"Ransom"

Lu Xinyi's expression was grim, because as Lin Sizhi had said, she and Lu Mingxuan had been kidnapped.

If Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao just kept raising each other, each taking a minute to think, after a few rounds they could easily run out the remaining game time.

This was meaningless for Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao, but it would prevent Lu Xinyi and Lu Mingxuan from leaving the gambling table, and thus from finding the loophole in the Chip Exchange Machine.

"What do you want?" At this moment, Lu Xinyi finally broke down.

Lin Sizhi said unhurriedly, "You guessed right, there is indeed a loophole in the Chip Exchange Machine.

"And this loophole is very easy to verify.

"But right now, I don't want you to leave this gambling table."

Lu Xinyi frowned, "What do you want?"

Lin Sizhi played with the chips, "The two of you, bet all your chips and fold, that's the ransom."

Lu Xinyi almost laughed in anger, "You're dreaming."

She currently had 37,000 chips, and Lu Mingxuan had over 40,000.

Together, that was nearly 80,000 chips, no small sum.

"Is that so? Think again.

"At the Chip Exchange Machine, if you're lucky, you can earn far more than 80,000 in just two minutes.

"If you're unlucky, ten minutes is enough."

As he spoke, Lin Sizhi reached into his suit pocket, grabbed some chips, and spread his palm to show Lu Xinyi.

Lu Xinyi's expression froze instantly, because among them were chips with denominations of 5,000 and even 10,000, and more than one.

This handful of chips, roughly estimated, was worth at least 50,000.

Now Lu Xinyi understood where Lin Sizhi's confidence came from; their chip counts were not on the same level from the very beginning.

She had always thought Lin Sizhi was bluffing, pretending to have at least double the chip stack.

Now she knew it wasn't a bluff.

No wonder Lin Sizhi didn't care how much he lost.

"Don't you want to give it a try?

"A game like this, where you get Visa Time almost for free, probably won't come again," Lin Sizhi said with a smile.

Lu Xinyi looked into Lin Sizhi's eyes, "But how can I be sure you won't go back on your word?"

Lin Sizhi spread his hands, "You can't be sure, but you're not entirely without a chance to resist.

"In this round, I will intentionally lose to Qin Yao, and in the next round, she will deal.

"None of us will look at our cards and will just bet.

"In the first round, you raise by 1,000, and then Lu Mingxuan goes all-in.

"Qin Yao and I will call.

"In the second round, you go all-in, and Lu Mingxuan folds.

"After that, I will raise, and Qin Yao will call.

"At this point, you can fold, because only one person raised, the system will automatically reveal the cards, and then you can leave.

"Of course, during this process, either you or we could go back on our word at any time.

"If Lu Mingxuan doesn't fold in the second round, it means you've gone back on your word, and Qin Yao and I will keep raising until the time runs out;

"If, in the second round, Qin Yao and I both choose to raise, it means we've gone back on our word, and you can choose not to fold and play with us until the end.

"Or, in the third round, if you don't fold, then Qin Yao and I will continue to raise until the time runs out.

"In any of these situations, if either side goes back on their word, we wait until the time runs out and the system automatically settles, whoever wins or loses depends entirely on luck.

"This is my plan, whether you accept it is up to you."

Lu Xinyi thought for a moment, "Okay, I accept.

"But, I hope to have one more question at the end."

Lin Sizhi nodded, "Ask, and I'll consider whether to answer."

Lu Xinyi stared into his eyes, "In the last game, what were your hole cards?"

Lin Sizhi was silent for a moment, then smiled, "If I tell you, will you believe me?"

Lu Xinyi nodded, "I will."

"Alright," Lin Sizhi spread his hands, "A Flush of King-high."

Lu Xinyi's eyes flickered. She didn't know if she believed him or not, but she just nodded, "Thank you."

The final game, as expected, followed Lin Sizhi's script.

The four of them raised and folded in sequence.

After Qin Yao folded, Lin Sizhi took all the chips from the final round.

Lu Xinyi didn't say anything further, merely using the last ten-plus minutes to head to the chip exchange area.

Before leaving the gambling table, she gave Lin Sizhi a meaningful glance.

"Lin Sizhi... I'll remember you."

After Lu Xinyi and Lu Mingxuan lost all their chips and left, only the final round of the ten games remained.

Only Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao were left for this round, and they still needed to balance their chips.

Before the seventh game, Lin Sizhi had a net loss of 42,000, while Qin Yao had a net gain of 23,000. In the seventh game, Lin Sizhi won all 90,000 chips on the table, and Qin Yao lost 45,000.

After settling the ransom with Lu Xinyi in the eighth game, Lin Sizhi intentionally lost 40,000 to Qin Yao, maintaining Qin Yao's chip stack.

In the ninth game, Lin Sizhi won all 124,000 chips on the table, while Qin Yao lost 44,000 chips.

In the final game, Lin Sizhi intentionally lost 60,000 to Qin Yao.

As a result, in this gambling match, Lin Sizhi ultimately made a net profit of 72,000 chips, while Qin Yao made a net profit of 34,000.

Including the large denomination chips she had hidden in her pocket, Qin Yao couldn't quite keep track.

"Lawyer Lin, I thought after Lu Mingxuan folded in the last round, and it was two against one, you would go back on your word," Qin Yao said.

Lin Sizhi raised an eyebrow: "Hmm? Do I look like someone who doesn't keep their promises?"

Qin Yao shook her head: "Not exactly.

"It's mainly that we probably won't have another chance to be matched with Community No. 3, so there's no real consequence for breaking a promise.

"After Lu Mingxuan folded, it was two against one, giving us a 66% chance of winning."

Lin Sizhi shook his head: "Doesn't that mean there's still a 33% chance of losing?

"I'm not a gambler. If possible, I prefer to win money that's 100% guaranteed."

Qin Yao thought for a moment: "Lawyer Lin, I have another question.

"Why was Lu Xinyi able to decide so readily to give up all her chips?

"At that time, she couldn't be sure that the 'Chip Exchange Machine wouldn't fold' hidden rule was true. What if she hadn't figured it out, or didn't get good cards? Wouldn't she have lost everything?

"If it were me, I would have chosen to play it safe and secure the remaining 80,000 chips."

Lin Sizhi said calmly: "Because she's a smart person, I chose to deal with her in a way that a smart person would understand, and she would definitely fall for it.

"If she had thought like you, I would have used a different method from the start."

Qin Yao nodded slightly: "Hmm...

"Wait, Lawyer Lin, are you calling me stupid!"

She widened her eyes in disbelief.

The countdown on the big screen hit zero.

[Game Over]