With a thud, one of the security guards in the middle lost his balance and fell backward to the ground, like a collapsing domino. The neat wall of security guards immediately collapsed and lay scattered on the ground, scaring several vest-clad staff members who were squatting nearby, covering their heads and not daring to make a sound, into trembling all over.
Ling Yun threw the already delirious young man aside, not even bothering to glance at him, and shouted, "Is there anyone else who wants to talk? If so, I'll keep you company to the end."
The casino lobby was deathly silent. No one dared to speak, nor did anyone dare to retaliate against Ling Yun's tricks. This included the dozens of staff members with their hands on their waists and the vast majority of the gamblers. Everyone stared at Ling Yun with pale faces. This young man had not only shocked others, but also instilled fear in them. It was unimaginable that such ruthless methods and violence could be hidden beneath such an innocent and ordinary appearance. This was just one episode in a series of unexpected events, but Ling Yun's image of fear had already been deeply rooted in everyone's hearts.
Even the most ruthless casino staff felt cold sweat trickling down their faces as they gripped their pistols. To kill more than a dozen fully armed police officers in a second—such speed of drawing a gun and such formidable marksmanship were beyond human capability. Even if the God of Guns, George Soros, or the King of Assassins were resurrected, they would be no match for him.
Therefore, even though Ling Yun had lowered his pistol and even turned his back to the staff who were pointing the gun at him, no one dared to fire. Everyone believed that they would be blown to the head by this strange boy the instant before they fired. They didn't know why they thought that way, but they just couldn't help having such thoughts.
"Don't you have a leader?" Ling Yun realized he might have gone a bit too far after shouting for a while without getting a response. What should he do next? Were these ordinary staff members the ones running the casino? There wasn't even a manager or supervisor? Ling Yun was completely baffled, so he nudged a staff member kneeling next to him with a mournful face and asked.
The staff member was a burly man in his thirties. His face was full of menacing features, and even without a smile, he was intimidating. He would have been perfectly suited to playing the role of a fierce demon. But now, he had a mournful face and a look of fear on his face. He wanted to use all fours to crawl away from Ling Yun silently, but he didn't expect that Ling Yun would stop him just as he was about to make a move. The big man thought that his attempt to escape had been discovered by this devilish young man. He was so frightened that he shuddered and his lower body moved involuntarily. He almost wet his pants like that wretched young man.
Fortunately, the burly man reacted quickly enough, realizing that if he behaved poorly, he would likely suffer the same fate as the young man—this killing machine was not to be trifled with. So he hurriedly turned to Ling Yun, forcing a fawning smile, his heart pounding like a drum. However, he was already quite ugly, and this forced, unnatural smile made him look even worse. Ling Yun frowned, suppressing his nausea, and spat, "Stop fucking laughing! I'm asking you a question! Doesn't your casino have a leader?"
The burly man replied tremblingly, "Hero, spare my life! Hey, spare my life! I'm not the leader, I really am not. I'm just a handyman."
Ling Yun was both amused and exasperated. She flicked his head lightly with her finger and said, "Who asked if you're the leader? You don't look like a leader at all. Stop making a fool of yourself here."
The burly man blushed and nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that it was no wonder he could never get hired or promoted. It turned out that with his ugly appearance, he didn't look like a leader. Damn it, if he survived this time, he would definitely fix his face properly, otherwise it would be too unsightly.
"Good man, we had a leader, but you killed him." As he spoke, the big man pointed to the security captain who was lying stiffly on the ground.
"Is he the head of the casino?" Ling Yun asked in surprise. "I mean, does your casino have any higher-level managers, like managers or something, not just a security captain?"
"Good sir, what is a manager? I don't know," the big man asked, puzzled. The term Ling Yun used left him completely bewildered.
"Oh..." Ling Yun was taken aback, then nodded as if he had thought of something. It seemed that the casino's setup was not detailed enough to simulate reality, so these staff members had not even heard of the manager's title. This was normal, as the casino's main setting was still gambling. However, he had broken this setup as soon as he arrived. He wondered how the subsequent changes would be set up.
“Um… what I mean is,” Ling Yun pondered, unsure how to phrase it with the burly man, “is there someone a level above him, the highest-ranking official in your casino, right?”
“That’s all, sir.” The big man understood Ling Yun’s meaning and answered honestly, “He was the biggest boss of the casino.”
"Oh!" Ling Yun nodded, feeling a little regretful. If he had known that a mere security captain was the boss of this big casino, he wouldn't have killed him so soon. Now, without someone in charge to speak up, everyone else is just scattered and it's difficult to take any further action.
He stared at the big man with a thoughtful look, while the big man looked at him with fear. Both of them were a little confused.
"Besides him, are there any other leaders, those below him but above you?" Ling Yun asked somewhat helplessly. It's impossible for such a large casino to have only one security captain managing hundreds of staff members. The daily training and management, the patrols, the manpower allocation, and the weapons management can't all be coordinated by one person.
“There’s one more…” the burly man said timidly, pointing to the young man who was sitting in his own urine and muttering to himself, “He’s our supervisor, and there’s no one else.”
………
Ling Yun really wanted to pick up a machine gun and fire at the ceiling. Damn it, there were only two managers in the casino, one of whom he killed and the other was scared into a mental daze. What was going on?
“Alright…” Ling Yun sighed slowly, bent down and lifted the big man up. The man’s nearly 200-pound burly body was as light as a feather in his hands: “From now on, you are the highest leader of this casino. You will then command your subordinates to enter the casino and gamble with their lives. No one can be a cold bystander. Of course, you can gamble if you want, or stay put if you don’t want to. I will not force you to risk your lives.”
Chapter 347 The Real Gambler
The burly man's eyes widened in shock as he received the sudden information. This young man had made him the casino's top manager with just a few words? A surge of immense joy descended upon him. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, the man's simple mind struggled to process this fact. Trembling, he opened his arms and stammered in a stilted, official-sounding voice, "Um... sir, I am of limited talent and learning, and I'm afraid I am unfit for such a great responsibility."
*Snap!* Ling Yun suddenly pressed the gun against his temple and said viciously, "Then what use are you alive? I'll just shoot you dead."
"No, no, no, hero! I can do it, I can do it, I'll definitely do it well!" The burly man, pale with fright, kept saying this. He had originally wanted to be humble to win the favor of this capricious young man, but he hadn't expected Ling Yun to be so volatile, wanting to execute him without a word. Wiping away cold sweat, the burly man thought to himself: Has my talent become so great that even if I didn't want to be an official, they would still execute me? How come I never noticed before...?
"Go and tell them to line up on their own. The casino can operate as it should, but no one is allowed to force anyone to gamble. If someone is willing to risk their life, that's fine with them. But if I see you trying to force anyone again, I'll slap them. You know what that means?" Ling Yun was too lazy to waste words with him and simply waved his hand, telling him to organize the staff to carry out his orders.
"Understood, understood, I'll do it right away." The burly man bent down, picked up a submachine gun, and strode over to the rows of staff members who were still standing there dumbfounded. He shouted sternly, "What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear what the hero said? Immediately inform every gambler that if they want to leave, they can leave now. If they want to continue gambling with their lives, we'll do it the same way as before. You can't force anyone. If anyone wants to gamble with their life, they'll be in the same place as the other gamblers, taking their number and going in."
Huh? Ling Yun looked at the big man with some surprise. He really didn't expect that this big man would have some talent as a manager. These few words succinctly expressed what he wanted to say, and his tone was stern, just like a superior reprimanding a subordinate.
According to Ling Yun's idea, this casino where lives are at stake cannot be completely destroyed, because the test may very well be within the casino itself. If the entire casino is destroyed, then Ling Yun will have no way of finding the secrets hidden within it. However, making appropriate changes is acceptable. After all, for Ling Yun, gambling with lives and coercion are methods that his personality cannot accept. Moreover, he has changed some of the settings of the Fourth Hall according to his own wishes. Perhaps this will not necessarily lead to finding the secrets of the game, but as a pre-set scenario, change is the best starting point for a breakthrough.
"What the hell did you say? Who do you think you are, ordering me around?" One of the staff members, realizing what was happening, saw the big man's fierce expression. The long-standing camaraderie made him unable to accept that someone who had been his equal had suddenly become his boss. He instinctively blurted out a defiant curse. This was actually quite normal, after all, for the big man, the process of rising to the top had been too fast, and it was normal for the others not to have reacted yet.
The staff member regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. After all, the big man had Ling Yun's support, and Ling Yun's fierce appearance had left an indelible impression on everyone. He wasn't afraid of the big man, but he was terrified of Ling Yun. If Ling Yun stood up for the big man, he would be doomed.
Bang!
Just as he was about to explain something, his body suddenly leaned back, his eyes widened, and he slowly looked down at the bloody hole in his chest that was still emitting smoke. Then, he looked up in disbelief at the burly man with a cold expression holding a gun, seemingly unable to believe that the man had shot him without saying a word.
Bang bang bang!
The burly man once again pulled the trigger with a blank expression. From the moment he was promoted to supervisor by Ling Yun, his mentality had undergone a huge change. The sarcastic remarks between colleagues that he used to take for granted had now become intolerable offenses. Moreover, having just been given the order, he also needed an incident to establish his authority. Unfortunately, this reckless employee became the first innocent victim in the burly man's hands.
The man's body was repeatedly thrown backward by the powerful impact, blood splattering as bullets pierced his chest. He was clearly trying to speak, but the burly man gave him no chance. Bullets continued to pierce his body until he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily to the ground. Only then did the burly man stop pulling the trigger.
"Do as I say, and kill anyone who resists." The burly man coldly looked at his stunned colleague, slightly adjusting the carbine in his hand. This feeling was really good, especially the exhilarating feeling of firing the gun. The burly man instantly understood the beauty of being high above others and learned how to be a tyrant.
The crowd fell silent. The burly men, usually somewhat sleazy, instantly transformed into cold-blooded figures. This change was strange; though it happened in a fleeting instant, everyone obediently accepted the dramatic shift. Despite many still holding pistols, after witnessing the pioneer's death, no one harbored any further thoughts of resistance.
Most gamblers had already heard Lingyun tell Dahan Casino about the rule changes, but a small number needed to be notified separately by staff, who repeatedly emphasized that it was true, otherwise the gamblers would find it hard to believe. When changes come, there also needs to be a process of adaptation.
After a period of noise, the casino returned to normal, and the shouts of gamblers once again filled the huge space.
To Ling Yun's surprise, not everyone showed the joy of escaping death when the casino staff informed them that they didn't have to participate in the life-or-death gamble. Aside from less than a fifth of the gamblers who were overjoyed and immediately left the casino, most still held onto their queue numbers and waited to enter. Even after repeated warnings and reminders from the staff, the gamblers remained unmoved, merely nodding to indicate they understood. Gambling seemed to hold a fatal attraction for them, something they were willing to risk their lives for. Many gamblers even displayed a fanatical expression, more enthusiastic than if they had been forced to gamble with their lives on the line.
This unusual behavior deeply troubled Ling Yun. It seems that human nature is so complex that it cannot be explained by a simple sentence or two of logic. For gamblers, the fervor at the heart of gambling is the true life, while their own lives are secondary. Using their one and only life as a stake pushes the fervor of gambling to its climax. This is somewhat like how scientists feel no regrets after learning the most authoritative truth in the universe. When anything is done to the extreme, all that is left is decay.
“Sir, what you are doing is inappropriate.” A man in his thirties wearing a white suit suddenly stepped forward and spoke loudly to Ling Yun. He was a rather tall man with an ordinary appearance, but he had a very good temperament. His every move showed good manners and demeanor, and he seemed to come from a wealthy family.
"Who are you?" Ling Yun sized up the man in the white suit. The man made a good first impression; although he seemed aloof, he was approachable and friendly. However, Ling Yun had seen countless people, and such men were often dangerous, perhaps revealing their hidden malice at any moment. Even without anything of substance, the man's courage to speak to Ling Yun with such composure already indicated that he was no ordinary person.
"I'm a gambler here," the man in the white suit introduced himself with a smile. "You can call me Jack. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?"
“My name is Ling Yun,” Ling Yun replied calmly. “Mr. Jack, are you a VIP gambler? You just said that what I did was inappropriate. I wonder what I did wrong?”
“Yes, I am a VIP, Mr. Lingyun.” Jack gave an elegant bow. “I’m not saying that what you did was wrong, Mr. Lingyun. After all, I also hate the casino’s practice of forcing people to gamble with their lives. However, your appearance has changed the fundamental rules of the casino. This will not only cause some gamblers to leave, but also make it so that gamblers can gamble whenever they want and not gamble when they don’t want to. This makes our hard-earned VIP status completely useless. What you are doing is unfair to us!”