It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Chapter 858 Seven Stars Emerge

The more character cards a player has, the more likely others are to draw unusually good hands. However, this also comes with corresponding benefits. Character cards hold a crucial position in all yakuman. Now, Bai Lin's deck is gradually showing its fangs, revealing traces of the character "一色" (Iseki)... or rather, the character "一色" (Iseki) (Da Sixi)!

Looking at Smo, she also managed to snag three character cards this time, along with a common middle card. With this run, she already had seven 1-9 character cards. If she couldn't achieve the unparalleled talent of the nation, this seemingly scattered deck would be completely unlucky. Furthermore, Bai Lin already had eight character cards, making the title of the nation's master a difficult one.

Of course, even before the cards were drawn, Kronos's heart was still pounding with passion. The duel between the two had already begun the moment he drew the cards, so he naturally wouldn't easily decide on one side's victory. He continued to closely watch the story unfold.

After that, Bai Lin, as expected, drew four more cards. West, White, South! Instantly, he had two more pairs, and added a single gong. This deck was truly heading in an uncontrollable direction.

At this moment, Bai Lin sat there, calmly placing her hands on the deck of cards in front of her. She raised her bloodshot eyes and looked at Simo, who was sitting across from her. Her expression of complete despair was revealed without reservation.

Surprise, terror... everything was woven into the most primal form of violence. From the moment humanity emerged millions of years ago, it began to conquer nature with its own violence. Slaughtering lives, dominating resources, destroying and devouring the planet, all for the sole purpose of making their own lives better.

This is the iron rule of nature. Protecting the supreme interests of one's own species is correct and has always been practiced by humans. Whether it's using intelligence to develop technology, or using captivity, or employing tactics like strategy, the ultimate way to conquer everything is to intimidate with violence.

Consider this: even if everyone knows nuclear weapons are harmful to the interests of all humanity, and their launch would inevitably lead to the rest of humanity uniting in a single direction, theoretically making it impossible for them to launch nuclear weapons, why do the words of nuclear-armed nations still carry more weight? The answer is self-evident. Because this is how humans have always been: when they can't reason, they resort to violence; when they're bullied, they become angry and want to take action. Humans are, and always have been, members of the natural world.

Humanity is simply the most successful and violent of all beings. Once the dominant world being, its most primal instincts are the same as any other living thing: violence for its own sake.

This was the aura emanating from Bai Lin, the source of everything. It wasn't a divine blessing, nor some avenue bestowed upon her, nor was it a power acquired through bargaining with demons. It was simply the primal, deepest malice of humanity, from the beginning of time. Bai Lin now had only one goal: to utterly rip Smoo apart with her violence.

Tear her body apart with my own hands, remove her fresh, warm internal organs, and crush the source of all life, just as humans have been doing for millions of years. Even if the opponent is a demon, this goal will not waver in the slightest.

Now in the East Third Round, Smo was the Banker. If Bai Lin could directly draw the card she wanted—Yakuman, or even a multiple Yakuman self-draw—then the Devil's struggles would be meaningless. She couldn't interfere with Bai Lin's actions. The points would be stretched to the limit, and the four points would be Bai Lin's.

With this gap widened, Bai Lin's already powerful aura would only grow stronger. How could Si Mo possibly withstand the pressure Bai Lin brought and seize the opportunity to kill the poet? She would only be pursued more and more closely, unable to resist and being hunted to death.

Therefore, Smo had already begun her strategy for this round before the game even began. The dealer's position was dangerous, but also the last chance of survival. When she rolled the dice, she used a fixed method to ensure that Bai Lin's card would be in the position she determined. In other words, the card mountain in front of the God of Wilderness.

Granted, they had previously stated that cheating, no matter what method, would be detected. However, there was one and only one exception: the God of Desolation. She was the first person to bring mahjong tiles to challenge Smoo, and her tactics were so subtle that even Smoo wouldn't have been able to detect them.

She was also the one who organized this match, but her motivations were only gradually deduced by Smoo during the match. As a teammate, Aragami's strength was not enough, and he only cooperated with her tactics. Some of Aragami's actions undoubtedly had a real negative impact on Smoo. To say that she was wholeheartedly committed to winning for herself is too weak.

However, after Simo understood the God of Desolation's purpose, he naturally understood that at this moment, his only request for support would be received from the God of Desolation. Originally, Simo wanted to do this when she was a little overwhelmed, but Bai Lin's extremely strong consciousness forced her to do it in advance.

As expected, the God of Wilderness replaced the last two cards Bai Lin would have drawn. This move by the God actually surprised the God of Wilderness slightly. The last two cards Bai Lin was supposed to have drawn were a pair of red middles. Like Smo, she was aware of Bai Lin's inherent strength, but the fact that he had already become so formidable just after entering this desperate battle had already exceeded her expectations.

Even the skills of the Wild God wouldn't dare to be too arrogant in front of Bai Lin. She didn't deliberately choose when changing the cards, not leaving any opportunity for Bai Lin to sense. And what Bai Lin touched was still a pair - forty thousand.

Bai Lin, who touched this deck of cards, had a fleeting look of surprise in her eyes. Then, she looked at the deck of cards and said in a low voice,

"I didn't expect that these last two cards would actually limit my attack. You're really lucky, Smo. But do you think you can stop me like this?!"

"Hunting demons isn't my first experience. Although you can't compare to those small fry... the result will definitely be the same."

Having said that, Bai Lin let out a breath, clenched his teeth, and glared at the other party fiercely.

Chapter 859: Setting fire to a mountain is also called hunting?

"Watch carefully. Today, I will definitely complete my hunt for you."

"Setting the mountain on fire isn't much of a hunt, Holy Son. But it might be quite effective. Give it a try. Then you'll see—demons aren't so easy to hunt."

Si Mo also responded with a tough attitude. She also had to show a more serious attitude to compete with Bai Lin's "malice".

The current situation wasn't so clear, at least that's what Kronos thought. At first glance, Bai Lin's deck seemed incredibly good, but Smoo also possessed a number of character cards, and Huang Shen also possessed character pairs. For Bai Lin, these cards were nothing short of a sweet trap.

Despite the vast variety and quantity of cards, Bai Lin only had one gong. The only relatively easy hand was a seven-pair hand that wasn't full. If it was a seven-pair hand, Bai Lin would have a straight draw. Once West Wind was played, South Wind would have a single-pair draw. The odds of a winning hand weren't particularly high, but it was better than falling into a trap.

On the first round, Bai Lin naturally cut his Xi Feng. Miyuki, standing by, nodded in approval of Bai Lin's sensible behavior. While not a Yakuman, Bai Lin's seven-pair hand, if matched, would be a grand slam of mixed-suit and seven-pair. If it were a riichi, with a few riho cards and the poet's chance to play a kang, it could become a very impressive hand.

There is no need to be obsessed with the yakuman, as long as you can win, it is a good thing.

An unexpected scene unfolded before Bai Lin. In the next round, the God of Wilderness actually dispatched Nanfeng, startling both spectators. Had she not sensed Bai Lin's killing intent? Impossible. Such a natural gift of blows, not to mention the points, would have directly awarded Bai Lin five soul points. With such an advantage, it would have been difficult for Si Mo to recover in the next five rounds.

But Bai Lin just chuckled twice, and naturally touched the next card, giving up the tie. She rubbed the cards in her palm, thinking about something, then she looked at the God of Wilderness and asked,

"God of Wilderness, do you really think... I can win with such a small hand? Are you getting a little senile?"

What?! Bai Lin actually thinks this deck is too small? Is she crazy? This is a genuine five soul points, not just a typical mahjong grand slam. Kronos began to doubt Bai Lin's mental state, but everyone on the field remained silent. Because those who understand, naturally understand.

If Bai Lin lost her momentum here, her murderous intent against Smo, if vented on the side of the God of Wilderness, would immediately put her in a passive position again. Without the courage to fight to the end, simply winning this round would immediately return the situation to Smo's control. To her, this was a sweet trap. 5 points, 5 points, was nothing to Smo. Had Bai Lin not seen enough of her tactics?

She looked at the new card she had drawn—a red center—and then she immediately removed the six-card hand. She gave up on the waiting hand!

Since Bai Lin was no longer waiting for a card, Si Mo followed suit and played his Nan card. Soon, another round ended. Bai Lin reached for the cards, felt the bottom of them, and the murderous intent in her eyes intensified. But soon, her expression returned to calm, as if everything had been detached and settled.

She placed the card in the deck before her. It was, remarkably, a South Wind. A perfect South Wind. Only then did Miyu fully understand why the poet hadn't stopped Bai Lin from abandoning the game, and why he had acted so impulsively.

There have always been many names for character tiles, like San Yuan and Si Xi. In Qianhong's local mahjong, many character tiles are even considered "God of Wealth" tiles, like stars in the sky that bring good luck yet are difficult to reach. Generally speaking, it's quite difficult to draw a character tile that actually works, so its value is generally not high. But once they begin to increase in number, things start to change.

At this moment, Bai Lin had already gathered all seven types of character cards. This almost impossible scene was completed within three rounds.

"The stars in the sky aligned and converged. But perhaps this isn't some legendary providence. After all, to my left sits a god, and to my right sits an astrologer. If there's destiny, it doesn't seem to be mine."

"All of this is just man-made."

"The stars sensed my will and gathered here. Fate, destiny, everything, no matter what it's called, all lead to the same outcome."

Bai Lin ran a hand over the cards. Her expression was hazy, completely unreadable, as if, just as she had said, her will and her so-called destiny were one. This was her power, the brilliance she used to overturn the situation.

Ancient service: The Great Seven Stars, double the service.

This scenario, so unlikely it should even be called "impossible," was brought to life by Bai Lin. Everyone at and below the table fell into silence, following her unfathomable expression. Everyone felt one thing clearly:

As long as Bai Lin is given another chance to draw cards, she will definitely draw the red middle card and complete the winning hand.

After three rounds of waiting for the Big Seven, he was about to win by himself on the fourth. Was there really still time to unleash his so-called strategy in the face of such overwhelming luck? Si Mo frowned slightly, clearly finding the situation before her equally daunting.

At this moment, the card in her hand was no longer what Bai Lin needed, but she also found it difficult to play it at will. The part that had originally hindered Bai Lin had instantly become her stepping stone. Under such pressure, how could she turn her spearhead against the poet?

The answers to all the questions were unclear. Every time she drew a card, it was like a countdown to her failure, making everyone present tremble with fear. After Smoo drew the cards, she finally calmed down. She slapped the table and said in a muffled voice,

"Bang."

Yes, she wanted to increase her draw times, trying to get the red middle card before Bai Lin! Her cards were already scattered enough, so opening a gang now... wasn't too bad.

The back of the card she picked up was black, representing a hidden card, and the red middle card was also a hidden card.

Chapter 860: Open, stand straight

Kronos's heart trembled, his eyes drawn to Smo's gesture. Even Miyu, who had been sitting quietly in her seat, felt a wave of unease, eager to see the results of Smo's draw. Only the four people at the table remained motionless. Smo leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Bai Lin. He said nothing, yet an invisible pressure descended upon Bai Lin.

Bai Lin, with her head lowered, only glanced sideways, only briefly meeting the other person's gaze, and then no longer cared. In front of Bai Lin, Si Mo withdrew a Dongfeng, attacking forward with his sharp edge exposed. But Bai Lin remained unmoved. After a long time, she slowly spoke in silence.

"Struggle if you want. But demon... you are no match for me. No matter how powerful or terrifying you are, I have only one goal: to hunt you. To that end, I will never yield, not even a fraction, and I will not waver."

"Is that so? Saint Son, you are truly kind-hearted in offering such advice to your opponent. I simply lack your generosity. So all I can say is, if that's what you think, please do as you please."

Simo also did not give in at all, as if the cards in Bai Lin's hand were not the Big Seven Stars, and it was no different from any previous round. When Huang Shen drew the next card, she also said,

"Bang."

It must have been a kong with the same purpose as Smo's, sent from the hand of the wild god. She took down the hidden kong, and her movements were as calm as Smo's, and she also grabbed a hidden card into her hand in the same way. But no matter how the two of them acted, Bai Lin was also not panicked, just like them.

Putting aside the fact that they couldn't change the order of playing cards, even if they did, Bai Lin believed that it would only have the opposite effect. Regardless, the red middle card would eventually fall into his hands.

Just as she was thinking this, the God of Wilderness played another card, and Smoe simply knocked it down. This knock and a bar didn't look good. While Hayateumi Furoku was a quick-attack style, Smoe's opening hand couldn't possibly be a quick-attack like that. This forced knock was a stark resemblance to Bai Lin himself, who had been cornered earlier.

This did disrupt the order of drawing cards, giving the God of Wilderness another chance. After drawing the cards this time, the God of Wilderness let out a long breath, which seemed a bit artificial. She raised the card high and shouted,

"I found it"

"You are a god who has always faced the world with a unique attitude, making it impossible for people to see through you. Even if you say this, you can't fool me. God of the Wilderness, although I don't know what you are asking for, you can't stop me, whether it's drawing cards or pretending to be mysterious like this."

Bai Lin did not show any excessive emotion towards the actions of the God of Wilderness. She looked extremely clear-headed, as if she was simply trying to persuade the God of Wilderness not to waste his energy. The God of Wilderness chuckled and replied,

"What do I want? Of course, I'd be happier if I won at mahjong. I understand you, Holy Son, but sometimes it's better not to take yourself too seriously, right? I'm happy, but it's not because I got the cards you wanted, it's just—"

"It completes the final piece of the puzzle for me, that's all."

As she spoke, Huang Shen threw a card horizontally from her hand and threw out a stick. She supported her chin, glanced at her opposite table, then smiled again and did something shocking.

"This opportunity is rare. Since no one else has done this, why don't I be the first to do it?"

"Open, stand at attention!"

She dumped all the cards in front of her, exposing her entire hand to everyone.

Simply put, opening riichi is the process of showing off your cards. Having already established your hand pattern and exposing a large amount of information to your opponent, it's reasonable to expect your riichi to increase by one point.

But the showdown between dawn and dusk is no ordinary poker game. Even in a Riichi hand, only the holder of the hidden cards can see the contents. This means that there are actually many possibilities in Riichi.

"Dawn and dusk are the decisive battles. Morning is the battle of light, from dark to light. Dusk is the battle of darkness, abandoning light and turning to dark. Dark cards are not just used to raise the stakes. When light exists, darkness is considered dark. So, in addition to the light and dark in the card river, it also has this use."

The desolate goddess spoke slowly, a mysterious melody emerging with her emphasis. Her fluttering sleeves swayed like the wind, reminding us that this so-called dawn-dusk showdown was something she had personally created. Everything seemed completely under her control.

The situation in her hand was also unusual for a showdown between dawn and dusk. Of the nine cards remaining, five were hidden cards. A forest of night, nestled between those few visible cards, formed a forest.

Rather, it's a forest of hidden cards, encircling the possibilities of mahjong. A pair of reds, a remaining ten thousand, and a seven-piece—it's impossible to tell what the hand will be. The possibilities are simply too numerous. Even though it's a riichi, it only fuels further suspicion, yet one feels at a loss as to where to begin.

The only things that were clear were those two crimson pictures, which stood out like blood in the dim scene.

Although Bai Lin had only just witnessed this, she had long since understood from the two's previous actions that the final two exposed cards, the Red Center, were already in their hands. So, why did the God of Wilderness make the move of opening the Riichi? Exposing more cards, giving away more information, was completely disadvantageous to her.

The only answer would be to once again arouse suspicion and doubt... At first glance, her winning hand patterns seemed quite plausible, with several possible outcomes possible. But if that were the case, would they not play the possible winning hand? That would allow their plan to succeed.

Clearly, Bai Lin would never let them succeed. Resolutely, she reached for the pile of cards before her, not even saying a word in response to the God of Wilderness's actions. The overwhelming murderous intent tugged at the cards before her, causing them to tremble slightly, like a destined hero, ready to draw their sword in response.

But when Bai Lin grabbed the cards and held them steady, she felt a chill run through her body. What she had was not a red card, not even a hidden card.

Chapter 861 I didn’t consider it at the beginning

At this moment, Bai Lin's eyes trembled a little, and her cold gaze swept over the two opponents in an instant, then she sneered softly and said,

"God of Wilderness, you're not being very generous. Show all your cards. Can you take out your hidden kongs and check them too?"

"Of course you can. I've always acted with integrity and a clear conscience, as you know. But I must remind you that in the Dawn and Dusk Showdown, every hidden kong must contain a hidden card. Just like the hidden cards on the table, these cards cannot be seen or even revealed. Only at the end of the game can they be easily verified."

The God of Wilderness had clearly been prepared; her words betrayed a blatant conspiracy. Bai Lin laughed a few times, but there was nothing else she could do. Wait until the game was over? For someone holding the Great Seven Stars, the consequences of a losing game would be immense. Bai Lin couldn't accept such an outcome; she wouldn't retreat.

If the hidden red card is still in the card mountain, he will catch it sooner or later. Their previous random touches and random gangs may have caused chaos for a while, but it was only temporary.

Bai Lin took another look at the card in her hand, Jiusuo. An angry look flashed across her cold eyes. She threw the Jiusuo away with great force, looking extremely dissatisfied with the situation of the cards she had drawn.

Looking at the poet, she had also grabbed a few cards. Her cards were no better than Smo's at the beginning; they were disorganized and lacked any clues. But when Kronos took another look, he instantly understood everything.

Smo currently had two decks of Lu, a very poor one. His draws were strictly limited to a certain number of cards. Without discarding a wild card, it was nearly impossible to hit a bomb. Even in the early rounds, there were still plenty of safe cards available. After all, Bai Lin had a large number of character cards in his possession, so using the service cards to create a unique draw in the early rounds was impossible.

Looking at the Aragami side, while at first glance there's a lot of information, it's actually impossible to defend against. Even though it strongly resembles a paper tiger, the pressure exerted by Kairiichi is real. Furthermore, she holds a red middle pair, clearly exerting the pressure of "knowing Bai Lin's draw." Revealing this should have been used to dissuade Bai Lin, but unfortunately, it had no effect on Bai Lin at this point.

But isn’t there another person... who cares whether Bai Lin can hear the cards?

The masked astrologer stared at the cards in front of her and fell into silence. She hesitated and couldn't play the next card.

Bai Lin's failure to hit the red center was undoubtedly a signal to the poet. After all, Bai Lin's aura was palpable, and the probability that the card was no longer in the pile was extremely high. Then, the Arakawa opened Riki, with two kongs on the board, and it was an early patrol. With points accumulated from two rounds, he had no choice but to attack now, and couldn't give up.

By revealing these two red middle cards, along with the few character cards that Smo had discarded, they were putting pressure on the poet. Because if she wanted to attack herself, she would be slower than Smo's. Only by providing these character cards, or some potentially useful side cards, could Bai Lin have a chance of winning.

In fact, the poet also held the 9-card hand, but she couldn't offer a tie at the moment. Bai Lin probably sensed this, so she threw the cards out, eliminating the possibility of a tie. Moreover, her insistence on keeping the cards conveyed a message:

I will get to this big seven stars.

One of Smo and Huang Shen's ideas was to make the poet give up his cards, so they inevitably set some traps to target the poet with only a few souls left. Bai Lin's seemingly reckless move was one of the best ways to deal with this trap.

The problem was, besides this, Simo and Aragami had another tactical plan. In fact, during the previous round, Aragami and Simo had changed the order of card draws, but only when Simo "ate." This meant that the card Bai Lin was supposed to draw would now fall into the hands of the poet.

If that card was a red center, there would be nothing she could do. If Smoe got that red center, it would be a hindrance to her winning hand, while if the God of Wilderness got it, the card would be discarded. Only if she got the red center herself would she suffer a complete loss and be unable to play the card at all.

This was another conspiracy. The poet would try her best to get the card into the hands of the God of Wilderness, but the possibility of doing so was not high. Smo would definitely not reveal it to her. But at the very least, the poet herself must not get the card.

"789, eat."

The poet finished capturing the card. Unlike the gods and Simo, who had previously planned their captures, Bai Lin simply forced the captures and retreats. Therefore, the poet wasn't able to capture the card normally, but instead used a hidden card.

In this way, she would also be implicated when the game was suspended and punished for cheating, but this was also a helpless move.

Before the game even began, they had already established rules regarding bluffing and the like. If a bluff was called, the player would pay one Soul Point to all players except themselves, and pay a full Slam to everyone involved. If the bluff was too obvious, the player with the highest Soul Points on the opposing team would pay even more, but that's beside the point.

The poet's action made the God of Wilderness laugh twice. She said,

"Look, what a good woman who sacrificed herself for you, Holy Son. You can't give up now."

"It doesn't matter... From the very beginning, I never thought that this round would be a failure."

Bai Lin responded nonchalantly. At this moment, she had only one goal in mind: to annihilate Smoo's life force.

Si Mo, of course, heard Bai Lin's words and felt the turbulent gaze coming from him. But she paid no attention to them. After the poet finished playing, she very calmly took her own card from the pile, with almost no emotion.

That was the card Bai Lin would have drawn, and now, it was in her hand. Coincidentally, this was another hidden card, and everyone's attention was drawn to Smo, as if they were all paying attention to whether this was the ultimate red middle card. But Smo just chuckled, holding the card in his hand, looking at Bai Lin,

"Everyone has their own beliefs in life. Everyone has different bottom lines and different ideas. But some beliefs are impossible to stick to to the end. Did you lose to me in the previous poker game voluntarily? Obviously not."

Chapter 862: Backfire

"The truth is always contrary to our wishes. It is still the same now."