Darkstone Code

Living on the outskirts of the city, Harry had witnessed things most had not, like the frequent cheating in card games.

Everyone was aware that cheating in those gang-organized card games might lead to terrible consequences, but people still did it.

Because they got blinded by losses.

When people lose to the point of mental collapse, they stop caring about anything, and cheating becomes their only way to break even.

Harry knew of a very simple method, which was to mark the sides and backs of the cards. This method... was almost universally known in the area he lived in.

He didn’t dare to mark the backs of the cards so obviously, so he could only slightly dampen the side with a bit of sweat.

If the next player also thought yellow was very important, it meant the color cards were not misleading and pointed to the most likely correct answer, together with other cards forming the clue chain.

But if the next player also abandoned the color card, it meant it had no value in the eyes of both players.

The card smoothly reached the hands of the next player. Harry glanced over, noticing a slight change in the opponent’s expression, and then the card was placed between the opponent’s two cards.

Harry looked at the card passed from the previous player, gently took it in hand, and paused for a moment.

A pristine playing card, circled by a red line, and in the middle, it read...

"Headline!"

The more clues, the more confusing, which is quite normal, since there are purposely misleading ones. After all, this is a competition not about academic prowess but about basic logical thinking and understanding of life and society!

Those who become the monthly champions have particularly unique perspectives on society, which gives them a greater advantage over the failing contestants!

But this card put Harry in deep confusion.

He didn’t know if this was a "real card" the previous player deliberately handed him or a "misleading card" to deceive him.

He’s already categorized these two types of cards.

After seeing "Yellow," "Green," "Box," "Supermarket," "Medical," "Project," "Soil," "Sunshine," and "Granules," he came across the tenth card—

"Headline!"

The exclamation mark hit his brain like a baseball bat, and his whole head buzzed.

The host then turned over the last communal card, "Honey."

The cheeky host didn’t seem affected by the tense atmosphere at all and continued with his exaggerated hosting style.

In fact, this complements the tension, making it less dull, as there is no interaction.

Of course, for many people, it’s not dull at all. For instance, in some lavishly decorated rooms, the upper-class folks are discussing it as well.

They just see all the clues, so they have a more intuitive grasp than the contestants.

To ensure the competition is fair, the finals are actually held in a special room.

The audience can see what’s happening inside, but those inside have no idea what’s outside.

This also makes many in the audience feel that these questions are easy, and anyone could answer them.

Even on-site, there are those discussing their answers with nearby spectators.

A: "It must be... medicine. I’ve seen it before. If they can’t handle such an easy question, I should be the one up there!"

B: "Then what about soil and sunshine?"

A: "You’re just making it hard for me!"

...

At this moment, Harry noticed someone had started writing on the answer board. In fact, they could turn one more card—it was the last chance.

But obviously, some people couldn’t wait. Harry was completely at a loss; the clues kept flashing in his mind, but he couldn’t find a result he was confident was the answer!

At the same time, in some small room, the girl who lost to Harry in the first month’s competition, resurrected, and then failed again, was enduring rounds of bashing.

She was at work, her thick makeup almost entirely masking her original appearance.

Because of this show, more people recognized her, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

People always treat those who have been on TV as "stars," but not everyone expresses their feelings toward stars in a friendly manner.

Some people come specifically for her, going overboard with their fun, seeming to derive pleasure from her pain and suffering.

And some would ask shameful questions—

Even engaging in such an industry couldn’t make her endure it, let alone some of the questions customers asked, which only indicates how cruel those questions were!

Eventually, she could only change places, masking herself with heavy makeup.

In the room was a TV. She now had a little income, allowing her to buy finer clothes, rent better rooms, making it possible to charge higher fees.

"That idiot...," she suddenly muttered.

The customer behind looked surprised, "Are you talking about me?"

The girl bit her lip and pointed at the TV, "I’m talking about... them."

The guest was immediately intrigued; he also liked this show. Who wouldn’t like it?

Artificial Millionaire, everyone participated. Although the million-dollar prize ultimately belonged to only one person, the process offered unparalleled enjoyment.

"You know the answer..."

The girl nodded, though her current posture was quite ungraceful.

The man suddenly stopped, turned around, and picked up the wallet on the bedside table, pulling out five ten-dollar bills, sticking them one by one onto her sweat-drenched body.

"If you get it right..."

"These are your extra tips!"

He said, applying a bit more force, causing the girl to almost fall onto the bed. She bit her teeth firmly and said something...

Meanwhile, on the TV, Harry had already given up. He scribbled something he thought was close enough, ready to hand it in.

At that moment, he felt very disappointed in himself. He believed he was prepared, but realized that his ideals were too fantastic, ignoring the gap between himself and those ideals.

If every subsequent round were like this, he couldn’t guarantee how many he could get right.

The silent responses of others added to his feeling of heavy pressure. Not knowing what triggered which nerve, when the host asked if he was sure he didn’t want to reconsider, he suddenly retracted his answer board.

Yes, yes!

He knew it!

In that instant, all the clues in his mind were triggered by a scene from the past, naturally beginning to piece together.

More than ten years ago, there was an epidemic targeting children in the Federation. It was said that many people died then, and many more were left permanently disabled.

Soon, medical institutions developed a targeted vaccine. To enable more people to gain immunity, under the intervention of the Federation Government, this vaccine was made into candy!

Its packaging featured a tree, a sun, and several children holding hands on a meadow!

The candies inside came in various colors—green, yellow, red...

Headlines had repeatedly reported on this epidemic and its vaccine, and it was also the first drug approved by the Management Committee to be sold in supermarkets!

The key was, it was sweet!

This might have been one of the few times in his childhood Harry tasted something sweet, so much so that he couldn’t forget the sweet, heart-melting taste even now!

He wrote the drug’s name on the answer board and passed it forward, his face filled with confidence.

The host glanced at the answer board, somewhat surprised, "Wow, three people got it right! Seems the question was either too easy, or you all are too smart?"

He smiled and displayed four answer boards to the camera; only one person had it wrong.

Harry was stunned for a moment; he thought he might have been the only one to get it right, but instead, he was just one of three.

This meant the other two who got it right might have had more critical clues in their hands.

He gained a deeper understanding of the gameplay, the profound strategy of the show.

If you couldn’t get crucial clues, you had to mislead your downstream players, at least enough to influence one person’s choice.

Simultaneously, he also realized the importance of "cheating"—if he could have cheated from the start, perhaps he could have discovered some clues earlier.

Regardless, at least he won this round. He exhaled, hypocritically exchanging congratulations with the other victorious teammates while comforting the one unfortunate loser.

He wasn’t this hypocritical before, but since he joined this show, since he desired that million-dollar prize, he had become hypocritical without even realizing it.

The host adjusted their points and placed a sealed poker deck on the table, "There are forty-nine decks in here, along with the one we just used, making fifty in total."

"Starting from the only one who got it wrong, we can randomly select our question, rotating players in a clockwise direction."

"We will play a minimum of twelve rounds, and no more than twenty-four rounds."

"This is the second round. The turning direction, from counterclockwise earlier, now changes to clockwise..."

The host looked at the person who got the question wrong, "You can choose one..."

"Before opening it, even I don’t know what’s inside. I’m as curious as you are!"

The failed contestant flipped through the decks, finding each identical. After flipping a few times, he randomly selected one and handed it to the host.

The host pointed to the camera with a smile, "Let’s take a break, and we’ll be right back!"

Yes, it’s advertisement time, Severa’s company logo appeared on the TV screen. She had spent a considerable sum on it.

At that moment, in a small motel, the girl lay on the bed. Her legs were a little numb from kneeling for so long; the previous guest had already left.

She stared blankly at the extra fifty dollars in her hand, her thoughts unknown.

The advertisement on the TV was about to end, and the highlight of the million-dollar bills swirling in the glass box reflected on the girl’s face...