Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1235 - 1236: The Disparity of Trap Cards

Chapter 1235: Chapter 1236: The Disparity of Trap Cards

The buzz cut player, who had just been secretly pleased with himself for grabbing another Exchange Card while Xu Huo remained unaware of its card effect, felt his brief sense of triumph abruptly "pop" and dissipate. Under Xu Huo’s piercing gaze, he had no choice but to comply.

As a result, with Black Card 17 disappearing from play, the White Card 6 Position Card in Xu Huo’s hand was swapped for Black Card 2. The effect of Black Card 2 was "Stay in place for three instances, each lasting thirty seconds"—it seemed like a Trap Card, yet also not quite.

Having acquired the card he wanted, Xu Huo turned to ask the buzz cut player, "What’s the effect of Black Card 1?"

"It’s a Clue Card..." the buzz cut player answered immediately, but before he could finish his sentence, Xu Huo waved a hand and sent him sprawling back into his chair. Xu Huo then tilted his chin toward the female player.

The female player was momentarily stunned to find herself freed from the predicament, but she quickly realized what Xu Huo expected her to do. Seeing the buzz cut player’s pleading expression, she hesitated and asked, "If I refuse to kill him, will you kill me instead?"

"What’s the difference?"

"If refusing to kill him means you’ll kill me, then I have no choice but to kill him. But if you’re willing to spare me, I’d rather not kill him."

"Why?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.

"Most people kill out of necessity during the game—I don’t want to take the initiative to harm someone," she replied.

Xu Huo nodded ever so slightly and then shifted his attention to the remaining two brothers. The pair exchanged a glance before, under the intimidating glare of the pale-faced brother, the other lowered his head.

"I’ll do it for you," the pale-faced brother said, looking up at Xu Huo.

This time, everything went as expected. The pale-faced brother ended up with White Card 6, Black Card 4, Black Card 5, and Black Card 1 in his hands. He wasted no time revealing Black Card 1’s effect: "It’s a Neutralizing Card."

Unsurprised, Xu Huo nodded and closed the Spiritual World, indicating they were free to leave.

The three players were visibly shocked, especially the pale-faced brother. He had assumed Xu Huo’s next target would be him; after all, Neutralizing Cards were incredibly valuable. Who wouldn’t want one?

Even letting Mu Yan make the move against him would have been fine.

"Not necessary," Xu Huo said simply. "I’m not some mindless killing machine."

Besides, the cards held by these three players were of limited value.

"But why did you kill him, then?" the female player couldn’t resist asking. "After the card swap, killing him or not seems to matter little, doesn’t it?"

Xu Huo finally rose to his feet and said coolly, "I explained the rules at the beginning. He didn’t follow them."

The female player held no argument; after all, in this world, the strong dictate the rules.

"Are we really free to go?" the pale-faced brother probed tentatively.

"Suit yourselves," Xu Huo replied, turning to join Mu Yan, who was ready to leave.

"Wait!" The female player stopped them. "Could I travel with you?"

"Sure," Xu Huo agreed readily, and then turned to ask the pale-faced brothers if they wanted to join as well.

The brothers, clearly wary of him, declined outright, taking several steps back before disappearing into the thick fog.

"Let’s go," Xu Huo said as he glanced down the corridor ahead. "Next, we’ll test whether Black Card 2 is actually a Trap Card."

The two players following him looked confused. Mu Yan hesitated before asking cautiously, "If you’re questioning its status as a Trap Card, doesn’t its card effect clearly point to it being one? Why do you think otherwise?"

"5, 12, and 19 are Trap Cards; 1 and 8 are Neutralizing Cards; 4 and 11 are Clue Cards; 6 and 13 are Position Cards," Xu Huo began. "Do you notice any pattern from this?"

Mu Yan and the female player paused, struggling to find a connection. Seeing this, Xu Huo elaborated, "These numbered cards are following a cyclical pattern. If Card 2 is not a Trap Card but belongs to a seventh category of cards, then the first card in each category would correspond to numbers 1 through 7, the second card to numbers 8 through 14, and the third card to numbers 15 through 21. This hypothesis doesn’t conflict with Cards 10 and 17 being Exchange Cards either."

Mu Yan thought it over and concluded, "So by this logic, we haven’t yet encountered Card 15, which should be a Neutralizing Card, Card 3 as an Exchange Card, Card 20 as a Position Card, and Cards 7 and 21 should presumably be Lottery Cards?"

"Exactly," Xu Huo responded, maintaining his usual pace as he walked. "Most cards can be identified with certainty. Next, we’ll focus on the three remaining cards starting with number 2."

"My Card 16 fits into this category too," the female player remarked doubtfully. "But the effect of Black Card 16 is definitively a trap."

"Adding five dead-ends doesn’t necessarily mean blocking off all paths," Xu Huo explained. "Think of it differently. The maze already has plenty of wrong turns, but not many true dead-ends. By introducing dead-ends that block correct passages, there’s also the chance of closing off wrong ones. Of course, this is just speculation."

Previously with White Card 9, the ’Mutant Plant Amity’ card, it consistently directed me toward areas filled with mutant plants. However, there were also comparatively stable paths. From a different perspective, pathways heavily populated with mutant plants may be incorrect routes intended to steer me away.

"So does that mean most Trap Cards can be reinterpreted similarly?" Mu Yan paused before adding, "At least in most cases."

"Verification isn’t difficult," Xu Huo replied. "Keep the cards in circulation, observe how their effects manifest as players exchange hands. If Cards 2, 9, and 16 lack straightforward effects like transporting players in the wrong direction or random teleportation, they could be classified separately."

"But even if those cards turn out to be essential for beating the maze, their effects seem relatively minor compared to Neutralizing Cards or Exchange Cards," the female player pointed out.

"That’s true," Mu Yan admitted hesitantly. "But we still haven’t found the maze’s endpoint, and the sporadic clues on the maze walls are riddled with truth and deceit alike. These cards seem more reliable as a resource."

"Let’s see what luck brings," Xu Huo said. "We still have time in this instance."

Xu Huo then deliberately chose paths leading toward dead-ends. Sure enough, with every two or three attempts, Black Card 2’s effect would activate. However, when he selected pathways that seemed correct, nothing occurred.

It was undeniably a useful card, but a problem immediately arose: the card wasn’t particularly sensitive to direction, and the maze had far too many interconnected passages. There were potentially multiple correct paths, but the card wouldn’t necessarily warn of incorrect choices.

"Should we keep searching for more cards?" Mu Yan asked, subtly glancing at the female player as she spoke.

"Let’s decide as we go," Xu Huo replied after inspecting the nearby junctions. "Check out the surrounding mutant plant growth—it seems we’ve reached another active section of the maze."

Mu Yan nodded and walked ahead.

Falling slightly behind, Xu Huo turned to the female player and asked her name. "All I know is that your surname is Li."

"I’m Li Cheng," the female player replied, clearly watching Mu Yan’s every move. Perhaps her tension stemmed from the earlier conversation.

With nothing more to add, Xu Huo stepped forward to assist Mu Yan.

"Many people have traversed this area, but their movements might not align directionally," Mu Yan remarked. "If the maze has undergone large-scale position shifts, then the so-called active zones may have been relocated entirely. Past paths deemed ’correct’ or ’incorrect’ might now have shifted even further, leading to discrepancies at both ends."