Chapter 14: An Opponent with Cards

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Recently, turmoil simmered beneath the surface of the arena’s holding cells, and life was far from peaceful. Although Ye Zhengliu was confined to the most remote corner, the bluestone bars offered no soundproofing, and she often heard the unrest within the prison.

There was always noise inside. A place housing a large number of single men, where hormones practically overflowed—peace was hardly to be expected.

Whenever someone woke, there were usually curses and shouts. When night fell and silence settled, aside from a chorus of snoring, talking in sleep, and teeth grinding, there were sudden incidents of roommates being scolded or surprise attacks on the adjacent bunks.

Several times, it seemed two inmates from the same cell came to blows, and from all directions came cheers, taunts, and applause…

The outcomes of these fights varied. Twice, they stopped with bruised faces; twice, lives were lost.

Yet even when bodies lay lifeless, everyone was accustomed to it—at most, they cursed the misfortune once.

The next day, when the jailers came, seeing such scenes, they cursed and whipped the culprits a few times, then dragged the bodies out and washed the bluestone floor with buckets of water.

And then, the matter was closed.

A life lost—who here didn’t have blood on their hands?

Like the Soulkiller, who was rumored to have hundreds of lives taken—this was an understatement.

But whether it was Ye Zhengliu’s imagination or not, she felt the arena’s holding cells had become even more vicious since she arrived.

Common sense said that with so many newcomers flooding in, the original dynamics of the holding cells would be diluted, and everyone should be lying low, gathering strength.

The atmosphere should have been tense and volatile—like a powder keg waiting to ignite—but not…

Not like now, when it seemed fully on a war footing.

The difference was vast; to put it simply, it was like the difference between the Cold War and World War II.

What was going on? Ye Zhengliu murmured to herself: they’re not office workers chasing sales targets. Why, upon seeing new people entering the workplace, do they have to be so fired up? Why did everyone act as if they had taken the wrong medicine lately, always ready to spark a fight?

When the tall jailer came next to deliver food, Ye Zhengliu took the chance to inquire.

The jailer was surprised she didn’t know but truthfully told her.

The recent unrest was because of Mu Yaoguang.

Apparently, the island lord had granted Mu Yaoguang the authority to select prisoners from the holding cells and form an elite fighting squad.

Instinctively, upon hearing “elite,” Ye Zhengliu thought of her roommate, the Soulkiller.

If anyone qualified as elite, it should be the roommate beside her, shouldn’t it?

“Has anyone already been taken out?”

The tall jailer nodded. “Of course. Two have been taken; it was Mu’s personal order.”

Hearing this, Ye Zhengliu sensed the jailer was secretly watching her, puzzled why Mu Yaoguang hadn’t taken her away.

Yet he didn’t dare ask.

When the jailer left, Ye Zhengliu turned to see Soulkiller’s sharp wolf-like eyes fixed unwaveringly on her.

“What are you looking at?”

Could it be that Soulkiller had suddenly grown curious why he wasn’t transferred and was left behind?

Just as she thought this, Soulkiller bluntly said, “Your food seems bigger this time.”

Ye Zhengliu: “...”

Soulkiller looked quite upset: “He only gave me two scoops, but you got three.”

Ye Zhengliu: “... If it matters that much, I’ll give you half a scoop.”

Hearing this, Soulkiller immediately and obediently stretched out his bowl toward her.

His speed and decisiveness were less like a wolf and more like a leopard.

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Ye Zhengliu felt deeply: the life of a wolf was both simple and joyful.

…

Every time she participated in a fight, the system issued her corresponding tasks. Thanks to these, she had accumulated nine card-drawing chances so far.

Now, just one more draw and she could have a ten-card pull!

To be just one draw short of a ten-pull was torturous for a zero-spender like her.

It was like an obsessive-compulsive episode, a picture stuck at 99% load, or a mahjong game missing one player—a cruel human tragedy.

Ye Zhengliu now deeply regretted it, regretted not holding back on that Qianlong card… Why was her hand so unlucky?

Driven by eagerness, she kept glancing toward the cell door, hoping a jailer would suddenly appear, take her to the arena, or bring two newcomers — and with them, a rewarding task.

Perhaps her wish had some mystical effect, for shortly after breakfast, a jailer indeed approached their cell door under Ye Zhengliu’s expectant gaze.

Then…

They sneered, “Today’s a tough one; the higher-ups ordered us to pick the fiercest to take out for a stroll,” and dragged Soulkiller away.

Throughout the whole scene, no one—including Soulkiller—so much as glanced at Ye Zhengliu in the same cell.

Ye Zhengliu: “...” Sorry, I’m too weak.

With Soulkiller gone, she was left alone in the cell.

With nothing to do and no roommate to spar with, she picked up some broken straw stalks and began reconstructing the island’s terrain map on the bluestone floor from memory.

Relying on Du Mu’s first skill and her few outings to contests, Ye Zhengliu had nearly restored the island’s layout.

She now knew the residences and offices of several important figures and even recreated the internal details of key locations.

Facing her makeshift map, Ye Zhengliu began planning her escape.

The council hall, grand study, Jade Pavilion, holding cells, arena, guard station, kitchen…

As she placed each straw representing a location, her expression grew calmer and more focused.

Different possibilities and hypotheses unfolded in her mind in sequence. She carefully incorporated the latest intelligence into her plan like a chess player placing pieces on the board.

Mu Yaoguang now had the right to select people from the holding cells; he might take her out. She had to consider that.

In the holding cells, Ye Zhengliu’s most distinct label wasn’t “fighter” but “woman.”

If she could use this to persuade Mu Yaoguang to take her to the Jade Pavilion temporarily, then given its guard strength, she could bypass security and gain some autonomy.

The Jade Pavilion was a fine place; most of the island’s wealthy guests stayed nearby. If she wanted to cause chaos, setting fire there would suffice.

Fuel and firewood were all found in the kitchen; transporting and storing them required some skill but weren’t difficult.

However, the island was surrounded by sea; to escape, she needed a boat. One fire at the Jade Pavilion alone wouldn’t be enough to get the shipyard to launch vessels.

There had to be insiders outside, intercepting the jailers and releasing the desperate inmates.

If these trapped beasts broke free, the island’s order would collapse.

Then the invited guests would naturally cause trouble for the island lord, and the fleeing fighters would throw the island into chaos. She could seize the moment to take the shipyard on the west side… No, the east side.

The west shipyard’s boats were public property. When sending guests off the island, they would surely inspect the vessels thoroughly before departure, eliminating any secrets at the cradle.

Only the east shipyard housed guests’ private boats.

These people didn’t know the island had a hidden side beyond the pleasure quarters and, panicked, would only think of leaving, not searching their boats carefully. If she could hide on one of those, her plan would be mostly successful.

Of course, she also had to consider sudden events.

Such as the presence of card users on the island who could trace the culprit;

If the guests’ status wasn’t as important as she thought, the island lord’s first reaction might be not to send off the guests but to seal the island;

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Moreover, the inmates in the holding cells were cunning; even if the doors were opened, they might not flee—perhaps they’d set a fire to force themselves out…

Ye Zhengliu carefully reviewed every possibility in her mind, placing a straw on the bluestone floor for each viable idea.

She labeled this plan with a big “⑥” in her mind.

This was her sixth contingency plan.

Lost in thought, she nearly missed the sound of approaching footsteps.

A jailer stood at her cell door, banging the chains impatiently against the bluestone bars.

Flustered, Ye Zhengliu gathered her straws and looked up in confusion.

“It’s your turn,” the jailer said grimly. “Go fight.”

What? Her turn already?

Then the tenth card draw she needed…

The system issued a timely task.

[Side Quest: Win a Fight

Task Description: The brutality of the fight needs no explanation; you know it well. As always, in a fight, there are only winners and the dead—no draws.

But for you, who have waited eagerly, this fight is long anticipated!

Go and secure victory; life is a ladder built from one triumph after another.

Task Reward: Card Draw x1]

Staring at the task on the screen, Ye Zhengliu exhaled slowly.

It had finally arrived.

She felt a sense of inevitability settling over her, yet no great relief.

…

Still shackled, she was escorted by jailers to the familiar arena.

Ye Zhengliu stepped onto the stone platform circled with red silk, eyes fixed intently on her opponent.

At first glance, she sensed this adversary was unlike any before.

His face was rough as stone, his complexion dark as rock.

Broad-shouldered and silent, he seemed neither greedy nor aggressive, yet carried the aura of a black hole waiting to devour.

Facing such a foe, Ye Zhengliu was fully alert.

As usual, the announcer introduced their profiles, emphasizing Ye Zhengliu’s identity as a woman, then noting she had survived six fights.

A murmur rose among the guests upstairs.

Yet her opponent didn’t even frown.

He coldly met Ye Zhengliu’s gaze, his eyes filled with an unshakable, gloomy death aura.

Then she heard his background:

“Eighty-four fights experienced, awakened one item card, card name—Swamp.”

Ye Zhengliu instinctively tensed her back.

A card!

This was her first time facing an opponent who had also awakened a card!