The atmosphere at the card table shifts from tense to absolute madness. Eyes are red with greed, fur stands on end from adrenaline, and heartbeats thump louder than the server's cooling fans.

  It is Xuan Ji's turn. This fairy maintains her elegant smile while gently laying down five suited cards.

  "Flush - Steal," her voice is sweet as arsenic-laced honey. Her slender finger points straight at Itsuki's face. "Boss Fox, mind if I borrow a card? The third one from the left, please."

  Itsuki grinds his teeth, the white fur on his face bristling with irritation. He reluctantly pulls out the card – a precious Ace of Spades – and tosses it toward Xuan Ji.

  "Take it! Hope you get a paper cut!"

  The drawing round continues in deceptive calm until it returns to Xiaolang.

  The young wolf stares at his meager pile of remaining chips. His wolf eyes burn with a determination to win it back. He pushes a large stack of chips to the center, betting his entire next month's salary.

  "I'm all in! Three of a Kind - Super Oracle!"

  Xiaolang snatches the top five cards, shielding them like a cat guarding a stolen treat. He calculates, his wolf ears twitching incessantly. After a moment, he picks a safe card, shuffles the remaining four, and slams them down. His eyes flash with hostility toward Itsuki, but then he turns to Nanao - his close friend - with a look full of... hidden meaning and reassurance?

  Nanao, the poor calico cat trembling like a leaf, catches that look and sighs in relief.

  "He looks at me like that; he definitely planted the bomb for the Fox. I'm safe."

  Nanao reaches out confidently.

  "Trust in brotherhood! Draw!"

  He flips the card.

  A black skull grins back at the cat.

  PANDORA.

  BOOM!

  "NYAAAAAAAN!!!"

  An illusory explosion blasts Nanao backward, his fur singed. His meager remaining FP flows into Xiaolang's pocket (and everyone else's).

  Nanao scrambles up, pointing at his best friend, screaming in frustration: "You bastard wolf! What was that look for?!"

  Xiaolang scratches his head, smiling sheepishly: "Well... I meant 'Good luck in the next life'."

  "Friendship my ass!" Nanao hisses. He picks up the Pandora card, his cat pupils narrowing into sharp slits. "Fine. If I go down, I'm taking someone with me. I count exactly one round of six people. Whoever sits at position number 6 after me... prepare to die!"

  Nanao stuffs the card deep into the deck, carefully counting each position with sky-high vengeance.

  While everyone panics calculating who position 6 falls on, Itsuki's brain works at full capacity. His smoky purple eyes dart around, observing every micro-expression.

  "Xiaolang attacks randomly to recover capital but spares one person... Xuan Ji keeps targeting me regardless of profit... Wait? Why?"

  Itsuki recalls a small detail. A few rounds ago, when Alethea tried to use a card to swap Xiaolang into a death spot, Xuan Ji used a Full House to block it. Why would Alethea's subordinate block her own boss to save the Security kid?

  "So that's it," Itsuki smirks, his whiskers twitching slightly. "I thought bosses stick with subordinates, but it's a mess. Xuan Ji is definitely being privately sponsored by someone (he glances at Zhen) to kill me. And Xiaolang... that naive kid is being manipulated by that scheming witch Alethea for profit. They were definitely in cahoots before the match!"

  The situation is critical. Itsuki knows he is in the crosshairs of all three factions.

  "Only one way out," Itsuki mutters, looking at the gasping Nanao with a hint of pity. "Sorry, little brother."

  "Three of a Kind - Super Oracle!"

  Itsuki slams the cards down and grabs the top five. He peeks, and almost bursts into laughter.

  "Hmm... Pretty interesting. A literal minefield."

  He looks up, feigning extreme seriousness as he scans the table.

  "Bad news, everyone," Itsuki declares boldly. "In the next five cards... There are three Pandora cards. The mortality rate is 60%."

  The table gasps in horror. Xuan Ji pales. Alethea frowns. Zhen growls softly.

  "But don't worry," Itsuki smiles, a devilish grin. "I'll help reduce the population to increase the odds for the survivors."

  He slams down four more cards.

  "Four of a Kind - Spatial Shift!"

  Itsuki's clawed finger points straight at Nanao. "Nanao! You! Switch seats and sit right next to me! Now!"

  "Huh?! Boss?! I just died!" Nanao wails miserably.

  "You're not dead until you're broke! Sit down!" Itsuki barks.

  Light flashes, and Nanao is instantly teleported next to Itsuki, becoming the next player to draw.

  "Draw, brother," Itsuki pats Nanao's shoulder encouragingly. "I saw the cards. Your survival chance is 40%. Good luck!"

  Nanao reaches out, trembling, tears welling in his eyes. He picks the top card.

  Flips it.

  A black skull, bigger and uglier than the last one. PANDORA.

  BOOM!

  Nanao, who just exploded five minutes ago, takes another nuclear hit to the face. He falls backward off his chair, limbs twitching, white foam forming at his mouth, eyes rolling back.

  The room falls dead silent.

  Itsuki clicks his tongue, turning to the staff watching.

  "Someone splash water to wake him up. He still has a wristwatch he hasn't bet yet, strip him of that too."

  Zhen watches the scene, shaking his head in disbelief, dropping a cold comment:

  "What a devilish boss."

  The entire card table now drowns in a thick, deadly atmosphere. Everyone’s faces are drained of color, cold sweat pouring down like a shower.

  Zhen looks down at his hand. Empty. No Pairs to Skip, no Straight to Shuffle. He lets out a sharp breath, his amber eyes gleaming with the resignation of a warrior out of ammo.

  "Draw," he growls, reaching into the deck.

  BOOM!

  A massive, earth-shattering explosion rocks the room. Zhen is blown out of his pristine suit (an illusion, thankfully), his face covered in soot. He calmly pulls out his last Joker card and places it on the table with a clack.

  "Defuse. Putting it back in the middle. I’m still alive."

  "Oh, money, sweet money... you smell so good," Itsuki moans, rubbing his cheek against the phantom chips, his amethyst eyes glazed over in a high. "The scent of suffering is truly the sweetest fragrance."

  It is Alethea’s turn. The Goddess of Wisdom pushes up her glasses, her sharp green eyes locking onto the intoxicated fox.

  "You said there were 3 Pandora cards in the top 5, didn't you?" Alethea smirks, throwing down Three of a Kind (Three 10s). "Super Oracle. Let’s verify if that fox mouth of yours is trustworthy."

  She flips the top 5 cards. And then, the smile on her lips vanishes. Her beautiful face turns a sickly shade of green.

  "You bastard fox..." Alethea hisses through her teeth. "Not 3... but 5 Pandora cards! All 5 cards are bombs! Do you intend to kill the whole table?!"

  The table erupts in horror. Itsuki laughs boisterously: "Well, I said 'high mortality rate', I didn't say 'exactly how many', did I?"

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  Knowing she stands at death's door, Alethea grits her teeth and plays a Pair of Jacks.

  "Skip. I’m not playing with you crazy kids anymore."

  The ball of death rolls to Xuan Ji.

  The beautiful fairy looks at her hand, then does something that stuns the entire room. She reveals her cards to everyone.

  No Joker.

  "Huh?" Itsuki raises an eyebrow. "You have no defense, yet you dare to sit here this long?"

  Then he glances at Zhen, seeing the Tiger God secretly tucking a Joker card into his sleeve.

  “Aha, so that’s it. Zhen used Steal to take Xuan Ji’s Joker earlier. These two are colluding, sacrificing a pawn to save the king. There is definitely financial corruption involved!”

  Xuan Ji smiles, a tragic but murderous smile.

  "I can’t live," she says softly, "but I can drag someone down to the grave with me."

  She slams two sets of cards onto the table. Two Two Pairs in a row.

  "Attack x2!" Her slender finger points straight at Itsuki’s face. "Boss Fox, please eat 4 cards."

  "WHAT?!" Itsuki screams, his tail fur standing up like a lightning rod. "You’re crazy! Why target me?!"

  "Because you laugh too loud. It itches my eyes," Xuan Ji replies simply.

  Itsuki looks at the 4 fingers Xuan Ji is holding up, then at the deck Alethea just confirmed contains "5 consecutive bombs". Drawing 4 means eating 4 bombs guaranteed. A Joker only saves one life.

  Itsuki’s expression shifts from panic to resignation, and finally to pure madness.

  "Fine... Fine..." Itsuki cackles. He throws down the last 4 cards in his hand. Four Aces.

  "If I must die," Itsuki screams, "I WILL SUMMON THE DEVIL BACK! REVIVE!"

  He points at Nanao’s lying under the table. "WAKE UP, NANAO! THE SHIFT ISN'T OVER YET!"

  Nanao, with ragged fur and soulless eyes, crawls up and sits dazedly back in the chair. He picks up his remaining cards, while the bomb-laden deck is shuffled according to the Revive rules.

  But fate is sealed. Despite the shuffle, Itsuki still has to execute the penalty of drawing 4 cards.

  Card 1: Safe.

  Card 2: PANDORA.

  Card 3: PANDORA.

  Card 4: PANDORA.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  A chain reaction blasts Itsuki to the ceiling. Chip money flies everywhere like rain. Itsuki officially kicks the bucket, leaving a massive fortune for the survivors to tear apart.

  Zhen’s turn. He draws one. PANDORA.

  He calmly uses the Joker he just stole from Xuan Ji to defuse.

  But since he was too afraid to bet in recent rounds, he only gets a few pennies from Itsuki’s massive inheritance. It hurts more than physical pain.

  Alethea’s turn. The Big Sister has 1 Joker left, but no action cards in hand to run away. She draws. Safe.

  She draws again (since the rules force drawing until death or deck depletion). PANDORA.

  She uses the Joker.

  She draws again. PANDORA.

  Out of saves. Alethea takes off her glasses, gives Xiaolang, the useless double agent, a look full of hidden meaning, then smiles peacefully.

  BOOM! The Big Sister is gone.

  Xuan Ji’s turn. She bled dry in the previous turn, hand empty. Draws one. PANDORA.

  BOOM! Xuan Ji follows the Big Sister.

  Now, only three males remain on the board: Zhen (still has cards, out of Jokers), Xiaolang (has cards, out of Jokers), and Nanao (just revived, full hand, full of hatred).

  Xiaolang’s turn. The wolf looks at Nanao, the best friend he killed and who was just dragged back from hell. Nanao stares back, cat eyes slit, fondling his new cards with murderous intent.

  "Sorry, buddy..." Xiaolang stammers, fake guilt on his face. He plays a Pair of 8s. "Skip. I don't want to hurt you, but I want to live..."

  "You don't want to hurt me?" Nanao speaks, his voice raspy like an echo from the abyss. "But I DO."

  Nanao slams down 3 twos and a pair of threes.

  "FULL HOUSE - COUNTERSPELL!"

  The room gasps. Xiaolang freezes. His Pair of 8s is crushed by Nanao’s Full House. The Skip command is canceled.

  "Draw, you bastard," Nanao hisses.

  Xiaolang trembles, reaching in. PANDORA.

  BOOM!

  Xiaolang is toast. He collapses, officially eliminated from the championship race.

  Now it is just Zhen and Nanao. The final battle between the Security Boss and the Diplomat Employee (who just rose from the grave).

  Nanao’s turn. He doesn't even look at his cards anymore. He throws down two random pairs.

  "Two Pairs - Attack!" Nanao points straight at Zhen. "Boss! Draw 2 cards for me!"

  Zhen frowns. He hurriedly checks his hand. Phew! He still has ammo.

  "Sorry, Nanao," Zhen says calmly, laying down a Full House (3 Kings, 2 Queens). "FULL HOUSE - COUNTERSPELL! Your attack is blocked. End of your turn."

  Zhen sighs in relief. He just escaped a calamity. As long as Nanao runs out of cards...

  But Nanao doesn't stop. He starts laughing.

  "Ke... ke ke... MEOW HA HA HA HA!"

  Maniacal laughter echoes through the room. Nanao stands up, stomping his foot on the chair.

  "Boss, do you think that's all I have?!"

  Nanao raises his hand high into the air and slams his last 5 cards onto the table. 3 Aces and 2 Kings.

  "SECOND FULL HOUSE!!!" Nanao screams. "I VETO YOUR VETO!"

  "What?!" Zhen’s eyes bulge, his tiger fur standing on end. "You... you used a Full House to block my Full House?!"

  "That's right!" Nanao laughs like a lunatic, tears streaming down his face. "The rules don't forbid it! My attack is STILL VALID! DRAW, BOSS!!!!!"

  Zhen looks at the cards in his hand. Empty. Nothing left to defend. No Joker. No way out.

  The dignified Tiger God swallows hard, his shaking hand reaching out to draw the destined card.

  He flips it. The black skull mocks him.

  BOOM!

  Zhen is blown off his chair, lying sprawled next to Itsuki’s corpse.

  On the desolate table, only Nanao stands. A cat who died and lived again, betrayed by friends, tortured by bosses, is now KING.

  Nanao spreads his arms wide, hugging the massive mountain of FP chips, screaming in absolute glory:

  "I'M RIIIIICH!!!"

  I watch Nanao hugging the pile of phantom chips, screaming like a crazy cat hitting the jackpot. I smirk, my single fox tail wagging slightly with satisfaction. Winning or losing at the card table? Fleeting. The real winner is the one holding the cash flow backstage.

  Let's rewind a bit, back to before this bloody battle begins.

  While everyone is busy arguing about the rules and picking sides, I secretly release a micro "God's Eye" drone, an invisible flycam, to the ceiling, giving a 360-degree view of the table. Then, I open Solak and send a secret message to Director Ariel.

  ItsukiK: "Boss, hot deal. Sector 1031 is hosting a deathmatch Pandora Poker. Drama everywhere, layers of conspiracy. If you open a 'Futures Exchange' for the VIPs upstairs to bet on the result, the net profit is guaranteed to exceed this quarter's KPI."

  Three seconds later, Ariel, the mighty lion who turns out to be quite a gambler, replies: "Deploying. I'll invite other Department Heads. Rumor has it Third Prince Nezha and Erlang Shen are free, drinking tea at the Empyrean Expanse; I'll invite them to join the fun. Big whales, hard cash, no hesitation."

  And so, while we fight for our lives with every Pandora card, in some luxurious dimension on the highest floor, the big bosses are sipping nectar, watching the livestream, and placing massive stacks of FP on our lives.

  Back to reality.

  All six of our phones vibrate simultaneously. The notification rings rapidly like a fire alarm.

  Ting! Ting! Ting!

  I open mine. A message from Ariel comes with a golden glowing attachment.

  [Notification: Transfer from Ariel's Private Investment Fund]

  Amount: 1,000,000 FP.

  Content: "Hot bonus. Split equally among the 6 players. Thanks for the excellent performance. (P/s: I won big by betting on Nanao - 'The Immortal Cat'. Odds 1 to 100. Hahaha!)"

  I almost drop my phone. One million FP? Each?! This amount is enough for me to buy a small island in the Mundane Realm or eat Sichuan hotpot for eternity!

  Around me, everyone freezes. Xiaolang rubs his eyes repeatedly. Zhen Shan stares at the screen with a face of utter confusion, his round tiger ears twitching uncontrollably. Xuan Ji drops her jaw, losing all her usual elegance.

  "What... is this?" Zhen Shan stammers. "System glitch? Why is my account balance jumping like crazy?"

  "One million..." Nanao mumbles, dropping the pile of worthless phantom chips to the floor. "Compared to this pile... that money is the truth."

  Only one person remains relatively calm (relatively). Big Sis Alethea slowly looks up, pushing her glasses down her nose. Her sharp green eyes scan the invisible camera on the ceiling, then stop right at my face. A knowing smile appears on her lips.

  "Itsuki," she says, her voice sweet but lethal. "You opened an underground betting ring outside, didn't you? And on a massive scale?"

  All eyes turn to me. Five pairs of eyes (including tiger eyes, wolf eyes, cat eyes...) stare right at me.

  I scratch the patch of white fur on the back of my neck, grinning sheepishly. "Well... you know. Business. Diversifying income sources. I just... lightly livestreamed this tournament for the big bosses' entertainment. Who knew they would be so enthusiastic?"

  I hold up my phone, showing Ariel's message.

  The Director went all-in on Nanao from the start. When he died and was revived, the odds multiplied a hundredfold. Now the Boss is swimming in money; this one million is just pocket change.

  The room falls silent for a moment as they digest the information.

  I turned them into circus animals, sold their image just to amuse the upper class.

  According to the usual script, they should rush in and tear me apart. I brace myself to bolt.

  But no.

  "ITSUKIIIIII!!!!"

  They scream, not in anger, but in pure ecstasy. Xiaolang and Nanao rush in, lifting me high into the air. Zhen Shan, though still keeping a stern face, lets his tiger tail whip back and forth like a helicopter blade, unable to hide his excitement. Xuan Ji giggles, covering her mouth, her gaze towards me losing some murderous intent and gaining some admiration (as a financial ally).

  "LONG LIVE THE BOSS!" Nanao screams. "You are a living saint! I vow to work like a horse for you for life!"

  "Smart! Too smart!" Alethea claps her hands in praise. "Turning risk into profit, internal conflict into a reality show. You deserve a promotion, you cunning fox!"

  Being tossed in the air, I grin widely, my white fur puffing up with pride. In this crazy world of The Nexus, where everything boils down to profit, the one who brings money to the team is God.

  And today, I am the God of Wealth of Sector 1031.

  (Even though I know perfectly well that tomorrow, when we go to work, Zhen Shan will make me write ten reports about "Organizing illegal gambling during work hours". But who cares?)