Ling Yun raised his head and looked in the direction of the voice. A long-haired young man in a black suit had walked up to him at some point, looking down at Ling Yun with an arrogant expression. On the chest of the black suit, there was a VIP badge of level 28, which meant he was a high-level gambler who was only two levels away from the highest level.
"What advice do you have? Spit it out if you have something to say, or get lost!" Ling Yun said impatiently. It seemed that every VIP had to spout a bunch of nonsense to show off their uniqueness. If you saw one person doing this, it would be a bit novel, but if they all did it, it would be nauseating. Although the long-haired youth was the highest-level VIP that Ling Yun had seen so far, in Ling Yun's eyes, he was no different from the middle-aged man and the female gambler.
"Heh, you've won a few bets, but I haven't seen any real skill. Your temper, however, has certainly grown." The long-haired youth sneered, completely ignoring Ling Yun's words, and casually sat down opposite Ling Yun. "I'll bet with you, it'll be a contest of big or small. I don't need to guess first. Whatever you say, I'll definitely be the opposite of you. How about that, fair to you?"
He slowly reached into his suit pocket, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and began to puff away. The smoke obscured his face, giving him a cool expression, but also hinting at something deeper.
“Alright, I’ll guess big and you guess small, right? We’ll decide life or death in one go,” Ling Yun said with a smile, shaking the jar faster.
"Wait a minute." The long-haired youth exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Give me the shaker, I'll shake it. You're too cunning, I'm worried you'll cheat."
"Oh? If I let you shake it, you won't cheat?" Ling Yun said, his hand moving at an undiminished speed.
"I'm a level 28 VIP. Unlike trash like you who advance through those low-level methods, every level up I've achieved is through my own hard work. The casino can vouch for that. My quality is pure gold, and it's always guaranteed," the long-haired youth said proudly.
Ling Yun raised an eyebrow, put down the shaker, and pushed it in front of the long-haired youth. "Alright, here you go. I'll see how you, a pure gold VIP, lose to a piece of trash like me later."
"What a joke! Me, losing?" the long-haired youth said arrogantly, twirling the shaker with a flourish. "I haven't lost since I entered the casino. You piece of trash, I really don't know what tricks you used to beat those VIPs. Anyone can see through such idiotic methods and provocations. Why couldn't those VIPs see through them? This is enough to prove that they are just like you, trash. Trash should be eliminated."
“Sometimes the simplest methods are the most effective. Since I can take them down without gambling skills, why wouldn’t I do it?” Ling Yun said softly. “You think they’re trash, but you’re ignoring the simplest factor. I just need to win, I don’t care about the process. Just like you, a self-righteous VIP, you keep saying others are trash, but actually, you’re the trashiest one.”
"Who are you calling trash?" The long-haired youth suddenly put down the shaker, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Ling Yun's face like a sharp blade. "Say it again?"
A cold glint flashed in Ling Yun's eyes. He suddenly leaned forward, his face only centimeters away from the long-haired youth, and said, almost word by word, "Trash, I said you're trash, don't you understand?"
The long-haired youth gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce and terrifying, like a ravenous demon. Anyone who glanced at him would immediately turn away. This was simply because the long-haired youth's expression was too terrifying. It was hard to imagine that a refined young man could undergo such a drastic change in an instant, as if a cultured young man had suddenly turned into a werewolf.
Only Ling Yun seemed unmoved by the long-haired youth's changes, his gaze remaining fixed on the youth without any emotion. The youth's image was clearly reflected in his clear pupils, but Ling Yun seemed oblivious to everything, simply looking at him indifferently and uttering two clear words again: "Trash."
The long-haired youth's face instantly turned red, and he trembled with anger. He hadn't expected that under his terrifying gaze, this boy could still remain calm and call him trash, even acting extremely indifferently, as if he were facing nothing more than insignificant air. Anyone else, even a VIP, would probably tremble under his authority, but this boy didn't seem as bad as he had imagined.
A sense of unease quickly grew in the long-haired youth's heart. Perhaps he had been deliberately avoiding an undeniable fact: it seemed that all the VIPs had fallen victim to Ling Yun's somewhat idiotic methods, which anyone should be able to see through. But in reality, Ling Yun's gambling contained some inexplicable profound meaning. This profound meaning was precisely Ling Yun's method of taking simplicity to the extreme and making it appear as if he were a wise fool on the outside.
Thinking of this, the long-haired youth's pupils shrank, and his heart, which had been as firm as iron, suddenly wavered. When he looked at Ling Yun again, Ling Yun had already shrunk back and sat down calmly, looking at him indifferently.
"Put the shaker away. I'll guess big, you guess small. You'll know the result once you put it away," Ling Yun said casually.
The long-haired youth's facial muscles twitched suddenly. Judging from the sound coming from the shaking pot, it was indeed a small number. He was absolutely certain of this based on his long experience in dice gambling. The reason he took the shaking pot from Ling Yun was to shake it according to the other party's guess, so that he could take control of the situation. But now, although there was no doubt about his technique, his confidence was in jeopardy. His original self-assurance had vanished, replaced by a strange sense of unease.
"Impossible, impossible! How could I lose to such trash? He's clearly just a braggart, he's just a third-rate gambler, he only knows some clumsy tricks that are easy to spot. Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel this way?" The long-haired youth thought unwillingly, and suddenly roared, "I will never lose to you."
He abruptly lifted the lid of the jar and looked at the neatly arranged dice inside: one, two, three, four, five, six... The sum of the dice was nineteen, which, according to normal gambling rules, was a big win, and the long-haired youth lost.
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "I'm sorry, sir, you've lost. Choose to end your life. You saw it yourself. I didn't use any of the methods you consider trash, not even any provocation, yet you still lost. This shows how worthless you are. You're not even worthy of my using those methods." He suddenly stood up, walked to the long-haired youth's side, patted his shoulder, and said, word by word: "You are the trash you yourself speak of."
The long-haired youth sat blankly in the chair, his eyes glazed over, seemingly oblivious to Ling Yun's words, muttering to himself repeatedly, "I'm trash... I'm trash..."
He slowly drew his gun from his waist and pointed it at his forehead. In this line of work, it's a matter of accepting defeat. Even the most VIPs who value their lives will eventually face their demise. At least, the long-haired youth still had the courage to admit defeat. In the instant he fired, he suddenly remembered a classic saying: What goes around comes around.
Hearing the gunshot behind him, Ling Yun did not turn around. From beginning to end, he had never gotten used to the bloody headshot scene. No matter how much the long-haired youth was disliked or how much he deserved to die, life was always something to be regretted.
A magnificent, lacquered pine table has been set up, covered with a beautifully white tablecloth. At each of the four corners is a beautifully designed tablecloth. The tablecloth is spotless and without a single wrinkle, just like the most luxurious and expensive dining table at a grand event.
Jack, still dressed in a neat and crisp white suit, sat upright on one side of the long table, like a noble gentleman waiting for a beautiful lady to arrive at the banquet. He had been sitting in this posture for almost two hours without moving. If you didn't know better, you would think that he was sitting on a statue.
Suddenly, Jack took off his expensive watch and gently placed it on the long table. He stood up from his motionless body and smiled as he walked slowly towards Ling Yun, saying, "You've finally arrived. Just as I predicted, you arrived at the exact time. Congratulations! You've earned the right to challenge me. If you beat me, you'll be the God of Gamblers in the casino."
"Oh? You knew I would advance at this time?" Ling Yun looked at Jack with a surprised expression, and walked to the other side of the long table and sat down without any politeness. "Jack, I'm very tired from gambling. Before we start, let's have some fruit to calm down. We can also exchange ideas. It would be my honor to compete with the God of Gamblers."
P.S.: Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the best in 2011! :)
Chapter 357 The Test of the Fourth Hall
“Oh, dear Lingyun, please don’t say that. It should be my honor to compete with you. Your leveling speed is the fastest in the entire casino. Even I, the God of Gamblers, am humbled in front of you. Perhaps after our competition, my position will be taken over.” Jack said with a smile, his tone as humble and polite as when he first met Lingyun.
“You’re the God of Gamblers, who here can challenge your position? I’m just a nouveau riche, while you’re a noble prince from the Middle Ages. The difference between us is beyond reason.” Ling Yun shrugged and took an apple from the fruit platter brought by the staff, then took a big bite.
"Don't idolize me too much, it'll affect your confidence. Even the God of Gamblers is human, he leveled up step by step. And I don't have your terrifying speed and ability, leveling up to a point where you can challenge me in just one hour. Ling Yun, you're really terrifying. I feel like I can't breathe in front of you. You should know that it took me two whole months to reach the level 30 VIP position. You're much stronger than me." Jack also took an apple from the fruit plate, but instead of putting it directly into his mouth to chew like Ling Yun, he slowly peeled the apple with an exquisite fruit knife, his expression and posture very elegant.
“I don’t think of you as some kind of myth, because you yourself are a myth. I’m confident I can win against anyone, but I’m not confident against you. However, how can I verify something if I don’t gamble with you?” Ling Yun ate the apple down to the core in a few bites, then picked up an orange and began to peel it casually.
"Have you figured anything out yet, my dear Lingyun? I can tell you seem to know something, but you still need my confirmation." Jack deftly took the apple, cut it into equal pieces with a fruit knife, inserted a delicate bamboo toothpick into each piece, and slowly savored it.
“Yes, I need your affirmation.” Ling Yun looked at him intently, chewing on two slices of orange, but for some reason, the contents of his mouth did not muffle his voice at all; on the contrary, they were exceptionally clear. “What you taught me at the beginning was crucial. It was the key to my success in several rounds of gambling, or could I consider it… the ultimate test of the Fourth Hall? Don’t you think so, Jack?”
Jack looked at him with a smile, his demeanor still very elegant. "Mr. Lingyun, whatever you say goes. If you think it's a test for the fourth hall, then so be it. But all of this can only be confirmed after we've actually finished the gamble, can it? It's too early to say anything now."
“You really are a bastard,” Ling Yun said with a smile, though his tone was very disrespectful. “You’ll never show your true colors until the very last moment. Sometimes, I really want to kill you and see who the Fourth Hall can send to negotiate with me.”
"We'll only know the outcome in the end." Jack didn't take Ling Yun's words seriously at all. "I'm just a representative of an identity. I know you can kill me in an instant, but killing me won't solve the problem. That's my value. And I guarantee that you'll regret killing me, or you'd rather die yourself than kill me."
"Hehe, I'm scared of you. I really wonder if you're God. Otherwise, how can you come up with all these theories so convincingly? Why don't you become a politician instead of a gambler?" Ling Yun said, raising an eyebrow.
“Everything I’m saying is true, but there are some things you don’t know yet,” Jack said calmly. “Now that you’re here, you must know what this casino is all about. It’s not even certain whether I exist or not. Or rather, my existence is only for you. Our existence is a gamble in itself. No, it can’t be called a gamble. I’m just your whetstone. If you live, I will disappear. If you disappear, I will still disappear. It’s very unfair, but I can’t resist it, so I can only silently obey.”
Ling Yun looked him over carefully for a long time before saying, "Everyone else can disappear, but I can't see it in you. You should be someone who has broken away from this group and is the same kind of being as me. That's why the fourth hall arranged for you and me to fight for our destiny."
Jack was silent for a long time before saying, "Maybe. There's a saying among you Chinese, 'There are gods three feet above your heads.' I think there are gods three feet above my head too, but they are real gods, and I have to submit to their will."
Ling Yun's eyes showed a thoughtful look. He didn't quite understand what Jack meant. It seemed to be implying something. He thought about it for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he put it aside for the time being: "You said there were two other VIPs of the same level as you. I didn't see them. Otherwise, it would be a good choice for four people to wear Chinese vests."
“I’ve already taken them both down.” Jack pointed to the badge on his chest. “I just took them down. I’ve now leveled up to level 32. Normally, your level wouldn’t be high enough to challenge me, but because there’s a gap in VIP levels between 30 and 32, I’ve added you to the list of those I can challenge. Otherwise, you would have had to put in some extra effort.”
"You're really amazing!" Ling Yun sighed and said, "What should we play today? I'm still completely clueless about most gambling techniques, so I can't play those high-difficulty ones with you. Let's stick to the usual and play the simplest, most easy-to-understand one, and decide the winner in one go."
“Okay, I had the same idea. In fact, the simplest things are often the most complicated.” Jack agreed. “And most people don’t understand this. Here’s a suggestion: let’s put a deck of cards here, then randomly draw two cards and compare their values. The person with the higher card wins, and the person with the lower card loses.”
“Great, this gambling technique is even simpler than roulette. I like it, and it's quick and saves all the trouble.” Ling Yun smiled, then snapped his fingers, signaling a staff member to bring a brand new deck of cards. He then gestured for the staff member to tear off the plastic packaging from the sealed deck of cards, and the staff member took out the cards and laid them out evenly and neatly on the snow-white tablecloth without shuffling.