn't let such a young child die so soon, but his luck is terrible..."
The fourth round began.
Jiang Yu quickly analyzed the new situation.
Jiang Yu: [Dragon 2] + [Rat 3] + [Rabbit 3] = 8 points. [3rd place]
Number 18: [Rat 6] + [Monkey 4] + [Rat 5] = 15 points. [1st place]
Number 34: [Rabbit 4] + [Pig 1] + [Horse 2] = 7 points. [4th place]
Number 11: [Sheep 6] + [Monkey 3] + [Sheep 3] = 12 points. [2nd place]
Jiang Yu was just slightly ahead of Number 34, in second-to-last place.
His continued chances of winning rested on drawing a [Rabbit] card, which had a 6.67% chance of exploding.
The more cards were drawn, the higher the probability of an explosion.
However, Jiang Yu concluded that continuing to draw was still the most optimal choice.
The complex calculations took mere seconds in his mind.
To the others, it looked like Jiang Yu simply grabbed another card without hesitation.
This time, he drew a [Pig 4].
Number 18 drew a [Horse 5].
Number 34, the young boy, drew a [Rooster 1].
Number 11, the large man, drew a [Snake 5].
Once again, Number 18's streak of good fortune left the others envious.
Number 34 sank even deeper into despair. His eyes were filled with hopelessness, as though the chances of him winning were slipping further and further away.
On the other hand, Number 11 was beaming. This time, not only had he prayed to all the gods, but he had also included the Minotaur-masked man in his prayers. Clearly, it had worked—he'd drawn a high-point zodiac card.
For the next round, he decided he would continue praying to the Minotaur-masked man.
What did it matter if the Minotaur-masked man was some kind of demon? As long as it helped him win and stay in the game, he'd call the man "Dad" if necessary.
The fifth round began.
Two seconds after Number 11's [Snake 5] card was revealed, Jiang Yu had already analyzed the situation.
The current scores were as follows:
Jiang Yu: [Dragon 2] + [Rat 3] + [Rabbit 3] + [Pig 4] = 12 points. [3rd place]
Number 18: [Rat 6] + [Monkey 4] + [Rat 5] + [Horse 5] = 20 points. [1st place]
Number 34: [Rabbit 4] + [Pig 1] + [Horse 2] + [Rooster 1] = 8 points. [4th place]
Number 11: [Sheep 6] + [Monkey 3] + [Sheep 3] + [Snake 5] = 17 points. [2nd place]
At this point, Number 18 was in first place, Number 11 in second, Number 34 in fourth, and Jiang Yu in third.
The third and fourth places were in danger of elimination, and the situation was growing increasingly unfavorable for Jiang Yu.
He was trailing Number 11 by a full five points, and he needed at least one high-point card to close the gap.
So far, 16 zodiac cards had been drawn, leaving 56 cards in the deck.
There had been 2 [Pig] cards drawn, with 4 more remaining.
The probability of drawing another [Pig] card and triggering an explosion was about 4 out of 56, or roughly 7.14%.
The probability of an explosion had risen again, but Jiang Yu knew he couldn't stop drawing.
If he stopped now, both Number 18 and Number 11, leading in the rankings, would likely halt their draws to avoid explosions, giving them an advantage and ensuring his loss.
Therefore, continuing to draw remained his optimal strategy, with the potential rewards outweighing the risks.
He had no choice but to press on.
Taking a more serious approach, Jiang Yu imitated the large man's earlier ritual.
He began to pray to the air, causing the surrounding players to burst into laughter.
But what they didn't know was that Jiang Yu wasn't praying to any deity.
He was fervently whispering to the system in his mind:
"System, please give me a high-point zodiac card! Don't mess with me! Didn't you say you'd increase my luck by 100%?"
After completing his prayer, Jiang Yu, his face tense with determination, reached into the deck once more.
This time, he would have to rely on his luck—or perhaps, on the system's favor.