The bull-headed referee raised his gun once again, pointing it directly at the large man in group 11.
The large man begrudgingly sat back down, but his eyes burned with rage, and he could hardly contain his fury. Pointing at Jiang Yu's head, he gritted his teeth and hissed, "You little bastard, just wait. You make the first move, huh? Don't say I didn't warn you."
Jiang Yu casually crossed his legs and smiled faintly. "I'm waiting. I love seeing you struggle, knowing you can't do anything about it."
The bull-headed referee handed Jiang Yu's Monkey 2 to the large man in group 11, then took his Sheep 6 and passed it to Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu placed the Sheep 6 where his Monkey 2 had been.
Ideally, he would have placed it last, but this wasn't an option. The Sheep zodiac card had already appeared four times, and if he placed it last, his two Dog cards would be adjacent, leading to an explosion and a score of zero.
The large man, without hesitation, glared at Jiang Yu and shoved the Monkey 2 to the very end of his row.
The situation immediately shifted.
Jiang Yu: Dragon 2 + Mouse 3 + Rabbit 3 + Pig 4 + Dog 6 + Sheep 6 + Dog 5 = 29 points. [1st place]
18th: Mouse 6 + Monkey 4 + Mouse 5 + Horse 5 + Ox 3 + Rabbit 6 = 29 points. [1st place]
34th: Rabbit 4 + Pig 1 + Horse 2 + Chicken 1 + Monkey 5 + Pig 2 = 15 points. [3rd place]
11th: Monkey 3 + Sheep 3 + Snake 5 + Sheep 4 + Horse 3 + Monkey 2 = 20 points. [2nd place]
Jiang Yu and 18th were tied for first place, with a significant lead over the large man and the young boy.
The girl in 18th hesitated for a long time. She was tempted to stop drawing cards, having no prop cards herself and no real need to risk further. Her score was already high enough, and continuing might only jeopardize her position.
However, she had watched Jiang Yu and the large man closely, and it seemed like these two weren't afraid of death. Who knew how long they would keep drawing? What if they both reached over 30 points and she got eliminated?
The thought sent a chill down her spine. With a reluctant sigh, she decided to press on.
This time, she drew a Chicken 6.
Her total score surged to 35 points, reclaiming the top spot.
She almost jumped up in excitement, kissing the card repeatedly before exclaiming, "Yes! Another 6-point card!" Then, she placed the card on the table.
Next, it was the young boy's turn.
He looked at his six cards, sighed, and, knowing he had no choice but to continue drawing—he would be eliminated if he stopped—he pressed on. He figured he might as well take the risk. What if the next cards were all high-value?
He picked a card that seemed appealing and prayed that it would be a Pig 3.
The boy's face turned pale as he slumped back in his chair. His zodiac card fell onto the table, visible to everyone.
"Ha! Explosion! Yes! I'm going to win!" the large man bellowed, his excitement palpable.
He didn't care about the boy's age. His only goal was to eliminate a competitor, and the boy's fate was irrelevant.
The girl in 18th sighed, not saying anything, just feeling a bit sorry for the boy.
Jiang Yu, however, said nothing. He coldly watched the boy, feeling a strange satisfaction. An explosion was a good thing.
Jiang Yu wasn't some altruistic saint. He was just a selfish, ordinary person. At the beginning of the game, he had desperately hoped that he and his wife would make it out alive. He even fantasized about making it to the end and then letting her win—helping her escape this hellish place.
But the boy's lie had destroyed all of that.
The bull-headed referee glanced at the boy and announced, "34th has exploded, his score is now 0. The remaining three players will continue in the game."
It was now the large man's turn.
Unexpectedly, he didn't draw a card. Instead, he stood up, shocking everyone with his next move.
He pulled a prop card from his chest and slammed it down onto the table, speaking arrogantly. "Referee, I choose to stop drawing and activate this S-level prop card skill! Target: Player 6!"
Player 6 was, of course, Jiang Yu, who had long been a target of the large man's ire.
The others watched curiously.
S-grade Prop Card: Score Nullification Card
Description: This card allows you to nullify any player's score in any game, preventing them from continuing in the subsequent rounds. There are no restrictions on the use of this card.
The crowd was once again in an uproar.
"Wait, this S-grade prop card is ridiculously overpowered! How are we supposed to play now?"
"Exactly! Player 6 worked so hard to rack up those points, and it's all gone in an instant!"
"Does this mean the game's already decided? Player 6 and 34 are both out..."
"I'm stunned. I didn't expect this kind of ending. I voted for Player 6..."
The bull-headed referee took a quick glance at the prop card before turning to the large man. "Please confirm if you wish to stop drawing cards and if you intend to use this S-level prop card on Player 6."
"Yes! Yes!" The large man answered without hesitation, practically spitting out the words.
He had planned to keep this card for a later round, but who could have expected Jiang Yu to steal his Sheep 6 earlier? That enraged him beyond measure. Now he couldn't wait to use it.
With a fury he couldn't contain, he declared, "I'm laying down the gauntlet. I've got the S-grade card, and now I'm going to wipe him out!"
"Confirmation complete. 11th, please stop drawing. The 11th's prop card is now in effect. Player 6, please surrender all of your zodiac cards to me. You are disqualified from drawing cards and may only use prop cards."
The bull-headed referee extended his hand toward Jiang Yu, his voice cold and unyielding.
Jiang Yu froze for a moment, then glanced at the large man, who was grinning with self-satisfaction, as though victory were already in his grasp.
The situation seemed indeed to be in the large man's favor.
Many players in the crowd muttered in regret, some even cursing Jiang Yu and the young boy in group 34.
"Two useless wastes."
"Ugh, should have voted for 18th..."
"Who knew 18th had such luck?"
"If I had known 11th had an S-level prop card, I'd have voted for him. He's basically invincible!"
When Jiang Yu's score was cleared...
Jiang Yu (Player 6): 0 points.
18th: Mouse 6 + Monkey 4 + Mouse 5 + Horse 5 + Ox 3 + Rabbit 6 + Chicken 6 = 35 points. [1st place]
34th: Explosion, 0 points.
11th: Monkey 3 + Sheep 3 + Snake 5 + Sheep 4 + Horse 3 + Monkey 2 = 20 points. [2nd place]
It seemed like the game was over.
But the large man had forgotten something.
Jiang Yu had three prop cards.
In the first round of rock-paper-scissors, he had earned an S-grade Immunity Card.
In the second round of 1-2-3 Wooden Man, he received an S-grade Rank Swap Card.
And in the third round of Death Zodiac, he had obtained a B-grade Zodiac Exchange Card.
So far, Jiang Yu had only used the Zodiac Exchange Card.
Why did the foolish large man think Jiang Yu had no tricks left?
If Jiang Yu remembered correctly, the large man had only participated in the second round of 1-2-3 Wooden Man, and his only prop card was the Score Nullification Card.
Having already used it, the large man had no cards left.
Now, when Jiang Yu drew out his S-grade Prop Card: Rank Swap Card, and swapped his position with the large man's...
How would the large man respond?
This would be the ultimate reversal.