It has been two days since the meeting with Yin Yin Hidden, and Le Yuxin has accomplished quite a bit during that time.
For example, he played in the Statistical Department's Battle Card internal tournament, defeating all opponents to claim the crown and earning the title of Battle Card Master of the Statistical Department.
Basically, it's just a card game.
Battle Card is one of the few unique entertainment activities Le Yuxin discovered in this world. With the pressures of life, Le Yuxin fell in love with it immediately upon contact. He engaged in card games every day to unwind upon returning to the Statistical Department.
The full name of Battle Card is Combat Technique Card Duel, a two-player game mode. Each player has 40 Combat Technique cards, initially draws three cards, and can draw one card and use one card per round. The player who plays first has no benefits, while the player who plays later gets two additional health points (the average benefit of direct attack cards is two health points).
Combat Technique cards are mainly divided into three types: direct attack, counterattack, and critical strike. Direct attack cards directly inflict damage on players; counter-attack cards counter the attack and inflict damage; critical strike cards accumulate power over one round and then inflict significant damage.
Among them, direct attacks are played face-up, while counterattacks and critical strikes are played face-down. When a player uses a counterattack or critical strike, the card face is covered and not displayed. When the opponent plays a direct attack, the card must be revealed:
If the face-down card is a counterattack, then the direct attack is nullified, and counterattack damage is inflicted;
If the face-down card is a critical strike, the direct attack is effective, but the critical strike card, because its charge is 'interrupted', becomes invalid.
When both sides have face-down cards, a counterattack automatically loses effect after one round, while a critical strike will be triggered after one round and inflict large damage.
Simply put, direct attacks break critical strikes but are weak against counterattacks; counterattacks break direct attacks but are weak against critical strikes; critical strikes break counterattacks but are weak against direct attacks.
Merely looking at the rules, it seems uninteresting, just a turn-based rock-paper-scissors game. However, the focus of Combat Technique Cards is its deck — there are a total of eighteen decks, which may seem familiar because the officially passed-down Combat Technique systems also total eighteen!
That's right, the eighteen decks of Combat Technique Cards correspond to the eighteen real-world Combat Techniques! Each genre's direct attack, counterattack, and critical strike cards are entirely different, and even each genre's initial health points vary. So, each Combat Technique Card duel is ever-changing and highly entertaining!
It is said that Combat Technique Cards were first created by the founding emperor of Huiyao. Over two thousand years of development, they have become deeply embedded in the entertainment culture of every Huiyao person. Many ordinary people might not cultivate Combat Techniques, but they are surely familiar with Combat Technique Cards!
For many Martial Artists, Combat Technique Cards are a shortcut to learning Combat Techniques. Not only do they mix teaching with entertainment, but the similarities between card duels and real-life combat make being good at cards indicative of a strong understanding of Combat Techniques.
There are a total of eighteen decks for Combat Technique Cards. So, what about the balance? This is also quite interesting: the producer of Combat Technique Cards is the Royal Academy in Yanjing, and whenever the Royal Academy updates a syllabus for a Combat Technique system, Combat Technique Cards are updated accordingly.
Such slight amendments are barely noticeable by most people. However, in Combat Technique Cards, it's different — when certain decks are strengthened, players quickly notice changes in the deck's win rates, and they become aware that this particular Combat Technique has become stronger!
Humans are very practical creatures. Whatever deck is strong, people use it, and whichever Combat Technique is strong, they naturally learn it. Hence, a high win rate in Combat Technique Cards could likely promote the flourishing of a certain genre, leading to the decline of others.
Other genres certainly won't stand idle, but the Royal Academy represents the official stance, and no genre can stand against them. Therefore, besides hoping for the Royal Academy to weaken dominant decks, the best solution is to enhance one's own genre's Combat Technique system, so that the official might also strengthen one's own deck.
Though Combat Technique Cards are just entertainment, they still drive the development of Combat Techniques, even reflecting the ebbs and flows of Combat Technique competition over two thousand years. Nowadays, none of the eighteen decks of Combat Technique Cards are without hundreds of iterations and updates, achieving a balance at its peak.
"Alright, time to play cards at work."
Le Yuxin, getting out of bed and changing clothes, besides his pocket watch and work ID, the first thing he put in his pocket was his Wolf Eagle Fist deck.
Even though Le Yuxin excels in the Biting Battle Technique of Badao schools, once he started playing cards, he found the Wolf Eagle deck more intriguing.
The Biting deck is a fast-attacking draw flow style, with low initial health and a main feature that allows the player to play another direct attack after each direct attack that isn't countered, effectively embodying the 'bite until dead' characteristic of the Biting Battle Technique.
In contrast, the Wolf Eagle deck follows a stacking attack style with high initial health. Its main feature is that whenever a direct attack is countered, the damage of the next direct attack increases. That day when Kui Zhao and Li Shijie were engaged in a heated battle also demonstrated this characteristic.
Leaving the bedroom and going downstairs, Le Yuxin saw Qian Yuya eating breakfast at an accelerated pace, gulping her food before stepping out. Suddenly remembering something, he called out, "My clever sister."
Qian Yuya stopped in her tracks, opened the door with both hands without turning back, "What is it?"
"Isn't there a graduation assessment at your school today?"
"Yes."
"It's okay if you don't do well. I'll always support you. Your brother loves you."
Qian Yuya turned around, her calves trembling with anger as she shot a furious look at Le Yuxin before pushing the door open and leaving, without bothering to say a word to him.
Thanks to the life-and-death struggle with his biological sister in his previous life, Le Yu has some understanding of how to guide such a rebellious little girl. By expressing his willingness to accept Qian Yuya's failure in such a disgusting manner, Qian Yuya will definitely hold back, wishing to immediately succeed and slap Le Yu's face hard.
Le Yu is essentially using his mouth to cast a Bloodthirst Technique on Qian Yuya, showcasing his good intentions.
Of course, teasing a quiet and rigid sister with an annoyingly suave attitude is also quite an interesting affair. Anyway, since Qian Yuya can accept the 'fact' that her brother has changed a mask, Le Yu is free to be himself, letting vulgar jokes and flirtatious talk fly, and mixing cold jokes with bawdy humor, playing cards at work during the day and chatting at home at night. Life is indeed colorful.
Going to the backyard to fetch water and wash up, Le Yu dipped his toothbrush in a bit of salt for brushing his teeth. While brushing, he suddenly heard a sound piercing through the air.
Swish!
Le Yu reached out to catch it, discovering it was another pebble wrapped in silk cloth.
Yinyin Yin, where did he get so many pebbles from? There's no river nearby, could he be the type who goes jogging along the Haizhu embankment every morning… Le Yu secretly mocked in his heart, opening the silk cloth to find only four words written:
"The plan begins"
Le Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, cleaned the writing on the silk cloth, and put it away. There's no disposable tissues in this world; a handkerchief always comes in handy outside.
After breakfast, Le Yu walked to the Statistical Department to go to work. Before walking far, he sensed something unusual: someone was tailing him.
Awakeners can even anticipate and avoid bullets, so naturally, they also have sensitivity to gazes. However, Awakeners do not react to all gazes; most people's gazes are 'emotionless', not triggering spiritual alerts, whereas gazes with 'emotion' catch the attention of Awakeners.
Thus, in this world, peeking at beauties is quite a dangerous affair. Even without using their eyes, women can keenly sense gazes with hues. It might work out if the beauty is not highly skilled or if her temperament is good; otherwise, peeping at the wrong person could result in a beat-down from the beauty on the spot—such gazes with 'strong malice' are an exceedingly discomforting experience for Awakeners.
Now, Le Yu is sensing this 'strong malice' gaze, as if someone wants to strip him of his pants.
When wearing the Statistical Department's uniform, he was long accustomed to such gazes, but he's not even at work yet.
The closer he walked, the more intense these malicious gazes became. When Le Yu reached the lecture square where Yao Bell Tower is located, these gazes nearly materialized, surrounding Le Yu from all directions.
This is not an illusion.
Because a crowd of people surrounded Le Yu.
He was surrounded.
"Qian Yu Stream."
Le Yu stopped, seeing three men and women emerge from the crowd, standing opposite Le Yu, led by Lin Xue—the daughter of Lin Jinyao.
She was wearing a short-sleeved white outfit today, her long hair was gone, replaced by a swift and light short hairstyle, with slightly puffy eye bags, suggesting she had cried a lot these past two days.
"What's the matter?" Le Yu glanced at the people around: "Are you... planning to attack an Imperial Court agent in public? I don't mind really, but could you choose a more secluded spot? The Patrol Execution Guard over there is already walking over, you know."
"Ever since becoming a puppet of the Statistical Department, you've turned cynical and rampant... does the Statistical Department contort human nature, or were you always pretending before?" Gao Jin said coldly, "Do you have no sense of shame at all!?"
"Xue'er!"
A sorrow-faced middle-aged man squeezed out of the crowd hurriedly, eagerly grabbing Lin Xue's hand: "Don't go, let your second uncle handle this! This shouldn't be for you to bear!"
Le Yu recognized this middle-aged man; he was Lin Jinyao's brother, Lin Xue'en. He was present at the courtyard when Lin Jinyao died, but unlike the military academy instructor Lin Jinyao, Lin Xue'en was merely an ordinary clothing merchant with poor Combat Technique skills.
"Second uncle, don't stop me, this is the only thing... I can do for my father."
Lin Xue gently flicked and released her second uncle's hand, then turned to look at Le Yu.
"Captain Qian, we just want a fair outcome and won't engage in any unlawful acts."
Lin Xue slowly breathed out and articulated word by word:
"We want to sever hatred with you!"