The boy, Player 34, hesitated briefly before raising the gun to his temple. After two or three seconds, he pulled the trigger.
At the moment he fired, his hand trembled, causing the gun to slip and fall to the ground. Thankfully, no bullet was discharged—he was unharmed.
Quickly retrieving the gun, he steadied himself and aimed it again at his head. Perhaps fearing he might exceed the ten-second limit, he hesitated only briefly before pulling the trigger once more.
As the sound of the trigger echoed, the tension in the room reached its peak. Yet, to everyone's relief—and perhaps disappointment—nothing happened.
Exhaling deeply, the boy calmed his nerves and set the gun back on the table.
Jiang Yu furrowed his brow, his suspicions mounting. Could the boy have been acting? From his behavior in the first game, it was clear he was far from innocent. Perhaps the gun had no bullet to begin with, and the boy had put on this fearful display to convince others otherwise. Such a ploy could reduce the likelihood of being challenged in the next round.
Then, the Minotaur-faced referee turned his icy gaze toward Jiang Yu.
"Player 6, raise your gun, aim at your head, and fire one shot," the referee commanded.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Jiang Yu raised the gun. He hesitated as well, waiting until the final two or three seconds to pull the trigger. Nothing happened—because there was no bullet in his gun.
To the others, Jiang Yu's performance was flawless; they couldn't discern whether his gun had been loaded or not.
Finally, it was Player 26's turn—the brash, blonde-haired youth.
Before the referee could even issue instructions, the blonde-haired player grabbed his gun and aimed it at his temple.
"Damn it! Life and death are fated; riches and glory, ordained!" he shouted, closing his eyes before firing two consecutive shots.
Nothing happened. He set the gun down with a smug grin, exuding a mix of defiance and bravado.
To Jiang Yu, though, it was unclear whether the youth was genuinely fearless or simply bluffing with an unloaded gun. Who could say?
The referee surveyed the group once more before holding up the Reload Phase card.
"It is now the second round's Reload Phase. The rules remain the same. Players, load your bullets. If you wish to use a tool card, please raise your hand."
As before, the five players discreetly reloaded their guns beneath the table. The movements were visible, but there was no way to confirm whether anyone actually loaded a bullet.
Jiang Yu, erring on the side of caution, opted not to load a bullet this time either. He decided to set his dice to 2 points during the next phase.
In the previous round, players who chose 2 points had gone unchallenged. If he continued to play safe with 1 point, it might become difficult to recover in later rounds.
After everyone placed their guns back on the table, the referee displayed the Dice Phase card. Each player swiftly set their dice. Jiang Yu's choice: 2 points.
When the time came to reveal, Jiang Yu scrutinized the numbers revealed by the others:
Player 8, the balding man, chose 1 point this round, clearly shaken from his previous choice of 2 points.Player 20, the dark-skinned middle-aged man, also selected 1 point.Player 34, the boy, maintained his strategy and chose 2 points.Player 26, the blonde youth, stuck with 2 points as well.
Jiang Yu frowned. The repeated patterns of 2 points by certain players didn't bode well. The game was tilting against him.
"Does anyone wish to challenge?" the referee inquired, glancing at the group.
Unexpectedly, the blonde-haired youth raised his hand and presented a tool card from his pocket.
"Referee, I want to use this card," he declared.
The others exchanged surprised looks. None had anticipated the youth would use a tool card so early in the game instead of saving it for a decisive moment.
The referee took the card, scanned its contents, and announced, "This is a Class-B tool card: Spy. Its ability is to reveal whether a chosen player's gun contains a bullet and grants priority to challenge that player. Please select your target."
"To hell with it, I pick Player 6!" the youth exclaimed, slamming the table as if he were a master detective. "He set 1 point in the first round and switched to 2 points this time. I bet his gun isn't loaded!"
Jiang Yu felt his heart sink. Was this youth blindly guessing, or had he genuinely pieced something together?
"The Class-B tool card has been successfully activated. Player 6, hand over your gun," the referee commanded, extending a hand toward Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu had no choice. Under the crowd's scrutinizing gaze, he passed his gun to the referee.
After inspecting the chamber, the referee announced, "Player 6's gun is empty. Player 26, will you proceed with the challenge?"
"Ha! I knew it!" the blonde-haired youth crowed, practically leaping from his seat. "I challenge Player 6. No bullet—just as I thought!"
The referee handed the gun back to Jiang Yu, ordering him to reveal the gun's chamber. The crowd collectively gasped at the sight of the empty slots.
"Player 26's challenge is successful. Player 6, load one bullet into your gun," the referee decreed coldly.
With a resigned sigh, Jiang Yu retrieved a bullet and inserted it into the chamber under the group's watchful eyes. Spinning the cylinder shut, he placed the gun back on the table.
The crowd murmured among themselves.
"Who'd have thought he'd pick 2 points and still not load a bullet?"
"Cut him some slack! Would you have the guts to fire two shots at yourself?"
"Exactly. One wrong move, and you're dead—just like Player 2..."
The referee presented a deck of tool cards to the blonde-haired youth.
"Player 26, your successful challenge earns you a tool card. Draw one at random."
The youth eagerly grabbed a card, triumphantly holding it aloft before taunting Jiang Yu with a raised middle finger.
"Player 6, I know you're holding a grudge about last round when I kicked you. But guess what? I got to you first! Let's see who goes down first."
Jiang Yu fixed the youth with an icy glare, as if staring down a pesky clown.
He began to contemplate his next move. With his luck-enhancing card, Jiang Yu had faith he could survive even if forced to fire two shots with a bullet in the chamber.
Still, his patience was wearing thin.
Reaching into his pocket, Jiang Yu retrieved an S-Class tool card, raised his hand, and spoke.
"Referee, I'd like to use this card. Target: Player 26."
His words were sharp, his gaze filled with defiance.
The group erupted in shock.
"What the hell? Another S-Class card from Player 6?"
"Didn't he use one to swap rankings last time?"
"This guy's luck is insane! How do we even compete with that?"
The blonde-haired youth's smirk vanished. The card he had just drawn—a Double Shot ability—was still warm in his hand, but Jiang Yu's announcement left him with a sinking feeling.
Something told him this wasn't going to end well.