124. Gathering of the Contracted

The people inside the glass columns were the Awakened who had been missing for many days—not just Han Xue, Li Xinxin, and Midnight, but even Hu Qingqing, who had only just manifested her Awakened powers, was imprisoned within.

The Suit Knights I had encountered, including the once-boastful Wu Mingran, were all sealed away by the glass pillars. It seemed that this current competition was truly reserved only for us, the unawakened. The Dean, Lady Red—whom I had not seen for a long time—was already waiting for us on a stage in the center of the lobby.

Chen Hao, Sun Xiaoxiao, Lin Xiayue, Feng Qian, Hu Xing'er, and I approached the venue while observing the crowd. Near the stage where the Dean stood, I saw four glass columns, one of which held Carbon Head; these were clearly the vessels sealing the four Aces. The strongest members of the four suits had been sealed without exception, alongside four Suit Knights and four Suit Kings and Queens. Even Pang Dongqiang, the King of Spades, was sealed just like the others.

Before the new game began, the first thing we needed to do was gather intelligence. Hu Xing'er had remained silent since waking up, seemingly remembering nothing, yet we had been forced to bring her along. The notice had been clear: failure to appear would result in immediate erasure. Even though Hu Xing'er had once turned against us, Lin Xiayue had vouched for her, ensuring she stayed.

Our primary goal was to determine exactly how many participants remained. Excluding the 22 sealed Awakened and the 7 who had perished, plus the Big and Small Jokers, there were 25 of us. There were 4 Club players, 8 Diamond players, 8 Heart players, and 5 Spade players. This time, the members of the four suits quickly gathered into their respective groups, making our small, mixed alliance stand out.

Upon entering the Huaxing Hotel, we followed instructions to change into the required attire before returning to the lobby. The distinction between the suits was striking: black for Clubs, white for Diamonds, gold for Hearts, and gray for Spades. Our little group—Sun Xiaoxiao, Chen Hao, and Feng Qian from Diamonds; Lin Xiayue and Hu Xing'er from Hearts; and myself from Spades—was indeed out of place with our three mixed colors. After a moment of thought, I decided to dissolve our alliance for the time being, allowing them to return to their respective groups.

Lin Xiayue left gracefully with Hu Xing'er, but Chen Hao and Feng Qian were reluctant to part ways. It took some convincing to get them back to the Diamond team, and I made my way to the unfamiliar Spade group. I had known a few people in the Spades, but Li Xinxin, the Queen of Spades, was sealed, as were the Awakened members Han Xue and Su Mu.

Only five of us from the Spades were eligible for this game: myself; a quirky little girl from the 5 of Spades who I remembered being with Lin Xiayue’s group; a frail-looking boy; Gao Ge, the 10 of Spades, whom I had met briefly before; and my former teammate, Li Yuan.

The holder of the 8 of Spades, the Five Emperors Tower, whom I had been searching for, had already awakened. He was a boy in a denim jacket, clutching a crystal tower tightly—surely the legendary relic, the Five Emperors Tower.

"Hey, you there. Shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" Gao Ge, the 10 of Spades, spoke up first. Of the four of them, he and I were likely the only ones who already knew each other.

I couldn't refuse to be polite, so I went first. "I'll start. I am Lin Zijian, the 2 of Spades, user of the 'Light' ability from the Ancient Mirror."

Li Yuan remained silent, merely watching them. The other three looked momentarily stunned, then Gao Ge spoke: "I am Gao Ge, the 10 of Spades." He hesitated, looking at the four of us with a hint of caution. However, seeing that I had spoken without reservation, he offered a vague description of his own ability. "My ability is 'Sealing'."

The girl from the 5 of Spades widened her eyes, scrutinizing me for a long time before she felt at ease. "Hello, I am Zhong Ling, the 5 of Spades, user of the 'Name' ability from the Brush."

"Lin Zijian, we’re both from D University!"

'Name'? It was a cryptic ability, but since she hadn't elaborated, we didn't press. As I expected, she was indeed a member of Lin Xiayue's squad. At least I had one ally.

The last person, a frail man who looked as fragile as paper, spoke in a listless voice: "I am Jin Qiling, the 7 of Spades. My ability is 'Countdown'."

Li Yuan had not said a word from the beginning, so I introduced him myself. "This is Li Yuan, a former classmate of mine." I had seen him fight back at the Fengmen Ghost Village, but I had never known his ability.

With the introductions largely complete, the Dean chose that moment to speak. "Greetings, participants of the second stage. I am Lady Red, the supervisor for the North City region's second stage."

Dressed in a revealing red outfit, Lady Red continued. "This trial is tailor-made for you unawakened individuals. Every mission is designed to help one person in your team awaken."

"Of course, there is inherent danger," she added. "The second stage ends when all of you have become Awakened, or when you have discovered the traitor lurking among you."

At this, someone from the Club team raised their hand. Lady Red seemed pleased. "Go ahead, what is your question?"

The Club player asked directly, "When you say 'all of you become Awakened,' can we interpret that as meaning as long as the survivors are all Awakened, it counts? In other words, can we awaken first and then kill those who haven't?"

His words sparked immediate murmurs among the other suits. To suggest such a ruthless tactic so early—were the Club players truly so bloodthirsty?

Lady Red nodded. "Of course. Once you have awakened, if you find others to be in your way, you are free to eliminate them. Who knows, they might even be the Big or Small Jokers."

Her words further agitated the newly formed teams, and the seeds of division were quietly sown. "Once the second stage begins, you will be sent to your respective suits' sacred grounds of inheritance. Only by becoming Awakened can you return to join these others on the final stage. If you fail, death is your only path."

Lady Red waved her hand, and several playing cards flew out of my possession uncontrollably—the cards I had kept after the deaths of Lin Wan, Meimei, and Lu Ling. Only then did I notice a massive wall behind Lady Red, etched with obscure patterns and riddled with square holes. The cards flew into these slots with perfect precision: 4 of Clubs, 3 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, 6 of Spades, and 7 of Spades. Seeing these suits, I suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"Prepare to depart."

No sooner had Lady Red finished speaking than we were enveloped by a strange spatial energy. It felt exactly the same as it had back at D University. As we were being teleported out of the hotel, we all heard Lady Red’s final words:

"There is a Joker lurking in every one of your teams."