"Oh?" Ling Yun was taken aback. He hadn't really thought that his actions would harm the VIP gamblers. However, what Jack said made some sense. It seemed that things were indeed like this: when the gamblers had finally made it to VIP, or even high-level VIP, after surviving the life-or-death gambles, and were enjoying certain privileges, everything was in vain with Ling Yun's order. The VIP status became a mirage, and the power to win life-or-death gambles vanished in the blink of an eye. It was inevitable that some resentment would arise in their hearts.
This is like in a dictatorial country, where speculators painstakingly study and work hard to climb to the top and enjoy the privileges brought by the dictatorship. But this doesn't last long. One day, the dictatorial country is suddenly overthrown by a foreigner, and the speculators' privileges disappear overnight, which naturally makes it impossible for them to accept it again.
Thinking of this, Ling Yun couldn't help but re-examine Jack. He had to admit that this guy looked elegant and refined, like a refined gentleman, and neither his appearance nor his demeanor had anything to do with a red-eyed gambler. But he was a VIP who had crawled out of piles of corpses, which proved that no matter how gentle and approachable he looked, there must be a cold-blooded and cruel side that he hadn't shown.
If they were shrewd and worldly VIP gamblers, they might not stand up to challenge Ling Yun's authority at this moment. Ling Yun's brutal methods have already intimidated everyone. If they angered Ling Yun, even VIP gamblers might not have a good outcome. Therefore, VIPs are more likely to observe the changes in the game quietly and wait for the right opportunity to make their move.
Jack, who stepped forward to criticize Ling Yun's actions, must have his own reliance or trump card. Otherwise, his words would not be just a complaint or expression of dissatisfaction. If Ling Yun has no remedial measures, Jack should also have his own way of doing things.
Although these VIP gamblers are few in number, they are the backbone of the casino, so Ling Yun dares not underestimate them. After all, the secrets of the fourth hall still need to be found in the gambling games. It is very possible that Jack is the turning point in the gambling games. Moreover, Ling Yun has made up his mind that although he has broken the casino's rule of using life as the basis for gambling, he himself must participate in the gambling games. Only in this way can he better integrate into the casino and know what the test is.
Thinking of this, Ling Yun couldn't help but smile: "Then I'm really sorry, Jack. It's impossible to be perfect in everything. After all, I don't want anyone to die here for no reason just because they don't want to gamble. Compared to life, your VIP gambler privileges are nothing. I understand the principle of choosing the lesser of two evils. Besides, if you want to gamble, you can still choose your opponents. I have no intention of stopping you."
Hearing Ling Yun's words, Jack smiled slightly: "What you said makes a lot of sense, Mr. Ling Yun. But who will compensate us VIP gamblers for our losses? To use a Chinese saying, you came here, changed the rules, and then left, leaving us gamblers to suffer the consequences. Don't think that those gamblers who left will be grateful to you for this. They won't even remember who you are. They just want to get as far away from this awful place as possible. And the real gamblers won't thank you either, because you deprived them of the thrill of gambling that comes with the cruel rules. So they will only hate you."
Ling Yun was taken aback. "How did I deprive the gamblers of their pleasure? I don't quite understand. I would appreciate it if Mr. Jack could enlighten me."
Jack said slowly, "Mr. Lingyun, judging from your words, you're not a true gambler. A true gambler takes pride in pursuing the thrill and ultimate experience of gambling. The result isn't important; what matters is the exciting process of gradually uncovering the unknown. This exciting process is similar to the principle of sex—it's all for the final climax. Therefore, the pleasure a gambler gains during gambling is unparalleled, even at the cost of their life. Unfortunately, you, with the mindset of a gambling novice, have deprived me of this rule that could potentially bring the greatest gambling pleasure. It's truly a pity." As he spoke, he shook his head regretfully, seemingly feeling very sad.
Before Ling Yun could speak, Jack added, "Mr. Ling Yun, I am not saddened by the loss of my VIP privileges. I am just saddened that you have deprived us of the greatest and most enjoyable thrill of gambling. I am very sorry for this and hope you can forgive my transgression."
Chapter 348 The Eighth Gambling District
Ling Yun was dumbfounded. He never expected that this gambler could spout such a long theory of gambling. It was truly unheard of. "Hearing this man speak is worth more than ten years of study." Even gambling has so many intricacies to it. Ling Yun couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for Jack. This guy was truly born to be a gambler. It would be a waste of his talent if he didn't come here.
"Ahem... Let's get down to business." Ling Yun coughed twice, then regained his calm expression. "Mr. Jack, you've told me so much, you're not just venting, are you? Tell me what your plans are, otherwise, you should just go do what you're supposed to do, okay?" As he spoke, Ling Yun made an OK sign.
“Well, Mr. Lingyun is indeed straightforward, I really admire him.” Jack laughed heartily. “My request is very simple. It’s clear that Brother Lingyun is an extraordinary person with profound knowledge. Meeting Mr. Lingyun is the greatest fortune of my life. So, no matter what, please, Mr. Lingyun, gamble with me. As I said before, although you have deprived us gamblers of our true joy, the joy of gamblers is relative. If we can gamble with a worthy opponent, then whether we win or lose, live or die, we will have no regrets. True friends are hard to find in life, and for gamblers, finding a worthy opponent is even more rare and precious.”
At this point, his elegant demeanor suddenly changed, replaced by a fanatical expression, as if he had seen God: "Mr. Lingyun, if you want to make amends to me, please gamble with me. It is my honor, Jack, to gamble with such an extraordinary person as you. It is the highest level I can reach in my life. Even if I die immediately, I will have no regrets."
Ling Yun sneered: "Mr. Jack, why should I gamble with you? The stakes here are lives. I'm not an infinitely multiplying bacterium, nor am I a fanatical gambler like you. Why should I gamble with you unless I'm crazy?"
Jack's eyes sparkled: "Mr. Lingyun, how do you know you're not crazy? Everyone in this casino is crazy, and if you're not gambling here, what are you supposed to do?"
“I do gamble, but I need to observe and learn first, since I’m a complete novice at gambling,” Ling Yun said honestly. “Mr. Jack, you flatter me too much. You are a high-level VIP among gamblers, with superb gambling skills and the deepest understanding of gambling. I am just a novice in front of you, and I don’t want to easily entrust my precious life to an unfair game. If I gamble against you, I am very likely to lose, so I refuse your request.”
"Hehe, Mr. Lingyun." Jack seemed to have anticipated Lingyun's response and immediately replied, "I'm not asking you to gamble with me right now. You're right, your gambling skills are incomparable to mine. However, I was once a gambling novice like you, and I firmly believe I haven't misjudged you. Since Mr. Lingyun is an extraordinary person, he must have a deep understanding of gambling techniques. As long as you gradually upgrade to a VIP like me, your gambling skills will definitely be on par with mine or even surpass mine. At that time, wouldn't it be fair for us to gamble together?" As he spoke, Jack looked at Lingyun with a smile, his expression extremely sincere, but it looked more like the smile of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"..." Ling Yun suddenly had a strong urge to strangle this kind and amiable noble... gambler. It was truly astonishing that he could utter such words, "fair" indeed? Why didn't he just let him die? One had to go through twenty rounds of gambling without losing to become the lowest level VIP, while this Jack seemed to be one of the highest VIP levels... one of the Gods of Gamblers. This meant that he would have to go through at least fifty rounds of gambling without dying to reach the same level as Jack. If calculated according to probability, that would be two to the power of fifty. Ling Yun couldn't even quite figure out what two to the power of fifty actually was. He only knew that the probability was infinitely close to zero.
Ling Yun suddenly felt a great admiration for the gambling god Jack in front of him. No matter who it was, being able to remain undefeated in fifty rounds of gambling was a myth in itself, especially in such a cruel and demanding game. This meant that in fifty rounds of gambling, not a single mistake could be made, otherwise all previous efforts would be in vain.
The first twenty rounds of gambling are the most rigorous and brutal. Without VIP status, players not only have to gamble against ordinary gamblers of the same level, but also face challenges from VIPs at any time. Since they cannot refuse, ordinary gamblers are already in an unfair position, because VIPs have a much higher chance of winning.
Becoming a Jack-like figure requires not only a one in tens of millions probability, but also immense luck. One must pray that the highest-level VIPs don't approach them when they are still tourists; otherwise, there's a 99% chance of losing, and that final point is a miracle.
Seemingly sensing Ling Yun's thoughts, Jack smiled slightly and held up three fingers: "Mr. Ling Yun, when I was just an ordinary gambler, three top-level VIPs recognized my potential. They each challenged me to a bet, and I only had a one percent chance of winning. Everyone except myself thought I was doomed. I firmly believed I would win, and in the end, I did. Since then, no VIP has dared to challenge me to a bet. That's why I've survived until now—it's all thanks to my confidence. So, Mr. Ling Yun, I have no luck to speak of. If I have any luck, it's only from my self-confidence. If we were to bet, you would have to go through the same process I went through. That would be fair to both of us. And if you also reach the same level as me, I would still maintain this confidence. Would you?"
Ling Yun gave him a deep look: "What would you do if I said no?"
“You won’t refuse,” Jack said immediately with a smile.
"Why?" Ling Yun asked calmly.
“Because I can see that you seem to be looking for something.” Jack’s gaze suddenly became sharp. “And you obviously haven’t found it yet, so you need to use gambling to achieve your vague goal. Fortunately, I can provide you with a platform to get involved in gambling. In fact, even if I didn’t say anything, you would have entered the gambling game, wouldn’t you?”
"Oh?" Ling Yun raised an eyebrow, looking at the gentlemanly gambler with surprise once again. He hadn't expected the man's gaze to be so sharp, able to see through his deepest secrets. Indeed, as Jack had said, even without his invitation to gamble, Ling Yun would have entered the game. He thought for a moment and said, "Any other reasons?"
“Yes!” Jack said seriously, “If you enter a casino, are you satisfied without gambling a couple of rounds?”
“I am unwilling, but I am even more unwilling to gamble with my life. This is not gambling with money, but gambling with my life. You only have one life, and once it is gone, it is gone.” Ling Yun shook his head and said, “I am very timid, Mr. Jack, you don’t need to force me anymore.”
“Mr. Lingyun, it’s not that I’m forcing you, it’s that you have to face it,” Jack said. “However, if you insist on refusing, there’s nothing I can do. But as revenge, I will kill everyone in the casino, so that your purpose will be completely exposed.”
"You're threatening me?" Ling Yun looked at him casually, as if he had heard a joke, his expression unchanged. "Then I might as well kill you first. The thing I hate most is being threatened."
“Since I dare to stand up, I’m not afraid of Mr. Lingyun killing me.” Jack smiled faintly. “Even if Mr. Lingyun kills me, it won’t solve anything. Other VIPs will stand up, unless you can kill all the VIPs.”
"Alright, alright, I'm really scared of you." Ling Yun sighed. "According to you, I'll start from the bottom, bet my life against every gambler, and then keep leveling up until I'm at the same level as you, and then we'll have our final showdown, right?"
“Yes, Mr. Lingyun.” Jack couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction after finally persuading Lingyun. “There are two other VIPs like me. If you also reach our level, we can form a four-person betting table. That would be really great… hahaha.”
"What VIP level are you?" Ling Yun asked after a moment's thought.
“Level 30,” Jack said immediately. “That’s currently the highest VIP level in the casino.”
"In other words, I have to go through fifty rounds of gambling, and I have to win every single one of them, in order to reach the same level as you?"
"Yes."
"What if I lose the bet and die halfway through?" Ling Yun asked.
Jack spread his hands, shrugged, and made a nonchalant face: "Mr. Lingyun, there is an old Chinese saying that life and death are determined by fate and wealth is determined by heaven. Everyone has to die, it's just that the way they die is different. If you die halfway, then you are not worthy to be my opponent, and you will not be able to find what you need. This will naturally be a dead end."
“Alright, I understand.” Ling Yun sighed deeply again. “Looks like I have no choice but to gamble, is that it? Mr. Jack, you’re a real bastard.”
"Thank you for the compliment. Actually, many people call me Jack the Ripper, but to receive a 'bastard' from Mr. Ling Yun is truly an honor." Jack continued to smile, revealing a set of snow-white teeth, looking extremely happy.
Ling Yun didn't bother arguing with him and walked straight to the queue area. The staff member in charge of queuing was surprised to see that this fierce-looking guy was also involved in gambling. It wasn't until Ling Yun held out his hand in front of him for a while that he seemed to wake up from a dream and handed Ling Yun a serial number. Then he looked at Ling Yun calmly and quietly joined the long queue of gamblers, waiting to be called.
When they saw Ling Yun join the gamblers, there was a slight commotion among them. They seemed not to understand why, after this young man abolished the rule of forced participation in life-or-death gambling, they themselves would also gamble with their lives. True gamblers would not care about this rule. Ling Yun seemed to be an anomaly. However, the gamblers' interest was only focused on the game, and they quickly quieted down.
The numbers on the electronic display board kept jumping around, and a cold, synthesized female voice kept saying: "Number 456, please enter the fourth gambling area; number 457, please enter the fifth gambling area; number 458, please go in..."
In another passage parallel to the gamblers' queue, staff in white uniforms were constantly busy, running in and out, carrying out the bodies of gamblers who had just committed suicide after losing money. The casino had only one entrance and one exit. Occasionally, idle gamblers would enter through the entrance, while the exit was only used for transporting bodies. Several staff members guarded the exit, strictly prohibiting any gamblers or tourists from approaching.
Ling Yun gazed towards the entrance and exit, where it was pitch black. Although there were no doors, the outside world was blocked by the same sealing power as the entrance and exit of the hall. He wondered what it was like outside the casino, or if there was nothing at all, only endless void turbulence? Ling Yun thought to himself.