Chapter 195: Epic Comeback #195 (Request for Full Subscription)
It was Noah. He hadn’t gone for coffee this time; instead, he’d grabbed a bottle of "Happy Otaku Water" and was sipping it casually. When he drank the Otaku Water, much like with coffee, he downed it in one gulp, and the mechanical gears in his chest whirred continuously. Before long, a drainage device near his ear would expel the water vapor from the Otaku Water.
Lu Luo didn’t understand why Noah always liked to drink beverages. But he felt that an Eighth Order Calamity wouldn’t be so mundane; he must be pursuing something. Perhaps he was trying to simulate the sensations of a biological being?
"Does Lord Noah also take interest in such games?" Lu Luo asked.
"Of course," Noah replied. "Anyone who sweeps through the second round and then decides to challenge the game’s defender has proven their excellence. Miss Bai Yuetong isn’t like you, Lu Luo; she doesn’t have the enhancement of a Sequence. So, the fact that she has made it this far is entirely due to her own abilities and intelligence. In terms of intellect, she has already surpassed you by quite a bit, Mr. Lu Luo."
Bai Yuetong’s intellectual capabilities were strong; Lu Luo had never denied that.
"So, Lord Noah, you think Bai Yuetong is going to win?"
"No. Being smart is one thing; winning is another. Although Miss Bai Yuetong is very intelligent and full of wisdom, wisdom doesn’t equate to rationality. She isn’t rational enough, so she made a grave error: challenging the game’s defender with a gambler’s mindset. The penalty for challenging the defender is quite severe if she chooses to concede now. With her 2,500 Tokens, Miss Bai Yuetong could certainly leave unscathed. But those caught in a gambler’s mindset never believe they will lose. They think they’ll make a comeback against the odds, and then end up losing everything! What do you think, Mr. Lu Luo?"
"Is the defender a player?"
"Yes, he’s like a jester, a veteran player."
Lu Luo nodded. He looked at Noah beside him, no longer with deference but at eye level, and stated, "Bai Yuetong won’t lose."
Lu Luo rarely showed such a serious expression. Noah’s electronic eyes whirred for a moment, and then he laughed. "Oh? Mr. Lu Luo seems to have a lot of confidence in Miss Bai Yuetong."
"No, it’s not that I have faith in her; I have confidence in myself. Because she also has me!" With that, Lu Luo raised the beacon Noah had given him—the Noah’s Star ring—and his expression relaxed. "Everyone has weaknesses. Bai Yuetong has them, and since the defender is human, he has them too. Don’t worry, Lord Noah, I will make rational use of the game’s rules."
Noah’s eyes emitted a faint light, an expression of pleasure. Indeed, many things had brought him pleasure today: Lu Luo, Bai Yuetong, bitter coffee, Happy Otaku Water—all of them. At his level, he didn’t care at all about the wins or losses Lu Luo spoke of. If Lu Luo could win this game within the rules, it would please him even more.
"I look forward to your spectacular performance, Mr. Lu Luo."
Lu Luo nodded but didn’t move, meticulously observing Bai Yuetong’s current game.
"Activate Overclock Mode."
[Overclock Mode activated.]
The game began. Lu Luo observed in silence, while Bai Yuetong faced her opponent with fierce determination. In the first two rounds, Bai Yuetong won with a Three of a Kind against Two Pairs, and then a Full House against Three of a Kind, securing two victories in a row. After these rounds, the Tokens on Bai Yuetong’s table had increased from 2,500 to 3,500. The defender, on the other hand, was left with only 1,500 Tokens. Bai Yuetong’s situation seemed very favorable. But Lu Luo had already begun to sense something was amiss.
Next was the third round. Bai Yuetong was dealt a Full House with three Jacks and two Queens, and she bet a hefty 1,000 Tokens. The defender called, exchanged four cards, and used a joker to form three Aces and two Queens, beating Bai Yuetong. Her face fell, but the result merely brought the game back to its starting point.
The fourth round began. The defender led with a 1,000 Token bet. After a moment of hesitation, Bai Yuetong called. The defender had exchanged all five of his cards, and Lu Luo knew his resulting hand was three Aces (using a joker), a Jack, and a Queen. Just as Bai Yuetong was about to reveal her own hand, Lu Luo suddenly appeared and pressed down on her cards.
"Don’t turn them over. You’ve lost."
"Lu Luo? What are you doing here? What nonsense are you talking? Let go!"
Although Lu Luo’s arrival surprised Bai Yuetong, she had already fallen into the gambler’s trap by this point and wouldn’t listen to anyone. However, Lu Luo’s response was simple. He embraced Bai Yuetong, touched her ear with the tip of his nose, and whispered flirtatiously, "I said, you’ve lost."
Bai Yuetong’s ears were extremely sensitive. At his touch, her face instantly turned red, and she was reminded of the deep kiss she had shared with Lu Luo during the first game. The images wouldn’t fade. After calming down a bit, she asked, "How can you be so sure?"
Seeing Bai Yuetong regain some composure, Lu Luo sighed in relief. Bai Yuetong was the player; he couldn’t substitute for her without the rules permitting it, only offer advice from the sidelines. If she had completely succumbed to a hysterical gambler’s mindset, few could have pulled her back. Lu Luo took a deep breath and began to explain the situation.
"The defender’s status is very special. What I can tell you is that he must have played this type of card game before. However, what he can’t be sure of is the order of the cards in each deal."
Bai Yuetong listened incredulously. "He deliberately lost two rounds to me to confirm the card order?"
"Each round of this game uses a fresh deck, so the bottom card is the same every time. The defender’s Sequence must be an observation type, like Goog’s Hawk Eye. As long as he keeps a close watch on the bottom card and sees it’s the Ace of Spades, then confirms in the next round that the bottom card is still the Ace of Spades, he can be certain that the deck’s starting arrangement is unchanged throughout this entire set of rounds. That means the positions of the other cards are also fixed, including the crucial jokers. His two eyes observe asynchronously; using the same method, he tracks the second card from the bottom, which is the Jack of Spades. So, he figures out the new deck order is, from the bottom: Spades AJQK, Hearts AJQK, Clubs AJQK, and Diamonds AJQK on top. In other words, the jokers will be positioned between an Ace of one suit and a King of another, giving a total of four possible locations."
Bai Yuetong was stunned, precisely because she understood what Lu Luo was saying. "How is that possible?"
"Why impossible? Even a newcomer like me can figure it out. Not to mention someone like him who’s familiar with the game. For him, confirming the card order should be very simple."
"Then how did he find the jokers?"
"He found them during the third round. He continued to use his Sequence to watch the shuffle. And while he was watching the shuffle, I was watching him. This round, he could use his two eyes to rule out two potential joker locations. Then, by exchanging four cards, he confirmed the joker’s actual position. If the joker ended up in his hand, it meant it was located between the Ace of Clubs and the King of Hearts. If not, it was between the Ace of Hearts and the King of Spades. Either way, he would know the joker’s final position. He was just lucky that round and got the joker directly. That’s why you lost the third round."
Faced with Lu Luo’s logical analysis, Bai Yuetong, though not admitting it verbally, was mostly convinced, yet she still felt a bit resentful. "What about this round then? Why was I certain to lose?"
Lu Luo turned to the defender opposite them and tapped the table. "Because in the fourth round, the defender started with five cards, then exchanged all five. He was guaranteed to get a joker in his new hand. So, the weakest hand he could have was three of a kind made with a joker. And from the remaining seven cards in the deck, no matter how you exchanged, the best hand you could make was two pairs. Two pairs lose to three of a kind, so you were bound to lose."
Bai Yuetong clenched her fists and flipped over her cards. Indeed, her hand was a pair of Jacks and a pair of Kings. She lost to the defender’s three of a kind, just as Lu Luo had predicted. Fortunately, she only lost 500 Tokens this time.
"So, what now?" Bai Yuetong asked. "Do we concede? If we do, I have just enough to cover the 2,000 Token penalty." Her starting 2,500 Tokens had become 3,500 after two wins, then dropped to 2,500 after losing the third round (a 1,000 Token bet), and now to 2,000 after this 500 Token loss.
Quite some time had passed, and the defender was growing impatient. "Are you going to continue the game? Time is limited."
Lu Luo ignored the defender. With his current authority, he could stall for as much time as needed. He glanced at the somewhat resentful Bai Yuetong, then at the calm robot—Noah—watching from the sidelines. He placed his hands on Bai Yuetong’s shoulders. "Bai Yuetong, do you trust me?"
"Huh?" Bai Yuetong didn’t understand Lu Luo’s question, and her thoughts immediately went astray. She looked down, poking her fingers together. "I trust you... but this isn’t quite the place for that, is it?"
"If you trust me, then play the next round."
Only then did Bai Yuetong look up. "Another round? Aren’t we certain to lose?"
Lu Luo shook his head. "You’ll win if you trust me. You’re the player; you can request the Yan shuffle twice."
Bai Yuetong looked into Lu Luo’s eyes and finally nodded. She addressed the croupier at the center of the table, "I request the Yan shuffle twice."
"Granted," the croupier, an AI entity, emotionlessly replied.
However, the defender opposite them didn’t seem to care. He tilted his head back with a scoffing expression. "At this point, no amount of shuffling will help."
The fifth round began. Bai Yuetong had the first turn. After the cards were dealt, she had a full house and bet 1,000 Tokens. The defender called. His hand was four of a kind made with a joker. Bai Yuetong lost again. At this point, Bai Yuetong was left with only 1,000 Tokens.
The defender stood up somewhat smugly. Despite wearing a mask, everyone could sense his current satisfaction. "Looks like you’re about to lose everything! Did you really think beating a few nobodies meant you could beat me? What a naive Dumb Hair girl!"
Bai Yuetong’s usually pale face was now flushed, partly from tension, but mostly from anger at her opponent. Nevertheless, she still chose to trust Lu Luo. "Shall we continue?"
Lu Luo nodded affirmatively. "If you believe in me, then we continue."
"Alright! Let’s continue!"
The sixth round began!
The defender looked at Lu Luo and Bai Yuetong, unsure what this meddling kid was up to. But as things stood, the Dumb Hair on the other side seemed beyond help. This was the sixth round. The joker was the fifth card the defender received after exchanging. His current hand was a full house—a near-certain win. This gambling match had lost all suspense. The defender raised his hand. "Bet 1,000."
"Call." Bai Yuetong had now bet all her chips; her fingers trembled faintly. Because if she lost this round, she would die. Truly die.
Lu Luo seemed to sense her nervousness and reached over to grasp her soft palm. The warmth comforted Bai Yuetong considerably. "Don’t worry," Lu Luo said. "We are sure to win this hand."
Hearing Lu Luo’s words, Bai Yuetong’s eyes brightened slightly. Her current hand was good, but Lu Luo extended five fingers toward her. "Exchange."
Dumb Hair was surprised, but after seeing Lu Luo’s determined gaze, she nodded and told the croupier, "I want to exchange five cards."
"Exchanging five cards won’t help. I have a full house. You’ve lost," the defender said with disdain.
Dumb Hair closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them and dramatically flipped over her hand. "Who says it’s no use? You have a full house? Sorry, I’ve got four of a kind."
The defender shot up from his seat, bewildered and seemingly in disbelief. "How is that possible? Getting four of a kind by exchanging five cards? Is your luck really that good?"
Bai Yuetong felt a surge of excitement. This is the decisive hand! There’s still hope! No, it’s not just hope. With Lu Luo here, victory is certain!
"You’ve already lost," Lu Luo told the defender. "Next round."
The seventh round.
The defender was still watching the shuffle, but at Lu Luo’s instruction, Bai Yuetong requested an additional six Yan shuffles. Bai Yuetong had the first turn. She didn’t even look at her cards before betting the maximum of 1,000 Tokens.
The defender glanced at his hand—another full house, and he had the joker. A full house with a joker! Let’s see how you win this time! The defender couldn’t contain his joy. "I’ll see your 1,000 and raise another 1,000! Do you dare to call?"
Bai Yuetong paused for a moment, then said with utter confidence and assertiveness, "I’m certain to win; why wouldn’t I dare? I’ll call your 1,000, and exchange five more cards."
"The joker is in my hand! Exchanging five cards is useless! I have a full house: two Jacks, two Kings, and the joker!" the defender declared.
"Hmph, really?" This time, Bai Yuetong turned over her cards one by one.
J—Q—Q—Q—Q.
Four of a kind again—and a natural one, without any joker!
"Four Queens? That’s impossible!"
The defender lost 2,000 Tokens in one go and, with that, utterly lost the match.
There were quite a few spectators in the stands, but Bai Yuetong’s victory undoubtedly silenced everyone. How did she win? That was what everyone wanted to know.
[Round seven concluded. Winner: Player Bai Yuetong.]
"YAY!" Bai Yuetong jumped up excitedly, wrapped her arms around Lu Luo’s neck, and kissed him.
However, Lu Luo’s gaze wasn’t on her at that moment; he didn’t even notice Bai Yuetong’s stealthy kiss. Because Noah had stepped onto the floor.
Bai Yuetong followed Lu Luo’s gaze towards Noah. "Huh? An old robot? An AI type? It doesn’t look like it could beat me. Has it even reached the First Tier?"
Hearing Bai Yuetong’s assessment of Noah, Lu Luo almost laughed but managed to restrain himself. One must maintain proper seriousness when facing a Calamity.
"Miss Bai Yuetong certainly has a sense of humor," Noah said. "However, this match was spectacular—truly an epic comeback. Perhaps many people still don’t understand what exactly happened. Could you explain it to them, Mr. Lu Luo?"
Many people were watching this match. The defender, standing nearby, looked at Noah, a flicker of realization in his eyes. Although he was a seasoned player, he had never encountered Noah before, and his expression became one of horror. "You are—!"
"Shh," Noah interrupted. "Time is an extremely precious thing. As the loser, you should listen closely to why you lost."
The defender looked resentful but, under the weight of power, bowed his head.
Lu Luo picked up a deck of cards from the table. "It seems that under Lord Noah’s arrangement, there are quite a few veteran players here! You all must think we were exceptionally lucky, right? But getting four of a kind twice in a row isn’t a matter of luck; it requires brains. You," he said to the defender, "consistently exchanged four or five cards. It was clear you knew where the joker was, so I deduced you had a method to pinpoint its location. The order of cards in a fresh deck is always the same. That’s how you knew the joker’s position, correct?"
The defender squinted. What Lu Luo said would completely expose his abilities. Yet, in the end, he nodded. "Yes."
Lu Luo smiled and casually shuffled the cards in his hand. "Your Sequence is impressive; it can track the joker." Just as others thought Lu Luo was praising the defender, his next words were a complete slap in the face. "But I’m different. My Sequence is even more impressive. I don’t track the joker’s position—I track the position of *every single card*!"
All the cards? How is that possible? This was the collective thought of everyone present. However, the gazes of some of the more astute onlookers had already changed.
Noah’s electronic eyes lit up again. He appreciated intelligent individuals like Lu Luo. Previously, he thought Lu Luo relied solely on his Sequence and the Doomsday Disc. But this time, Lu Luo had relied not just on his Sequence, but also on his own intellect.
Lu Luo shook his head. "Don’t believe it? You can shuffle the cards yourself according to my instructions. First, shuffle them randomly. Then, perform the Yan shuffle two times. After that, perform it six more times."
The defender did as instructed, then dealt the cards. The initial order of the cards was exactly the same.
"Because there are only 17 cards," Lu Luo explained, "after a total of eight Yan shuffles, the deck returns to its original starting order. I requested the Yan shuffles not to prevent you from reading the cards, but to arrange the deck to produce the hands I wanted. When Bai Yuetong lost to you in the fifth round, it wasn’t that we couldn’t win. I needed to know your hand to deduce the positions of all the cards. After that, as long as Bai Yuetong drew her hand after the 2nd, 6th, 10th, or 14th Yan shuffle in a cycle, she was guaranteed to get four of a kind. So, from the beginning of the sixth round, once I knew the positions of all the cards, you had already lost."
The defender was still somewhat bewildered, but some spectators had grasped Lu Luo’s explanation. Those who understood could only think one thing: Such incredible observation! Such formidable calculation!