"Players who win the game will receive three talent points, while others who join the team but do not get the chance to participate will receive one talent point."

"If you all decide to join the game as a team, please sit at the round table inside the shop. Our game is about to begin."

Zhao Yi stepped into the general store. The space was actually quite large, almost like a medium-sized supermarket. In the middle were some entertainment facilities, and the shelves were filled with various cards.

Those cards were unopened, clearly showing that no one had played with the clown.

After all, those who played with him ended up dead.

Zhao Yi sat down, and the cute girl Tian Tian, holding her teddy bear, sat next to him, looking around curiously at everything.

The remaining three in Fang Bai's group exchanged glances, hesitating.

Participating in the game meant that if they didn't win... they would die!

And it would be a complete death, with no chance of revival!

But if they joined the game and Zhao Yi happened to win, they could gain a talent point for free.

These points were precious, especially in the early stages, where every point of strength brought visible improvement!

To go, or not to go?

That was the question.

Fang Bai took out a bronze fate disk and did a divination.

"How is it?" Liu Han asked.

Fang Bai replied, "The worst omen."

Liu Han's face turned pale.

Bai Shuiji glanced at Zhao Yi, gritting her teeth, "I'm going to take a chance!"

Fang Bai scratched his head, "Are you sure?"

Bai Shuiji raised her willow-like eyebrows, "For a woman like me to stand firm in this place, I must make some investments."

"That's obvious."

"Besides, I've already spent 1000 points. If I don't go, wouldn't it be a huge loss?"

She also stepped to the round table, took a deep breath, and sat down.

Fang Bai and Liu Han exchanged a look, a fierce light flashing in their beady eyes.

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"Damn it!"

"Let's go for it!"

"Whether to be the master or the underdog, this is the moment!"

In the end, all five of them sat at the round table, and the clown came to face them.

At this moment, people outside could no longer see the inside of the general store, as everything was shrouded in darkness.

They knew that either everyone inside would complete the game, or they would all die. Only after the game ended would the general store reopen.

Moreover, this process... wouldn't last long!

...

In a quaint and elegant room.

The warm yellow light was dim, with surveillance cameras in the corners.

On the round table, a strange machine stained with fresh blood appeared at some point, resembling a sewing machine, but instead of needles, it had blades.

No need to guess, it was clearly a tool for cutting fingers.

The clown took off his grandmother's floral cotton jacket and put on a very formal suit, resting one hand on the back of a chair, smiling at everyone:

"Well, gentlemen, the game is about to begin."

"To prevent you from doing anything foolish, I'll repeat the important game rules."

"During the game, you have three minutes each round to think about what to play, and you can discuss among yourselves."

"But during the game, do not attempt to escape this room, or try to cut off my fingers or kill me, or it will be considered a violation of the game rules, and you will be executed."

"Also, you can only decide on one hand to play rock-paper-scissors, no matter how many fingers are left on that hand, you cannot switch hands midway."

"If we play the same move three times in a row, then I win."

Saying this, the clown took out a remote control from his pocket and turned on the surveillance.

On the hanging TV, it played the tragic deaths of players who previously violated the rules, with piercing screams echoing in their ears, sending chills down their spines.

The spirit values of the other three were slowly decreasing, while Zhao Yi and Tian Tian's spirits remained stable.

In fact, the cute little girl Tian Tian even giggled after seeing the players on TV being dismembered alive!

Zhao Yi glanced at the girl in surprise but said nothing.

"Alright, now... who wants to play with me first?"

The clown extended an invitation to everyone, but after what they saw on TV, Fang Bai and the others were too psychologically scarred to take the lead.

Tian Tian seemed completely unconcerned, just continuously squeezing her teddy bear.

So, in this situation, Zhao Yi raised his hand and smiled:

"Mr. Clown, I'll play with you."

The clown let out a joyful laugh.

"You are truly a straightforward person. To be honest, I like you."

With a wave of its hand, the seats of the others naturally moved to the sides, while Zhao Yi sat directly across from the clown at the round table.

"Then... the game has begun."

"For the next three minutes, you can discuss among yourselves to decide what move to play."

"Once decided, you can place your hand in the black bag in front of you, and then the machine will simultaneously open the bag... Of course, I can assure you, there are no surveillance devices in the bag, and I disdain doing such things."

Zhao Yi nodded, "I believe you."

Then he looked at Fang Bai beside him and asked:

"What should I play?"

Fang Bai didn't react for a moment, stunned for a few seconds.

"Huh?"

"You're asking... me?"

Zhao Yi nodded slightly.

Fang Bai fell into silence.

Starting by asking for outside help, this wasn't Zhao Yi's style, was it?

Could he have some special meaning?

It couldn't be just to confuse the opponent, right?

After hesitating for a moment, he stammered:

"I'll tell you, but if you lose, don't blame me!"

Zhao Yi: "Of course!"

Fang Bai glanced at the clown with a strange smile on its face, gritted his teeth, and whispered:

"Play scissors."

Zhao Yi put his hand into the black cloth and said to the clown opposite:

"I'm ready."

Hearing this, the clown also put its hand into the black cloth.

They decided on their rock-paper-scissors.

The mechanical arm above descended, gently grasping the black cloth on their hands, and lifted it sharply!

Zhao Yi played scissors.

And the clown played rock.

Everyone's face turned pale, and the clown said to Zhao Yi with great regret:

"I'm sorry, sir, you seem to have had a bit of bad luck."

"Then..."

Zhao Yi said nothing more, directly inserting the index finger of his left hand into the cutting machine beside him.

A flash of blood, and Zhao Yi's finger, which had accompanied him for over twenty years, picking his nose and scratching cats, bid him farewell!

"Fang Bai, what should I play for the second round?"

Zhao Yi turned his head, smiling at the Chubby Kid, whose face trembled with soft flesh.

He was already dumbfounded!

The teammates beside him also had no idea what Zhao Yi intended to do.

"I-I-I don't know, you decide for yourself!"

Fang Bai was completely at a loss and dared not speak further.

Zhao Yi nodded and said to the clown with a smile:

"Next, I'll play rock."

The clown looked at Zhao Yi with a hint of curiosity.

To be honest, it felt that this man in front of it was different from its usual prey.

Zhao Yi gave it a feeling of... unease.

The clown certainly knew Zhao Yi couldn't harm it, and precisely because of this, it was even more curious about where this unease came from.

The two were ready.

In the second round, Zhao Yi played rock, and the clown played paper.

Once again, Zhao Yi cut off his own finger.

Throughout, Zhao Yi didn't even blink.

Clearly, Zhao Yi never intended to win against the clown in the first two rounds.

A faint red light flickered in his eyes.

No one saw it.

Not even the clown sitting directly across from him.