Game of a Single Bullet

A man stood with his back to the door, facing the floor-to-ceiling window. He was tall, wearing a well-fitted deep blue captain's uniform, the gold tassels on his epaulets declaring his rank.

Hearing the door open, he turned slowly.

The man appeared to be around fifty, his hair meticulously combed, his face sharp and weathered from years at sea. His blue eyes were startlingly keen, and a formulaic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but it never reached his eyes.

He didn't approach immediately. Instead, he sized her up with a look—not like a guest, but more like an interesting object or a worthy opponent.

"I'm Karl Crawford," he introduced himself succinctly with a slight nod, his movements elegant yet carrying an unmistakable air of distance. "Captain of this ship. A pleasure."

He gestured toward one of the sofas. "Please, have a seat."

Once Ling Chu sat down, he didn't return to his desk but took the sofa across from her, offering her a cigar. Ling Chu didn't take it. "I don't smoke."

Karl bit down on the cigar and lit it himself, his tone calm but every word weighted. "I hear you stirred up quite a storm in my casino tonight. Won a considerable number of chips."

"Just luck," Ling Chu said.

She wasn't being modest—it was the truth.

"Most people who win that much in my establishment would have their hands shaking. But you... you look remarkably composed."

He observed Ling Chu's reaction, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth as he spoke slowly. "How about it? Dare to play a few rounds with me?"

He leaned forward slightly, an invisible pressure spreading through the air.

"I guarantee the little games downstairs will feel as dull as children's play compared to ours."

[Karl Claude] [Occupation: ???] [Target's rank too high; specific information cannot be viewed.]

Ling Chu stared at the feedback from the Eyepatch, her expression freezing slightly.

This was the first person she'd encountered whose information the Eyepatch couldn't read. Back when she was a first-rank Ghost Pirate, it had been able to read a second-rank Sulfur Giant Lizard's data. Now that she was second-rank, that meant his strength was at least fourth-rank or above.

With hundreds of waiters on this ship and cannons to boot, other weapons were a given. At his level, killing her would be easy, but instead, he invited her to a game.

Ling Chu guessed he simply saw her as weak and wanted her to cough up the chips she'd won.

If winning money on a gambling ship meant getting silenced, the Golden Finger Casino's reputation would have been ruined long ago.

Convinced he wouldn't lay a hand on her, Ling Chu relaxed considerably.

Making her spit out the money wouldn't be so easy either.

"Sure. But I only know a few table games—two or three at most," Ling Chu said.

"I heard you're quite good at blackjack. Let's play blackjack then."

Karl Claude pressed a service bell on the table. A man dressed as a dealer entered, clearing the mahogany coffee table to turn it into a temporary gambling table.

The dealer opened a brand-new deck of cards on the spot. Karl Crawford made a "ladies first" gesture. "First round, you're the banker."

Ling Chu didn't decline.

Shuffle, cut, deal.

Her face-up card was a King of Hearts; Karl Claude's was a 9 of Spades.

Ling Chu's hole card was a 6, totaling 16 points. She glanced at his cards and said calmly, "Hit."

The dealer slid a card over—a 4! Perfect, 20 points.

A nearly unbeatable score.

The captain's hole card was a 7, totaling 16 points. He had to hit.

He tapped the table lightly with his fingertip. The dealer dealt—a 5! 21 points!

Ling Chu's 20 was instantly crushed. The captain didn't even need her to reveal her hole card.

"Looks like my luck isn't bad either."

Karl Claude smiled faintly, gently pulling the banker chip toward himself. "Switch banker."

Second round, Karl was banker. His face-up card was an Ace.

Ling Chu's hand was a pair of 10s—Diamond 10 and Club 10.

She didn't hesitate. "Split." She divided her chips into two piles.

The dealer dealt additional cards to each of her 10s. The first was a Jack—20 points. The second, another Queen—another 20 points!

An excellent position.

Now all the pressure was on the banker.

Karl Claude revealed his hole card—an 8! Soft 19, a strong hand. But by the rules, he had to take another card. All eyes fixed on the dealer's fingers.

The card slid out—a 2!

Another 21! Banker takes all!

Ling Chu's two 20-point hands, before the captain's 21, were no different from zero.

The small pile of chips in front of her was swiftly raked away.

"Winning and losing are just part of the game." The Captain's tone was flat, as if he were merely commenting on the weather.

The next few rounds fell into a strange tug-of-war. Ling Chu finally managed to get a Blackjack (Ace and King), winning a round outright. The Captain retaliated immediately in the next round; while she was still hesitating over whether to take a card, he had already revealed two tens (Jack and Ace), another 21 points, winning directly. Occasionally, both sides had the same point total, ending in a draw.

The stakes climbed slowly but steadily, and the air in the room seemed to solidify, leaving only the faint rustle of cards sliding across the table and the crisp clatter of chips colliding.

Ling Chu could feel that the other party's luck was no worse than her own. After all, he had a despicable item like the Voodoo Doll of Luck Transfer, and who knew how many people's luck he had already drained with it.

Moreover, as the owner capable of managing a casino, his card skills were beyond doubt.

The way he looked at the cards, the timing of his bets—all exuded an unfathomable, seasoned expertise. He seemed to be enjoying the process, savoring the gradual erosion of her chips and confidence.

Unsure if the other party had any items that could detect a ghost possession, Ling Chu didn't dare let Hemlock come out. She had to rely solely on her luck and her mediocre card skills. At this rate, she would eventually lose all her chips.

Another round began. Karl Claude was the dealer, and his upcard was a 9.

Ling Chu's upcard was a 10, and her downcard was also a 10, totaling 20 points.

"Stand."

Karl Claude chose not to take another card.

In an ordinary game, 20 points would be a sure win, but Ling Chu had a premonition that even with 20 points, she wouldn't win this round.

The dealer expressionlessly slid a card over.

Ling Chu gently pinched the corner of the card with her fingertips—it was a game-winning Ace.

In Blackjack, an Ace can count as either 1 point or 11 points.

Ling Chu revealed her cards: 10, 10, Ace, totaling 21 points.

The Captain revealed his cards: upcard 9 and downcard Ace, totaling 20 points.

Ling Chu won by a narrow margin of one point.

She finally clawed back a victory, winning back some of the chips she had lost.

Karl Claude looked at Ling Chu with a thoughtful gaze. When she had a sure-win 20 points and a high probability of busting, she still dared to take a card, and she happened to draw an Ace—her luck was truly heaven-defying.

He couldn't help but guess that she likely had some luck-boosting item on her as well.

Time slipped away minute by minute in the haze of cigar smoke.

Ling Chu was getting restless.

The effect of her Double Luck would expire after midnight, Zero Point. It was already nearly 11:30, and she had to finish the game with him before then.

"I'm getting a bit sleepy. At this rate, who knows how long we'll be playing. How about we settle it all in one round?"

Ling Chu proposed this after a round ended.

She had already lost over a hundred chips. To Karl Claude, her sudden proposal looked like someone eager to turn things around but losing their composure instead.

It played right into his hands.

Karl Claude nodded. "Sure."

"Since it's a single round to decide the winner..."

He pulled a Revolver from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

"Have you ever heard of the Game of a Single Bullet?"