The tournament changed the atmosphere completely.
Now—
everyone watched everyone.
No casual conversations.
No random challenges.
No loud betting.
Only observation.
Because on the Upper Floor—
information was survival.
The three girls walked carefully through the corridor.
Not scared.
Aware.
Yue Ning still looked exhausted from the last match.
Not physically.
Mentally.
"…I hate games that mess with your head," Mei Chen muttered.
Lin Xia glanced at the glowing panels along the wall.
"…Get used to it."
🔹 THE SCREEN RETURNS
Without warning—
every screen in the corridor lit up at once.
People stopped walking immediately.
Silence spread.
Because everyone knew:
This meant an important match.
🔹 MATCH DECLARATION
The screen displayed:
TOURNAMENT PHASE ONE
SPECIAL ANALYSIS MATCH
Then—
PLAYER SELECTED: LIN XIA
The corridor reacted instantly.
Whispers exploded.
"Lin Xia?""Already?""That means they're sending him…"
Mei Chen frowned.
"…Who?"
Nobody answered directly.
That alone was enough.
🔹 THE OPPONENT
At the far end of the corridor—
a boy stood quietly beside a classroom window.
Hands in pockets.
Relaxed posture.
Unlike the others—
he looked completely ordinary.
Which somehow made him worse.
"…No way," someone whispered nearby.
"…It's Shen Luo."
🔹 SHEN LUO
He looked at Lin Xia.
Then smiled slightly.
Not cocky.
Not psychotic.
Just certain.
"…You're interesting," he said calmly.
Lin Xia didn't react.
"…And you're famous?"
Soft laughter spread through the corridor.
Shen Luo tilted his head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Predictable things become famous."
That sentence landed strangely.
🔹 THE RUMOR
A nearby student whispered nervously:
"…He sees moves before they happen…"
"…Nobody knows how…"
"…People say he predicts entire matches…"
Mei Chen scoffed quietly.
"…So basically a fortune teller."
But Yue Ning was staring.
Hard.
"…No…"
Lin Xia glanced at her.
"…What?"
Yue Ning's voice lowered.
"…He's watching breathing patterns."
Silence.
🔹 THE REAL ABILITY
Shen Luo smiled slightly wider.
"…Good observation."
The corridor became still again.
"…People reveal decisions before they move," he said.
"…Tiny muscle tension."
"…Eye direction."
"…Timing changes."
A pause.
"…Humans announce themselves constantly."
🔹 THE CHALLENGE
The screen appeared instantly.
MATCH CONFIRMED
LIN XIA VS SHEN LUO
GAME TYPE REQUIRED
Shen Luo looked at her calmly.
"…You choose."
Lin Xia stared at him for several seconds.
Thinking.
Then—
"…Poker."
The corridor erupted.
"Poker?!""Against HIM?""That's insane…"
Mei Chen blinked.
"…Wait, why poker?"
Lin Xia answered quietly:
"…Because poker is built on reading people."
A pause.
"…If his strength is prediction…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"…Then I attack it directly."
🔹 THE ARENA
The corridor transformed slowly.
Green tables.
Cards.
Lights overhead.
Not flashy.
Elegant.
Like an underground gambling room.
🔹 THE RULES
The screen displayed:
Standard poker rules apply No external interference Bluffing permitted Psychological manipulation unrestricted Punishment severity scales with confidence differential
Mei Chen frowned.
"…Confidence differential?"
Yue Ning read carefully.
Then froze slightly.
"…The more certain you are when you lose…"
A pause.
"…the worse the punishment becomes."
Silence.
🔹 THE MATCH BEGINS
Cards slide across the table.
Lin Xia doesn't touch hers immediately.
Neither does Shen Luo.
They stare at each other first.
Testing.
🔹 ROUND ONE
Shen Luo smiles faintly.
"…You're controlling your breathing intentionally."
Lin Xia responds calmly:
"…And you announced that observation intentionally."
A beat.
"…Good," he says softly.
🔹 THE WAR OF READING
This isn't poker anymore.
It's perception warfare.
Every movement matters.
Every blink.
Every pause.
Shen Luo folds instantly.
Without even finishing the round.
Mei Chen frowns.
"…What's he doing?"
Yue Ning whispers:
"…Gathering data."
🔹 ROUND TWO
Lin Xia raises slightly.
Shen Luo calls immediately.
No hesitation.
Too fast.
Lin Xia notices.
"…You already decided before the cards came."
Shen Luo smiles.
"…So did you."
🔹 THE HORROR OF HIS ABILITY
Mid-match—
Lin Xia realizes something terrifying.
He isn't just predicting moves.
He's predicting reactions to predictions.
Layers deep.
Every bluff she considers—
he already accounted for.
🔹 PRESSURE RISES
The corridor watches silently.
No cheering now.
Only tension.
Because everyone can feel it:
This match is dangerous.
🔹 LIN XIA ADAPTS
She changes rhythm suddenly.
Starts making intentionally imperfect movements.
Tiny inconsistencies.
Shen Luo pauses.
For the first time.
"…Interesting."
🔹 THE COUNTER
Lin Xia finally understands.
"…You don't predict people."
A pause.
"…You predict habits."
Shen Luo's smile fades slightly.
Tiny.
But real.
🔹 BREAKTHROUGH
She starts destroying her own patterns deliberately.
irregular breathing inconsistent timing false tells layered bluffs
The system struggles to read her.
And for the first time—
Shen Luo loses certainty.
🔹 FINAL HAND
The table goes silent.
Final round.
Huge risk.
Shen Luo watches her carefully.
Too carefully.
That becomes his mistake.
Lin Xia notices.
And smiles faintly.
For the first time all match.
"…You finally started doubting."
She pushes all her chips forward.
All in.
The corridor erupts.
Shen Luo freezes slightly.
Because now—
He can't tell if it's a bluff.
🔹 THE DECISION
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Then—
He calls.
Cards revealed.
Silence.
Lin Xia wins.
Barely.
But enough.
🔹 RESULT
WIN CONFIRMED
The corridor explodes into whispers.
"She beat Shen Luo…""Impossible…""He lost a read…"
🔹 AFTERMATH
Shen Luo looks at her quietly.
No anger.
Just thought.
"…You became unreadable."
Lin Xia stands slowly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I became human."
🔹 FINAL LINE
As the system updates—
one message flickers briefly across the screens:
WARNING: PLAYER ADAPTATION EXCEEDING FORECASTS
And somewhere deeper—
something begins watching Lin Xia specifically now.
Not with curiosity anymore.
With concern.