On the Psychology of Gamblers

Four hundred thousand?

Four draws?

This isn't scientific.

Lake blinked, looking at the final amount that could be topped up, feeling as if he hadn't woken up yet.

What about the guaranteed ten consecutive draws?

How could six hundred thousand be gone just like that?

This isn't scientific.

Lake's eyes widened. He took out another blank piece of paper, intending to recalculate. To his surprise, the final number not only didn't increase but decreased by another twenty thousand.

What the f*ck!

Lake gasped, as if he had just realized where his mistake was.

He forgot about the twenty percent for money laundering.

...Never mind.

At worst, he could find an opportunity to sell the Continental Hotel gold coins in his account. If he sold them at an 80% discount, he could still get enough money for three draws.

Lake sighed.

He topped up four hundred thousand directly from his overseas bank account.

What a rip-off.

If it weren't for the fact that Lake felt it was better to keep the Continental Hotel than to destroy it, just for that twenty percent money laundering fee, Lake felt an urge to go over and demand his wages.

This is my hard-earned money.

Soon.

After the cheat system successfully topped up four hundred thousand, Lake looked at the number of available draws displayed on the cheat system, and immediately suppressed the idea of going to demand his wages for the time being.

Take a bath.

Burn incense.

Lake had originally considered whether he should invite statues of Buddha, the Jade Emperor, God, Jesus, and others into his home to increase his chances of being a lucky person. However, after hearing from a Chinese person that it would cost a fee to bring gods from America back to China, he abandoned the idea.

He didn't believe in God or Jesus anyway.

So...

The matter of inviting gods was dropped.

"Activate!"

"Give me four consecutive draws, explosion, explosion, explosion!"

Lake's eyes widened. Looking at the interface that only he could see, he shouted inwardly like a true gambler.

Soon.

[Ding!]

[Draw successful, remaining draws for the first phase: four hundred and eighty-seven!]

[Locator Card * 1: Item, B-class, Technology type. After use, it can locate a person's position and track them in real-time for two hours.]

[Duplication Card * 1: Item, B-class, Infinite type. Select a card you own and you can duplicate it.]

[Clone: Skill, SR-class, Magic type. Creates a clone. The clone cannot use skills that the main body cannot control. It automatically disappears after death, with no cooldown. A maximum of one clone can be summoned at a time, or an additional clone can be added for $100,000 USD. The second clone costs $100,000, the third $200,000, the fourth $400,000...]

[Angel Diamond: Cash type, D-class, Nature type: As you can see, this is a diamond, and a rare one at that. Rare in the world, very precious.]

"..."

What is all this?

Where is my SSR?

Just one S short, and they won't give it to me?

Not even one from the four consecutive draws?

Transcendent Bloodline.

Divine Spark.

Even a growing Divine Kingdom would be good.

Lake's mouth twitched severely. Looking at the four items he had drawn after spending four hundred thousand, he seriously suspected that the cheat system was operating in the dark, just like buying a lottery ticket, deliberately withholding the grand prize.

Among these four items, Lake felt that only the SR-class clone was worth the money. The other three were no different from getting a "thank you for playing" in a roulette draw.

And that diamond, the Diamond of Brilliance.

It's quite pretty.

If it could be sold, it would fetch at least over two million. However, this thing can't be sold just like that. Even if it could be sold, the cheat system had already blocked that loophole.

All items drawn from the cheat system cannot be sold or exchanged for cash through any means.

All...

Lake wasn't a woman, nor did he have dragon blood. He wasn't interested in diamonds that only sparkled and served no other purpose.

"I'm not playing anymore, give me my money back."

"..."

It was obvious he was daydreaming. Not only was this cheat system not intelligent, but even if it were, it would absolutely refuse.

Lake slumped over his computer desk, looking like a gambler who had lost and was asking if he could surrender and cut his losses in half.

Immediately after.

Lake's gaze fell upon the six hundred thousand in The Continental Hotel's backend.

What if...

He withdrew it and went for a big spree, maybe ten consecutive draws could get him a legendary gold item?

"Slap!"

As the thought crossed Lake's mind, he snapped back to reality and slapped himself hard.

I'm not a gambler.

Lake took deep breaths, suppressing the strong urge to go all-in. This six hundred thousand was waiting to be cleaned and used to pay some fees, and then to make more money.

Using it now might feel good, but he'd regret it later when he needed the money.

But...

He was unwilling!

Lake wailed inwardly. He had been expecting, at the very least, to draw a legendary gold item this time, but once again, he had undoubtedly drawn nothing.

He had felt a strong premonition of drawing a legendary gold item before the draw.

So...

It was another illusion.

Lake patted his handsome face, sighed, closed his eyes, pulled out the USB drive, and tossed it back into the drawer with his eyes still closed.

He opened his eyes.

"Sigh."

"So, you were faking being sick after all."

"..."

Lake blinked, looking up at his girlfriend Maureen, who had appeared at the study door at some point, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. He blinked again. "When did you get here?"

Maureen said, "When you closed the drawer."

As she spoke, Maureen walked in and looked at Lake, whose right arm was perfectly fine. "Yesterday, I fed you, bathed you, and even took the initiative, but you were faking being sick. You planned this, didn't you?"

Lake shook his head. "No."

If he had known that faking an injury would lead to the treatment he received last night, Lake promised he would do it once a week. After all, he was a police officer, and getting injured in a shootout with criminals was normal.

But last night was definitely not part of the plan.

Maureen laughed in frustration. "If Joe hadn't secretly told me today, how long were you going to pretend to be sick? Or rather, how many more times were you going to have me take care of you?"

"That damned traitor!"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Lake shook his head. This was why he preferred working alone. Others couldn't be relied upon. He had agreed with Joe to keep it a secret, but it hadn't even been twenty-four hours, and Joe had already sold him out completely.

He shouldn't have saved him back then.

Lake gritted his teeth. Fortunately, Joe's mission with George would be over in a few days, and then Joe would transfer to George's team.

Maureen looked at Lake, whose eyes were darting around, and called out to him again.

Lake looked up. "Huh?"

Maureen laughed in frustration. "Go on, tell me how many more times you want me to take care of you before you admit you were faking being sick?"

Lake looked at Maureen, who was as cold and stunning as an iceberg, and tentatively said, "One more time?"

As soon as he spoke, Maureen threw her scarf at Lake, completely amused and angered by his words. "Then go play with yourself one time."

Lake: "..."