Chapter 4: Heroic Duel—A Display of Loyalty

Seeing Song Feng’s character, Zhang Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief. Overall, Liu Bang wasn’t too overpowered; his only real advantage was the ability to swap cards. That is, if he had five cards in hand and didn’t like them, he could randomly exchange them once. This random exchange could result in either better or worse cards—it all depended on what was in the deck.

“Boss, your character is pretty good,” Xu Da flattered him.

“That’s right, Boss, don’t worry. Even if I draw the traitor card, I’ll still help you,” Ma Xiaotian chimed in.

Huang Kaijian gritted his teeth and said, “Me too, Boss. Just don’t kill me later.”

Song Feng’s lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile as he said, “Relax. I know you’re all loyal to me. How about this: why don’t you all just kill yourselves? Then I’ll win the game instantly.”

The three of them twitched at the corners of their mouths. Ma Xiaotian, looking rather troubled, said, “Boss, what are you saying? Even if we’re dead, there’s still Zhang Xiaofan.”

“That’s right! He’s the one you really need to deal with,” Xu Da pointed at Zhang Xiaofan.

“All right, enough nonsense. Whoever loses this game will face a death penalty, so you can all stop pretending to be so loyal,” Zhang Xiaofan said with disdain.

The three blushed, unable to refute him, and began to select their characters with grim expressions.

Zhang Xiaofan picked up his phone and saw three character options: Zhao Kuangyin, Xiang Yu, and Yue Fei.

Zhao Kuangyin’s skill allowed him to use black cards in hand to snatch cards directly from others. Xiang Yu’s skill, Overlord, meant that when he attacked with one “Strike,” his opponent had to play two “Dodges”—a dominating and powerful ability. Yue Fei’s skill allowed him to use “Strike” as “Dodge” and vice versa, making him very survivable, but his offense was weak, and he had no special abilities.

All four characters had four health points. Zhang Xiaofan pondered for a long time before finally settling his gaze on Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu’s offensive power was strong, and with four health, he was better than the other two.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced around at the others, who were also lost in deep thought.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Character selection is complete. Now assigning teams.

Zhang Xiaofan checked his phone; the upper left corner clearly displayed his faction. Seeing which side he was on, his frown deepened.

The other three were visibly tense as well. Huang Kaijian had chosen Yu Ji, and after seeing his faction, he looked relieved and nodded at Song Feng. Xu Da had picked Shang Yang and burst out laughing, saying to Song Feng, “Boss, this is great!”—implying they were on the same side. Ma Xiaotian chose Murong, and though he tried to smile at Song Feng, it was a strained expression.

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. The three of them had good acting skills. With Song Feng as the monarch and the strongest player, of course they’d rush to show their loyalty, hoping he wouldn’t attack them.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Please shuffle the cards and place them in the center. The monarch receives five cards; all others receive four. Each subsequent round, everyone draws two cards.

Song Feng placed the deck in the center and dealt the cards in order. Afterward, he looked at his hand.

With a flourish, he played an offensive horse and placed it beside him. Simultaneously, his phone displayed that he had equipped the horse—clearly, the game was synced between the table and the app.

With the offensive horse equipped, his attack range increased by one, allowing him to strike anyone. But since it was the first round and teams hadn’t been revealed, he had no intention of attacking.

He then said, “Let’s play a Beacon Fire.”

“Beacon Fire…” echoed the phone.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded. Beacon Fire was a group attack: after it was played, every player had to respond with a “Strike” card, or else lose one health.

First, it was Zhang Xiaofan’s turn. He looked at his hand: two “Strikes,” one “Dodge,” and one “Steal.”

People crowded around to watch, some unfamiliar with the game but quickly catching on thanks to the commentary.

At that moment, Lin Rou came over to stand by Zhang Xiaofan’s side. Catching her familiar scent, Zhang Xiaofan frowned, “Could you move over a bit? You’re distracting me.”

Lin Rou hadn’t expected such a response. Her lips trembled in grievance, but she obediently stepped back a few paces.

Zhang Xiaofan drew a deep breath and focused on his cards, unhesitatingly playing a “Strike.”

“Xiang Yu plays a Strike!” prompted the phone.

Next was Huang Kaijian, who had chosen Yu Ji. His eyes flickered, but he shook his head, “No Strike.”

“Yu Ji failed to play a Strike; loses one health,” came the merciless phone prompt.

Suddenly, Huang Kaijian’s face went pale, as if struck by lightning in the chest, and blood trickled from his lips.

“I didn’t expect the game to be so real. Losing one health actually injures your body,” Huang Kaijian said in terror.

“Yu Ji loses one health, draws two cards automatically,” the phone prompted.

A spectator who had played Hero Kill explained, “That’s Yu Ji’s skill—every time she loses a health point, she gets to draw two cards. It’s really powerful.”

“Powerful, my foot! Song Feng’s turn is over; now it’s Zhang Xiaofan’s move. If he has Prison, he could lock down Yu Ji and force her to discard her cards. Yu Ji only has three health left—not much staying power.”

“How often do you see Prison, though?”

“You never know…”

Huang Kaijian happily drew two cards and quickly collected them.

Next up, Xu Da, who had chosen Shang Yang, played a “Strike.”

Ma Xiaotian’s Murong activated the Butterfly Soul skill. Butterfly Soul: allows the player to actively avoid group attacks and, while doing so, draw a card from the deck. Ma Xiaotian grinned, “Sorry!” and drew a card, pleased with his choice of character.

With the Beacon Fire resolved, Song Feng swept his cold gaze over everyone. “Speak. Who is the loyalist?”

Xu Da was first to declare, “Of course it’s me, Boss. I’ve always been with you.”

“Xu Da, you’re talking nonsense! I’m the loyalist!” Ma Xiaotian protested indignantly, then turned to Song Feng. “Boss, I’ve never lied to you. I think Zhang Xiaofan looks the most like the traitor.”

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression shifted, and he said calmly, “There can only be one loyalist. No matter how much you two try to declare your loyalty, it won’t change the fact that both of you are doomed.”

The two exchanged awkward glances, snorted, and focused on their cards.

Song Feng hesitated. Deep down, he wanted to kill Zhang Xiaofan, but this was a death game—if you lost, you really died. He couldn’t let his emotions rule him. In the end, he suppressed his killing intent, collected his cards, and didn’t use his card-swap ability, saying, “Next.”

It was Zhang Xiaofan’s turn. He drew two cards—both useless equipment: an offensive horse and a heavy iron hammer. He equipped them and said, “Next.” It wasn’t wise to attack immediately, as that would draw retaliation, especially from the spy, whose first target was always the loyalist.

Next was Huang Kaijian, who happily drew two cards and immediately revealed a healing potion.

“Yu Ji recovers one health,” the phone announced.