Apocalypse Descends: I Win Effortlessly by Turning Trash into Treasure

Perry Yates looked up at Sylas Sawyer and suddenly smiled. ”Alright,” she said.

The two then started playing cards. The rules were simple: each person got three cards, and whoever had the better hand won.

At first, Perry Yates’s luck—or perhaps her skill—was terrible. She kept getting small cards, and Sylas Sawyer won without breaking a sweat.

Yet, the more Perry Yates played, the more addicted she seemed to get—the very picture of a terrible player who just couldn’t quit.

Perry Yates revealed her hand: a two of hearts, a five of spades, and a six of clubs.

Sylas Sawyer, on the other hand, held two Kings and an Ace.

Without a doubt, Sylas Sawyer had won the round again.

But Perry Yates wasn’t ready to give up. She slammed her cards down on the table. ”Again!”

Having won so many rounds in a row, Sylas Sawyer’s confidence was through the roof. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said,

”Boss, your luck is just too awful. There’s no challenge in playing with you. I don’t even want to play anymore.”

Hearing this, Perry Yates looked as if she’d been thoroughly provoked. Her cheeks puffed out as she glared furiously at Sylas Sawyer.

Seeing his chance, Sylas Sawyer pressed his advantage. ”It’s not that I won’t play with you... but I have a condition.”

His true intentions were showing.

”What condition?”

Perry Yates asked.

”We can’t just play for fun. How about we add some stakes?”

At this, Perry Yates seemed to perk up. ”What kind of stakes?” she asked.

”One card per round. If you win a round, I’ll give you a one-star card. If I win, you have to strengthen my left hand the same way you did my right.”

Perry Yates folded her arms and simply stared at Sylas Sawyer in silence, her gaze making him feel increasingly flustered.

After a long moment, Perry Yates finally spoke, her voice light. ”My strengthening is far more valuable than your cards.”

Just as Sylas Sawyer thought she was about to refuse, she suddenly held up two fingers. ”Two one-star cards, minimum.”

”Deal!”

’With my skills,’ Sylas Sawyer thought, ’beating the boss in front of me will be a piece of cake.’

But he seemed to have forgotten that Perry Yates was not only his opponent—she was also the dealer.

The commotion at their table quickly drew the attention of the other patrons.

Even though Perry Yates’s performance had been pitiful, she was the owner of The Card Tavern. Because of that, plenty of people were still on her side, cheering her on.

”Come on, Boss! We know you can turn this around!”

Sylas Sawyer, on the other hand, only had a handful of supporters—his own teammates.

Next came the deal.

On Perry Yates’s side, everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to her hand.

A 4, an 8, and a 6.

Unsurprisingly, it was a very weak hand.

Looks of disappointment crossed the faces of Perry Yates’s supporters. It was another bust.

They were used to it by now, though. They remained convinced it wasn’t a matter of skill, but just bad luck.

However, in the next second, the tables turned.

Sylas Sawyer’s hand was a 2, a 3, and a 5.

Even worse than Perry Yates’s.

The expression on Sylas Sawyer’s face was bizarre.

He shot a suspicious glance at Perry Yates, wondering if she was pulling some kind of trick.

’But that doesn’t make sense,’ he thought. ’If she were cheating, why wouldn’t she give herself a better hand?’

”It’s probably just a fluke,” one of his teammates said consolingly. ”After all, you’ve won so many times already.”

Sylas Sawyer was already feeling that something was off. But this was only the first round of their bet. If he tried to back out after a single loss, not only would the boss refuse, but the crowd probably wouldn’t let him go either.

The crowd’s opinion didn’t matter as much, but he was afraid of angering the boss.

So, he had to continue.

The second round.

The same result repeated itself.

Perry Yates played as usual, her hand as small as ever.

Now all eyes were on Sylas Sawyer.

”Haha, the boss wins again!”

Then the third round, the fourth...

...

Half an hour later, Sylas Sawyer was slumped in his chair, his face pale and his hands trembling uncontrollably.

”Alright, that’s enough. You don’t seem to have anything left to wager anyway. Don’t forget to show up for work when you get back.”

With that, Perry Yates left, smiling.

In that half-hour, Sylas Sawyer had not only lost every card he owned, but he had also lost his freedom—albeit for only six months.

For the next six months, Sylas Sawyer would be responsible for sweeping, serving drinks, and tending to the plants in Perry Yates’s Card Tavern.

The unpaid kind.

Not only did she get a ton of free cards, but she also scored a free, able-bodied worker.

Perry Yates, in high spirits, was in the cockpit. Even Noah’s Ark’s detection of a level-fifteen super typhoon forming hundreds of nautical miles away couldn’t spoil her good mood.

’Wait, hold on. A typhoon? A level-fifteen one?’

’The last one was only level twelve. Now a level-fifteen one shows up out of nowhere? This game really isn’t trying to let us players survive, is it?’

She checked the time. The typhoon was predicted to make landfall in three days, which would be the twentieth day of the game.

’That’s it. The timing fits.’

Perry Yates sat down and grabbed a nearby can of coke, taking a long gulp to calm her nerves.

’I should probably take down the Immersive Experience when I get back.’

’The Knowledge Crystal can make predictions, and the Immersive Experience can project those predictions as images. The two functions seem like a perfect match, but the end result seems to be pretty far off from reality.’

To avoid ruining her own reputation, Perry Yates decided to dismantle the Immersive Experience.

’Maybe I should get rid of the Knowledge Crystal, too.’

Perry Yates considered it for a moment, but ultimately abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple: the main body of the Knowledge Crystal was too massive to be moved.

Afterward, to prepare for the coming typhoon, Perry Yates began to salvage resources from the water with even greater effort.

Although Noah’s Ark had enough food to feed everyone, every little bit saved was a little bit gained. After all, whatever was left over was hers.

As the saying goes: You don’t go poor from eating and dressing well, you go poor from failing to plan ahead.

Meanwhile, down below, the water level was rising again due to the torrential rain. With vast swathes of buildings collapsed, Solara no longer bore any resemblance to a city; it looked more like a boundless ocean.

And in the water, as more and more Deep Sea Cannibals arrived, it was inevitable that Perry Yates would have run-ins with them while searching for supplies.

Moreover, since Perry Yates controlled the Water Lotus, it inevitably carried her scent.

Sure enough, Deep Sea Cannibals unable to find other food started targeting her Water Lotus.

And in the midst of battle, Perry Yates was surprised to discover that killing the Deep Sea Cannibals actually dropped cards—and the drop rate was remarkably high.