111 Who Is the Joker?

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It was only when Feng Qian called out that I snapped back to reality, noticing the screen had already switched perspectives. On the screen, Xue Ning and Sun Xiaoxiao were in battle. Sun Xiaoxiao suddenly tossed the sewing kit in her hand, unleashing countless flying needles. Their target was a strange masked man. The needles Sun Xiaoxiao threw instantly transformed mid-air into iron rods as thick as buckets. The masked man dodged swiftly. Meanwhile, Xue Ning no longer cried or whimpered as she used to—perhaps it was because we hadn't seen each other for so long, or maybe Xue Ning had successfully overcome her psychological barriers. She formed a water sphere in her hand and hurled it toward the masked man. The water sphere expanded instantly in the air, but the masked man sliced it in half with a single strike. The sphere did not vanish; instead, it fragmented into dozens of water bullets that began attacking the masked man. The two high school girls had no real combat power nor agility. The moment the masked man appeared, their fates were sealed. Sun Xiaoxiao was slashed, but fortunately, Xue Ning stopped the bleeding with her water energy. The masked man had no intention of killing them and retreated after a brief skirmish. By then, it was midday the next day. Only a day and a half remained until the trial ended. Both Xue Ning and Sun Xiaoxiao had only superficial wounds and would likely return unscathed. The scene then shifted unexpectedly to Hu Qingqing and Wei Yan, who had fought to a stalemate; Hu Qingqing even had Hu Xing’er’s assistance. It seemed that in pure combat power, the Club suit was stronger than others. After all, the Club suit’s abilities were all various lethal methods. Under equal conditions, facing the Club suit alone was never a good idea. Another day passed, and finally, the third day of Xue Ning and the others’ trial arrived. The broadcast had stopped, seemingly leaving us in suspense about who would survive. Anxiously waiting through the evening, we finally received news that Xue Ning and the others were safe. None of our allies had met any accidents; their combat strength remained intact. I sent a message urging them to rest. Meanwhile, Feng Qian and I had only four leisure days left. Among the third trial participants were Zhang Yisheng, Tang Zifeng, Wu Mingran, Gao Ge, and two girls unknown to me. I cared little for their trial and assigned Chen Hao to monitor their abilities and results. As Zhang Yisheng and his group departed, I gathered all my allies at Feng Qian’s room. Lin Xiayue had unusually joined our alliance this time. She mentioned that Hu Xing’er had been acting strangely lately—probably due to something Hu Qingqing had done. Since returning from the trial, Hu Xing’er hadn’t spoken to Lin Xiayue at all. Xue Ning and Sun Xiaoxiao got along well. The two girls welcomed Lin Xiayue warmly, pulling her close to start chatting. Lin Xiayue shed her usual cold, bossy demeanor and soon bonded with the two girls. The three women chattered incessantly with no sign of stopping. I tried to interrupt but failed. Only Chen Hao, Feng Qian, and I exchanged helpless looks. Luckily, everyone eventually grew tired of talking. When Sun Xiaoxiao’s tongue felt dry, I handed her a glass of water, finally silencing her. Feng Qian and Chen Hao followed suit, and the room quieted. “Alright, everyone, let’s get down to business,” I quickly steered the conversation. If they kept going like this, it’d be endless. The three girls blushed slightly and nodded, realizing they’d wasted time and stopped talking. “Let’s discuss this: the vast majority of contract holders are gathered in this building. Except for those already awakened, all remaining contract holders should be here.”

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“So, there’s a high chance the big and small Joker cards exist here. Does anyone have any suspects?” I asked plainly. Everyone looked bewildered. Seeing no one spoke up, I took the lead. “My current suspect is the Six of Hearts.” I paused, noticing Chen Hao’s expression change. This person was our friend—our former ally, a brother who had fought alongside us. “Sun Cheng,” Chen Hao immediately retorted. “No way!” “Zijian, you said we fought alongside Sun Cheng; how could it be him?” I calmed Chen Hao and continued. “I know, but maybe what our eyes saw wasn’t reality.” “Don’t you think Sun Cheng’s appearances are too coincidental?” “He always shows up just when we’re in danger, saving us. Doesn’t that seem like he’s deliberately hiding his identity?” “And nearly every time he appears, someone dies.” Although the deaths at Fengmen Ghost Village weren’t directly linked to Sun Cheng, these clues combined made it hard not to suspect him. Everyone lowered their heads, pondering the possible suspect. Lin Xiayue was the second to speak. “I think it’s the Hearts Knight, Hu Qingqing.” Lin Xiayue referred to the dark horse who suddenly emerged with formidable strength—the Hearts Knight. Though I hadn’t seen her at her peak, I suspected she was like Wu Mingran, hiding her true power when she arrived. “Hu Xing’er and I have been close since childhood; we’re childhood friends. She wouldn’t betray me—it must be Hu Qingqing who’s stirring trouble.” “If the Joker cards’ goal is to incite contract holders to fight among themselves, then it must be her!” Lin Xiayue’s anger was evident; her closest friend had been stolen away, leaving her deeply resentful. The third to speak was Xue Ning, whom we had saved. During her trial with Sun Xiaoxiao, she had finally awakened her contract holder ability. As the Queen of Hearts, her card was the Queen of Hearts, with the power of one of the four elements—water. From this, we could deduce that the Queen of Diamonds and Queen of Clubs might possess fire or earth abilities. “I think it’s Wei Yan.” Wei Yan was the blond man with the Club Joker card. From the broadcast, it was clear he was powerful—the Club 2 contract holder. “Wei Yan tried to kill me in the library but failed,” Xue Ning said gratefully, looking at us. “He seems to enjoy killing, regardless of whether the target is a contract holder or an ordinary person.” I nodded. After hearing Lin Xiayue and Xue Ning’s accounts, two more suspects for the big and small Joker cards emerged. “I don’t think it’s Midnight,” said Sun Xiaoxiao fourth. “Though he suddenly appeared beside me and hid his strength among us, he’s never harmed me. I trust him.” After speaking, Sun Xiaoxiao silently turned her head, eyes glistening with tears. It was clear her relationship with Midnight was special. His sudden disappearance had hit her hard. Though she acted carefree, everyone has vulnerabilities. When touched, the heart still aches.

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Only Chen Hao and Feng Qian hadn’t spoken yet. As a newcomer, Feng Qian knew little about these contract holders. So Chen Hao spoke first. “Since Zijian is pointing fingers at our roommate, I’ll say mine too.” “Li Yuan and Wu Mingran—both are suspects.” “They started allied with us, then mysteriously went solo.” “And Wu Mingran suddenly appeared at the end, snatching the ancient scroll everyone had fought so hard for. Don’t you think he’s the biggest suspect?” I calmly replied to Chen Hao’s challenge, “That makes sense. Wu Mingran even approached me to form an alliance a few days ago.” “If he’s the big or small Joker, the alliance could just be a ruse.” “Li Yuan too—he still hasn’t spoken to us directly.” But Chen Hao had a point. Even after the last crisis, Li Yuan remained silent, protecting us through actions alone. “Jian, I’m not yet familiar with your affairs,” Feng Qian whispered, seeming nervous among all these veterans, hesitating as he spoke. “Hey, fresh meat, come here and let your sister dote on you!” Sun Xiaoxiao’s mood lifted instantly upon seeing Feng Qian’s adorable round face. She reached out to pinch his cheeks, but Feng Qian backed away fearfully and bumped into me, prompting laughter. Sun Xiaoxiao pouted, “I’m not that scary.” “If only you were a bit more feminine,” Lin Xiayue teased with a sly smile. “Alright, alright, let my little brother speak,” I said, whispering comforting words to Feng Qian. Only then did he muster courage. “I... I don’t suspect anyone, but I think you’re all good people!” Feng Qian’s words brought smiles all around. After exchanging information and chatting a while longer, everyone dispersed. Before leaving, Lin Xiayue specifically warned me, “Watch out for Jiang Linlin—she’s unstable. Seems like you’ve provoked her.” “She said she wants revenge on you!” “How do you know that?” “She and I are still close; she just hates you!” “Did you do something to her?” Lin Xiayue curiously studied me. I shrugged carelessly, “I just saw through her clothes.” “Ah!” Lin Xiayue first gasped, then burst out laughing. “You’re done for. Haha.” She shrugged again. “You too, why do you like looking at women so much...” Suddenly realizing something, she said, “Anyway, I’m off.” Back in the dorm, Feng Qian surprisingly didn’t watch the other trials’ broadcasts but lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. When he saw me return, he sat up earnestly. “Jian, I want to hear your story.”