He Ao had altered the pattern on the back of the card!
How did He Ao know?! How had he done it?! Even lasers couldn't alter those patterns!
Endless questions flooded Ludo's mind.
And when He Ao looked at him, he knew exactly what he was wondering.
Ordinary damage naturally couldn't alter it, but those martial arts "energies" could.
The patterns on the backs of the [Queen of Diamonds] and the [Two of Diamonds] were not that different. He only needed to expel that energy from his body, attach it to the toy gun's bullets, calculate the explosion timing, and fire at the right spots to alter the shape of the pattern.
In truth, He Ao hadn't completely changed the pattern. He had merely made it resemble the [Two of Diamonds] more closely. But he guessed Ludo didn't have the ability to memorize such complex patterns and was surely relying on machine assistance. Machine recognition would certainly have a certain margin for error.
In the end, he had never been completely certain he could alter the pattern. It wasn't until he saw Ludo's increasingly confident expression that he knew his alteration had worked.
Every step he took had been planned. For instance, if he didn't look at his hole card, Ludo would refrain from looking at his out of pride. He had also used an act of nervousness to conceal his rapid breathing as he absorbed energy, while making his later gunshot seem reasonable.
This gamble had never left his control.
He Ao looked at the bewildered, confused Ludo and smiled. Just as Ludo thought He Ao was about to explain his method in detail, he heard him softly say, "Secret."
"You!"
Ludo was so furious that his blood surged to his head, and he lost his footing for a moment.
"Kid, the Federal Bureau of Investigation isn't right for you." Viktor clapped lightly. "Interested in changing jobs? We don't make much here, but earning over ten thousand a week is easy enough."
I only make eight hundred a week...
He Ao smacked his lips, then smiled and shook his head. "Mr. Viktor, perhaps you should let us in first."
"Fine!"
Viktor clapped his hands and summoned a square-faced man. A long scar covered almost the entirety of the man's left cheek. Viktor instructed him, "Take them to the highest place in the casino."
The Scarface Man was stunned when he heard Viktor's words. He looked at He Ao and Selina, then finally nodded and extended a hand. "Please follow me, you two."
"Good luck with your mission."
Viktor smiled as he watched He Ao and Selina leave, then shifted his gaze toward Ludo.
The gamble had gone quickly, taking less than ten minutes from start to finish. Ludo now sat dejectedly in his chair. When he saw Viktor looking at him, he said nervously, "Boss, give me another chance. I can take that kid out off-site."
"A bet is a bet."
Viktor smiled and shook his head, pulling the dagger embedded in the table free.
The Scarface Man led He Ao and Selina into the vip area, then walked farther in along its edge. They passed several elevators along the way, but they didn't seem to be heading upstairs.
"The highest place in the casino is?"
Leaning close to Selina, He Ao asked in confusion.
"The surveillance room," Selina replied quietly. "'The higher you stand, the more you see.' That's casino slang."
He Ao understood now. The casino had "no" surveillance cameras, but it did have a "highest point" from which it could see the entire casino.
It looked like a pointless charade, but it allowed them to refuse government requests to review surveillance footage.
As He Ao was thinking, Selina suddenly leaned closer, her soft chest nearly brushing against his arm.
Did this girl replace her prosthetic body? Why was it so much more realistic than last time?
"Ander, don't be so impulsive in the future. First you threatened to kill someone, then you gambled with your life. You still have a long life ahead of you, with plenty of wonderful things to experience. You don't need to throw yourself away over one or two pieces of society's trash."
Selina didn't notice that she was practically pressed against He Ao. Her tone was like that of an earnest older sister lecturing her reckless younger brother.
He Ao looked at Selina's lovely face and merely gave a faint smile without speaking.
"You're still not taking this seriously?" Selina rubbed her temple. "You've provoked Ludo now. That guy is famous for holding grudges. Even if he faces trial for selling Contraband Drug, given Dawn City Court's efficiency, that won't happen for at least another month.
But his retaliation might come as soon as tonight. How about this? You still haven't found a place to stay, right? I'll clear out the office for you tonight. You can stay at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for now."
"Thank you." He Ao looked at Selina's serious expression and smiled softly, then added, "He won't retaliate against me."
"Hm?"
Selina looked puzzled.
Because he wouldn't survive the night.
He Ao turned his gaze toward the noisy vip area. From the moment Viktor first appeared, He Ao had sensed Viktor's killing intent toward Ludo. The desire to kill someone couldn't be hidden, so He Ao had conveniently handed Viktor a reasonable excuse.
As the witness to the gamble, it was only reasonable for Viktor to carry out the wager's final stake and end the loser's life.
Just then, a red figure entered He Ao's field of vision.
"Selina, I can't help with checking the surveillance, but I think I found another clue. Just contact me when you find Mu Xiu."
With that, he rushed straight into the casino.
"Boss, please give me another chance."
Ludo knelt in a partitioned room on the casino's basement level. The Fine Steel Dagger had been thrown onto the floor. He looked up at Viktor, tears and snot streaming down his face. "While you were in prison all those years, I was the one who managed the casino loyally for you! Even if I have no merit, I've worked hard!"
"I gave you a chance. A bet is a bet." Viktor glanced at the dagger on the floor, then took out an exquisite pistol and slowly screwed on a suppressor. He gradually pressed the muzzle against Ludo's forehead. "I'll take good care of your wife and child for you."
Bang--
With a sharp but muffled gunshot, Ludo's eyes widened, and he fell onto the cold floor. Crimson blood slowly spread around him.
"Boss, what about those people who colluded with the corporation alongside Ludo?"
A gaunt, sinister-looking man emerged from the shadows behind him.
"Kill everyone who betrayed the gang." Viktor took out a cigar, cut off both ends, and put it between his lips. "Now that I'm out, the Money Rat Gang is still my Money Rat Gang."
The sinister man struck a cigar match and held it beneath Viktor's cigar. The rich tobacco leaves glowed in flickering red points beneath the flame's heat.
"You've worked hard all these years." Viktor sighed. "From now on, I'll have to trouble you to manage Crown Casino."
"It's my duty."
The sinister man answered calmly, then slowly retreated into the shadows.
Dim yellow light fell across Viktor's face, half in light and half in darkness.
Thick cigar smoke slowly rose, blurring the boundary between light and dark.
Just then, Viktor suddenly remembered something. He looked toward the sinister man. "How many children did Ludo have?"
"He had no children. He wasn't married either. He only had two lovers, and he replaced one of them every three months."
The sinister man answered calmly.
The entire room fell into a long silence. After an unknown amount of time, Viktor finally removed the cigar from his mouth.
"That bastard asked me for an extra share of the profits every year, claiming it was for baby formula."
"He personally liked drinking milk. His lovers were generally other men's wives, or women who had recently given birth and had fuller chests."
The sinister man added slowly.
Viktor: ...
He picked up his gun and put another bullet into Ludo's corpse.
Before you continue