Empire of Shadows

Morris had grown up in a casino, an illegal private casino.

It could be said that his growth was accompanied by the changes of the gambling table, from the earliest ordinary wooden gambling table without a tablecloth, to the current gambling table that was the same size as a billiard table, paved with marble and table felt.

Even now, he still worked in a casino.

The people of Golden Port City could come into contact with gambling and gambling tables from a young age, and Auge was no exception.

The first thing he did after he came of age was to go and have a look in a casino.

In fact, the first thing that most of the people of Golden Port City did after they came of age was to go and have a look in a casino.

To pull the lever of a slot machine, to watch the spinning pictures and then to let out a heavy sigh, or a sharp cheer.

They would also go to the side of a gambling table to watch for a while, to see how those games were played.

There was a very interesting phenomenon.

For a person to learn a simple skill might take three to a week’s time.But for a person to want to learn a gambling game that he had never come into contact with before, to learn it quickly, to master it, and to begin to have his own insights and experiences, it would only take one night.

The two guys on the bed next to his were talking at length about how much money they had recently made in the casino, which made Auge’s heart itch a little.

He also knew how to play cards, and had also been to a casino. The best time, he had won more than sixty in a day, and when he had lost, he had lost twenty.

From this point of view, in a casino, did he seem to have won more than he had lost?

He also recalled the local tourism magazines and newspapers, which were always telling people that today a certain lucky person had made a big fortune in the casino again. It seemed that every day, there would be a lucky person who would achieve financial freedom in an instant.

He turned to his side, lay on his bed, and his mind was recalling the gameplay on the gambling tables of the past.

Two more days passed. Some of the workers in the hospital who were in the same situation as him had once again spontaneously gone to find Vice President Walter. They had thought that Mr. Walter could provide them with some help, but it was a pity that they had not been able to get what they wanted.

Mr. Walter had suggested that they go to a bank to get a loan, which could help them to get through the current difficulty.

However, the matter of getting a loan was not so easy to do. Auge had also gone to a bank to inquire.

First was the current interest rate problem.

There was a lot of real estate stock in Golden Port City, and the mortgage interest rate for real estate in Likalai State was slightly higher than in the central region of the Federation.

The reason that ordinary people could understand was that the financial industry in Golden State and the central region of the Federation was more developed, and real estate was more inclined to be a ”financial product.”

But in the southern region and the regions with an industrial and economic pillar, these places where the financial industry was slightly behind, real estate did not have a financial attribute. The banks would be more cautious when dealing with real estate mortgages.

Less lending, and a high interest rate.

The market price of Auge’s house was about 1,200. The bank’s preliminary assessment could only give a loan of 500, and the interest rate was as high as 18%, and the loan could only be for three years.

An interest rate of over 50%. Even if he had only loaned 500, in the end, he would have to pay back 750.

And even if he were given 500, it would be of no help in solving his current situation. He couldn’t come up with the other 50.

And the bank manager had told him that if he planned to mortgage his house, it was also impossible to give him the loan immediately.

The bank had its own set of rules and regulations. They would first send someone to investigate the specific situation of the house, and then to check if Auge had the ability to repay.

In fact, from the bank’s point of view, the best solution should be that Auge could not repay the money, but the process was the process.

He had to have the ability to repay, and only then would the bank lend him the money. This was a kind of protection, to prevent the bank from breaking free from its shackles and becoming a man-eating monster.

Even if he was willing to take a loan, the loan would be released at the end of May, or in early June.

This had completely cut off his thoughts. Now he couldn’t rely on anyone, but only on himself.

There were still two days before the hospital would collect his medical expenses. He once again heard the patient in the bed next to his talk about having made a few hundred more in the casino.

It seemed that he had been winning all these few days?

Auge turned to look at the other party. ”How much did you win?”

The patient in the bed next to his was stunned for a moment, and then he said with a smile, ”About a thousand or so.”

When he heard this number, Auge’s heart couldn’t help but move a little. If he had a thousand or so, he could solve his current trouble.

In fact, he was not so concerned about those refugee attackers now. What he was concerned about was how to keep his house, the result of his twenty years of hard work!

”You’ve won so much. Your principal must be a lot, right?”

In his concept, if you want to win a lot, your principal can’t be small.

The patient in the bed next to his shook his head. ”Actually, at the very beginning, I only had fifty. And my luck was very good. At the end of the first day, I had turned the fifty into more than two hundred!”

”My God!” Auge couldn’t help but sit up. ”How did you do it?”

The man laughed out loud and said, ”Don’t think it’s very difficult to do this. You see, if you can win once with fifty, that’s a hundred. If you can win twice in a row, that’s two hundred!”

”If I can win three times in a row, that’s four hundred!”

A slightly morbid sense of satisfaction appeared on the patient’s face. ”If I can win four times in a row, that’s eight hundred, and five times is sixteen hundred!”

”Brother, just five times!”

”Is it that hard?”

As he spoke, he shook his head and immediately denied what he had just said. ”Maybe it’s very hard. Otherwise, on the first day, I wouldn’t have just gone from fifty to two hundred. It should have been four hundred, or more.”

”It’s very normal to have wins and losses.”

As he spoke, a look of wanting to share appeared on his face. ”I have an insight, maybe you can use it.”

”If you have fifty, you split it into two twenty-fives. If you lose the first hand, there is a high probability that you can win the second.”

”Don’t go and bet on the kind of gameplay with a small probability. Just bet on something like big or small, where the odds of winning and losing are half and half!”

”If you win, you will have seventy-five in your hand. You continue to split it, and continue to bet. This way you will always have a chance to protect your principal.”

”You only need to win twice, and you will have a hundred!”

”But you have to remember one thing, know when to stop!”

Listening to the other party’s plan, Auge was moved. A look of emotion appeared on his face. ”Is it really possible?”

The patient in the bed next to his continued to laugh out loud and said, ”Don’t ask me if it’s possible. Look at how much I’ve won!”

The patients in the other beds were also a little moved, but there were also some who were not interested in his theory. They all had their own theories.

Auge said a word of thanks and thought for a moment. In the afternoon, he left the hospital.

He returned home, took his passbook, and withdrew another sixty from the bank. Combined with the money he had on him, he had a total of a hundred.

He had a reporter help him, and he went to a casino on crutches. This was probably his last resort.

It’s unknown if it was an illusion, but the first moment he entered the casino, he felt that his head had become much clearer.

He stood in the casino and looked back at the sunlit street outside. This place and the outside were like two different worlds.

When he was outside, he was in a daze. The moment he entered here, he felt that he had been given a new life.

Perhaps... this is fate’s arrangement!

The reporter was watching from the side. In fact, the guy in the bed next to his had been specially hired by someone, just to stimulate him, to have him come here.

The editor-in-chief had told them that a report that could win an award must be one that could sting society.

If you don’t sting society, society will not feel the weight of your words. For words that are not heavy enough, for a report that is not deep enough, on what basis can you win an award?

In order to win an award, to fabricate news, to create news, this was not at all strange in the news industry.

People all say that the entertainment circle, the political circle, and the financial circle are all fields of fame and fortune. In fact, any circle that can be linked with interests is a field of fame and fortune!

When the casino floor manager saw Auge, he had someone get a wheelchair. The casino supported accessibility, and there were also stairs and elevators to choose from for going up and down.

Auge said a ”thank you” and then came to the counter and exchanged for a hundred dollars’ worth of chips.

He had followed the recommendation of his god of gambling patient and had asked for two twenty-five-dollar chips and one fifty-dollar chip. Then he had come to the most common dice table, to bet on big or small.

Originally, he had planned to put in fifty, but he had hesitated and had put in twenty-five. When the round was over and the answer was revealed, he slammed the edge of the table and also cursed!

It wasn’t that he had lost, but that he had won!

The dealer pushed his chips, along with another twenty-five-dollar chip, in front of him. Although he had won, his face was not very good.

If he hadn’t, just now, had a fit of madness and had put in a twenty-five-dollar chip, he would now have seventy-five!

Fuck!

He did not bet continuously, but waited for a while. After four consecutive smalls had been rolled, he believed that this time it would definitely be a big.

He directly placed the fifty on big, but it was a pity that once again, a small was rolled.

He cursed again.

No matter if he won or lost, it seemed that his temper was not smooth.

The dealer took away his fifty. His palms began to sweat, and his mouth was dry.

He looked at the fact that it had been five consecutive smalls. This time it would definitely be a big.

But he was also worried, what if another small was rolled?

He didn’t know what an ”independent event” was, but he knew that this was possible.

He had also heard of something similar, like ten or twenty consecutive smalls. He hesitated for a moment and placed the twenty-five on big.

If he lost this time, the next time he would bet all on big.

He was lucky this time and won again, but he still cursed himself, and even gave himself a slap.

Why?

Why couldn’t he be a little bolder?

He looked at the chips in his hand with dissatisfaction. A total of a hundred. He had won twice, lost once, and had played for nothing.

This time he did not hesitate and placed the fifty-dollar chip on big. He believed that after so many consecutive smalls, this time it should be a big in a row, but soon he found that he was actually not very good at guessing big or small.

”Five points, small...”

The dealer began to clear the table. Auge’s breathing had already begun to become rapid. He watched as the other party took away the chips in front of him. He had already clenched his fists.

He didn’t know why, but as long as he bet twenty-five, he would win, and as long as he bet fifty, he would lose.

Could it be that... God was telling him to bet twenty-five every time?

He hesitated for a moment and bet twenty-five, but it was clear that he had guessed wrong. God did not mean this.

He only had twenty-five left.

Five minutes later, he looked at the gambling table with a dazed look in his eyes. A gentleman by the side asked with a smile, ”Are you still playing?”

”Friend!”

Auge came back to his senses. He looked at the other party for a few seconds. ”No, I’m not playing anymore.”

He had a reporter push him away from the gambling table. In less than twenty minutes, he had lost a hundred.

Besides the forty that the editor-in-chief had given him, the sixty, he had saved it for almost half a year.

Half a year of hard work had become nothing in that instant. He hated himself very much.

”Should we go back?”

The reporter asked.

Auge’s hand was on his chest, his eyes very hurt, and also had a kind of ruthlessness. ”Push me to exchange for chips...”

The reporter’s action paused for a moment. ”You’ve already lost a hundred.”

Auge turned and looked at the reporter fiercely. ”Push me to exchange for chips!”

The reporter’s expression was a little complicated. He finally nodded. ”No problem.”

He pushed Auge to the place to exchange for chips. Auge handed over his passbook. ”Take it all out.”

The girl behind the counter glanced at it. ”I need to call and check.”

Auge did not object. Soon the girl put down the phone. ”There’s still thirty-seven in it. If you need to take it out, you need to sign here.”

She took out an authorization agreement and pointed at the underlined place at the end.

After he had signed here, the casino’s people were authorized to withdraw the money from the passbook. This was a legal guarantee. In fact, they could also withdraw it without this authorization.

The banking business of the Federation only recognizes passbooks and withdrawal slips. In other words, as long as you have a password, or some kind of a credential, anyone can withdraw the money from the bank.

Auge quickly signed his name. Then the girl handed the passbook to the person by her side. There was a bank next door. Although it was a cross-bank transaction, they could handle these businesses.

She at the same time placed thirty-seven dollars’ worth of chips on the counter. Auge did not say thank you and, taking the chips, had the reporter push him back to the gambling table.

In less than ten minutes, the thirty-seven dollars were gone, leaving only a dazed Auge.

Perhaps seeing his current ”predicament,” a well-dressed gentleman came over at this time. ”You need money.”

He looked at Auge. Auge turned his head to look at this person.

He had heard that there were people in the casino who were specially in charge of providing funds.

These were all high-interest loans.

He shook his head. ”I don’t need money.”

The man was not annoyed, but on the contrary, he said with a smile, ”I can see that you need money.”

”If you can pay back the money within a week, we won’t need a single cent of interest. Just treat it as making a friend.”

”If you can’t pay it back within a week, the interest and principal will be calculated on a weekly basis, at a compound interest rate of 2% of the total amount.”

He spread his hands. ”If you want money, it will only take a few minutes for us to confirm that you have a collateral for the loan, and to sign a few documents, and the money will be in your hands.”

Auge, after listening to him, still shook his head. ”I’m sorry, I don’t need money.”

”It’s alright. If you need it, you can find me here anytime.”

After saying that, he waved his hand, said his goodbyes to Auge, and left.

After returning to the hospital, he lay on his bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. In one day, he had lost 137. He had lost all his remaining money.

His wife’s side should still have a little, a few dollars, or a dozen or so. This was the limit.

He didn’t sleep all night. It was not until the next day, after dawn, that he had a short, drowsy sleep.

During the day, his wife had come for a visit, bringing him some food, and at the same time, asking him if he had seen the passbook.

She didn’t have much money left, and it was already the beginning of the month, and it was time to pay the bills.

Auge was stunned for a moment. He was suddenly startled. His whole person seemed to start to sweat in an instant. He could even feel every pore on his body secreting sweat!

He pretended to be calm and shook his head. ”I didn’t see it.”

His wife sighed, comforted him a few sentences, and then left.

She was going to go back and look for it again, but what she didn’t know was that the passbook was now under Auge’s pillow.

In the afternoon, the administrative doctor came again. ”Auge, we have already given you a lot of leeway. If you still can’t pay the fee the day after tomorrow, then we can only sue you.”

This time, the doctor’s attitude was very bad. After he had finished speaking, he had left without looking back, with a look of impatience on his face.

For this kind of patient who was in arrears of medical fees, he could not maintain a good attitude.

For a work post like his, if someone was in arrears of medical fees, it was equivalent to his work mistake, and his bonus and salary would be deducted. How could he possibly show a smile to these people?

Auge, after he had left, silently got up and came to the bathroom, and hit his face with cold water.

He looked at his disheveled self in the mirror. At this time, a voice had already appeared in his mind.

In two days, these people from the hospital would be taking away his house.

So why not, before the hospital took away his house, have a final gamble?

If he was unlucky, anyway, he would lose his house.

If he was lucky, not only could he keep this house, but he might also be able to make a profit.

In the afternoon, he had a reporter push him back home. His wife was not at home. He had gotten the proof of his property and then had gone to a casino.

He had found the gentleman from yesterday and had handed over the proof of his property. ”How much can I borrow from you for this?”

A sunny smile appeared on the gentleman’s face. While he was checking these documents, he asked, ”How should I address you, sir?”

”Auge. Just call me Auge.”

”Alright, Auge. Do you know roughly what your house’s market price is?”

Auge nodded. ”One thousand one hundred or two hundred.”

The gentleman shook his head. ”Actually, I can’t give you so much. If it can really be sold for one thousand one hundred or two hundred, you can try to list it for that much and see if you can sell it.”

”I can promise you, you will absolutely not be able to sell it!”

”One thousand, or nine hundred and fifty, is its suitable price. I can give you six hundred. You have six months.”

”If you can’t give me nine hundred and fifty in six months, this house will become mine. Any problem?”