novelhk Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Chapter 104: The Joker
"A-Ah Xing?"
Cao Hua's footsteps instinctively retreated half a step.
For some reason, the moment Zhou Xing put on that battered mask, the surrounding air seemed to drop to freezing point.
That bone-deep chill!
Made Cao Hua—a veteran detective who had spent half his life in criminal investigation—instinctively sense danger!
"You alright? What are you spacing out for all of a sudden?"
Cao Hua asked, forcing himself to appear calm.
Beneath the mask, Zhou Xing slowly lowered the finger pressed against his lips and turned to look at Cao Hua.
"Oh~, it's nothing, nothing."
"Just...wanted to get into character a little early."
"What the..."
Cao Hua wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"I thought there was something wrong with that broken mask. Scared the hell out of me."
"Since you're fine, let's get moving. We'll head to the Safe Zone first and find Daozi."
"Mm."
Zhou Xing nodded. "Let's go."
……
The 2 of them left the Card Room one after the other and walked into that pitch-black corridor.
Zhou Xing walked behind, both hands shoved in his pockets.
He suddenly spoke. "Inspector Cao, do you know about that... 'No Words Needed'?"
"Hm?"
Cao Hua paused, slowing his steps.
"That terrifying newcomer ranked number 1 on the Newcomer Leaderboard? Why are you asking about him?"
Zhou Xing was silent for half a second.
"No reason...just pretty curious."
"A newcomer that powerful doesn't come along often."
"Mm."
Cao Hua nodded.
Then he glanced left and right, and after confirming there was no one else in the corridor, he leaned toward Zhou Xing and lowered his voice.
"Ah Xing, honestly...I think that 'No Words Needed' is right here inside our hospital!"
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Zhou Xing tilted his head with a puzzled expression. "It's not like there's any Starving Wraith in our hospital, is there?"
"Are you dumb?!"
Cao Hua smacked the back of his head.
"That was yesterday's leaderboard! Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Remember the 'Revolver God' from just now?! He only entered the hospital at the crack of dawn today!"
"The gunshots from the lobby on the 1st floor earlier—9 times out of 10 it was him causing the commotion!"
"And doesn't his behavior at the card table strike you as strange?"
Cao Hua analyzed with complete confidence.
"Didn't say a single word the whole time—communicated only through notes!"
"And that arrogance, that absolute suppression of power..."
"Other than that number 1 ranked 'No Words Needed,' who else could it be?!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xing immediately wore an expression of sudden realization.
"When you put it that way, it really does add up!"
"Inspector Cao really is the Heavy Case Tiger! Your powers of observation are so incredibly sharp!"
"Ha ha, of course!"
Cao Hua heard this flattery and laughed with great satisfaction.
However.
Zhou Xing did not stop his performance.
He smiled and leaned in close to Cao Hua.
"So then...Inspector Cao..."
"Do you know about...the Arashin-kai?"
"……"
The smile on Cao Hua's face instantly froze.
"The Arashin-kai?"
He let out 2 dry laughs, his eyes starting to dart around.
"Isn't that just the organization that woman named Tiffany belongs to?"
"She even tried to absorb our Card Players' Association before, but Daozi turned her down."
"That woman is too dangerous. An absolute femme fatale!"
At this, Cao Hua's expression suddenly twisted with discomfort.
"Aiyoh...speaking of water, I suddenly feel a bit of an urgent need to relieve myself."
"Ah Xing, wait here for me. I'll go sort myself out in that abandoned ward up ahead."
With that, Cao Hua quickened his pace and walked deeper into the corridor.
But.
He hadn't taken many steps before he heard footsteps behind him.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Cao Hua whipped his head around and found Zhou Xing following 2 meters behind him!
"Hold on, Inspector Cao."
Zhou Xing spread his hands open.
"Funny coincidence...I need to go too."
"Let's go together."
"Besides, I've gotten hold of some inside information about the Arashin-kai that I'd like to..."
"Share with you properly."
Cao Hua stared hard at the mask on his face.
1 second.
2 seconds.
Then, Cao Hua scratched his head and laughed with an honest, simple expression.
"Sure, let's go together then. No big deal."
The 2 walked side by side through the darkness of the corridor, continuing their earlier conversation.
Zhou Xing said calmly.
"The Arashin-kai...has 12 seats in total."
"That Tiffany is the 7th Seat, codename Gambler."
"Her ability is Sequence 067: Sovereign Rule—within a certain area, she can forcibly impose absolute rules that are favorable to herself."
"Quite a troublesome woman."
"Whoa! That powerful?"
Cao Hua's eyes went wide with surprise. "Where did you get your hands on classified information like this?"
As he spoke, he pushed open a door at the end of the corridor and walked inside.
Zhou Xing followed him in, shook his head, and closed the door behind him.
"Don't be so quick to be surprised—let me finish."
"Now, ranked ahead of her...that would be the 6th Seat, the Joker."
"He is an exceedingly rare...Dual Ability user."
"His 1st ability is Sequence 099: Thousand-Face Demon Lord."
"As long as someone wears a mask he has crafted, he can perform absolute body seizure remotely, defying all spatial distance!"
"And his 2nd ability...is Sequence 024: Cycle Future!"
"Its function is...to forcibly reverse his own timeline 10 seconds into the past!"
"Or...leap forward 10 seconds into the future!"
At this, Zhou Xing closed in on Cao Hua.
In the darkness, he was nearly pressed against the side of Cao Hua's face, which was drenched in cold sweat.
"And just moments ago..."
"I...already reversed time once."
"So, Inspector Cao..."
The Joker's voice crawled into Cao Hua's ear canal like a demon's whisper.
"Are we...really here just to use the bathroom?"
"Or could it be that..."
"You were planning to feed me to those monsters?"
Cao Hua: "!!!"
The instant those words fell!
CRACK!!
From the ventilation duct in the ceiling, a sudden rustling and scratching erupted!
The Supervisors!!
Cao Hua had never had any intention of taking him to any bathroom—nor of returning to the Safe Zone!
From the moment Zhou Xing put on that mask, from that one look they exchanged!
He had sensed something was wrong!
So he had deliberately played dumb, luring this "impostor" step by step into this trap he had already scouted out!
"Hmph!!"
The honest simplicity on Cao Hua's face vanished in an instant.
He spun around and braced himself against the door, and with lightning-fast hands, he pulled a high-explosive grenade out from the waistband of his pants!
"Monster!!"
Cao Hua clamped the grenade pin between his teeth and stared at the Joker with bloodshot eyes.
"I don't care what you are!! Give Ah Xing's body back!!"
"Otherwise the 2 of us are going down together today!!"
"Those Supervisors nest up in these ducts ordinarily!"
"As long as I pull this grenade, the massive sound and flash will drag all of them here in an instant!"
"In this cramped space, no matter how capable you are, they'll tear you to shreds!!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Faced with this almost suicidal counterattack from Cao Hua, the Joker stood in place and began to applaud.
"Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"
"Worthy of the Heavy Case Tiger!"
"A single glance was all it took to see through my disguise."
"And even in the grip of extreme terror, you managed to set up this kind of reversal trap."
The Joker exclaimed with exaggerated admiration.
"If only you weren't so weak..."
"I'd genuinely love to cast you as my lead male supporting character!"
Cao Hua's entire body was trembling violently.
This person...
Was far too dangerous!
More dangerous by 10,000 times than every serial killer he had ever encountered in the years before his dismissal from the force!
It made him think of a classic saying.
‘When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back into you!’
He had seen through the other party being a fake—but the other party had also used that single glance to see through his thoughts and his trap!
So this was the Arashin-kai...
So this was the 6th Seat, the Joker...
So this was what a conceptual-grade ability looked like?!
No wonder the other party dared to so brazenly follow him into this dead end!
Because he had already seen the outcome!
Cao Hua was drenched in sweat, but his teeth still clamped down hard on the pin.
‘I absolutely cannot let this monster find Daozi and the others!’
Otherwise the Card Players' Association would be finished!
He could not sell out his friends!
Cao Hua steeled his heart.
"Go to hell!! Monster!!"
He snapped his head to the side and bit the pin clean off!
Ding!
The safety lever sprang open—the countdown to death began ticking!
"Taking you down with me—I, Cao Hua, have lived a life with no regrets!!"
Cao Hua's eyes turned red.
"I'm sorry, Ah Xing! Forgive me!"
With that, he clutched that soon-to-explode grenade and lunged at the Joker!
However.
Faced with this kill-or-be-killed strike, the Joker unhurriedly shook his head and let out a sigh.
"My apologies, Inspector Cao."
"Your colleague's ability..."
"Not only have I inherited it, but...I use it better than he ever did."
Hummm!!
Before the words had even finished.
The Joker pressed his fingers together and pointed them at the grenade in Cao Hua's hand!
Psychokinetic Brain Wave Force!
Supercharged by the Joker's terrifying mental power.
It forcibly pushed the safety lever—already sprung open—back into place!
And drove the bitten-off pin back into its slot!
Click.
The grenade's detonation mechanism...
Was forcibly aborted!
"What?!"
Cao Hua's face was the picture of disbelief!
"That's actually possible?!"
Right now his only regret was that this high-explosive grenade was too well-made!
Too precisely engineered!
If it had been some cheaply made one, the lever would have deformed the moment it sprang out!
There would have been absolutely no way to push it back in and stop the explosion!
Before Cao Hua could cry out again in shock.
Bang!
The Joker stepped forward and seized Cao Hua's throat with one hand, hoisting him high into the air!
Clatter.
The grenade tumbled to the ground and rolled into the corner.
"Ngh...let..."
Cao Hua hung in midair, struggling in agony, both hands clawing at the Joker's arm.
"How courageous, Inspector Cao~"
The Joker tilted his head slightly, his mask nearly pressed against Cao Hua's face, which was turning purple from oxygen deprivation.
"This spirit of yours—sacrificing yourself for your companions—has even moved me to the verge of tears."
"However..."
"Since you already know my trump cards and ability..."
"As a competent villain, I simply cannot let you walk out of this scene alive."
Cao Hua's eyes rolled back in agony, his consciousness beginning to blur from severe oxygen deprivation.
The struggling of his legs grew weaker and weaker.
He was going to die.
Dying at the hands of a madman in a mask.
Dying at the hands of his closest companion.
"Alright, curtain call."
As if he had grown bored of the game, the Joker suddenly flung his arm!
BOOM!
He hurled Cao Hua hard into the pile of discarded medical equipment behind him!
Bang! Crash!
Accompanying the noise.
SCREECH!!
The ventilation ducts in the ceiling could finally no longer withstand this relentless barrage of sounds.
Those long-lurking Supervisors were completely roused!
They screeched and poured from the ducts, lunging toward Cao Hua, who lay collapsed on the ground unable to move!
'Is this how I get eaten...?'
Cao Hua closed his eyes in despair.
However.
At this most critical juncture!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dozens of razor-sharp cutting sounds suddenly tore in from outside!
They were dozens of playing cards!
They pierced straight through the door in an instant!
Flew past the Joker's head and streaked toward those lunging Supervisors!
Blood sprayed in all directions!
Those Supervisors' limbs, before what appeared to be nothing more than flimsy paper cards, were severed in an instant!
"ARGHH!!"
The Supervisors let out agonized shrieks—clearly sensing that something dangerous was closing in.
One by one they retreated back into the darkness of the ducts.
Cao Hua, who had just barely survived with his life, crashed to the ground and gasped in great heaving breaths.
Bang!
That door was kicked open by someone.
"Friend, coming to my territory to mess with my people."
"Aren't you being a little...out of line?"
Chen Daozi stood in the doorway, eyes sharp as blades.
"Daozi!!"
Cao Hua scrambled and crawled behind Chen Daozi, pointing at the Joker and shouting.
"He's seized Ah Xing's body!! He's the Arashin-kai 6th Seat Joker!!"
"He can not only seize bodies, but he can also reverse time and skip into the future! Be careful!!"
Hearing this.
Chen Daozi's pupils contracted sharply.
Without a moment's hesitation, he swept both hands outward!
"Go!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Over a dozen playing cards shot straight for the Joker's vital points!
However.
At the very instant before the playing cards would have connected!
Hum.
The Joker's silhouette, right where he stood...
Vanished into thin air!
"Where did he go?!"
Chen Daozi's expression shifted with shock.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those playing cards lost their target and drove themselves into the wall behind.
Chen Daozi spun around sharply.
Through the doorway and down the far end of the corridor outside the storage room, he discovered with a start...
That the Joker was, at this very moment, sitting inside the elevator 50 meters away!
That was the path Chen Daozi had come from!
The elevator doors were slowly sliding shut.
The Joker leaned against the elevator wall at an angle and gave Chen Daozi a wave.
"Bye-bye~, Senior Brother~"
"I still have an old friend to go see—I won't stay and play with you all."
"See you next time~"
Ding.
The elevator doors fully closed, cutting off the line of sight.
"……"
Chen Daozi was undeniably stunned right now.
He stared at those tightly shut elevator doors.
‘What is this guy playing at?’
‘He went to all that trouble to seize Ah Xing's body—was it not specifically to go after our Card Players' Association?’
‘Why is he leaving at a time like this?’
At this point, Cao Hua grabbed Chen Daozi's arm and called out urgently.
"Daozi! Think of something to save Ah Xing!! He's definitely heading for the Gambler!"
"The mask seized Ah Xing's body—if we don't get that mask off him, Ah Xing is done for!!"
Chen Daozi was being shaken by the arm, yet his heart grew more and more puzzled.
‘This doesn't add up...’
‘What kind of person so casually exposes every single one of their trump cards to their enemy before engaging?’
‘And after exposing everything, doesn't kill to silence the witness? Just swaggers off instead?’
‘Is it lies? A smokescreen?’
No.
Chen Daozi replayed that scene just now in his mind.
He had indeed, in a single instant, crossed 50 meters and appeared inside the elevator.
Was that teleportation?
Or a time leap?
‘Inspector Cao wasn't deceived—his ability...’
‘Is real.’
‘Could it be...he truly was just 'playing around'?’
Chen Daozi's expression turned grim.
This mocking attitude.
This unconcealed arrogance.
It did indeed resemble that kind of psychopath who enjoyed toying with prey.
"But...I won't let you have your way."
Chen Daozi clenched his fist.
"Joker or devil, it doesn't matter what you are."
"Once I get my hands on the Slot Machine...I'll make sure you regret it!"
He drew a deep breath, turned, and looked at the anxiously agitated Cao Hua.
"Inspector Cao, let's move first."
"It's too dangerous to stay here."
"When the high-stakes session starts at 8 in the morning..."
"This guy came here for the Gambler—he'll definitely show up alongside the Gambler."
"At that point, we'll take Ah Xing back fair and square at the card table!"
"Furthermore..."
"Once we're back, immediately have the brothers spread this guy's intel as far and wide as possible!"
"He likes playing around, does he? Likes putting on shows?"
"Then let's build him a grand stage!"
"Let every faction in this entire hospital know his full hand!"
"Let him...play to his heart's content!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Hua nodded.
"Good! I'll get on it right away! Even if I have to stake this old life of mine, I'll definitely get Ah Xing back!!"
With that, the 2 of them supported each other and swiftly returned to the Safe Zone.
……
Inside the elevator.
Ding!
3F...
4F...
5F...
6F...
The Joker stood at the center of the elevator, watching the numbers leap across the display screen.
He admired his mask in the elevator's mirror-bright metallic wall.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
"What a perfect performance~"
He spread his arms wide and gave a bow to the reflection of himself.
"You truly are...the greatest showman in this world!"
And at that very moment.
Ding!
The elevator came to a stop at the 7th floor.
The elevator doors did not open—instead, a red notification box popped up.
【You are approaching the Safe Zone.】
【Please wait for the Safe Zone owner's permission before entering...】
If Jiang Nan's Safe Zone on the 8th floor was the most luxurious and comfortable, then Tiffany's Safe Zone on the 7th floor was the most secure and impenetrable fortress!
At this moment.
Inside the 7th floor Safe Zone.
Tiffany had already put on her dress and wore a wide-brimmed hat atop her head, covering half her face.
She looked at the surveillance screen showing someone arriving in the elevator and immediately ground her teeth.
"That damned Piano!!"
"You caused such a massive commotion upstairs last night and kept me from sleeping a single wink!!"
"And now you have the audacity to come crawling back?!"
"Just watch what I do to you today, you little wretch!!"
She had only just woken up, and her morning temper was running extremely high.
She reflexively assumed the person arriving was Piano, and directly pressed the door open button.
Hisssss!
The door slowly slid open.
However.
The one who appeared before her was not Piano.
But rather...
A man wearing a mask.
"You again."
Tiffany recognized that familiar mask and said coldly.
"Joker."
"Didn't I already tell you?"
"Once I finish that matter at 8 in the morning and get my hands on that Slot Machine..."
"I'll naturally look into it!"
"What are you doing here again?"
Bunny-Bunny