Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 941: Chapter 746: The Gamblers

Qi Wen, a Dongxia man, a well-known entrepreneur in Xinhai, a border trader, owns a car and a house, with both parents deceased, achieved ambition in youth, rose to prominence in middle age, and became wealthy in old age.

Unfortunately, on the day before reaching the peak of his life, he encountered a car accident and died.

Lived to the age of fifty-one.

It must be said that although everyone dies in different ways, successful people all have the same reasoning.

Long before becoming the white glove of the Yin’s family, he had already entered the ranks of social elite, recruited with a high price by the Yin’s family.

In the rise of the Yin’s family, his contributions were enormous, so much so that when he tried to establish his own business with growing ambitions, it would cause such indignation.

To describe his traits, he was a natural businessman with precise instincts in investment, inherent sensitivity to number games, and control over the cost of industries making him a sought-after professional manager twenty years ago.

The most dazzling achievement in his resume was obtaining dual degrees in economics and mathematics from the American Ivy League within four years, and later achieving a master’s degree in statistics in his career.

He specialized in probability.

This man was a born gambler, even if he focused on broader domains and always looked down on gambling in casinos.

”Gambling is never about suspense. Those who expect to become overnight rich by gambling are like those who rely on doping to find happiness; they all have something wrong with their head.”

Facing Huai Shi’s question, Qi Wen’s record Engraved showed no disguise of his contempt: ”No matter the rules or place, in the end, it’s all just the banker’s game of taking it all.”

Huai Shi was dumbfounded, truly experiencing the demeanor of a master from this guy for the first time.

”After saying so much, do you even know how to play?”

”Ha, it’s just a simple math problem.”

’Qi Wen’s’ record sneered disdainfully, scanning those gathered around with Huai Shi’s eyes, ”Though not professional, the opponents are brainless enough to turn into gangsters, I don’t think winning will be an issue.”

Incredibly, a year after his death anniversary, Qi Wen played the role he could not achieve in life.

The twists and turns of fate are truly unpredictable.

Step aside, let the professionals take over!

”Group Leader of Huaizhi, want to give it a try?”

When those people invited him with ill-intentions, Huai Shi slowly looked up, and in the distance, Akasaki, who intended to intervene, paused in action, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

It seemed as if he had become a different person.

No longer radiating like the sun from the past, but like a mass of writhing darkness, elusive, difficult to discern, only providing a sense of twilight sinister aura.

Yet quickly, that feeling faded away like an illusion.

Huai Shi’s lips twitched slightly, as if he hadn’t smiled in a long time, but the smile was so harmless and sincere, reassuring.

Like a lamb to the slaughter.

”Sure.” He said, ”What does everyone want to play?”

The others exchanged glances and suggested, ”I saw Huaizhi-kun was great at Texas before, how about we play a few rounds?”

”Sure, sure.”

Huai Zhisu People went with the flow.

So, everyone smiled.

It seemed like they all had a bright future.

.

Honestly, it felt miraculously strange.

Huai Shi was still Huai Shi, never changed, yet in an instant, countless records intruded into his mind, forming another personality outside of his soul.

Like a virtual machine running on a computer.

A bunch of numbers, laws, and messy equations roamed in part of his mind, their transformations and sudden skips carried an aura of deception and traps.

Like a spider weaving its web. Each thought split into two, one is his own, the other a conclusion drawn from Qi Wen’s record.

Without seeing the hidden card, two thoughts appeared in his mind upon glancing at his first revealed card.

The first: What is this thing?

The second: No need to see, call.

Why?

Qi Wen: No why, just call.

Instantly, Huai Shi was confident, casually grabbing chips.

”I call!”

The abundant confidence left the others momentarily stunned, and after a moment, they all made their choices to call or not.

With the second exposed card, Huai Shi’s hand was the largest.

Qi Wen: Raise a hundred thousand, stay calm.

Huai Shi grinned, throwing another chip.

His smile remained until the moment of reveal.

8, j, 7, k... the hidden card was a 3.

Not even a pair, instantly fifty thousand US dollars vanished!

Good thing Huai Shi didn’t get impulsive to raise further, or he’d have lost a tenth of his money this hand!

What the hell!

Huai Shi was dumbfounded.

”Qi Wen, what the hell are you doing?”

While seeing those joyful faces through Huai Shi’s eyes, a genuine excitement emerged from within Qi Wen’s personality, as if he was the winner.

”Stay calm.” He chuckled weirdly, ”Can’t slaughter a pig unless it’s fattened, right?”

Then, he continued directing: once the cards are dealt, call a round, no matter how good the hand is, no matter how others raise, don’t follow after that.

And so, during the second hand, naturally, another ten thousand was lost.

Too bad for the three of a kind.

”Third round!”

Huai Shi clutched his hole cards, starting to panic: ”Are we still fattening the pig? Keep this up, and I’ll turn into the pig!”

”Don’t worry, the third round is a good time to stabilize.” Qi Wen said: ”Some of them have already lost enough to feel the pain, so they’re going to start being cautious. Probably no one else will double the bet. Whether you win or lose, it won’t matter.”

Given Huai Shi’s previous performance, no one will likely consider him a threat anymore.

At this point, winning a little won’t catch anyone’s attention.

Unfortunately, Huai Shi’s luck wasn’t good in this round either, and he gave up halfway through, losing two hundred thousand.

In barely half an hour, eight hundred thousand evaporated.

Anyone would feel jittery.

But when all the decisions were handed to Qi Wen, only then did Huai Shi, as a spectator, realize the atmosphere at the poker table had somehow heated up.

When chips aren’t exchanged for real money, everyone seems to become incredibly generous in their spending, not caring even if they lose.

Everyone’s lips carried smiles as they immersed themselves in their delusions, eyes lit up by the golden chips as if they’ve found happiness.

The joy is chilling.

In the fifth round, Huai Shi boldly increased the bet, almost as if he’s going overboard!

This time, luck seemed to finally favor him, securing two hundred and twenty thousand in winnings with an ordinary ’straight’, not only covering previous losses but gaining him an extra one hundred and sixty thousand!

”Ha, I’m just saying, Gao Jin! Don’t you know what Gao Jin means!”

Huai Shi laughed triumphantly, while to the others, it looked purely like dumb luck.

The two players who were intimidated by Huai Shi’s momentum and chose to fold clicked their tongues in displeasure.

The beggar has to celebrate New Year too; it’s nothing special.

In the sixth round, after sweeping up another million, by the seventh round, Huai Shi’s string of good luck finally ended, costing him one hundred and forty thousand. . .

By this time, some people had already lost all their chips and left the table, but soon, another gambler, who had just hit the jackpot in blackjack, sat down beside them.

The gambling continued.

Huai Zhisu People’s luck swung between good and bad, often losing in fits of rage, yet the chips before him kept growing at an inexplicably rapid pace.

After over an hour had passed, just as everyone began to realize, Huai Shi’s smile was already illuminated by the golden light.

”For this hand, I’ll raise, just relax, take it easy everyone.”

He waved his hand, doubling the bet.

As the game reached the final ’river card’ stage, the stakes increased from the original heart-pounding six million from the previous player to twelve million.

Smiling, Huai Shi turned his head, looking at the player next to him.

The master raised, how about you, Wukong?

The gaunt man’s expression changed, beads of sweat dripping down his face, but under Huai Shi’s challenging gaze, he couldn’t help but bite his teeth.

”I’m all in!”

With that one solitary bet, he gambled all his chips.

Breathing heavily, he glared at Huai Shi, sneering: ”I don’t believe with an entire set of quads in my hand, you can beat me!”

Huai Shi smiled mysteriously, not answering.

Just tapping his hole cards.

Silently calculating the chips he’ll harvest after this round.

Finally, at the stage of unveiling the cards, he flipped his hole cards one by one.

A nine of spades, a ten of spades.

Plus three face-up cards he had picked.

Seven, eight, jack.

The bright playing cards illuminated sheets of pale faces.

”Sorry, it’s a straight flush.”

Huai Shi turned his head, politely bidding farewell to the player beside him in a low voice: ”Someone else is waiting, you can give up your seat now, thank you.”

In the croupier’s hands, he watched helplessly as he bade farewell to all his chips.

The man froze in place, instinctively wanting to lash out, but upon locking eyes with Huai Shi, he cooled down instantly, sweating profusely.

”Don’t do this, Mr. Huaizhi, give me a chance, give me a chance...” He pleaded in a low voice: ”Can you lend me three hundred—no, just two hundred thousand will do!”

Huai Shi coldly lifted his fingers, flicking off the man’s grip on his sleeve, dusting off imaginary dirt, but he didn’t outright refuse, only asked softly: ”Why should I lend you money?”

The man hesitated for a moment, then his face lit up with joy, ”I, I...I have a restaurant in Fushimi. I can sign a promissory note, I can transfer ownership...”

Huai Shi’s movement paused, his gaze growing increasingly disdainful.

He could have lent it, but inexplicable anger made him unable to tolerate such logic: ”These chips can’t be exchanged for money, you understand that, right? And with your skill, you think you can win the casino’s shares? Go home and wash up for a good night’s sleep, why don’t you?”

”I, I know...”

The man’s face turned ashen: ”But before this, after losing all my chips, I’d already pawned all our group’s storefronts. If I don’t repay by midnight...”

He mumbled, his eyes filled with hope: ”Two hundred thousand, Mr. Huai Shi, two hundred thousand is all I need, I can turn it around!”

Huai Shi closed his eyes, unwilling to look at him anymore.

He grabbed a handful of chips, threw them at the man’s face, and pointed at Akasaki sitting at the nearby bar.

”Write the promissory note and give it to him, then leave!”

”Thank you, Mr. Huaizhi, thank you, Mr. Huaizhi!” The man was overjoyed, his eyes lighting up again with hope and happiness. After picking up the chips scattered across the floor, he gleefully headed over to write the promissory note at the bar, and finally, dashed straight into the baccarat area.

Vanishing from sight.

Then Huai Shi lifted his head, looking at the faces in front of him, which had changed two or three times, and once again, he revealed an innocuous smile.

”Shall we continue?”

Thus, the gambling continued, and so did the happiness.