Don't Stop!

Lin Qi liked casinos, not because he liked gambling. Ever since he lost five dollars the first time he gambled and felt bad for half a day, he realized that gambling had no affinity for him.

He wasn't a gambler, nor was he obsessed with it; what fascinated him was the diverse lives All Forms of Life in casinos.

He once encountered a gambling master, a true master, whose winning rate was very high. This master didn't cheat; he genuinely relied on some kind of mysterious and profound skill.

After Lin Qi became friends with him, he told Lin Qi that he didn't actually have much experience; his method of winning money was simply observation.

By observing subtle changes in each person's facial expressions and quickly analyzing them through multiple observations, he can develop an efficient and reliable observation pattern. By applying this pattern to subsequent card games, he can easily avoid all the probabilities that could cause him to lose money and greatly increase his chances of winning.

Everyone experiences subconscious changes when dealt good or bad cards. Some physiological changes are beyond human control, such as pupil constriction and dilation, or sudden changes in breathing habits.

Besides these, there are other small gestures, such as hand gestures, eye gestures, or sudden changes in posture.

In fact, the first instinctive thought of people who get good cards is to hide their true state, but it is this desire to hide that often betrays them.

Lin Qi's observational skills also began to improve around that time. After winning money from a gambler by observing changes in his facial expressions, he started to like the place.

Everyone expresses joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness differently. It's a very interesting game. You have to find the pattern, verify your guesses, and ultimately take money from other people's pockets.

The money involved is no longer important; it's just a trivial bonus.

Helen was pulled by Lin Qi, and only then did she realize what was happening. She then exchanged twenty dollars worth of chips with Lin Qi —she only had one chip.

On this luxury cruise ship, cash and chips have the same value; wherever cash can be used as a means of payment, chips also possess the same value and power.

It is worth noting that, generally speaking, all the chips on a cruise ship must be redeemed before disembarking. Even if some passengers plan to participate in a cruise the following year, it is not recommended to keep these chips.

Because next year, to prevent certain people from having ulterior motives, the cruise line will use new chips.

In recent years, technology has become increasingly advanced, and all sorts of things that people have never encountered before have frequently happened.

Counterfeiters forge checks, manufacture counterfeit currency, forge chips... there are all sorts of things, and what's even more infuriating is that people can't detect it at first, which always results in losses.

Many casinos replace their chips with new ones with anti-counterfeiting features every so often to prevent people from profiting by counterfeiting chips, but there are still some people who can keep up with the speed at which casinos change their chips.

Fortunately, there's no need to worry about these things at the casino on the cruise ship, and the chips used each time you go out to sea are different from the last time.

At this moment, Lin Qi held a brand new chip with green lace trim and the number 20 in the middle, representing its value.

"Is one enough?" Helen, looking at the only chip in Lin Qi's hand, expressing her skepticism.

Compared to the girl's less confident question, Lin Qi seemed much more confident, saying, "That's enough!"

Helen looked at Lin Qi with a sense of admiration. During their time together, Helen was attracted by the undeniable confidence in Lin Qi. What was even more attractive was that he always seemed to be right and never made a mistake. Every decision he made seemed to be made without much thought, but it always hit the right point.

A man who never makes a mistake—that was the image Lin Qi had in Helen's mind. If Lin Qi said that a twenty-dollar chip was enough, then it must be enough; she firmly believed that.

She even believed that if Lin Qi wanted to, he could win the cruise ship with a twenty-dollar chip, as long as the other party gave him that opportunity.

But soon, she discovered that she didn't actually know Lin Qi as well as she thought. He always brought a sense of novelty that was hard to understand, and surprises that she didn't know whether to call them surprises or not.

"You...it seems you've lost." Standing by the gambling table, watching Lin Qi place his only chip in the betting area, and then watching the dealer take the chip away, there were no surprises or reversals.

Lin Qi nodded casually, "Yes, I lost." He admitted it directly, without making excuses for himself, and readily admitted it.

"I thought..." Helen was a little unsure how to express her feelings, "I thought when you said 'one chip is enough,' you meant that you could keep winning money with just one chip!"

She genuinely believed it. The confidence on Lin Qi's face and his relaxed tone gave the girl immense confidence, making her believe that Lin Qi could still create miracles.

But... this is only the first bet, and I've already lost. That's a bit hard to accept!

Lin Qi, seemingly unconcerned, greeted the other players at the gambling table, stood up, and led the girl to the back. "I've said enough," he said. "Every time I come to the casino, I only bet twenty yuan, and I will never bet more than twenty yuan."

"You don't really think I can win countless amounts of money with just twenty dollars and one chance, do you?"

"If I could really do that, I wouldn't need to do anything right now; casinos all over the world would be sending huge sums of money to me every year!"

His smile always made Helen feel like she was being deceived by her own foolish thoughts. She didn't know how to answer and instead felt that she was indeed quite stupid and that the questions she asked were quite awkward.

He walked ahead, saying as he went, "I'm going to tell you something interesting, I mean the ring, do you know boxing?"

The girl nodded. "I know, but I don't really like watching it."

Lin Qi continued walking, and the two of them passed through most of the casino and entered the latter part of the casino, where people were gathered around a cage, and the person inside was fighting fiercely.

Every physical attack could spill more blood onto the ground, which was already stained red with blood.

Two people, who were not exactly young, were facing off.

They were panting heavily, and one of them had a cut on his brow bone. Although it had been bandaged and stitched up, blood was still flowing out.

Both of them had done their best, and they looked very tired.

Everything here is unlike the technical combat sports seen on TV or in movies. Two seemingly tireless people can skillfully dodge each other's attacks, fighting back and forth.

Here, there is no such thing as physical violence, only brutal, heart-wrenching blows.

Lin Qi found a good spot, waved to the girl, and then sat down.

The cruise ship staff brought him a betting sheet, which he could either place a bet or simply watch.

Helen was a little hesitant to look at the two people fighting inside the cage. She asked in a low voice, "Will either of them die?"

"Death?" Lin Qi shook his head. "Of course not. This isn't a novel or a movie. Not that many people will die here."

"Injuries are permissible, but death is not. The Federal will not allow such accidents to occur. If the cruise line doesn't want to cause trouble, it's best not to do that."

Federal laws are strange; sometimes you could say they're made by a bunch of lunatics. They're neither serious nor sacred.

For example, local laws in some areas clearly stipulate that people cannot put more than three toy ducks in a bathhouse while bathing, otherwise they will be arrested and prosecuted.

But sometimes Federal Law can be very serious, especially when it comes to life.

Freedom, the love of freedom, and respect for the subjects of freedom—human beings and life—permeate the entire law and are sanctified by something unseen. Human life is precious and sacred, and no one can easily take away another person's life, including the law itself (later, capitalists made people believe that private property is also sacred and legally equivalent to life).

This is also why, with the progress of society, people have begun to abolish the death penalty on a large scale, because even the law and executioners do not have the right to take someone's life.

Only God can take people's lives. God gave people life, and naturally He can take it away. But no one else can do it except God!

This includes Iron Cage Fighting on cruise ships; cruise lines should avoid such incidents if they don't want to cause serious trouble.

Upon hearing that there would only be injuries and no deaths, the girl's expression immediately softened, though she still couldn't bear to look at the two people attacking each other inside the cage.

"I keep telling myself that if I don't work hard, one day I'll be standing inside." Unlike the girl who was hiding and not daring to look, Lin Qi looked very seriously.

"Only at this time, here, will you understand the despair that poverty brings to people."

"These people don't go in and beat up a stranger or get beaten up by a stranger because they like it, just to please the people around them, like us."

"They are only doing this because they are poor, because they have no other choice, and they have no other way to make money."

"Watching them suffer, bleed, struggle, and resist inside inspires me to never stop!"

"Because if I stop and get overtaken, I could be the next one trapped in a cage."

Lin Qi turned his head to look at the girl who was in a daze. "Actually, we are all the same. We are all running. We can't stop. We all know this. That's why I cherish everything I have now."