In the cold twelfth lunar month, the temperature plummeted, and several days of heavy snow transformed the entire Jiangzhou city into a world of white.

The school had already given up for winter break, and the students had already gone home. Xiao Lou had been assigned by his department to attend an academic exchange meeting, which lasted until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. After a day of rest, he packed his bags and flew back to his hometown to spend the New Year with his grandparents.

When Xiao Lou was young, his parents were too busy with work, so he lived with his grandparents in the countryside for a while. He was too young then, and his memories of his childhood are hazy. But he returned home every Spring Festival, as reunions were a tradition in the Xiao family. His father and uncle would bring their wives and children home for New Year's Eve dinner and stay up together.

Xiao Lou arrived home on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. As he entered the house, his cousin Xiao Xinyue greeted him with a smile, "Brother, why are you so late? Grandma was just talking about you!" She leaned over and whispered in Xiao Lou's ear, "Talking about why you haven't gotten married yet."

Xiao Lou: "..."

Every time he returned home for the holidays, the elders would urge him to get married. Xiao Lou is now truly considered an "older unmarried young man." At 27, he's still single.

He started school early, enrolling in medical school at 17. After graduating from graduate school, he stayed on to teach, earning the rank of associate professor at a young age. Xiao Lou's gentle personality, tall stature, and handsome appearance should have made him popular in the dating market...

Unfortunately, he studied forensic medicine.

The word "forensic" naturally conjures images of corpses. Who would want to spend every day with a man who dissected bodies?

In reality, Xiao Lou isn't a forensic doctor in the criminal investigation system; he doesn't need to go to homicide scenes to determine the cause of death.

After graduation, he stayed on at the medical university on the recommendation of his advisor to teach. He spends most of his time teaching forensic students, and in his spare time, he helps out at the Jiangzhou City Forensic Identification Center. Cases sent to the center are typically injuries from car accidents and fights, with occasional genetic and toxicological tests also available. He hasn't seen a corpse in a long time. ***

After arriving in the living room, Xiao Lou politely greeted the elders and distributed the gifts he had brought. Grandma, as expected, smiled at him and asked, "Xiao Lou, when will you bring me a granddaughter-in-law?"

Xiao Lou massaged the elderly woman's shoulders and said gently, "Grandma, I'm too busy with work right now. I want to wait until I'm thirty before considering marriage."

Xiao Xinyue chimed in, "Brother, if you had studied clinical medicine and become a doctor, with your looks, you'd have plenty of girls chasing you. But now, when they hear you're a forensic pathologist, most of them are scared away. Hahaha."

Xiao Lou looked up at his sister and said with a half-smile, "That's professional prejudice. Forensic pathologists don't dissect living people. They're not as perverted as in horror movies. Besides, I haven't touched a corpse in ages."

At the word "corpse," Xiao Xinyue's scalp tingled, and she immediately turned and ran away. Just as dinner was about to start in the restaurant, Xiao Lou helped his grandmother sit down and changed the subject, asking Xiao Xinyue, "Have you decided which university to apply to next year?"

Xiao Xinyue, the youngest cousin, was 18 years old and would be taking the college entrance exam next semester. Xiao Lou's question prompted the elders to discuss what majors girls should choose for future employment. Xiao Xinyue actively joined in the discussion, and no one mentioned Xiao Lou's marriage, which made Xiao Lou feel slightly relieved.

After New Year's Eve dinner, the elders began playing mahjong, while Xiao Lou took his younger cousins to the next room to play.

Xiao Xinyue pulled out a brand new deck of cards and said, "How about the three of us play Landlord? The loser gets a drink?"

Xiao Lou's cousin, Xiao Wei, rolled up his sleeves, eager to try: "Come on, I'm the best at Landlord!"

Xiao Lou wasn't interested in playing cards, but every Spring Festival, when he returned to his hometown, the elders would always set up a mahjong table. Playing alone with his younger siblings was too boring, so as the eldest brother, he had to accompany them. Dou Dizhu (Landlord) is one of the most common poker games. The rules are simple: the "landlord" player can add a few cards to their hand to increase their power. The other two "peasants" must team up to play two against one. The two teams are divided into two camps, and whoever finishes their hand first wins.

Xiao Lou was lucky on the first try, and immediately drew a king bomb.

Seeing the jokers in his hand, he said without hesitation, "Call the landlord."

Xiao Xinyue and Xiao Wei had no choice but to team up to beat him.

This round, Xiao Lou's cards were too good. In addition to a straight of 9, 10, J, Q, and K, he also had several pairs, four 5s, and a pair of king bombs, leaving his opponent with no chance of survival.

His younger brother and sister watched in bewilderment as he dealt his entire hand in one go.

Xiao Lou smiled faintly, "I win. Have some Coke."

Xiao Xinyue and Xiao Wei could only drink their Cokes with bitter faces. From then on, whether Xiao Xinyue was the landlord or Xiao Wei was the banker, they were always crushed by their elder brother—Xiao Lou's luck at cards tonight was beyond words. He'd hit the royal bomb several times, nearly making his younger siblings vomit from their drinks.

The three of them played cards until midnight.

Outside, deafening firecrackers rang out, and his younger siblings excitedly ran to the yard to set off fireworks. Xiao Lou put on his coat and was about to leave when his phone suddenly lit up, a message popping up on the screen: "Happy New Year."

Sender: Yu Hanjiang

Seeing the familiar snowy profile picture, Xiao Lou's lips curled slightly, and he quickly replied, "You too, Happy New Year."

Yu Hanjiang asked, "When will I return to school?"

Xiao Lou replied, "After the seventh day of the Lunar New Year."

Yu Hanjiang said, "Thank you for your help last time. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."

Xiao Lou said, "You're welcome, Captain Yu. I'll contact you when I get back."

Outside the window, a popping sound came, and fireworks of various colors burst into life, illuminating the night sky as bright as day.

Xiao Lou stood by the window, looking at the chat logs on his phone, his mind racing back to the moment he first met Yu Hanjiang.

It was a rainy day, and a female student at the Medical University had fallen to her death, alerting the Jiangzhou City police. Xiao Lou didn't know the girl well, but her last class happened to be his. As a person of interest in the case, Xiao Lou was summoned by the police to take a statement. Upon entering the Criminal Police Brigade, the first thing he saw was the man—a man dressed in a dark blue police uniform, standing upright by the window. He was tall, with long legs, and his profile was as handsome as the most exquisite statue.

As if sensing the sidelong gaze, the man turned to look at Xiao Lou, walked over, nodded, and said, "Hello, I'm Yu Hanjiang, the head of the Criminal Police Brigade's Serious Crime Unit. Professor Xiao, please come and cooperate with the investigation."

Xiao Lou nodded politely, "Hello, Captain Yu, I will fully cooperate."

Yu Hanjiang led Xiao Lou into the interrogation room, gestured for him to sit down, and said calmly, "Name, age, occupation—these are all necessary procedures for taking a statement. Please answer truthfully."

As he took the statement, the man's voice was deep and powerful, his expression extremely serious, and his gaze as sharp as a sword, giving an overwhelming sense of oppression. He stared at him, almost suffocating him.

Even though Xiao Lou had no direct connection to this matter, he didn't want to look him in the eye. Those eyes were deep and icy, like a frozen lake in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.

The case was solved much faster than Xiao Lou had imagined, and it was confirmed to be a murder. The police apprehended the murderer the next day; it was the girl's roommate who had pushed her down the stairs. The incident even caused a sensation online.

That time, Xiao Lou's impression of the Jiangzhou City Criminal Police Brigade's efficiency in solving cases changed dramatically.

He inquired about Yu Hanjiang through a fellow forensic scientist. It was said that Yu Hanjiang's background was a mystery, yet at such a young age, he had been suddenly appointed head of the Criminal Police Brigade's Serious Crimes Unit. The Serious Crimes Unit was a task force established by Jiangzhou City specifically to solve major criminal cases like murder and rape. Since taking office, Yu Hanjiang had solved numerous unsolved cases, greatly improving the efficiency of his work.

This man, ruthless, cold-blooded, and merciless, intimidated criminals. A single fierce glance from him could make the guilty tremble in fear. It was said that he was a masterful interrogator, forcing even the most stubborn suspects to confess under his interrogation. In just two years, Yu Hanjiang's name had become a legend within the Jiangzhou police force.

After hearing about his exploits, Xiao Lou deeply admired him, believing him to be a promising young man.

He had assumed they wouldn't have much interaction, but a few days later, Yu Hanjiang suddenly approached the Forensic Identification Center office, asking for Xiao Lou's help in identifying an extremely rare poison. Xiao Lou had specialized in forensic toxicology as a graduate student, having published several highly regarded papers and established a reputation within the forensic community. Yu Hanjiang approached him, and the two exchanged WeChat and phone numbers.

Xiao Lou had assisted the police in solving this heinous poisoning case, and the "thank you for your help" Yu Hanjiang meant this. The two had met four times, all for work, and their friendship wasn't deep. So, when the usually aloof Captain Yu offered to treat him to a meal, Xiao Lou was quite surprised. Standing by the window, lost in his memories, Xiao Lou didn't notice that the playing cards on the table suddenly took on a blood-red sheen. The glow gradually formed a vortex, distorting the space around the cards as if to draw everything in.

***

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Xiao Lou said goodbye to his family and flew back to Jiangzhou City. Thinking of their WeChat conversation on New Year's Eve, Xiao Lou simply sent a message to Yu Hanjiang: "Captain Yu, I'm back. When are you free to have dinner together?"

There was no response.

Thinking he might be busy, he sat on the sofa in the living room, scrolling through the news while waiting for a reply.

Dinner time had already passed, and Yu Hanjiang still hadn't replied.

Captain Yu's status was special, after all. Perhaps he hadn't replied because he was on the scene of a difficult case, collecting evidence. Xiao Lou tactfully avoided bothering him and went downstairs to grab a bowl of noodles. After finishing his noodles, he decided to go to the supermarket to buy some groceries. As he was crossing the street, he suddenly saw a bus hurtling toward him from the corner.

Xiao Lou's eyes widened, his heart nearly stopping!

He swiftly took off, but the bus was moving too fast. He barely took a step before he was slammed into the air!

The world spun around him, and Xiao Lou quickly lost consciousness.

***

When he awoke again, he was surrounded by a vast expanse of white mist. Through the hazy fog, a cold, robotic voice rang out clearly: "Xiao Lou, congratulations on being chosen by the Card World. You now have two choices:

A: Die peacefully, forget everything. Your soul will completely vanish, and you will never again suffer from illness.

B: Retain your memories and be reborn in the Card World to face new challenges. However, the rules of survival in the Card World are cruel. Perhaps living here is worse than simply dying."

Xiao Lou was puzzled.

Was that voice an illusion? And gave him two strange choices?

Since he didn't respond, the cold, mechanical voice spoke again: "You'll have 10 seconds to consider. Memory wipe countdown in progress. 10, 9, 8..."

Xiao Lou said decisively: "I choose B."

Regardless of whether the voice was an illusion or not, of the two options, he could only choose the latter.

He was only twenty-seven, in the prime of his life. He didn't want to be wiped clean and completely wiped out. If he could just be given another chance, no matter how difficult or dangerous the new world might be... at least he'd be alive, right?

Only by being alive could there be hope.

Xiao Lou quickly calmed himself and asked, "Who are you?"

The other party replied coldly: "I'm a highly intelligent system elf from the card world. You can't see me, but I can see you."

The feeling of being watched made Xiao Lou frown. He took a deep breath and continued, "What exactly is this 'card world' you speak of?"

The next moment, countless cards suddenly appeared before him. Those were the playing cards he'd used to play Landlord with his younger siblings on Spring Festival night. The backs had the familiar blue diamond pattern, the kind most commonly seen in convenience stores. The 5 of Hearts, the 8 of Diamonds, the 10 of Clubs, the Jack of Spades... playing cards of various suits strung together like a long chain, whizzing past him like a film reel played at quadruple speed.

Amidst the white mist, the chain of cards rapidly formed horizontally and vertically, the four suits mingling in a chaotic, unpredictable pattern. The densely packed playing cards, visible to the naked eye, formed a massive wall within ten seconds.

System: "Player Xiao Lou, welcome to the card world."