"Then what are you?" Ling Yun sneered. He'd heard this kind of logic countless times; it was all utter bullshit. "A bunch of weird cops watching us line up to die? Or some kind of pastor lecturing me on grand principles? I just want to say, if it's a life-or-death gamble, nobody here is getting away, including you staff. You really think you're the police maintaining world order? If it's a life-or-death gamble, fine, you all have to gamble too. If you lose, you'll die just the same!"
He spoke his last sentence loudly, immediately drawing countless eyes. Hearing Ling Yun's words, most of the gamblers' eyes lit up, their gazes filled with admiration and appreciation. Several staff members, dressed in vests like the young man, walked over with grim faces, some even pulling out black pistols from their pockets.
"Excuse me, sir, we are staff members and do not participate in casino gambling." The young staff member explained with a faint smile, his brows furrowed with nonchalance. Ling Yun's question was within his expectations, and there was no need for him to get angry and lose his composure.
However, every gambler who had questioned him either obediently participated in gambling or became a cold corpse. For this somewhat irritable teenager, the same two fates seemed inevitable. Without even turning around, the young staff member already knew his colleague was rushing over. At that point, the frail teenager would face only two fates: submission or being beaten to death. Of course, even submission would only delay his demise a little longer.
"Excuse me, but I don't want to follow your rules? I don't gamble. I can't control whether others are willing to die, but I don't want to die." Ling Yun said slowly, seemingly ignoring the group of vicious men who were rushing over with ill intentions.
“I’m sorry, sir, as long as you’re in the casino, you must abide by our rules.” The young staff member remained calm, as if he had seen many unruly gamblers like Ling Yun before. He simply gave a slight bow. “Whether you know how to gamble or not, you must be forced to participate. You can resist, but we have the right to kill you.”
When he uttered the words "killed," the young man's face still wore a respectful and smiling expression, as if he were attentively serving a guest. However, both his tone and the way he chose his words revealed a chilling and terrifying undertone. If a normal person had heard him say that, their face would probably have turned pale by now.
For young people, real threats are often subtle. Loud intimidation and using violence to force someone into submission are things that crude people do. Young people disdain and do not want to use blatant, direct violence. Of course, if the other party does not cooperate, the result is the same. However, subtle threats are often more effective and profound for adults with a certain level of understanding.
Therefore, young people enjoy speaking to others this way, especially when they see anger or fear on the other person's face. It can even give them a sense of euphoria, like an orgasm, a feeling of immense satisfaction. Oppressing the weak and one's own kind is actually one of human instincts, and the more brutal the process, the greater the pleasure it brings.
Several staff members and young men wearing identical vests stood side by side, all staring at Ling Yun. If the young man made any move, many of them would immediately raise their pistols and riddle him with bullets.
As was the usual practice, even if the skinny boy was unwilling, he could only show a helpless and angry expression and obediently follow the staff's instructions to line up and wait to enter the casino. The desperate and helpless feeling of waiting to be executed was something that all the staff, including the young man, appreciated. This dark mentality was very strange. Although most of the gamblers had no grudge against them, just watching others die would arouse the darkest thoughts in everyone's heart.
"Any other questions, sir? If not, please follow our staff to the queuing area to get a number." The young man spoke unhurriedly, his eyes fixed intently on the boy before him, barely missing a single subtle expression from Ling Yun. Every change in Ling Yun's expression brought him unparalleled, sadistic pleasure. The young man could even imagine Ling Yun's helpless submission with his eyes closed, and a sinister smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
However, the young man's smile gradually froze on his face. The boy before him remained calm, showing no emotional change whatsoever. He stared at the staff members with a seemingly wooden yet icy gaze, utterly devoid of fear or even anger. The young man was utterly taken aback. What did this mean? Even the most unyielding and resolute man should have displayed an expression of resignation or extreme rage at this moment. Having seen countless gamblers, this was the first time the young man had encountered a gambler like Ling Yun.
His calm expression was like a superior attitude, as if he were detached from everything and didn't care about anything. Although he was unarmed and facing a group of staff members with guns, Ling Yun's attitude was like a proud lion looking down at a pack of wolves with its chest out and head held high. His calmness even carried a hint of irony, as if he was mocking the crowd for being overconfident like a pack of wolves.
The young man was immediately filled with shame and anger. Ling Yun's attitude made him extremely unhappy. He had wanted to see the other party make a fool of himself to satisfy his dark desires, but the result was reversed. The group of people should have had an absolute advantage in terms of strength, but instead, they were being mocked by a skinny boy. Not only the young man couldn't stand it, but the other staff members also turned red in the face and quickly raised their guns. The dark muzzles of the guns were pointed at Ling Yun's head and chest, and their fingers were already lightly on the triggers. If they didn't do something right, they would immediately start firing wildly and turn Ling Yun into a sieve.
“There are two questions.” Just as everyone was about to explode, Ling Yun suddenly smiled and said. He gently raised his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist in front of his chest. With just a little force, his knuckles made a crisp cracking sound. To others, it seemed like an unintentional movement by the boy, but in fact, his fist contained a terrifying power like a storm.
"First, if I simply refuse to gamble, and you can't do anything about it, what will you do?" Ling Yun said with a slight smile, shaking his fist in front of the gun barrel he was pointing at.
"Secondly, I'm willing to gamble with my life, but you all must also gamble with your lives. If it's fair, we'll all be fair; if it's unfair, we'll all be unfair. If you're unwilling, I have the right to kill you at any time." As he said this, Ling Yun's smile became extremely arrogant. He even imitated the tone of a young staff member, gentle yet full of threat. However, beneath this was a raw sense of violence and arrogance, instantly drawing the attention of all the gamblers. For a moment, the entire casino fell silent, with thousands of eyes focused on Ling Yun.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you ask me a question?" The young staff member could no longer maintain his noble demeanor and elegant, reserved speaking style, and finally began to curse, "Kill him! Beat him to death!"
Just as the staff were about to pull the trigger and kill Ling Yun, their vision suddenly blurred and a swift figure flashed past them. Their hands went limp, and the pistols flew out of their grasp and into the other man's hands. Before they could even understand what was happening, they were punched hard in the stomach. The staff immediately clutched their stomachs and squatted on the ground, drooling and crying from the pain.
"I'm asking a question, so what can you do about it?" Ling Yun tucked the five or six pistols he had snatched into his waistband, then pressed one of them against the young man's head, still smiling but incredibly arrogant, and asked, "Is my question not enough, sir? Or are you not listening to what I say? Then I'll have to exercise my authority."
"Don't do anything rash! Please don't do anything rash!" The young staff member was ashen-faced. Although he tried to remain calm, his trembling legs betrayed his inner fear. He hadn't expected this boy to be so capable, managing to disarm several of their men with his bare hands when they were pointing guns at him. He wished he had just shot him dead. "We have a lot of people in our casino. You're all alone with just one gun. You can't beat us. Put down your gun, and we can talk things over."
As he spoke, his tone softened. Not only had his initial elegant demeanor vanished, but his voice had also become subservient. The young man hated his uncontrollably trembling legs, which were shaking uncontrollably. What shamed him most was that Ling Yun had noticed his trembling body. This made the once arrogant and haughty young man wish he could disappear into nowhere. The difference between his previous self and his current self was too great. The young man even felt that he had completely lost face.
The thrill and excitement of watching gamblers get killed or commit suicide in the past has now been replaced by others admiring him. This feeling of going from being hunted to being the prey is extremely unpleasant, and it's an instantaneous fall from heaven to hell, almost driving the young man to a nervous breakdown. The boy in front of him has transformed from a simple, thin boy into a demon, and all the changes come from that calm face that has remained unchanged from beginning to end.
"Oh? Put down your gun? Do you think I'm stupid? Put down your gun and wait to be riddled with bullets?" Ling Yun smiled faintly, elegantly shifted the muzzle of his gun, and suddenly pulled the trigger, aiming at the head of the staff member who was kneeling beside him, still clutching his stomach.
With a deafening roar, the close-range gunshot instantly shattered the worker's head into a split watermelon, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere. Those caught off guard and trying to dodge were left in a blood-soaked, disheveled state. The bullet, carrying the powerful shockwave, ripped open most of his skull, turning his features and skull into a disgusting, bloody mess.
"Ah!" A young woman who witnessed the scene screamed in agony. The extremely gruesome scene shocked everyone. No one expected that this young man would be so ruthless and cruel, shooting a casino employee without reason or warning. The scene of blood flowing freely made Ling Yun seem like a demon.
The air seemed to freeze, with only the collective gasp of shock. Gamblers in the betting area stopped all gambling and turned to look at Ling Yun in astonishment. Although headshots were a common occurrence in the casino lobby, none were as gruesome and shocking as what was happening beside Ling Yun.
To deal with the brutal, one must be even more brutal than them. This is a creed that Lingyun has always adhered to. Violence is the ultimate solution to war. Aren't you so arrogant that you don't care about human life? Well, now it's your turn to taste the bitterness.
The young man was so frightened that he sat down on the ground with a thud. His head buzzed and he almost fainted. He was closest to the staff member who had been shot in the head. Almost half of the blood and brain matter had splattered onto the white vest on his chest. When he saw the dark red liquid, disgusting skull fragments, and sparse hair on the purple vest, the young man couldn't help but clutch his throat and vomit profusely.
Before he could finish vomiting, a hand grabbed his handsome short blond hair and yanked him up from the ground. Although the young man's face showed pain, he dared not complain. His heart was ice-cold, and he didn't even dare to look at Ling Yun, as if the frail boy had completely turned into a demon.
He felt a hard, solid pressure from a pistol pressed against his head, and Ling Yun's calm voice rang in his ears: "Anyone who wants to talk to me, step forward."
Chapter 346 Anyone else want to talk?
The casino lobby was deathly silent. Apart from the creaking of the roulette wheel, everyone held their breath, including the gamblers, afraid to even breathe loudly. They stood motionless, trembling with fear, lest they bring trouble upon themselves. Death itself wasn't frightening; people died every moment in the casino. But no death could deliver the same soul-stirring shock as Ling Xiangyun's—a direct and visually impactful display of naked violence.
In the casino, no gambler, including the God of Gamblers, dared to defy the casino staff. But today, this boy who appeared out of nowhere broke the established rules one after another, even killing a staff member with the most arrogant attitude. This not only made the gamblers stare in disbelief, but also made the casino staff feel inexplicably fearful and terrified. It was as if they had just realized that they were not high and mighty messengers of hell, but ordinary people who could be shot dead.
The sound of hurried footsteps quickly approached. A dozen casino security guards in bulletproof vests trotted over, their heavy steps accompanied by the distinctive bulletproof helmets of special forces soldiers. They carried uniform black riot shields and standard-issue submachine guns, their heavy steel-soled alligator leather boots clattering on the ground. Several casual gamblers, caught off guard, were immediately shoved aside by the ruthless guards, stumbling and falling. They hastily retreated to the side, afraid to provoke these killing machines and invite their own demise.
With the rhythmic swishing of gun bolts being pulled back, the security guards formed two neat rows of human walls, their riot shields creating an impenetrable barrier in front of them. Dark gun barrels protruded from the gaps between the shields, all aimed at Ling Yun.
"Put down your weapons and hostages, and we guarantee you won't be killed if you surrender." A security captain standing on the left side of the human wall coldly shouted, "Don't try to resist. Our casino has plenty of staff. If you want to escape here with hostages, we don't mind sacrificing him."
Ling Yun was about to speak when he suddenly frowned, looking down at the young man whose hair he was holding and who was unable to move. The young man's body, which had been so strong just moments before, was now as limp as a noodle, and a foul smell wafted out. Everyone heard the faint sound of liquid falling to the ground and couldn't help but look at the young man. They then had an expression of sudden realization. It turned out that when he heard the security captain's plan to sacrifice himself, the young man's body went limp, and he was so frightened that he wet his pants. He trembled and wanted to beg for mercy without regard for his dignity, but unfortunately, his body and face were twitching too violently, and his teeth were chattering, so he couldn't utter a single complete word.
Most people, including the security captain, frowned, feeling that the young man was behaving too shamefully. Even if someone had a gun to his head, he shouldn't have acted so cowardly. Killing and being killed were commonplace in casinos. After witnessing so many horrific scenes, even the most fragile nerves should have become tough. How could this young man still be so timid?
Some gamblers who were already in despair felt incredibly gratified. After seeing the thugs who forced them to gamble with their lives suffer an even more tragic end, the long sigh of relief was incomparably exhilarating. If it weren't for the fear of casino retaliation, most of the gamblers would have been clapping and cheering.
"Then I'll sacrifice him for you first, so that this kind of person won't embarrass your casino. Look how arrogant he was just now, and now he's even scared to death. This is the image of your casino staff, tsk tsk tsk... It's truly an eye-opener." Ling Yun mocked sarcastically, pressing the gun barrel against the young man's forehead again, his finger already lightly touching the trigger, ready to pull it hard.
Feeling immense pressure from above, the young man turned deathly pale. He was even delirious, muttering incoherently as if he had gone mad.
The security captain's face was ashen. He hadn't expected Ling Yun to be so unyielding, even more defiant in the face of threats. He was even more astonished that his men were so useless, not only wetting themselves in public and disgracing the casino, but also so terrified they were practically delirious. A steely resolve hardened his heart, and he made a swift decision, raising his arm high to strike.
Bang! With a crisp gunshot, the security captain's raised arm froze in mid-air, then he fell straight down, a small hole appearing in his helmet. In the instant he fell, the security captain was still thinking: how could an ordinary Glock pistol bullet penetrate the AVG's specially made helmet? Before he could figure it out, his consciousness was completely plunged into permanent darkness.
When Ling Yun suddenly shot and killed the security captain, everyone was stunned for a moment. Without their leader's command, the security guards carrying riot shields were bewildered and at a loss. It was as if what was happening before their eyes was not real. This boy, with so many guns pointed at him, actually dared to commit murder? My God, if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought they were experiencing a dream.
Ling Yun raised his pistol expressionlessly and fired continuously, each shot hitting the security guard's helmet precisely in the center of his forehead; any shot that penetrated to the bone would be fatal.
Propelled by the immense force of the gunpowder, the bullet whistled out of the barrel, spinning in the air and creating ripples in space. Upon impact with the helmet, the weak bullet wasn't reduced to scrap metal by the hardened steel. If the process were slowed down a thousand times, the Glock bullet would suddenly transform into a streak of silver light, a bullet shimmering with telekinetic energy. In an instant, it effortlessly pierced the special steel helmet, then silently pierced the skulls of each security guard.
The whole process happened in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react to what had happened, Ling Yun had already quietly blew away the smoke coming out of the gun muzzle.
The security guards remained in their original positions, even their gun-holding gestures remained unchanged, the dark muzzles of their guns still relentlessly pointed at Ling Yun. However, from behind, their posture looked rather strange. Every security guard's face was filled with astonishment and disbelief. Armed to the teeth and with so many men, they had actually been killed instantly by the other side. This almost heaven-defying thing had happened right before their eyes, filling everyone with resentment and disbelief.