Luck and Courage

Although Ling Chu was certain he wouldn't act rashly, her body tensed on instinct when Karl Claude pulled out a gun.

Karl Claude loaded a bullet into one chamber of the Revolver, then spun the cylinder. After a brief scrape of metal, there was no way to tell which chamber held the bullet.

Watching him, Ling Chu understood. "Russian Roulette?"

She might never have eaten pork, but she'd certainly seen pigs run.

She'd seen this game in plenty of Western movies and TV shows. Its proper name was Russian roulette, and it was really a wager with your life. The Revolver had six chambers. One bullet was loaded, then the cylinder spun. The two players took turns pointing it at their own heads and pulling the trigger until one of them died or gave up.

Since the cylinder was spun at random, in theory, each player had exactly the same chance of dying. It was a primitive, savage kind of "fairness" that stripped away skill, strength, and every other factor, testing only pure luck and courage.

And the game's horror went far beyond death itself. The long psychological torment before each pull of the trigger, the helplessness of leaving one's fate to chance, and the pressure of watching both your opponent and yourself repeatedly brush past Death God—that was the cruellest part.

Ling Chu couldn't understand why he wanted to play this with her.

He was the big boss of a casino and its Captain. For a few hundred Chips, he wanted to gamble his life against an unknown nobody like her.

Either he was a foolish, overconfident idiot, or he had some trump card that guaranteed his victory.

After their several rounds at the table, she didn't think Karl Claude was the former. So what was his trump card? What made him so sure he'd win?

Ling Chu asked casually, "Isn't it a bit much to risk your life for these Chips?"

"You said blackjack was taking too long and getting boring, miss. I feel the same way. A game like this is exciting," Karl Claude said with a smile. "And these Chips aren't exactly a small sum. You've still got Chips worth over thirty thousand Sea Shells. On some of the Lawless Islands, five thousand Sea Shells is enough to buy a life."

"If I die, you don't need to worry about my men giving you trouble. A bet is a bet—that's the rule aboard the Golden Finger. If you beat me, you become the new Captain of the Golden Finger. How does that sound? Not a bad deal, right?"

"Want to take a chance?"

Before Ling Chu could answer, Karl Claude had already picked up the Revolver. "To show my sincerity, I'll go first."

He raised the gun to his temple without hesitation and pulled the trigger.

A crisp click.

The firing pin struck an empty chamber. Nothing happened.

Karl Claude smiled and handed her the gun. "Your turn."

Ling Chu stared silently at the weapon.

"If you don't dare, just admit you're scared. Leave me all the Chips you won today, along with that bow, and at least you'll keep your life. Learn your lesson for next time, miss. Sea Shells aren't so easy to earn."

Karl Claude seemed certain she wouldn't play.

He'd seen plenty of people like her. In casinos, greenhorns who weren't afraid of anything often had Luck on their side. But when it came to a proper game of life or death, they'd all get scared out of their wits.

As Ling Chu watched the Revolver on the table, her unease deepened.

She activated her Eyepatch and scanned the weapon. She usually kept the Eyepatch turned off; otherwise, she'd see skeletons with Data Panels wandering around the ship. She only turned it on when she needed to.

[Karl Claude's Special Revolver]

[Quality: Unique]

[Once a bullet is loaded, no matter how the cylinder is spun, the bullet will always fire on the final shot.]

Ling Chu froze. Her face remained calm, but in her heart, she cursed Karl Claude and his ancestors three times over.

No wonder he was so confident. He was cheating. What a scheming bastard!

Karl Claude gestured for the dealer to pour him a drink. He was certain Ling Chu wouldn't pull the trigger—and even if she did, he was guaranteed to win.

Then Ling Chu suddenly moved. She picked up the Revolver, pointed it at her head, and pulled the trigger again and again.

"Click, click, click, click—"

Four clicks in a row. The firing pin struck empty chambers each time.

Karl Claude looked up in astonishment. Ling Chu pushed the Revolver, now holding the only remaining bullet, toward him and gave him a knowing smile.

"Looks like I won after all."

The ash on the Cigar in Karl Claude's hand had almost burned down to his fingers. The scorching heat brought him back to his senses.

Ever since he'd finished modifying the Revolver, he'd never lost a game of life or death.

He usually made the other person go first. They'd typically fire only once, then he'd use up the four empty chambers. That left the last bullet for his opponent. Sometimes, when he met someone too scared to shoot, he'd fire once himself "to show his sincerity" before handing over the gun. They'd usually fire only once before returning it to him, and he'd still be able to use up the three remaining empty chambers in one go. No matter how you looked at it, he won.

This was the first time he'd met someone bold enough to fire four times in a row.

"Little Girl, you've got guts. You really went for it, huh?"

Karl Claude's eyes gleamed with interest.

"After playing these rounds with you, I've learned something, too: never leave your fate in someone else's hands." Ling Chu spoke with pointed meaning.

Karl Claude neither confirmed nor denied it. He reached for the Revolver again and stared at Ling Chu without blinking. He pointed the gun at his own forehead and pulled the trigger with a smile.

Bang!

This time, it wasn't the hollow click of an empty chamber. It was the report of a real gunshot.

The instant the bullet fired, Karl Claude's body turned into wisps of shadow. A moment later, it gathered back into its original form.

The bullet struck the wall behind him, leaving a charred hole.

Ling Chu watched as his body turned into formless black smoke and then re-formed. Clear surprise flashed in her eyes.

As expected, anyone who could command a ship had a trump card.

She was somewhat relieved she hadn't impulsively tried to attack him. Otherwise, she would certainly have been the one to suffer.

"I lost. You can take everything you won today, plus twice the amount—four hundred and twenty Chips. I'll also personally top up your Chips to one thousand. Consider it a reward for your courage," Karl Claude said generously.

Though he couldn't stand seeing people make money at his casino, and though he cheated, Karl Claude still kept his word.

"But, miss, do you have something on you that can increase your Luck? Would you be willing to sell it? I'd pay a high price."

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