r18novel Chapter 138 Taking it personally
Chapter 138 Taking it personally
Chapter 138 Taking it personally
The car door opened, and a man in a white suit, with neatly combed white hair, a handsome face that even had a touch of wickedness, who looked to be only in his forties and wore brown-tinted glasses, gracefully stepped out of the car with the help of a blonde, blue-eyed, and hot woman.
The Gambling Demon—Chen Jincheng!
Unlike Nie Wanlong's arrogance, Chen Jincheng's temperament was more reserved, and also more dangerous. He was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, seemingly elegant and composed, yet capable of launching a fatal attack at any moment.
"Chen Jincheng, he's finally here!" The crowd stirred again.
"I heard he's been active in Las Vegas and Europe for the past few years, and this time he came back specifically for the $100 million jackpot."
"The battle between him and Nie Wanlong for the title of gambling king is about to be decided."
Huang Jieyi took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady, but her excitement was still hard to hide: "The last protagonist has arrived! Mr. Chen Jincheng, known as the 'Gambling Demon'! This legendary figure, who has dominated the international gambling world for decades, his arrival will undoubtedly push the competition to its climax! Gambling Demon, Gambling Maniac, Gambling Obsessed, Gambling King—an unprecedented gambling event! Who will emerge victorious in this ultimate showdown, be crowned the 'God of Gambling in Hong Kong and Macau,' and take home the astonishing HK$100 million prize? The answers will be revealed one by one after the 'Galaxy' sails into international waters."
As soon as she finished speaking, a deep and long whistle sounded.
"Ugh—!"
The massive hull of the "Star River" trembled slightly as the gangway began to slowly retract.
Staff members and some media personnel who had not yet boarded the ship began their final evacuation from the dock.
Huang Jieyi gave her final summary to the camera: "The whistle has sounded, the 'Galaxy' is about to set sail for the final stage of this competition—the high seas! Macau TV will continue to follow this world-renowned gambling extravaganza! I'm Huang Jieyi, reporting from the Macau pier!"
The live broadcast signal was cut off.
Huang Jieyi put down the microphone, breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to her assistant in a low voice: "Try to get in touch with that gambling knight, Chen Xiaodao, and it would be best if we could interview Song Zhaowen—I have a feeling that this competition will definitely have a big show to start."
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the "Starship," in the most luxurious observation suite...
Song Zhaowen stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of whiskey, quietly watching the dock gradually shrink until it became a blurry trace on the coastline.
Behind him, Xiao Zhuoxiao was reporting in a low voice: "Brother Wen, there are a total of 387 invited guests and media representatives."
Everyone has boarded the ship. Jiang Zhen, Nie Wanlong, Sun Yifeng, and Chen Jincheng have all been accommodated in VIP suites.
Chen Xiaodao was in the monitoring center, A Yong was patrolling each floor with his Mad Dog Squad brothers, and Tony was coordinating logistics and security arrangements.
"Everyone, brothers, are you all ready?"
Song Zhaowen took a sip of wine, the amber liquid swirling in the glass.
"Very good." He turned around, his face expressionless. "By the way, what are the odds on the international markets right now?"
Xiao Zhuoxiao immediately pulled out a printed form from his folder and handed it over: "Brother Wen, this is the latest odds that Tony just sent from the ship. It's gone crazy outside. The total betting volume in Macau and Hong Kong alone has exceeded 500 million."
Song Zhaowen took the form and quickly scanned it.
The table clearly lists the odds for several favorites to win the championship:
Gambling King Chen Jincheng: 1 to 1.5 odds
Gambling maniac Nie Wanlong: 1 to 2 odds
Gambling addict Sun Yifeng: 1 to 4 odds
Gambling King Jiang Zhen: 1 to 6
Below that is a long list of odds from other well-known gamblers, as well as some special odds such as "whether anyone will be caught cheating" or "whether a murder will occur".
Song Zhaowen tapped his finger over the names "Chen Jincheng" and "Nie Wanlong": "These two are the hottest. It seems everyone is optimistic about their fierce competition."
"Yes, Brother Wen." Xiao Zhuoxiao nodded. "Chen Jincheng has a better international reputation, and Nie Wanlong has been on a roll in recent years. The odds for the two are very close. However—there are some strange betting odds being quietly opened on the sidelines."
"Oh? What kind of betting odds?" Song Zhaowen raised an eyebrow.
Xiao Zhuoxiao lowered his voice: "It's about—you. Someone's betting on whether you'll personally get involved."
"Bet on my win?" Song Zhaowen raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. "What are the odds?"
Xiao Zhuoxiao glanced at a line of inconspicuous small print at the bottom of the table: "The odds of betting on you personally participating in the betting and winning are 1 to 20."
Song Zhaowen chuckled, tossed the form back onto the table, picked up his wine glass, and took another sip. "These people running these restaurants are quite good at reading people's minds. It seems most of them think that I, as the boss, won't go out and compete with the customers for food."
"Brother Wen, you're the bookmaker, so it's really inappropriate for you to play this game. If you win, people will say you set the trap, and if you lose, you'll lose face even more," Xiao Zhuoxiao analyzed.
"Face?" Song Zhaowen walked to the liquor cabinet and slowly added an ice cube to his glass. "Ah Xiao, how much is face worth? Is it worth a hundred million?"
Song Zhaowen turned around, leaning against the wine cabinet, swirling his wine glass: "A HK$100 million prize? Do you really think I'm generous enough to let those old bastards take it so easily? Remember, Ah Xiao, we're not running a gambling ship for charity. Not only will they not be able to take the prize money, but I'm going to win it all from them!"
Xiao Zhuoxiao was taken aback.
"Brother Wen, are you going to get involved yourself? It's not that I don't have faith in you, but those guys are all professional gamblers, aren't they?"
Song Zhaowen smiled slightly: "Ah Xiao, I'm introducing you to a friend."
After saying that, Song Zhaowen clapped his hands.
The living room door was pushed open, and a one-eyed man entered.
Xiao Zhuoxiao looked at the one-eyed man in front of him with a look of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes. This guy was wearing a wrinkled gray suit, his hair was greasy, one eye was covered by a black eye patch, and the other eye was squinting, always looking at people with a sinister light. No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like a reliable "expert".
"This is a friend from the mainland, nicknamed Dajun. He has special abilities and is quite skilled."
"Special abilities? Brother Wen, this—"
In recent years, there has been a craze for so-called special abilities in the north, but people in Hong Kong just treat it as a joke. In the past two years, countless swindlers have gone south to deceive people, but they have all been exposed in the end. There is even a Hong Kong radio station that specializes in exposing and debunking so-called special abilities. These days, anyone who takes it seriously is a fool.
"Ah Xiao, don't judge a book by its cover." Song Zhaowen walked over and patted Da Jun on the shoulder. The latter grinned, revealing a set of teeth yellowed from smoking, and nodded to Xiao Zhuoxiao as a greeting: "Da Jun is someone I brought from the mainland through special channels. His skills," I've seen them with my own eyes. He can accurately name the suit and rank of every card in a deck of cards, even through three layers of cloth. He can hear the dice cup covered for a few seconds and then announce the rank. And—he can use his mind to switch a card without touching it."
"Brother Wen, it's not that I don't believe you, please don't..."
Ah-Xiao dared not say the second half of the sentence, "Don't be fooled."
As if sensing Xiao Zhuoxiao's doubts, Dajun chuckled twice: "Brother Xiao, right? Looks like you think I'm some third-rate conman."
As he spoke, he slowly pulled a brand-new deck of cards from his pocket and casually tore open the packaging. "Don't believe me? Brother Xiao can try it."
Da Jun shuffled the cards casually in his hand, his movements even a little clumsy, not at all like a seasoned player. Then he laid the cards face down on the table. "Brother Xiao, just pick a card."
Xiao Zhuoxiao thought for a moment: "King of Spades."
"Okay." Dajun responded, but he didn't do anything special. He just slowly scanned the backs of the cards on the table with his one eye.
After about five seconds, he extended his right index finger and tapped the seventh card from the left: "Turn it over and take a look."
Xiao Zhuoxiao stepped forward and carefully turned over the card.
The card on the card was clearly the 7 of Diamonds.
"Ha," Xiao Zhuoxiao couldn't help but scoff, "Brother Dajun, you—"
Before he could finish speaking, Dajun waved his hand, signaling him not to rush. Then, Dajun extended his right hand, palm suspended in the air, seemingly muttering something.
A few seconds later, Dajun opened his eyes: "Take another look."
This time, the card turned out to be the King of Spades!
Xiao Zhuoxiao's pupils suddenly contracted! He stared intently at the card, then looked at Dajun's empty hand—there were no props there! He hadn't even seen Dajun's hand touch the card!
"How...how is this possible?"
That's not all. Dajun chuckled and said, "Brother Xiao, check your left pocket."
Xiao Zhuoxiao reached into his pocket, his expression suddenly changed, and he took out the 7 of diamonds from before.
It's impossible for him to cooperate with Dajun! Besides, the two are more than twenty yards apart, and it's impossible for Dajun to slip the cards into his pocket without his sight.
Even with a million curses running through his mind, Xiao Zhuoxiao had to admit that the one-eyed man in front of him really did have special abilities.
"How about it? Does this trick of stealing the sky and changing the moon catch Brother Xiao's eye?" Da Jun said smugly.
Song Zhaowen pointed at the monitoring room: "With a small knife catching cheaters on the outside, a large army on the inside, and a bunch of high-tech gadgets working together, how could I lose? Ah Xiao, I suggest you bet all your money on the foreign exchange market and gamble on me winning. I guarantee you'll become rich overnight!"
Galaxy, shining brightly, two hours before the Hong Kong and Macau God of Gamblers showdown.
The luxury bar on the middle floor of the "Starship" is named "Golden Years".
Bunny girls dressed in revealing outfits weaved among the guests.
Hung Hing leader Chiang Tin-sang holds a glass of Macallan 25-year-old iced beer in his hand.
"Hey Tai, how's it going? Any picks? Mr. Song said you can just call any of those bunny girls." Jiang Tiansheng took a sip of his drink and smiled at a man with a buzz cut and sharp eyes next to him. This was Kam Chi-tai, the heir to the Hung Hing triad in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The prince grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Mr. Jiang, you know I'm not into women; but to be honest, Master Song really knows how to stir things up. This ship, this scene, tsk tsk, it's even more impressive than our Hung Hing's annual party."
Fatty Li, standing nearby, stared intently at the group of pretty girls: "Damn, it's a good thing Mr. Song doesn't get involved in the sex industry, otherwise, with the quality of these girls on board, I'd probably be starving!"
Jiang Tiansheng's girlfriend, Fang Ting, rolled her eyes at the group: "You men, all you can think about is women. Give me a check, honey, and I'm going downstairs to gamble a couple of times~"
It's quite a coincidence.
Jiang Tiansheng's girlfriend is also named Fang Ting.
However, this Fang Ting was a former Category III film star, with a worldly air about her, and could not compare to Song Zhaowen's Fang Ting.
Jiang Tiansheng smiled and shook his head, then took out his checkbook from his pocket with a fondness, quickly signed a check, and handed it to Fang Ting: "Go ahead, have fun, it's on me if you lose."
Fang Ting took the check, giggled, and swayed her hips as she headed towards the casino.