"This thing of yours isn't working either."
Liu Zheng looked at the chips before him.
Half an hour had passed, and he had only made 500 bucks.
To put it bluntly, what was that even enough for?
"You're obviously just too unlucky. Even the Lucky Clown Card couldn't make up for it."
Cow-Horse stubbornly retorted.
"This won't do."
He shook his head and stood up.
"What are you doing?"
Cow-Horse hurriedly asked.
"Switching up how I gamble."
Liu Zheng looked around and headed toward another gambling table.
"Do you even know how to play?"
Cow-Horse questioned him.
"Texas Hold'em? I've played plenty of it."
He spoke confidently, then plopped down in an empty seat directly opposite the dealer.
The dealer raised its head and glanced at him. A flash of greed passed through its yellow vertical pupils, and a strand of drool slid from the corner of its scaled mouth.
"Can I file a complaint against it?"
Liu Zheng pointed at the dealer.
"What would the guest like to complain about?"
the dealer asked.
Its voice carried a strange hissing sound.
"You drooled at me. I consider that sexual harassment."
He spoke with righteous indignation.
"You misunderstand, guest."
The dealer laughed helplessly.
"I have no interest in mating with humans. I merely want to eat your flesh."
It explained.
"Hahaha."
The other gamblers broke into laughter, some mocking, others malicious.
"I don't care what you think. I care what I think."
Liu Zheng waved a hand, ignoring the laughter.
"I can complain about it, right?"
he asked Cow-Horse again.
"You can, I suppose."
Cow-Horse scratched its head.
"Fine. You, go get your supervisor."
Liu Zheng pointed at a passing waiter and shouted.
"Me?"
Jellyfish Head pointed at himself.
"Yes, hurry up, or I'll complain about you too."
Liu Zheng said seriously.
"There's no need for that, guest. Don't forget, you'll have to leave eventually."
The dealer wore a chilling smile.
"Who the fuck are you threatening?"
Before Liu Zheng could speak, Cow-Horse lost its temper first.
"Come on, let's go outside and settle this right now. Whoever chickens out is a mother's boy."
It rose onto its hind legs, its swollen shadow completely engulfing the dealer.
Cow-Horse might have been meek and submissive before Oink, but that did not mean just anyone could throw punches at it.
"I'm sorry. I raised my voice. How would you like to resolve this?"
Anger flashed across the dealer's face before it spoke.
"You tell him."
Cow-Horse jerked its chin at Liu Zheng.
"Get us each a drink, then replace the dealer."
he said.
"Certainly. May you both have prosperous gambling luck."
The dealer spoke stiffly, then left the table.
At some point, the other gamblers' laughter had stopped as well.
A minute later, a waiter brought over two glasses of whiskey.
The new dealer had also arrived. She was a female Succubus.
She was seriously—
Fine, Liu Zheng had not had time to look at her face.
"Handsome, it's my first day on the job. Don't complain about me, okay?"
the Succubus Dealer said, shooting him a flirtatious glance.
"That depends on how you deal."
Liu Zheng replied coolly.
"What if I deal them like this?"
The Succubus Dealer slipped a card between her two half-spheres, then bent forward.
"You're sexually harassing me. I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."
He reached in and took the card away.
"Then thank you, handsome."
The Succubus giggled, a strange glint passing through her eyes.
Not just anyone could touch her chest, yet this human had not fallen for it.
"Deal."
Liu Zheng urged her.
He did not have much time.
"Okay."
The Succubus opened a new deck and dealt two hole cards to each player in turn.
Liu Zheng flipped over his hole cards. They were a pair of nines.
One club and one diamond.
How should he put it? They were neither good nor bad.
They were worse than premium hands such as pocket aces, pocket kings, suited A-K, or K-Q, but better than unpaired trash or small pocket pairs.
He swept his gaze over the other gamblers and frowned.
In Texas Hold'em, observing your opponents' expressions was a very important skill.
But that skill was hard to use here, considering some of the gamblers did not even have faces.
"Cow-Horse, smash my face in."
Liu Zheng suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Cow-Horse looked completely baffled.
"Hurry up. Don't you want to win money?"
"Since when did it become your turn to order me around?"
Cow-Horse muttered and kicked him in the face.
It controlled its strength well. It only disfigured Liu Zheng without injuring his eyes or brain.
Liu Zheng blew two clumps of bloody foam from his crushed nostrils and tossed out a white chip.
"Raise!"
"That big right off the bat?"
Cow-Horse was so bluffed that it nearly reached out with a hoof to snatch the chip back.
"Pocket aces and you think it's not big? If you don't know how to play, then fold."
Liu Zheng did not hold back at all.
"Are you fucking asking for a beating?"
Cow-Horse's eyes widened round.
"And what pocket aces? You've clearly got a pair of nines."
???
The dealer and gamblers all turned to look at them.
Were these two here to perform comedy or gamble?
Did they even know how to play?
"I'm out."
The Doghead seated beside Liu Zheng thought for a moment, then discarded his cards.
"I'm out."
"I'm out."
"I'm out."
There were six players in total, and four chose to fold.
The remaining Eel Head looked at his hole cards again and sneered at Liu Zheng.
"Do we know each other?"
He narrowed his eyes.
Eel Head said nothing, merely sneering.
"I remember now. I almost didn't recognize you with your clothes off."
Liu Zheng suddenly realized.
When he had made his first delivery, this fellow had bitten off a piece of his flesh.
Today, it was not wearing a security uniform. Its long, narrow eel head grew straight out of its chest cavity, looking like a swaying floral arrangement.
"Your flesh smells delicious."
Eel Head finally spoke, slowly and teasingly.
"Thanks. You don't look bad either. Once I win even your underwear, I'll swallow that dead fish head of yours in one bite."
Liu Zheng said seriously.
"Deal."
He tossed a yellow chip to the Succubus Dealer.
"You're so generous, boss."
The Succubus Dealer tucked the chip into her neckline and gave Liu Zheng a syrupy smile.
After the first round of betting, it was time for three community cards.
An ace of hearts, a five of clubs, and a king of hearts.
"Handsome, it's your turn to speak."
the Succubus Dealer said.
"Three aces. What's there to say? I'm raising you."
Liu Zheng threw out his remaining five white chips.
"I have an ace. I don't believe you."
Eel Head stared at him for a long while before speaking slowly.
"If you don't believe me, then call."
Liu Zheng leaned back as a tentacle curled around his whiskey and brought it to his mouth.
"That's enough. He has pocket aces, and you have a pair of nines. Why the hell are you calling?"
Cow-Horse advised him.
"If you undermine me again, I'll go all-in immediately."
Liu Zheng glared at it.
"You wouldn't dare!"
Cow-Horse slapped the ground and sprang up.
"It has a heaven—"
It opened its mouth to shout.
"Fine, fine, three aces it is."
Cow-Horse covered its mouth.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."
Liu Zheng spat furiously.
That bastard's hooves reeked of a compound corpse stench.
"Hurry up, I've been waiting so long the flowers have withered."
He rinsed his mouth with whiskey and urged them on.
"I'm out."
Eel Head pinched his hole cards and finally gave up.
"Tch, lucky you got away fast. Watch closely, everyone—three aces!"
Liu Zheng rolled up his cards and slammed them viciously onto the table.
A pair of nines lay stacked together, like two people engaged in the grand harmony of life.
"Huh, so that wasn't it. Sorry, sorry."
Grinning, he pulled the chips over in front of himself.
He completely ignored the cannibalistic stares of the other gamblers.
Before you continue