[Special Card: King of All Gamblers]
[Effect: Can be used covertly; allows the user to freely change to any desired card or card set, with unlimited uses. Once activated, it lasts for one day.]
“Holy shit, unlimited uses?!”
Li Ran's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Damn! With a card like this, anyone could instantly become the God of Gambling.
You could pull out any card you wanted at will—who could beat that?
Even better, this card could be used secretly without anyone knowing. You didn’t have to flash it like a fool.
But... the last five words pissed him off.
“Valid for one day?”
It felt like someone handed you a cheat code, and just when you were ready to show off, they said, "Time’s up—no renewals allowed."
“Isn’t this just a disguised nerf?”
Li Ran felt helpless. Still, he couldn’t complain too much. After all, this thing really was god-tier in certain situations.
But one question gnawed at him:
Can I pocket the money I win in the casino?
Of course, he didn’t ask that in front of Captain Zhang.
Even asking would’ve been a no-go. Rules were rules.
Tomorrow, Captain Zhang would call him in for the mission. They’d give him a minor disguise, and all Li Ran needed to do was follow orders.
After sending off the two officers, Li Ran saw Su Bingyao's worried face. He could tell she’d heard everything from behind the door.
“You really agreed to help them?”
“Yeah, they came to me directly. Since I’ve got the ability, I might as well help. It’s just assisting the police—won’t be dangerous.”
Li Ran gently took her little hands, trying to comfort her.
“But…”
“Mwah~!”
While she wasn’t paying attention, he stole a quick kiss.
“Smells so good.”
Su Bingyao’s cheeks instantly flushed pink.
“Wifey, we haven’t done it in a long time.” Li Ran shamelessly shook her hands like a spoiled kid.
“Did you find it yet?”
“…...”
Su Bingyao’s tone was firm. Until the marriage certificate was found, no matter how much Li Ran begged, there would be no sharing the bed.
“I’m going to shower. If I don’t beat my little bro until he’s puking, I’m not coming out…”
Su Bingyao chuckled. “Good luck.”
---
Midnight.
Li Ran was snoring like thunder, completely dead to the world.
A strange black mist silently crept in, blanketing the entire neighborhood.
Countless wisps of the eerie fog invaded every building like living things.
The mist hovered briefly over Li Ran’s head, then drifted out of the room.
“Eeeee… ahhh… yaaa…”
A terrifyingly bizarre sound echoed from the study. It sounded like a cat in heat outside the window—or maybe a crying baby. Pure nightmare fuel.
“Creak~!”
The door to the study slowly cracked open.
“Heehee!”
A tiny black figure darted out of the room and vanished into the darkness.
Inside, the black mist surged toward the living room, seemingly called by some unseen force.
“Eeee ya ya!!”
A tiny baby stood on the coffee table, arms flailing, emitting creepy, unsettling noises.
Strangely, the mist moved to the rhythm of the baby's gestures, like musical notes obeying a conductor.
“Yaa!”
The baby suddenly pointed at the TV. The mist immediately slammed into the wall-mounted screen.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
After several hits, the 65-inch TV was completely wrecked.
Yet Li Ran remained fast asleep. His snores only paused for a second before picking up again.
“BANG!”
Another loud crash—one of the dining chairs slammed to the floor.
“BANG! BANG! BANG!”
Everything breakable in the living room got demolished. The ruckus only made Li Ran roll over and scratch his butt in his sleep.
“Yaa!”
The baby was having the time of its life, manipulating the black mist like a toy.
Now, it set its sights on the vase atop the entryway shelf. Excited, it guided the black mist to knock it over.
Just as the vase was about to shatter on the floor, a giant ghostly hand snatched it out of midair.
The naughty baby’s eyes went wide in shock.
The hand gently placed the vase back, then unfolded into a pair—one on the back of a figure now glaring furiously at the baby.
The twin ghostly hands stretched wide like wings. Their owner stared the baby down with righteous anger.
“Caught you at last, you little monster!” Li Ziyang said through gritted teeth.
“Yaa!”
The baby blinked, then grinned creepily.
It pointed at Li Ziyang. Instantly, strands of black mist rushed toward him.
Li Ziyang went on guard. The ghost hands on his back shielded him like a barrier.
“Heehee!”
The baby was hyped now. It summoned more and more mist from around the neighborhood, quickly flooding the living room and surrounding Li Ziyang.
Suddenly, a pale shadow zipped through the air. The room temperature plunged, and frosty mist filled the air like tiny glittering beads.
“Screee!!”
The pale shadow let out a chilling roar.
“Crack! Crack! Crack!!”
The frost exploded, instantly freezing all the black mist mid-air.
The mist fell to the floor like icy confetti.
“Yaa?”
The baby turned to look—its eyes widened in disbelief.
A massive frost-white serpent now coiled in the room.
“Son, catch it!” the serpent spoke in a cold, feminine voice.
Li Ziyang got his chance and lunged. His ghost hands reached for the baby.
“Yaaa~!”
But the baby was ridiculously agile, slipping right through his fingers.
“Nowhere to run!”
The serpent's eyes flashed coldly. Ice spikes appeared around it and launched like arrows at the fleeing baby.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
The spikes tore through the floor—but missed.
“Crap, it’s heading for Dad’s room!” Li Ziyang yelled.
“We cannot let it wake your father,” said the serpent.
Li Ziyang grabbed two ice spikes and chased after the baby, intercepting it just as it neared the master bedroom.
He launched a flurry of attacks.
“Mom, it’s stronger than yesterday!”
No matter how he struck, the baby dodged with ease.
“Your dad is the pillar of this household. We cannot let it harm him,” said Su Bingyao.
With determination in her eyes, she made her move.
“Hissssss!!”
The serpent opened its mouth wide, sucking in a terrifying icy breath.
The whole hallway became a vacuum of cold. The baby clung to the study doorframe for dear life.
“Yaaaaaa~~~~~”
Just as it was about to lose its grip, it suddenly burst into black mist—vanishing into thin air.
“Damn it, it got away again!” Li Ziyang stomped his foot in frustration.
The frost serpent turned back into Su Bingyao. Her cold gaze swept across the room.
“It’s hiding somewhere in our house. Every night at midnight it comes out to make trouble—and it's getting stronger. At this rate, in a few days, you and I might not be able to stop it anymore.”
Looking at the wreckage, she said quietly:
“Tomorrow I’m hiring a cleaning crew. We’ll scrub this place top to bottom. I refuse to believe we can’t find it.”
“Mom, do we have to clean up all this tonight?” Li Ziyang asked, looking at the mess.
“Until your dad is strong enough, we can’t let him worry—or find out what’s going on. Understand?”
“Got it.” Li Ziyang glanced toward the master bedroom and muttered, “Even if the sky fell, I don’t think he’d wake up.”
That made Su Bingyao laugh.
“Come on, let’s clean up.”
“Okay.”
(End of Chapter)