Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 24: Cracks Begin
The candlelight cast a dim light and shadow, and the atmosphere on the long table began to change subtly. The obsidian-smooth table reflected the different expressions of the vampires.
The pattern behind each poker card seems to be permeated with bloody hints.

It hovered in the air, chuckling faintly and mocking everyone who sat down.

Duke Bloody Night sat in the main seat, his fingers gently stroking the wine glass, the deep red liquid reflecting his scarlet pupils.

He raised his eyes slightly, his gaze swept over everyone at the table, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He said nothing, but seemed to know everything.

His three blood marquises each maintained a different expression, some indifferent, some arrogant, and some forbearing.

Nanzhen Xuehou closed his eyes in deep thought, his expression as indifferent as a sculpture.

The Blood Marquis of Xizhen flicked the golden chip lightly, with a half-smile in his eyes and bloodthirsty interest in his eyes.

As for the Blood Marquis of Dongzhen, the vampire who had never actually participated in the gambling, his fingertips tapped stiffly on the table.

His eyes flickered, as if hiding some kind of uneasiness.

Siming leaned back in his chair with ease, his fingers slowly spinning a card, as if he was casually playing with time.

His eyes swept over the distribution of chips on the table, and with a meaningful arc at the corner of his mouth, he chuckled softly.

"Interesting..." His voice was not loud, but in the dead silence of the gambling table, every word carried a faint echo, reverberating in the vampire's ears like a whisper in the night wind.

Xizhen Xuehou raised his eyebrows slightly, leaned lazily on his chair, and spoke slowly:
"Outsider, what brings you such joy? Is it the despair of losing all your chips, or the complete depravity of becoming a sacrifice to the vampires?"

Siming smiled lightly, tapping the table rhythmically with his fingers, each tap falling at the same interval, like a countdown pendulum.

"Oh... no." He deliberately dragged out his tone, his voice slow and leisurely, as if he was joking, but also as if he was deep in thought.
"Just a question suddenly occurred to me... You three seem a little too cautious."

There was a slight pause in the air, and the expressions of the vampires changed subtly for a moment.

Siming flipped the cards in his hand nonchalantly, then deftly placed them back between his fingers. He glanced thoughtfully between the Blood Marquises and continued slowly:

"After all, you are the right-hand men of the Bloody Night Duke. But so far, I haven't seen any Bloody Duke win a game alone... Are you too weak, or is His Majesty the Duke too indulgent towards you?"

Xizhen Xuehou's smile faded slightly, his eyes narrowed, and his voice lowered a little: "What do you mean?"

Siming shrugged, his tone somewhat nonchalant:
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just a little curious... Aren't the Blood Marquises under Duke Bloody Night supposed to be in a competitive relationship with each other?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the entire gambling table suddenly became even more eerie.

It was as if a silk thread was suddenly tightened, and an unspoken battle emerged silently.

Nanzhen Xuehou frowned slightly, his expression remained indifferent, but the rhythm of his tapping on the table quickened a little, as if he was weighing something.

The Blood Marquis of West Town chuckled softly, his eyes becoming more profound in an instant, while the Blood Marquis of East Town, the vampire who had hardly placed any real bets since the beginning of the gambling game,
His face froze for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Siming smiled faintly, as if he had seen the result he wanted. His eyes swept towards the Blood Marquis of Dongzhen. His tone seemed a little casual, but it carried a hint of inquiry that could not be ignored.

"For example, this guy... he doesn't seem to have placed any bets in a single round, right?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Dongzhen Xuehou almost at the same time, and the atmosphere suddenly froze for a moment.

Vampires have always been natural predators, but when hunters are forced to stand in the position of being scrutinized, that feeling may not be pleasant.

The Blood Marquis of Dongzhen's expression changed slightly, a hint of hidden anxiety flashing in his eyes. His fingers curled up imperceptibly, as if he didn't want to be dragged into this strange psychological warfare.

The Blood Marquis of Xizhen glanced at him with a half-smile, the look in his eyes was dark and unclear, as if he was pondering something, and the curve of his mouth deepened.

Nanzhen Xuehou did not speak, but his cold gaze swept lightly across the table, as if he was reassessing the situation before him.

The air seemed to be stretched tight at this moment, and an invisible crack quietly emerged among the vampires, hovering above the silent gambling table, waiting for the next undercurrent of fighting.

Siming gently propped up his chin and slowly lowered his voice, as if telling a dangerous secret.

"Is it because I lack confidence, or...Is it because I simply don't have the Duke's trust?"

The Blood Marquis of Dongzhen suddenly raised his head, his eyes became sharp for a moment, but he quickly suppressed them, maintaining the indifference that a vampire noble should have.

But it is enough.

The corners of Siming's mouth slowly curled up. He knew that his first step had been successful.

Cracks have already appeared.

The playing cards in Siming's hand flew between his fingertips, his movements were as smooth as water and so light that they seemed to have no weight at all.

The candlelight cast dark shadows on the obsidian wall. His smile remained indifferent, and his eyes gently swept over the people at the table, as if examining a drama that had not yet been revealed.

"You know what?" he suddenly said, his voice lazy, but it echoed clearly in the dead silence of the card table, "I have memorized all the cards - including yours."

The air froze for a moment. Duke Bloody Night's expression shifted slightly, and a meaningful smile played at the corner of his mouth. "Oh?"

His voice was low and had a night-like magnetism, as if he was quite interested in this unexpected fun.

The three Blood Marquises had different expressions. The Blood Marquis of Nanzhen narrowed his eyes slightly, his pupils so dark that they seemed to hide an abyss.

The Blood Marquis of West Town stopped tapping the chips with his fingertips and stared at Siming with deep eyes, while the Blood Marquis of East Town's expression became increasingly stiff, as if he was aware of some signs of unease.

Siming shrugged and casually threw a playing card on the table. He gently rotated it with his fingertips. The card surface reflected the candlelight and emitted a strange luster.

"Your dealer's skills are appallingly poor." His voice was light, and his tone seemed to be an unintentional complaint.
Yet, there is a hint of playful provocation: “The force of the shuffling, the direction of the cut corners, the rhythm of the dealing… it’s so crude that it bores me.”

His eyes lightly swept over the dealer, revealing a kind of relaxed indifference, as if a slight push could push her into the abyss of no return.

"What's more, you've been using the same deck of cards, cross-shuffling them. The repetitive patterns have formed a fixed pattern... If you were just a little more careful, you would have figured out the order of each card long ago."

There was a deathly silence on the long obsidian table.

Nanzhen Xuehou's eyes grew slightly colder, and his fingertips tapped slowly on the table, each tap seeming to assess some threat.

The corners of Xizhen Xuehou's mouth curled up slightly, as if he had sensed something interesting. Meanwhile, Dongzhen Xuehou's face was completely stiff, his eyes wandering, and his fingers unconsciously tightened slightly.

——He began to panic.

Siming looked at them quietly, sneering in his heart.

Of course he couldn't actually remember the order of all the cards - but that didn't matter.

Importantly, he made them believe that he "might" see through everything.

And doubt is the beginning of all collapse.

The game of cards is still going on, and the vampires are still pressing forward, intending to completely overwhelm Sima Ming in the situation.
However, where they cannot see, a crucial chess piece is quietly leaving the stage.

Avel looked at the cards in his hand silently, brushed his fingertips over the last chip, and pushed it into the pool.

Sima Ming glanced sideways slightly, glancing at him vaguely, and then the smile at the corner of his lips deepened slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Almost." His voice was so soft that only Avel could hear it.

Avil nodded imperceptibly. In the following few rounds, he began to increase the stakes without any warning. Every hand seemed like a meaningless struggle.
It was like he had completely given up on being cautious, and he lost at an unexpected speed.

His chips flowed into Siming's account bit by bit.

The vampires looked at this scene and sneered.

"It seems your teammates can't hold on any longer." Xizhen Xuehou sneered and shook his head, his eyes full of mockery. "What a pity! I thought you could hold on longer."

Avel slowly stood up, lowered his head to adjust his cloak, raised his eyes to look at Siming, his eyes so deep that they seemed to contain some unspoken message.

Sima Ming nodded slightly, as if he had received some silent confirmation.

Avel didn't say anything else, but turned around and walked slowly out of the banquet hall, his back gradually disappearing in the blood-red candlelight.

He left the table.

The vampires thought this meant victory was certain.

But just as they showed relaxed smiles, Siming suddenly raised his eyes slightly, tapped the table with his fingers, and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth quietly curled up.

The number of his chips always remains at a very healthy level.

The vampires may think they have everything under control, but they don't realize that—

The real game has just begun.

Duke Bloody Night frowned slightly and gently turned the wine glass in his hand. The blood-colored liquid swayed slowly between the walls of the glass, reflecting a dark red light and shadow.

This outsider... is guiding the entire game?

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he finally saw some amusement, and he chuckled softly.

He suddenly felt a little excited.

Sorry, sorry, I'm late today due to personal reasons. I apologize. I bow. I apologize.

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(End of this chapter)