200: Memory Flip Card Game

In the center of the room, a massive gambling table stood out prominently.

Leib Beiyala sat down at one end of the gambling table, his massive frame sinking into a specially made chair. He continued with a smile, "The stakes are the gourmet memories of the three of you. The game we are playing is—[Gourmet Tasting]. Simply put, it's a memory card matching game."

He then began to explain the rules.

The game uses 56 "Gourmet Test Cards," corresponding to 28 different ingredients. The backs of the cards are numbered, while the fronts are marked with the ingredient's name and its corresponding "points."

The gameplay is simple yet cruel: all cards are placed face down. Players take turns flipping two cards. If they flip the same ingredient, it's a "Hit." The player must then eat that ingredient on the spot. Upon success, they earn the points marked on the cards. If they don't flip the same ingredient, it's an "Out," and the turn passes to the opponent.

If a player fails to finish the ingredient after a "Hit," the points go to the opponent, and the turn is also transferred. Failing to finish after two consecutive "Hits," or getting an "Out" for ten consecutive turns, results in an immediate loss.

After a successful "Hit" and finishing the meal, the player gets an extra turn to flip cards, but can only flip cards consecutively up to three times per turn.

The turn passes to the opponent under the following conditions: 1. Flipping an "Out"; 2. Failing to finish the meal after a "Hit"; 3. Successfully finishing the meal after three consecutive "Hits."

The rules seem fair, designed to give both sides a chance to encounter more ingredients.

Ultimately, the one with the highest total points wins.

The key lies in the fact that among those 28 ingredients, there are highly toxic species, beast parts that are extremely difficult to process, and some things with bizarre tastes that are hard to swallow. This game is a test of raw power—capture ability, cooking techniques, an amazing appetite, stomach capacity, and... indispensable luck.

After hearing this, Kobayashi Rindō immediately questioned, "Hey! This is your territory, and you prepared these ingredients. You wouldn't tamper with them, would you?"

Leib Beiyala let out a series of low chuckles, his empty eye sockets "looking" at her. "Although I am a chef, as the owner of the Gourmet Casino, I also serve as the dealer. Do you understand? I have the pride of a 'gambler' and would never do something so boring and low." Despite saying this, his smile had no warmth.

The 56 cards had already been randomly arranged on the massive gambling table.

Lin Luo's gaze calmly swept across the table as his invisible Divine Sense quietly spread out. In an instant, the 56 cards were as if seen through an X-ray; the ingredient information and points on the front were clearly reflected in his mind—it was almost no different from having the cards flipped over for him to see.

Leib Beiyala's massive body leaned forward slightly, his hands crossed on the table. His eyeless "gaze" swept over Lin Luo, Erina, and Kobayashi Rindō as he asked with a smile, "So... which of you three will flip the first card?"

Lin Luo pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down composedly. Meeting that eerie "gaze," the corners of his mouth curled up slightly:

"They've played enough outside. As for me... I haven't stepped onto the field yet. It's about time for my turn."

Seeing that Lin Luo's mind was made up and he couldn't be dissuaded, Machi immediately shifted his thinking—since they were gambling on Leib Beiyala's turf, the dealer absolutely could not be one of the opponent's people.

He strode to the gambling table and sharply inspected each of the 56 "Gourmet Test Cards" to be used. After confirming there were no special marks or secret codes on the backs of the cards, he looked up and stared directly at Leib Beiyala. His intention was self-evident: he would be the dealer for this gamble.

Leib Beiyala grinned, revealing his signature creepy smile. He waved his massive palm casually, signaling him to continue. In Leib Beiyala's eyes, this was nothing more than a futile struggle; against him, the outcome was already decided, and it wouldn't matter who the dealer was.

Machi stopped looking at him and turned to Lin Luo, taking out a special metal chip with different patterns on both sides. "Then, we'll use the heads or tails of this chip to decide who gets the initiative to flip the first cards. You two..."

"I choose tails," Leib Beiyala said without hesitation, his voice carrying the certainty of a guaranteed victory. He wouldn't miss any chance to seize the initiative, even if it was just a little.

Machi's brow furrowed slightly; Leib Beiyala's decisiveness gave him a sense of pressure. He looked at Lin Luo, waiting for his choice.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Luo also spoke with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather. "It seems... heads is the only other option? However, I choose 'neither heads nor tails'."

"What?!" Erina couldn't help but nudge him, her purple eyes filled with anxiety and confusion. "Lin Luo! A coin only has two sides! Wh-what are you talking about!"

Beside them, Kobayashi Rindō looked thoughtful and whispered, "Actually... it's not completely impossible. If the coin stands on its edge, that would be the third case..."

"How could that possibly happen!" Erina retorted crossly. She was in no mood to discuss probability right now.

Kobayashi Rindō shrugged. "I'm just saying there's a possibility. Don't take your anger out on me."

Leib Beiyala let out a strange low laugh, his empty eye sockets "looking" at Lin Luo. "The initiative to flip cards is quite important in this game... I can give you one more chance to choose again." His tone carried a kind of "tolerance" like a cat playing with a mouse.

Lin Luo, however, remained smiling and shook his head without hesitation. "No need, I won't take advantage of you. Let's leave it to fate."

Machi looked at the heavy chip in his hand and then at Lin Luo's calm yet strangely certain eyes. Although he had doubts, he said no more. He took a deep breath and flicked it hard with his thumb—

"Ding—"

The metal chip spun and flew high into the air. Under the eerie lights at the top of the room that looked like the convolutions of a brain, it traced a golden arc and then fell rapidly, drawing everyone's gaze toward the polished tabletop.

Clatter, clatter, clatter... The chip landed on the table but didn't stop immediately. Instead, it rolled and spun with inertia, making crisp clicking sounds. Everyone's heart rose along with the spinning trajectory.

Then, under the gaze of countless eyes, the spinning chip slowed down more and more until finally... it actually "stood" firmly on its edge on the table at an extremely tricky angle!

It stood up!

Neither heads nor tails!

Seeing this result, the fixed smile on Leib Beiyala's face showed a clear crack for the first time, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

The surrounding audience, whether they were the expressionless chef thugs or the few VIP gamblers allowed into this core room, were all stunned. They looked at each other, and low whispers immediately broke out.

This kind of opening was probably a first in the history of the Gourmet Casino.

Machi was also stunned. He looked at Lin Luo, his eyes filled with disbelief. Erina and Kobayashi Rindō's mouths were wide open as they looked at the standing chip and then at Lin Luo, who was as calm as if he had expected it all along. Their minds couldn't quite process it.

Lin Luo just looked at the "standing" chip, the smile on his face deepening slightly. He looked up, meeting Leib Beiyala's "gaze," which had begun to emanate a cold chill. His tone remained relaxed:

"It seems even the heavens think... I should be the one to try my luck first?"

The layout of the 56 cards was completely visible within Lin Luo's Divine Sense. Since he could "see" through them, he wouldn't be polite.

"Number 15, number 28."

Lin Luo's calm voice rang out, pointing out the positions of the two cards.

Following the instruction, Machi stepped forward and flipped the two corresponding cards. The moment the faces were revealed, the entire room fell into an eerie silence, followed by an uncontrollable burst of exclamations!

On the two cards, the same ferocious and terrifying creature was depicted—the Banya Panda! Moreover, it was the card with the highest points, 250!

"A Hit! And it's the highest-scoring Banya Panda!" someone shouted in shock.

"Awesome!!" Erina and Kobayashi Rindō couldn't help but cheer together, their previous worries dampened by this sudden and huge surprise.

"So... so amazing! A Hit on the very first try, and it's 250 points!" Machi's subordinates also showed expressions of excitement.

The smile on Leib Beiyala's face completely vanished, replaced by a cold scrutiny.

He "stared" at Lin Luo, his eyeless sockets seemingly trying to pierce through him. "Is it luck... or something else?"

For the first time, he felt genuine wariness toward this seemingly casual young man.

Machi, however, couldn't bring himself to be happy; instead, his expression became even more solemn.

Because a "Hit" didn't mean scoring points directly. It meant their side had to send someone to the Underground Capture Arena to capture, cook, and finish eating this fierce creature with a capture rank as high as 80—the Banya Panda—on the spot! And there was a strict time limit. Once the time was up or they failed, not only would they not get the 250 points, but they would be added directly to Leib Beiyala's score.

"It seems your luck is indeed good," Leib Beiyala grinned again, revealing his forest-white teeth, his tone filled with cruel anticipation. "But you must first go to the Underground Capture Arena to 'invite' it out, cook it, and then eat it all. Make sure you don't run out of time... otherwise, these delicious 250 points will belong to me!"

In his eyes, this was an almost impossible task.

He knew all too well how violent and troublesome the Banya Panda was.

Only then did Kobayashi Rindō wake up from her ecstasy, her face turning pale. "Oh no! The score is high, but on our side... who can deal with a Banya Panda?! Machi can't directly help due to the rules! It's over, it's over. We celebrated too early, Erina!"

Erina's heart also rose at her words. She looked at Lin Luo worriedly. "How about... we voluntarily give up this round? We don't need the points?"

Machi also looked at Lin Luo, waiting for his decision.

Instead, he saw Lin Luo slowly stand up and stretch his wrists, his tone relaxed. "It's just a panda. You make it sound so powerful. Wait for me for a bit."

He turned to Erina and Kobayashi Rindō and said, "Erina, Rindō, you two get ready. Once I bring it up, we'll cook it together. I'm... starting to get a bit hungry myself."

"You'll be okay, right?" Erina was still worried.

Lin Luo gave her a reassuring look and said no more. He followed the guiding staff member and walked straight toward the passage leading to the Underground Capture Arena.