Yu Tu returned to the sofa and exchanged a glance with Origami. The two smiled at each other.
At this moment, the current score standings were:
Yu Tu - 19 points,
Origami - -1 point,
Bunny Ears - -10 points,
Rat - -10 points,
The other three - 0 points each.
Yu Tu and Origami were well aware of the current situation, and Bunny Ears and Rat could also roughly deduce the same.
Origami glanced at Rat, feeling immensely satisfied inside.
This disgusting thing deserves to die!
———
Bunny Ears leaned on Overlord's shoulder, feeling very dejected.
She hadn't expected Rat to jump into the game so quickly. This time, Rat was definitely -10 points, and Yu Tu gained 10—no surprises there!
With that, Yu Tu had 19 points while she was still sitting at -10. If she wanted to win, she'd have to deceive three people.
Overlord, King Kong, and Rat—she needed to trick them all one by one. The chances were very slim!
Bunny Ears quickly ran some mental calculations, then rested her head on Overlord's shoulder, her eyes drifting toward King Kong, who was still diligently polishing his blade.
Whether she could win or not depended on him!
———
Setting aside Rat and Bunny Ears, both sitting at -10 points, even Xingchen was incredibly nervous.
Three people in a row had quickly completed the game with Yu Tu. Why?
Did Yu Tu possess some item unknown to him that made the others trust him completely?
From the current situation, it looked like Yu Tu and those three had likely all chosen "Cooperate," which made things very unfavorable for Xingchen!
In Xingchen's eyes, Yu Tu must have used some special method to make the others believe that choosing "cooperate" with him was a guaranteed win.
Otherwise, it made no sense why those three would start the game with Yu Tu without hesitation.
So based on his view, the current scores would be:
Yu Tu - 3 points,
Origami - 1 point,
Bunny Ears - 1 point,
Rat - 1 point,
The rest - 0 points.
Xingchen looked again at Yu Tu and Origami, who were both sitting still...
Wait a second!
Why hadn't Origami started the next game with Yu Tu after he returned?
She was clearly ready to jump ahead before Rat got to Yu Tu, yet now she wasn't moving at all!
Had she given up because she couldn't win first place? Or was she waiting for something?
Why?
Xingchen frowned deeply.
———
Not just Xingchen—Overlord, sitting beside Bunny Ears, was also full of doubt as he watched Origami and Yu Tu remain still.
One possible explanation was that Yu Tu had already secured an unshakable lead and didn't want to act anymore.
Origami had lost the chance to be first and didn't want to act either.
So who would still want to move?
Overlord looked around the now-quiet living room. With less than five minutes left on the countdown and Bunny Ears' breath warm on his neck, he clenched his fists tightly.
In his view, the score probably looked like this:
Yu Tu - 3 points,
Bunny Ears, Origami, and Rat - 1 point each.
This seemed the most likely.
Overlord knew Bunny Ears well. She was determined to win first place, so she'd be a great partner to work with.
He had experienced Bunny Ears' talent and Xingchen's agreement—both followed by the cold mechanical voice confirming the pact after the ceremony.
Overlord also knew that talents and items could deceive the system into lying.
If possible, he would've preferred to wait and win by default, letting others make mistakes. Unfortunately, that no longer seemed viable.
Between Bunny Ears and Xingchen, he still trusted Bunny Ears more.
First, her talent came with a price and was more likely to be real, though he didn't know if it was a one-way or two-way constraint.
Second, Bunny Ears had always aimed for first place. Otherwise, why would she sleep with so many people?
With a goal of first place, if Bunny Ears could guarantee the other party would choose "Cooperate," then the best strategy wouldn't be to betray in the first three rounds, but rather…
To choose "Fight" on the fourth or fifth round and "Cooperate" beforehand. That was the most reliable approach.
Overlord grabbed Bunny Ears' hand. She didn't mind his roughness at all; instead, she toyed with the cold iron chain on his body with her other hand, making Overlord breathe heavier.
———
The countdown had now reached four minutes.
Xingchen continued to stare at Origami, trying to figure out why she wasn't moving.
King Kong kept polishing his blade, ignoring everything around him.
Overlord slapped his thigh. "F*ck it, I'm not waiting anymore!" He pulled Bunny Ears up. "Let's go! The two of us!"
Bunny Ears covered her mouth and giggled. "Be gentle. Of course I'm going!"
Once inside their respective "Battle-Cooperation Booths," Overlord shut the door and immediately pressed his hand on "Fight," attempting to confirm.
A cold, mechanical voice sounded in his ear:
"Warning: You are about to violate your pact with player Bunny Ears. You will be subject to divine punishment by the God Cage!"
Overlord instantly withdrew his hand and placed it on "Cooperate," pressing it down.
On the other side, Bunny Ears didn't act in haste. She habitually tucked the hair at her neck behind her ear—no one was watching, but she still had to remain elegant.
She knew Overlord had no choice. Her talent was real—but it was one-way binding.
Heh… The loyalty of a traitor! If you're a traitor, what loyalty can there be?
Bunny Ears laughed at herself. If she hadn't been at -10 points, she really might've kept that loyalty in earlier rounds.
But, she was already a wounded person—how could she possibly give her heart again?
Was this her destiny?
She placed her hand on "Fight" and pressed down.
Given the current state, Overlord… was doomed!
"Bunny Ears, you have selected 'Fight.'
Overlord has selected 'Cooperate.'
You gain 10 points. Your current score: 0.
Overlord loses 10 points. His current score: -10."
After the mechanical voice ended, Bunny Ears bent over laughing, pinching her thigh several times to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Oh Overlord, how could you believe a slut like me? A slut like me—can there be loyalty?
You totally deserved to die!
When she exited the "Battle-Cooperation Booth," Bunny Ears walked straight over to sit beside King Kong, blinking at him while he wiped his blade.
"King Kong, it's our turn. If you don't go, you'll die."
King Kong glanced at her but said nothing, continuing to wipe his blade.
Overlord came out of the booth with a cold face, gave Bunny Ears a glance, then returned to his sofa.
From his perspective, he could no longer figure out what was going on.
His heart pounded with tension, but he tried hard to stay calm. He was waiting—for Bunny Ears to drag King Kong into the game, giving him a slim chance.
———
Xingchen was extremely nervous now!
He didn't know whether Bunny Ears' ability was a mutual constraint, a one-way one, or—like his own agreement—completely fake.
Watching Overlord and Bunny Ears, he couldn't judge the result. Anything was possible.
If Overlord had 1 point now, his performance made sense—there were still zero-point players like Xingchen and King Kong left. Acting angry to dissuade them from playing? Reasonable!
If Overlord had been tricked and sat at -10? That also made sense. He was waiting—for another -10 to appear, so he had to put on an act.
Cold sweat poured down Xingchen's back. Seeing Bunny Ears sit next to King Kong made him even more anxious.
"King Kong, let's go! We have an agreement—we can't betray each other. No matter what, getting 1 point is definitely safer!"
———
King Kong glanced at Xingchen, then went back to polishing his blade…
He trusted no one. Not Bunny Ears, not Xingchen, not even that others had truly chosen "Cooperate."
He couldn't see through it. It was all traps.
His master had once told him when learning the blade:
If you can't understand the situation, be patient.
If you're facing life and death, and it's unclear—don't move.
Better to do nothing than make a mistake.
In life-and-death combat, one mistake and you're dead.
If he couldn't understand—he wouldn't act!
If in the end they all really did choose "Cooperate," then so be it. He, King Kong, would accept it!
———
Seeing King Kong like this, Bunny Ears sighed inwardly—no chance anymore!
Now the points were clear:
Yu Tu - 19 points,
Origami - -1,
Herself - 0,
Overlord - -10,
Rat - -10,
King Kong and Xingchen - 0.
If she still wanted to compete for first, she needed King Kong to give her 10 points to reach 10.
Then, pull in Rat, who was already doomed, to give her another 10 points and reach 20.
But if King Kong wouldn't move, she didn't need the 10 points from Rat anymore.
After all, if she couldn't get first, then might as well let Overlord and Rat both die. The more who died, the more exchange coins she'd earn!
———
Only 2 minutes and 30 seconds remained on the countdown.
Yu Tu smiled as he looked around. He could confirm:
He had 19 points,
Origami - -1,
Xingchen and King Kong - 0,
Rat - -10.
As for Bunny Ears and Overlord, they were either 0 and -10 or -9 and 1.
Since Bunny Ears didn't do another round with Overlord, it was more likely 0 and -10.
Yu Tu looked admiringly at the unmoving King Kong.
His first place? Seemed secured!