It's August 1st. This book was first uploaded on August 26th last year, and it's almost been a year now. In this August, as it turns one year old, I, Lao Luo, will be working hard to update 10,000 words a day. Actually, since the book was published, I, Lao Luo, have been quite diligent. Over the past year, there have been praises and criticisms, but I don't care. I just diligently write to repay the readers who have subscribed to this book. No matter what, you are readers who paid to read this book, and I, Lao Luo, want to live up to your expectations. Honestly, that's what I think too.
Today, in this August, the month that Zuo Shou turns one year old, Lao Luo wants to join hands with the readers who are still supporting Zuo Shou to make this August a great one. On the first of today, as we present 10,000 new chapters, Lao Luo asks for your guaranteed monthly votes.
Luo Yonghao is asking for monthly votes, which is an expression of his attitude and support. He knows that there are still brothers and sisters reading this book, and as long as there is one reader, he will continue to write.
About two weeks ago, Lao Luo had surgery at the hospital to remove a tumor on his buttock. It had been there for over a year, but he hadn't paid much attention to it before. Recently, it started to hurt, and he suddenly realized it was a tumor. Lao Luo became terrified. His wife has a two-month-old daughter. If it were a malignant tumor…
I went to the hospital with trepidation to have an ultrasound and blood tests, then had surgery. After the surgery, I went to the city hospital for further tests, and the results would take another four days.
For the past four days, Lao Luo has been in a state of anxiety. Before his surgery, Lao Luo was someone who was terrified of going to the hospital. In all his life, he never paid attention to minor illnesses or pains, never took any medicine, and had never been to the hospital to see a doctor for himself more than ten times, let alone had surgery. He was indeed very scared.
Fortunately, four days later, the test results showed a lipoma, and Lao Luo was finally relieved. However, in this month, Lao Luo only updated 5,000 words a day, which Lao Luo felt guilty about. So this month, Lao Luo must work hard and ask his brothers to support him with monthly votes.
In August, the month when Zuo Shou turns one year old, Lao Luo is looking forward to a new...
Thank you to all the brothers and sisters who support the left hand.
Volume 1, Chapter 605: The Dam Breaks (First update of 5,000 words, please vote!)
Chapter 605 The Dike Breaks (First update of 5,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets)
The bets on Lion stopped at 510 million, and almost everyone rushed to bet on Zhou Xuan's bets. The betting numbers rose sharply. Zhou Xuan saw the actual number of bets on the display screen in President Chen's control room. Lion's bets stopped and did not increase by a single cent, while his bets surged to over 900 million, and the number was still rising rapidly.
Inside the betting room at the window, dozens of female clerks were overwhelmed with work, and the phone lines were jammed.
Mr. Chen looked at the screen and chuckled. The number of bets on Zhou Xuan had rapidly increased from over 900 million to 1.2 billion. This round was definitely profitable. The odds for betting on Xiong Shi were only 5 to 1, with a total bet of only 500 million and a payout of only 100 million. But the number of bets on Zhou Xuan was as high as 1.2 billion, and the number was still rising strongly.
"Notify the betting window to extend the betting time by ten minutes," General Manager Chen thought for a moment and then instructed his subordinates to relay the order. Since the betting volume was rising so strongly, they should make the most of this round. As long as they managed this round well, that would be enough for today. In fact, the income from this round could exceed the amount earned in one or two weeks normally.
The gamblers became increasingly frantic with each bet, recklessly increasing their bets, much like a bank bursting its banks. They poured in almost every number they could get their hands on.
Within ten minutes, the bets on Zhou Xuan had reached an astonishing 2.35 billion, while the Lion team had not increased their bets by a single penny.
General Manager Chen's brows relaxed, and he chuckled, "This round will be tough for them. This is also the highest bet we've ever made since the start of the competition. Brothers, play it right, don't make any mistakes. If we mess it up, none of us can afford the responsibility."
Zhou Xuan sighed inwardly. In this round, President Chen had pushed the casino into an abyss. He thought he had received information that the casino was bound to win, which was why he had to take the field himself. Now that President Chen was preparing to withdraw control of the Lion and let the Lion win, it seemed that the casino was bound to suffer a huge blow. However, whether the casino would pay out the bets after this loss was a question.
However, Zhou Xuan didn't care about this. He had only invested 50 million, leaving 270 million in profit that he hadn't invested. Gao Mingyuan had invested all 22 million, but he could subsidize him with that amount. It was a small matter. He had originally wanted to use this opportunity to subtly build a relationship with Yang Tiancheng, but if he couldn't get the bet, it would be meaningless. However, Yang Tiancheng wasn't stupid. The casino's default on the bet had nothing to do with Zhou Xuan. At least, it could be said that Zhou Xuan had helped him win another 1 billion yuan in astronomical bets.
Amidst the betting activity, Zhou Xuan called Gao Mingyuan over and instructed him, "Old Gao, take this account number to the window and have them deposit 250 million of my 270 million into this bank account. Transfer the cash to this account, and transfer the remaining 20 million into your account. Keep today's profits safe to ensure that no matter what happens, we won't lose money. Remember that..."
Zhou Xuan said in a low and cautious voice, "Make sure the money is transferred before the competition, and then come back and report to me before I will proceed with the competition."
Seeing Zhou Xuan's serious tone, Gao Mingyuan quickly nodded, assuming Zhou Xuan had made a mistake in his bet. But why was he still going to compete? Wasn't he afraid of the ferocious lion? Why didn't he bet against it? That way, he could offset the amount he had bet on Zhou Xuan, but the odds against the lion were too low, five to one. That meant that their combined bet of 72 million would have to be more than five times the amount to offset the losses without losing a single penny. That would require a massive 360 million. However, Zhou Xuan didn't say anything, and Gao Mingyuan didn't dare to ask any more questions. He hurriedly ran to the window.
Li Ni still warmly received him. This time, the meeting took place in the VIP room. In the first few rounds, the casino won money in every round, but Zhou Xuan and Yang Tianfen took away most of it. The casino also paid in cash. As long as the management in the control room did not object to Gao Mingyuan's request, the money would be paid.
Casinos have this rule: no matter what methods or means you use, after a game, the customer's winnings must be paid out unless you catch them cheating or colluding with their employees to defraud the gambler.
Although it's a mafia-style operation, the casino values "credit" above all else. If you want to win more money, you have to be trustworthy. People will only come if you are trustworthy and keep your word. If they know you'll default on your debts, and they want your money back when they lose but not when they win, how can the casino continue?
Zhou Xuan was worried because the bets placed on him in this round had already reached 2.4 billion, and the casino would have to pay out 24 billion. After deducting the 500 million bets placed on the lion, the casino would still have to pay out an astronomical figure of 23.5 billion.
This is probably a burden that the casino cannot bear, so Zhou Xuan is not thinking about paying compensation for this round. He just wants to get his previous winnings in hand before that to ensure he doesn't lose money.
Zhou Xuan originally planned to make a profit from each round. As long as the casino didn't lose money, he would take a small portion or half of it. Although the casino was heartbroken, they had no choice. But this round was different. One decision by President Chen turned them into complete adversaries with the casino. In fact, the outcome was in his hands.
As long as Zhou Xuan decides to lose, he will lose; if he decides to win, he will win. However, Zhou Xuan has already decided that he will win even if it means losing the more than 70 million he bet. The casino is definitely going to lose.
Mr. Chen and his team believed they had victory in their grasp and were extremely excited. This time, the betting amount broke the previous historical record, reaching the highest level ever.
Gao Mingyuan was in the VIP room until Li Ni transferred the money into his and Zhou Xuan's bank accounts. Only then did he hurriedly return to the side of the stage, not having time to flirt with Li Ni.
To be honest, Zhou Xuan's actions made Gao Mingyuan feel uneasy, and he became inexplicably worried. However, he wasn't worried about not getting the money if he won; that was something he would never even dream of. In his mind, here, as long as you could win, there was no money you couldn't pay out. What he was worried about was that Zhou Xuan might think he would lose, and that he would lose this bet.
However, Zhou Xuan was indeed good to him. Even with that kind of worry, he still subsidized him with his money. He could just consider it as Zhou Xuan giving him an additional 20 million as a tip. If he won the 22 million bet later, it would still be his. If he lost, Zhou Xuan would give him the principal back. He would only lose 2 million, which was negligible. So, for him, it wouldn't be considered a loss either way. Of course, winning would be the best. As long as he could win, he could step into the ranks of billionaires.
Yang Tiancheng had been keeping an eye on Zhou Xuan and Gao Mingyuan's movements, but when he suddenly saw Zhou Xuan asking Gao Mingyuan to transfer the remaining cash he had won, he sensed something was amiss. However, Zhou Xuan hadn't run away. If he was afraid of losing, he wouldn't have even played; he would have simply conceded. Why bother with any tricks? If he didn't play and just conceded, the casino wouldn't force him in. Of course, Yang Tiancheng didn't want that to happen; he had placed a massive bet of 100 million on Zhou Xuan.
Despite his worries, Yang Tiancheng could only wait. In any case, he had placed all his hopes on Zhou Xuan, because he had a feeling that Zhou Xuan would not lose.
Gao Mingyuan came down from the stage and nodded to Zhou Xuan, indicating that the transfer amount had been completed. Zhou Xuan, of course, knew this, as his mobile phone in his pocket had already received a bank text message.
Zhou Xuan smiled and followed the casino staff into the backstage control room, preparing to go to the basement and take the elevator up to the cage, ready to have a duel with the lion.
The betting period had ended, and the announcer loudly declared, "The match is about to begin. Please be quiet."
As the elevator slowly rose, Zhou Xuan was lifted off the platform in the cage. Gao Mingyuan was especially nervous, his hands clenched tightly. Although he had only spent a day with Zhou Xuan, he had already regarded Zhou Xuan as his support.
Mr. Chen also instructed his younger brother: "Second brother, bring a few more people to prepare in the cage. This person must not die. He can be bitten or maimed by the lion, but he must not die. His safety must be absolutely guaranteed, understand?"
Mr. Chen understood that if Zhou Xuan died here, it would be a huge problem for them, a matter of great importance that even his backer, the boss, couldn't bear. But if Zhou Xuan was only injured, that would be a different story. He had a written life-or-death contract, though it was an underground agreement not protected by law. People at their level understood that this was entirely voluntary, with no coercion or threat involved. Zhou Xuan's participation was entirely his own choice and had nothing to do with the casino.
Everyone should be reasonable. Just because you have a lot of power doesn't mean you can just blame others if you trip and fall while walking and get injured. That's definitely not acceptable.
After Zhou Xuan rose up, there was still a bar separating them. The male lion was pacing back and forth in the cage, its eyes filled with terrifying murderous intent staring at Zhou Xuan, and it kept howling.
Upon hearing the lion's roar, Zhou Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately pressed the communication device on his wrist, and his mind instantly received the instruction: "Please select a communication partner."
Zhou Xuan naturally chose the lion. As soon as he thought of it, the lion's growl transformed into a human voice in his mind: "I'm hungry, I'm so hungry, human, I'm going to eat you."
Zhou Xuan took two steps closer and said calmly, "Lion, you can't eat me. Let me tell you, if you can stand still and admit defeat later, I might spare your life."
What the audience outside heard when Zhou Xuan spoke to the lion was Zhou Xuan imitating the lion's low howl.
President Chen and Yang Tiancheng were closely monitoring the situation, and they found it very strange that Zhou Xuan was imitating a lion's roar. Could he possibly talk to a lion? It was clearly a very improbable thing.
The lion seemed a little surprised that Zhou Xuan could speak to it, but then roared, "If you come in, I will eat you! I am the overlord of the grasslands, and I never admit defeat!"