The atmosphere in Room 1031 is as tense as a bowstring, ready to snap at any moment. Six gambling addicts (or victims forced into addiction) sit around the marble table, their eyes glued to the pile of holographic FP chips sparkling in the center.

  IItsuki, with his single fox tail wagging back and forth like a metronome, grins to reveal a small fang: "Alright, you debtors. The rules are clear. Once the money is in the pot, it's gone, but the survivor takes it all. Round one, who opens the betting?"

  Nanao, the poor Calico Cat deity, flattens his triangular ears against his head. He trembles as he pushes a tiny stack of chips forward. "One... one hundred FP."

  Itsuki immediately pouts and snorts with disdain: "One hundred? Is your nine-lived existence only worth two milk teas? Be brave, little brother. If you die, just consider it a sacrifice for my development."

  "Shut up, Boss!" Nanao hisses, the fur on his tail puffing up. "I have to save money for my mortgage this month!"

  Zhen Shan says nothing. His tiger face is as serious as a statue. He pushes exactly 500 FP forward. Precise, not a penny more or less than the minimum bet. He stares at the deck as if he wants to use his gaze to intimidate the Pandora card to the bottom.

  "Draw," Zhen Shan growls deep in his throat.

  One by one, they reach in. The sound of rustling paper makes everyone's hair stand on end.

  "Safe," Alethea flips her card up. A harmless 7 of Clubs.

  "Safe," Xiaolang exhales, his tongue lolling out.

  "Safe," Xuan Ji says coldly.

  Round one passes smoothly. No one dies; the money in the pot remains intact.

  Itsuki clicks his tongue in disappointment: "Boring. Where are the fireworks? Round two, speed it up!"

  It is Alethea's turn. The Goddess of Wisdom adjusts her glasses. Her emerald eyes scan Xiaolang very quickly, then she throws a large stack of chips onto the table. "2,000 FP. According to my calculations, the probability of an explosion this round is still under 15%. Early investment yields high returns."

  Xuan Ji, the fairy sitting opposite, is not to be outdone. She glances at Zhen Shan, catches a subtle wink, and immediately pushes the corresponding amount.

  "I’m with Boss Alethea. If the boss calculates it's safe, I’ll ride her coattails."

  "Hey, hey," Itsuki cries out, slapping his paw on the table, his claws scratching the stone surface with a screech. "Are you two playing market manipulation? Pushing the stakes that high... even if Nanao sells his kidney, he can't keep up!"

  "He can fold," Alethea smiles gently, the smile of a great white shark. "It’s a free market."

  Nanao looks like he wants to cry, but greed blurs his cat's eyes. He grits his teeth and pushes more chips in.

  "I call! Do or die!"

  Round two starts to get chaotic. Xuan Ji draws a pair of 9s and immediately throws them on the table with a thud.

  "Pair of 9s. Skip. All yours, Mr. Grey Wolf."

  Xiaolang, who is sitting and shaking his leg, suddenly feels the fur on his neck stand up. "What the hell! That's dirty, sister! I thought we were proletariat allies!"

  "There are no proletariats at the card table, honey. Only capitalists and corpses," Xuan Ji winks.

  Xiaolang growls, his hand trembling as he picks a card. He flips it over... Queen of Hearts. The whole table sighs in relief, except for Itsuki, who clicks his tongue in regret: "Tsk, dumb luck, kid."

  "I am a lucky wolf!" Xiaolang argues back.

  In round three, the air starts to get scorching hot. Xiaolang, bitter about being forced to draw earlier, decides to go for broke. He pushes all his chips to the center, forming a small mountain.

  "All-in! 5,000 FP! Whoever doesn't call is a... uh, chicken" Xiaolang howls in excitement.

  Zhen Shan frowns, his tiger ears swiveling slightly: "Xiaolang, calm down. You are betting your salary."

  "To hell with the salary, Boss!" Xiaolang's eyes are red. "I feel the luck coming! The next card is definitely safe!"

  Itsuki chuckles deep in his throat, a sly sound. He also pushes his tower of money forward.

  "Good, kid! I like this recklessness. I call! Let's see who has the guts, the wolf or the fox. But I'm telling you now, if you explode, I will use your money to buy a diamond-studded collar for Nanao."

  "Are you crazy, Boss?" Nanao screams. "I don't wear collars!"

  Alethea and Xuan Ji look at each other, then simultaneously shake their heads and withdraw some bets, only following the minimum to maintain their rights. Zhen Shan sighs heavily, but reluctantly pushes money in. "Lunatics. All lunatics."

  The third draw takes place in deadly silence. The deck is significantly thinner. It is Itsuki's turn. He picks up the card, covers it completely, peeks with one eye, and then suddenly... screams: "AAAAAHHHHH!!!"

  Nanao jumps, falling backward off his chair. Zhen Shan almost unleashes his claws to slice the table in half.

  "What?! Pandora?!" Xiaolang shouts.

  "Oh no," Itsuki says flatly, flipping the 2 of Spades onto the table. "My bad. I thought it was a skull, turns out it's a two. Close call."

  "I... I will kill you..." Zhen Shan roars, his claws tearing the stone surface. "After this hand, I will kill you."

  By round four, the tension turns into psychological torture. The money in the pot is now enough to buy a small temple in Kyoto. The smell of greed is thick in the air.

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  Itsuki begins his antics. He doesn't play immediately but holds his cards, tapping them on his chin, muttering to himself like a psychopath.

  "Well, well... What does this card say? It says... the guy opposite is about to die? Or is the cat next to me about to become hotpot?" Itsuki turns to Nanao, his smoky amethyst eyes glowing eerily. "Nanao, do you have life insurance? You’ve got a death cloud hanging over you."

  Nanao trembles, sweat soaking his calico fur. "Don't scare me, Boss... I... I have a Joker..."

  "Even so," Alethea adds a sentence, her voice cold as ice. "Everyone only has one Joker by default. Moreover, if you hit Pandora, the Joker only saves your life, it doesn't save your money. Also, the probability of the next card being Pandora is 78%."

  "Please spare me!" Nanao moans, holding his head with both paws.

  Zhen Shan slams the table. "Play quickly, Itsuki! How long do you intend to stall?"

  "Slow fire cooks the meat best, Boss," Itsuki grins sleazily, then suddenly slams down a Three of a Kind (Three 5s). "Activate Super Oracle. Let me see the top 5 cards and pick one."

  Itsuki picks up 5 cards, shielding them from view. He examines them one by one, his expression changing constantly: frowning, eyes widening, and finally smirking in a despicable way. He pulls one card and tucks it into his hand, then shuffles the remaining 4 and slams them back onto the deck.

  "Done," Itsuki says, looking around the table with the eyes of someone who just learned the secret of the universe.

  "Good luck to you all. Oh, and Xiaolang, if I were you, I would start writing my will right now."

  Xiaolang gulps loudly. The entire table sinks into extreme confusion. What on earth did that damn fox see? And what did he just stuff into the top position of the deck?

  The atmosphere at the card table is now as thick as a bowl of poisoned soup. Itsuki just launched a psychological attack with his despicable smirk, making the thirsty gamblers tremble.

  Alethea, with the demeanor of an ice queen, slowly pushes her glasses up (even though she is a god, her eyes shine like stars, and the glasses are just to look more dangerous). She throws down three Queens.

  "Three of a Kind – Super Oracle," she says, her voice cold and emotionless. "Let me see the top 5 cards, and I will take one."

  She picks up the cards, glances through them, and then turns to look straight at Itsuki, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. "You’re acting too hard, old fox. The top 5 cards are squeaky clean. There is no Pandora."

  "Huh?!" The whole table gasps.

  Alethea pulls a good card, tucks it into her hand, then throws the remaining 4 down, signaling everyone to draw. "Go ahead, darlings. He’s bluffing."

  Everyone, half-doubting and half-believing, reaches in to draw.

  Nanao: Safe.

  Xuan Ji: Safe.

  Xiaolang: Safe.

  "Awesome! Long live Sister Alethea!" Nanao cheers, looking at the goddess like a savior, while Itsuki clicks his tongue, muttering curses about his exposed trick.

  The game drags on for countless rounds. The chips on the table pile up into a mountain. But as time passes, the gamblers get "gun-shy." No more crazy "All-ins"; everyone gingerly pushes the minimum bet, eyeing each other with suspicion.

  And then, fate calls the name of the first victim.

  Xiaolang, the young wolf, with a trembling hand, slowly draws the top card. He peeks with one eye...

  A black skull grins back at him.

  BOOM!

  "AHHHHHH!!! MY MONEY!!!"

  An illusory explosion sounds, accompanied by a pathetic wolf howl. The massive pile of FP chips that Xiaolang accumulated from the start (including the money he stripped from Chen Jun in the qualifiers) vanishes completely, divided equally into the pockets of the 5 survivors who sit there laughing their heads off.

  "Delicious! Wolf barbecue!" Itsuki slaps his thigh, raking in the pile of chips. "Thanks for sponsoring this program, kiddo!"

  Xiaolang, with tears streaming down his face, pulls out his last Joker (Defuse) card. "I... I use the Joker! I'm not dead! I'm just bankrupt!"

  "Alright, alright, stop crying," Zhen taps his claws on the table. "Now put that Pandora back into the deck. Bury it wherever you want."

  The air instantly falls silent. This is the moment of revenge. Xiaolang takes a deep breath, wiping his tears. He glares at Itsuki with hatred (because this guy laughed the loudest), then glances at Alethea, then Nanao.

  But finally, his hand stops right in front of... Zhen.

  The Tiger God freezes. His amber eyes widen, staring at his most trusted subordinate. "Xiaolang...?"

  "I'm sorry, Boss!" Xiaolang wails, his voice full of pain, but his hands are quick to stuff the Pandora card right into the first position of the deck. "But you are too rich! Only if you die can I earn back my capital! It's just the law of survival, Boss!"

  "You..." Zhen chokes on his words. The iron heart of the Head of Security just cracks. Stabbed in the back by his own soldier for a few loose FP coins.

  "Truly, biting the hand that feeds you. A viper in your bosom..." Itsuki chimes in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Zhen slowly turns his head to look at Itsuki. His eyes are no longer pained; they shift to a burning red of pure fury.

  "It's you..." Zhen growls, the fur on his neck bristling.

  "You definitely planted these twisted thoughts in his head! You corrupted my staff!"

  "What does this have to do with me?!" Itsuki jumps in defense.

  "Don't you dare deny it! If I go down, I'm taking you with me!"

  Zhen slams 4 cards down on the table hard. Four of a Kind Kings.

  "Spatial Shift!" He points a claw straight at Itsuki's face. "You! Switch seats immediately! Sit right here next to me!"

  A light flashes, and Poof! Itsuki finds himself sitting in the chair right next to Zhen, right next to that deadly Pandora card.

  "Not done yet!" Zhen continues to throw down two more pairs.

  "Two Pairs – Attack! I don't draw! You draw 2 cards for me!"

  The whole table gasps in horror. Zhen just executed a destruction combo: Drag the enemy into the crosshairs and force him to pull the trigger for you.

  "YOU PETTY BASTARD!" Itsuki screams, his tail fur puffing out like a sea urchin. "Holding a grudge is one thing, but this is too much! You're a big boss, stop pushing people around!"

  "Draw!" Zhen roars. "Or explode!"

  "Not a chance!" Itsuki grinds his teeth, rummaging through the mess of cards in his hand. Painfully, he pulls out two different pairs (originally intended for a Full House).

  "I have goods too! Two Pairs – Counter Attack! I don't draw either! Pass the turn to the next person to draw 4 cards!"

  The hot potato of death is kicked to the person sitting next to Itsuki... Lady Alethea.

  Alethea looks at Itsuki, then at Zhen, then at the Pandora card sitting smugly on top. She sighs, a sigh full of authority.

  "You kids are too noisy."

  She gently places down a Straight of 5 cards.

  "Straight – Shuffle."

  She takes the deck, shuffling expertly like a pro dealer, mixing everything up, including that damned Pandora card and the bad luck Zhen just arranged.

  "Alright," Alethea puts the deck down, smiling kindly. "Now it's fair. No one knows where the bomb is. Go back to drawing cards, darlings."

  Itsuki and Zhen look at each other, then at the shuffled deck. The tension doesn't decrease; it just shifts from "knowing for sure I will die" to "not knowing when I will die."

  Itsuki swallows hard.

  "Damn it..." he mutters. "Why is this game so bad for my heart?"