Chapter 21: The Bet Beyond the Table

Ma Wenjie pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, lit a cigarette for himself, and placed his lighter on the table.

Acting with casual familiarity, Li Annan snatched up the lighter, pulled out a cigarette of his own, and lit up.

After both men took a drag, Ma Wenjie spoke first. "Let's make a bet. Who do you think will get shot once someone gets the gun?"

Without waiting for Li Annan to answer, he pointed at Zhang Yuan's cards. "Just looking at this hand, it's impossible for him to survive. I bet he dies."

Li Annan, however, looked at the cards on Baili Qiangsheng's section of the table and offered a different opinion. "His hand makes survival just as unlikely. I bet he dies."

The two men who were singled out felt their hearts jolt. They subconsciously checked their own cards. Even though the faces were still obscured, they had already deduced what they were holding.

Zhang Yuan: Shepherd, Sheep.

Baili Qiangsheng: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.

Zhang Yuan frowned in deep thought.

'Just looking at the cards, there are no obvious clues.'

Suddenly, his head snapped up as he recalled the third rule of the game instructions: The highest scorer obtains the corresponding item, namely the gun or handcuffs.

'It only mentions the highest scorer. It never said what happens to the lowest scorer.'

'My cards in the first round: Wolf, Sheep, Sheep.'

'Sheep wins!'

'I am the Police, yet I let the evil Sheep win. My score from the previous round is minus one!'

'My cards this round: Shepherd, Sheep.'

'A tie!'

'Score this round: zero!'

'Over two rounds, my final score is minus one.'

'What about Chen Ran?'

'Last round, he had: Shepherd, Shepherd, Sheep.'

'Shepherd wins!'

'The soul inside Chen Ran must be Baili Qiangsheng. He is the Police, so a Shepherd victory earns him one point.'

'His cards this round: Shepherd, Shepherd, Wolf.'

'Shepherd wins!'

'Another point. Therefore, Chen Ran's cumulative score over two rounds is two points.'

'What about Baili Qiangsheng?'

'Last round: Shepherd, Sheep.'

'Tie: zero points.'

'This round: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'Sheep wins!'

'And the soul inside Baili Qiangsheng is definitely Li Annan or Ma Wenjie. A Police role.'

'Sheep wins: minus one point.'

'His final score over two rounds: minus one point.'

'Therefore, both Baili Qiangsheng and I have a cumulative score of minus one over two rounds.'

'Assuming the person who gets the gun has to shoot the lowest scorer...'

'Then in the third round, Baili Qiangsheng and I must fight for second-to-last place just to avoid death.'

'My cards: Shepherd, Sheep.'

'His cards: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'Next round's drawing order: Me, Ma Wenjie, Chen Ran, Li Annan, Baili Qiangsheng.'

'Ma Wenjie: Shepherd, Sheep, Sheep.'

'Chen Ran: Shepherd, Shepherd, Wolf.'

'Li Annan: Wolf, Wolf, Sheep.'

'I hold the Shepherd and Sheep cards. If I want to win, I have to draw the Shepherd card from Ma Wenjie's hand.'

'Ma Wenjie has Shepherd, Sheep, Sheep. If I take his Shepherd card, his next player is Chen Ran, and Chen Ran's cards are Shepherd, Shepherd, Wolf.'

'If Ma Wenjie draws a Shepherd: Shepherd, Sheep, Sheep.'

'If Ma Wenjie draws a Wolf: Wolf, Sheep, Sheep.'

'No matter what he draws, the Sheep wins. Moreover, he just bet that I would die, which means he will definitely draw Chen Ran's Wolf Card. Because I am first in the third round, I get a second chance to draw from him. As long as he has no Shepherd cards left on the table, and my Shepherd card gets drawn by the person before me—Baili Qiangsheng—then I will still only have one Shepherd card. But by the end of the third round, I will have three cards on the table!'

'Three cards, and only one Shepherd card. No matter the combination, there is absolutely no chance of scoring. Is this why Ma Wenjie bet that I am doomed?'

'Right now, Baili Qiangsheng: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'If he draws my Shepherd card...'

'His hand becomes: Shepherd, Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'That depends entirely on what card Li Annan, the player before him, draws from his hand.'

'If a Shepherd is drawn: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'If a Wolf is drawn: Shepherd, Shepherd, Sheep.'

'If a Sheep is drawn: Shepherd, Shepherd, Wolf.'

'Li Annan bet on Baili Qiangsheng dying, meaning he intends to draw Baili Qiangsheng's Shepherd card.'

'Therefore, at the end of the third round, Baili Qiangsheng's cards will be: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'Baili Qiangsheng scores: minus one point.'

'Then, by the end of the third round, both of our cumulative scores for all three rounds will be minus two points. If the scores are tied, who knows which of us dies.'

'The second scenario:'

'Earlier, Baili Qiangsheng was first. He drew cards twice, and both times his final hand was: Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep.'

'Does this mean he hasn't deduced yet whether he is good or evil?'

'Precisely because he hasn't figured it out, he chose to keep one of each—Shepherd, Wolf, and Sheep. In his eyes, this combination is the safest middle ground.'

'If Li Annan takes his Sheep card and he wants to maintain that middle ground, he will draw the Sheep card from my table. That way, my two Shepherd cards will be preserved.'

'He would remain at Shepherd, Wolf, Sheep, scoring minus one point.'

'Meanwhile, holding two Shepherd cards, it would be impossible for me to lose. I would score one point.'

'At the end of the third round, Baili Qiangsheng's total score would be minus two, while mine would be zero.'

'The final result: Baili Qiangsheng finishes dead last.'

'Those are the two scenarios.'

'Either we end up with a tied score, or I score two points higher than him. In either case, Li Annan plays a massive role.'

'Conclusion: Both scenarios involve far too many uncertain factors. It requires the soul inside Baili Qiangsheng to remain foolish, while also ensuring that the soul inside Li Annan genuinely wants to help me.'

'If the two most ideal situations are like this, doesn't that mean...'

'I am probably doomed?'

......

"Alright, since it's a bet, let's put some stakes on it." Ma Wenjie drew the Liar-Slayer from his waist and casually tossed it onto the gambling table in front of him.

He continued, "You seemed quite shocked when Cheng Si was judged to death earlier. You must be wondering why I also have a Liar-Slayer."

"If you win, I'll tell you."

"And what if I lose?" Li Annan asked in return, not agreeing immediately.

"Be specific. Who loses?"

Li Annan looked slightly embarrassed. "If I lose, what price do I have to pay?"

"If you lose, in every subsequent round, you must draw from your next player's hand according to this rule: if there is a Sheep, draw the Sheep; if there is no Sheep, draw a Shepherd; if there is neither a Shepherd nor a Sheep, draw a Wolf."

These stakes...

Zhang Yuan furrowed his brows.

'Ma Wenjie is betting on my death.'

'If I die.'

'Only four people will be left at the table: Ma Wenjie, Chen Ran, Li Annan, and Baili Qiangsheng.'

'Li Annan's next player is Baili Qiangsheng, so he will only be able to draw from Baili Qiangsheng's hand.'

'And according to the bet: draw Sheep if available, Shepherd if not, and Wolf if neither are present.'

'Baili Qiangsheng's next player is Ma Wenjie, so Baili Qiangsheng can only draw from Ma Wenjie's hand.'

'In other words, by controlling the cards on Baili Qiangsheng's table, Ma Wenjie can directly control the hand on Li Annan's table.'

'Li Annan would be like meat on a chopping block.'

'Anyone with half a brain would never agree to such a devastatingly disadvantageous bet.'

"Heh, if you just tell Baili Qiangsheng which card to draw, wouldn't I be guaranteed to lose? I can agree to this, but on one condition: you cannot speak until the next round ends."

"Agreed," Ma Wenjie nodded.

The moment Ma Wenjie agreed, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of Li Annan's mouth.

Li Annan looked at the other three. "I think there's a flaw in your logic. What makes you so sure that the Wolf is the Second Masked Man? And what makes you certain that the Sheep is the surviving Husband?"