Who broke the glass 15 Pei Qingyu slowly rose,...

Xun Yin warily approached the only occupied table nearby. When he finally reached it, his pupils contracted slightly.

Ten masked people sat at the table. A slender figure sat across from him, a black coat draped over his shoulders, and tilted his head slightly at him.

-it was Pei Qingyu.

Xun Yin's heart gave a jolt. Neither of them spoke. Pei Qingyu turned his face away, and Xun Yin lowered his head, walked to the table's only empty seat, and slowly sat down.

Chapter 26: Who broke the glass 15 Pei Qingyu slowly rose,...

There was a recess at the very center of the round table. Before Xun Yin approached, he had heard a burbling sound of water. Up close, he saw that fresh blood was constantly seeping down into that recess.

Xun Yin made a rough estimate, and his heart sank. If this was the amount of blood lost by one person-at the very least, they would have lost an arm or a leg.

A mask lay in front of his seat, with a bright red "No. 9" beneath it. The instant Xun Yin put the mask on, the lights around them came on. Seeing that he was seated, the bartender behind him set the glass he had been wiping for so long on the bar. His previously mechanical tone suddenly changed, and he said with keen interest, "The players are set; the gamble begins. It starts when the wheel spins and ends when the pointer stops. One person per round, one wager per game."

Xun Yin frowned. Before he could understand what the man meant, a pointer slowly rose from the recess in front of him and began spinning rapidly. After about a minute, it stopped in front of the person marked No. 5. The masked person behind No. 5 let out a roar and slapped the table in agitation.

But the pointer had not finished. It began spinning rapidly again. Everyone at the round table watched nervously as it gradually slowed, finally wobbling to a stop directly opposite Xun Yin-at No. 3's place.

Clap, clap.

The bartender behind them suddenly began clapping and giggled. "Very good. The wager is established. Now, you two, what have you come here to gamble for?"

"I'll go first!" Catching No. 5 off guard, No. 3 immediately stood up. "The third-quarter shipment for Zone C. Surely it's my turn this time! I can..."

"Shh." The bartender clapped his hands softly. No. 3 immediately fell silent, his body rigid as he dared not move.

"We haven't reached the stage for naming terms. Don't break the rules." The bartender spread his hands slightly and turned to No. 5. "And you?"

"I want Company D's detailed business map for the past six months." No. 5 gritted his teeth and said coldly, "As long as I can get it..."

"Good." Ignoring the rest of his sentence, the bartender pushed open the low door beside the bar and slowly walked toward them. There was no telling what sort of shoes he wore; each step landed with a strange, sticky quality. "Now, I'll state my requirements."

With that, he stopped beside No. 5 and whispered his requirements. No. 3 began visibly trembling all over, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. The bartender paid no attention to his reaction, however, and simply walked over to No. 5 and whispered to him as well.

"All right, you both know the requirements now." The bartender's voice came through his mask, carrying an eerie pleasure. "Three, two, one..."

"I accept!"

"I-I can't! I withdraw!"

The two hysterical cries rang out at once. The bartender glanced from side to side. After shouting "I accept," No. 3 braced himself against the table with a bang, panting heavily. When he heard No. 5 choose to withdraw, he immediately burst into crazed laughter.

"Good. Then the gamble is closed. All terms take effect immediately."

"No, no..."

No. 5, who had withdrawn, backed away in terror. But at some point, the bartender had swiftly moved behind him. Grinning, he pushed him forward. The man stumbled and fell straight onto the □□, letting out agonized wails. Xun Yin clearly saw a syringe plunge straight into the man's arm, steadily drawing his blood into it.

-so that was the source of the blood he had seen when he first came in.

Xun Yin silently glanced at Pei Qingyu, only to find that he had already turned his face away and was staring thoughtfully at the mask on the bartender's face.

Meanwhile, No. 3, who had accepted, laughed maniacally, letting the bartender take out an injection and plunge it into the back of his neck. Cold sweat poured off him, yet he left in wild delight.

Over the next few rounds, one party always accepted while the other withdrew. On the sole occasion when both withdrew, the bartender simply kept giggling as he watched the □□ drain their blood.

An endless stream of newcomers joined the gamble, and an endless stream of blood flowed into the wheel, maintaining this casino's cruel balance.

"The players are set; the gamble begins. It starts when the wheel spins and ends when the pointer stops. One person per round, one wager per game." After another game ended, the bartender recited the same unchanging words again. "Who will it be this time?"

The moment he finished speaking, Xun Yin saw the pointer wobble to a stop in front of Pei Qingyu. His heart tightened. Pei Qingyu showed little reaction, merely looking up at the bartender again and tilting his head slightly.

Xun Yin steadied himself, lowered his eyes, and quickly sorted through his thoughts.

If both people called out that they withdrew, both would have their blood drained.

If one accepted and one withdrew, the punishment and reward terms for the one who accepted would take effect immediately, while the one who refused would have their blood drained.

If both accepted...

At that thought, he frowned slightly. No two people had chosen to accept at the same time yet. If it really happened...

He looked up as he thought, only to find the pointer wobbling, slowly coming to a stop in front of him.

"Very good. The wager is established. Now, you two, what have you come here to gamble for?" The bartender's familiar voice rang out as he asked with a smile.

Xun Yin quickly raised his head. The number on the table in front of Pei Qingyu was 2, while his own was 9.

His captain had been sitting across from him, watching him quietly, and seemed to have no intention of standing. Xun Yin understood and stood up first, saying briefly, "I want those two syringes back."

"And you?"

The bartender showed no particular reaction, merely turning to look at Pei Qingyu. Pei Qingyu slowly rose, lifted a finger, and pointed straight at Xun Yin. "I want him to leave this place without a scratch," he said softly.