Chapter 1 To Reduce the Randomness of Elimination

To reduce the element of chance in the "Triple Memory Match" game, a best-of-three format was adopted.

In the first game, the referee was responsible for shuffling and laying out the cards.

In the second game, the loser of the first game would take over.

If there was a third game, the loser of the second game would shuffle again.

In short, after the referee completed the preparations, the first game between "Crow" and "Black Butterfly" began...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll decide the order by flipping a coin, is that alright?" the referee said to the two after arranging the cards.

"No need." Feng Bujue said to the referee, then looked at the woman in the butterfly mask. "Ladies first. You choose whether to go first or second."

Hearing this, Black Butterfly sneered inwardly, "Hmph... trying to test me with this little trick?"

That's what she thought, but she wouldn't show it.

In the next second, Black Butterfly smiled charmingly and replied softly, "Mr. Crow, you're so gentle... then I'll be polite and choose to go second."

Although she said "polite," she didn't actually give up any advantage. Anyone familiar with Memory Match knows that going second actually has an advantage in this game.

Take the most basic Memory Match as an example... excluding cheating, the probability of the first player scoring on their first turn is very, very low. Because at this time, none of the cards have been revealed, so there is no "memory" factor at all. The player relies on 100% "luck." Even if someone is lucky enough to score on their first turn, the probability of scoring again on their second turn is almost zero.

In short, whether it's the first or second turn... the first player can at best flip over a pair and will at least show the opponent two cards with different values.

When the second player starts flipping cards, they already know the location of at least two cards. At this time, the second player flips over a card that hasn't been revealed. If the value of this card matches either of the previous two, they can easily score.

Of course... this advantage is far from reaching the level of first-mover advantage in chess; Memory Match is ultimately a game with an element of luck. The second player may also flip over two cards with values different from those revealed by the first player. Or, if they don't flip the matching card on their first flip, they might accidentally flip it on their second, giving the opponent a point.

In addition, the above only applies to ordinary Memory Match. In this "Triple Memory Match," because of the huge number of cards and the higher scoring requirements, the advantage of going second is even more negligible.

But... an advantage is an advantage. Even the slightest edge can determine the final outcome.

Black Butterfly wouldn't give up even half a step of that.

"Do you agree?" After receiving the reply, the referee turned to look at Jue Ge to confirm.

"No problem." Feng Bujue replied nonchalantly while slouching in his chair, and raised a hand. "Then... I'll start."

With that, he reached out and flipped over his first card of the round...

…

As mentioned earlier, the cards used in [Triple Memory Match] are not playing cards, but specially made cards.

There are 102 cards in the deck, with a total of thirty-four different patterns. Thirty-two of them are taken from the "Thirty-two Marks of the Buddha" in Buddhism, namely: Ushnisha, Urna, Eyelashes like a Cow King, Eyes of Deep Blue, Full Cheeks, Always Receiving the Best Flavors, Broad and Long Tongue, Voice Like Brahma, Forty Teeth, Close-Set Teeth, White Teeth, Upper Body Like a Lion, Upright Body, Even Body Proportions, Golden Body Color, Body Emitting Light, One Pore One Hair, Hair Growing Upwards, Full Shoulders, Full Armpits, Seven Full Areas, Smooth Skin, Long and Slender Fingers, Soft Hands and Feet, Webbed Fingers and Toes, Arms Extending Past the Knees, Hidden Male Organ Like an Elephant or Horse, Legs Like a Deer King, High Arches, Broad and Flat Heels, Flat Feet, Wheel-Shaped Feet.

Each of the above "Thirty-two Marks Cards" has three copies, totaling 96 cards.

The remaining two patterns are "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" and "Avici Hell." These two suits are different from the others—there are four "Avici Hell" cards and only two "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" cards.

According to the rules, in [Triple Memory Match], players flip three cards each turn, and must flip "three identical cards" to score. Otherwise, the right to flip passes to the other player.

All thirty-two Marks cards are worth the same: one point per card.

At any time, if someone flips three "Avici Hell" cards in one turn, that person immediately loses the game.

When a total of twenty-five Marks have been revealed by both sides, if either side flips two "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" cards in one turn, the game ends, and the winner is determined based on the current point difference, with the side that flipped the "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" receiving an additional 10-point bonus.

If neither "Avici Hell" nor "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" is triggered, the game ends when "thirty-one Marks" have been revealed on the table, and the winner is determined based on the current point difference.

In summary, in addition to the usual card counting and scoring, the key to [Triple Memory Match] is how to flexibly use the Pure Land cards to secure victory and how to effectively avoid the Hell cards...

…

"Oh? The first card is this." Feng Bujue smiled when he saw the first card he flipped over.

He placed the "Avici Hell" card face up, then leisurely reached out and flipped over the second card, which was far away from the first.

This choice of "flipping" alone was enough to show that Jue Ge was quite familiar with some of the techniques of the "Memory Match" game...

When playing this game, flipping over adjacent cards at once is obviously easier to remember; but if the flipped cards are far apart, it is more difficult to remember, because the memory will quickly become blurred after the player looks away or after a period of time.

Moreover, in this first game, the referee used a scattered and disordered placement method. Under this placement method, the practice of "revealing cards from a distance" makes memorization even more difficult.

Obviously, Feng Bujue, who adopted this tactic, had great confidence in his memory ability...

"Hmm... this one too..." Two seconds later, Feng Bujue had flipped over his second card.

It must be said that his luck was really terrifying, two in a row... actually both "Avici Hell."

Seeing this, Black Butterfly couldn't help but giggle. "Heh... Mr. Crow, you're really amazing. You've already flipped over two identical cards in the first round."

"Easy, easy~" Feng Bujue put down the second card, still calm as usual. "Statistically speaking, although the probability of flipping the same suit in the first round is very low, within this 'low probability,' the possibility of flipping two 'Avici Hell' cards is indeed higher than flipping two of anything else... after all, there is one more of this suit than the others." He paused. "Personally, this flip can only be considered my 'average level'..."

As he spoke, he picked a place far away from the second card, and under the pressure of "losing directly if another Hell card comes up," he flipped over his third card without thinking.

Fortunately, this time, he flipped over a "Mark" card—[Voice Like Brahma].

"Whew..." Feng Bujue himself wasn't too nervous, but the referee brother breathed a sigh of relief for him. "End of the first round, right to flip passes to the other player." The referee announced the results while flipping the three cards on the table back to their original positions.

"Here, I'd like to emphasize again." After carefully flipping all the cards back, the referee continued, "My judgment on the practice of 'leaving marks during the card flipping process' is very strict, please be careful."

"Ugh—" Hearing this, Black Butterfly pouted her sexy red lips, leaned forward slightly, and said to the referee in a coquettish voice, "Then... what if I 'accidentally' wrinkle a card?"

Her delicate voice gently penetrated the referee's ears, combined with the visual benefits she offered by leaning forward, making the referee's bones go soft.

The referee brother swallowed unconsciously, took half a step back, and replied in a serious tone, "If a card is 'accidentally damaged,' it will be replaced with a spare card, it won't have any effect."

"Oh~ is that so." Black Butterfly muttered and started flipping cards.

She was wearing a pair of long black gloves, wrapping her slender fingers like light紗, which also made the skin on her arms appear whiter.

"One... two... three..." Black Butterfly counted softly, flipping over three adjacent cards in a row.

Let's talk about "luck"...

If "flipping two Hell cards out of three cards at the start" is Jue Ge's "average level," then Black Butterfly's "average level" is the same as most people's. The three cards she flips at the start are all Mark cards, and all three are different.

The duel unfolded with such a start...

Feng Bujue's second round still used the form of opening cards from a distance, and the cards he opened were all previously unrevealed. Given that he had already flipped two "Avici Hell" in the first round, as long as he didn't touch those two cards, it was impossible to "continuously flip three Hell cards and lose" no matter where he flipped, so he flipped very quickly in this round; after revealing three Mark cards, he ended the round.

And Black Butterfly's second round was similar to her first round. She chose to flip another three cards in a row next to the three cards she flipped in her first round.

What appeared this time were also three Mark cards, one of which was the "Voice Like Brahma" that Feng Bujue flipped out in the first round, and this... was the first time the same suit had appeared in this game besides the Hell cards.

Next, it was Jue Ge's third round. His tactics remained unchanged, still flipping cards that had never been revealed before.

Somewhat surprisingly... he seemed to be lucky this time, because the first card he flipped in this round was "Voice Like Brahma," which meant... he only needed to flip out the two previously revealed "Voice Like Brahma" to take the lead with three points.

"Ah..." Black Butterfly exclaimed softly when she saw the card, and immediately added, "Oh... it seems you're going to score first, Mr. Crow."

As she spoke, she put on a distressed and frustrated look, sighed softly, and straightened her body, crossing her arms in front of her.

Under the effect of this posture, the two masses of white fat in front of her chest were pushed up, forming an incredibly seductive picture under the衬托 of her low-cut dress.

Seeing this scenery, the referee standing aside was a little embarrassed, but this form of "interference" couldn't really be said to be a foul, so the referee just rolled his eyes and said nothing.

"Hmm..." At this moment, Feng Bujue groaned, and then... his movements stopped.

Although his expression couldn't be seen through the mask, Black Butterfly determined from experience that his gaze must be on her body. "Heh... is it working..." The opponent's hesitation made her quite pleased. "This is how this game is... your method of flipping cards does make it more difficult for the opponent to remember, but it's the same for yourself. Once you look away or get distracted... even if it's only for a second, it can cause a deviation in memory. Heh... just like now, after staring at my chest for a few seconds, you probably can't remember where the first 'Voice Like Brahma' was, right?"

"Referee." After a few seconds, Feng Bujue stood up. "Can I go get a drink?"

The referee glanced at him and replied, "Please be as quick as possible." He paused for half a second and added, "Although a timer is not used in this second game, the judgment of delaying time still exists."

"Understood." Feng Bujue replied calmly, then moved from his chair and walked towards the champagne tree in the main hall.

"Hmph... stalling for time?" Black Butterfly watched Jue Ge's back and sneered inwardly. "It's useless... 'Memory Match' relies on short-term memory. Once this memory is deviated or forgotten, it's impossible to remember no matter how much you think about it."

Feng Bujue didn't keep them waiting for too long. He returned in less than a minute.

After inserting a straw into the champagne and taking a sip, Jue Ge raised his hand in a bold gesture... and flipped over a card that had never been flipped over in the previous rounds.

Obviously, he had given up on scoring...

So, unsurprisingly, the third card he flipped over was also a distant card that had not been flipped over before.

"Ha! What's that..." At this moment, Black Butterfly's heart had turned into ridicule. "After going around in a circle, you realized you couldn't remember, so you simply gave up on scoring... and flipped out two new cards, wanting to disturb my attention?"

"You're such a gentleman~" After despising her opponent in her heart, Black Butterfly still thanked him in a sweet voice on the surface. "Since you're so polite... then I won't be polite either."

"Oh..." Feng Bujue replied in a lazy tone. "Please, do as you wish."

Soon, the referee reset the cards, and then Black Butterfly's third round of flipping cards also began.

Her goal was very clear. She quickly and accurately flipped out the three "Voice Like Brahma."

"This lady scores three points." A second later, the referee picked out the three identical cards on the table, stacked them together, and placed them face up on Black Butterfly's side of the table (the table used in the second game was much larger than the one used in the number guessing duel, with enough space), then said to Black Butterfly, "After scoring, you can flip three more cards."

"Okay." Black Butterfly smiled sweetly at the referee, and then she stared at the pile of cards on the table silently for a long time.

About a minute later, she followed the order in which she had flipped the cards before and flipped over three new adjacent cards.

Thus, the duel continued...

Ten rounds later, Black Butterfly had scored 15 points, while Feng Bujue... not only had not scored 1 point, but on several occasions he had missed opportunities because he did not flip out cards that had appeared before, even when there was a "scoring opportunity on the field."

Although Black Butterfly's memory ability was not at the point where she could "definitely succeed as long as there was a scoring opportunity," she could definitely get the points for those cards where "all three cards of the same suit had appeared" after at most two rounds of trying.

However, at this moment...

"That's about it." Feng Bujue suddenly said something out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Black Butterfly had just finished her round of flipping cards. Hearing this, she asked suspiciously, "Mr. Crow, what did you say?"

"I'm saying... my observation of you..." Jue Ge replied in a very calm tone, "is almost complete."