There were simply too many people gathered in front of this table, but fortunately, the crowd subconsciously made way when they saw the waiter in the rabbit mask.
With the waiter’s assistance, Ren Yi finally managed to squeeze his way to the front of the gambling table.
Another waiter stood behind the table acting as the dealer, and there were only two people seated at the table.
As Ren Yi’s gaze swept over the two people at the table, his eyebrows twitched, and he felt a hint of surprise in his heart.
The two gamblers facing off at this table were both "former stowaways" in whom he had planted Seeds.
One of them was none other than Battle-Damaged Guy, whom he had just parted with not long ago.
The wounds on his body and face had not yet healed, but he didn't look the least bit disheveled. He sat upright with a calm gaze, somehow making a common casino chair look as steady and dignified as a high-end business seat.
In short, he had the aura of a true master.
The other was a scruffy middle-aged man with greasy hair plastered to his forehead and wrinkled clothes, yet his brow still held a certain composure. Clearly, he was no ordinary character either.
It was normal for him to be a bit scruffy; this man was obviously an old stowaway who had been stranded here for a long time.
He had likely broken in shortly after the last "cleanup," so his appearance naturally couldn't compare to the recently arrived Battle-Damaged Guy.
Ren Yi’s gaze fell on the piles of chips in front of them.
The two stacks were quite tall, appearing even more substantial than the chips a customer with an invitation would get from the exchange machine. They were quite a fortune.
The problem was, he had only given each stowaway a single chip at the start.
Even if the people Battle-Damaged Guy brought with him trusted each other completely and pooled their chips, they would have had three at most.
How had these two managed to earn so much in such a short time?
At that moment, Wang Zhixin, who had been perched on Ren Yi’s shoulder, flapped his wings and suddenly whispered toward the scruffy man, "That one is a veteran gambler."
Ren Yi was somewhat surprised. "How can you tell?"
"Look at his hands," Wang Zhixin explained. "The calluses on his fingertips and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, and the way his wrist strength is perfectly controlled when he holds the dice cup. Also, he seems to have lost a lot just now, but his expression and gaze haven't wavered at all. A normal person couldn't fake that kind of composure."
Ren Yi reconsidered and realized it made sense.
The stowaways dared to risk breaking in mostly because they had heard the rules of this permanent Instance and thought they could profit using their abilities.
But once they got inside, they realized that without official status, they couldn't even touch the gambling tables. They ended up relegated to the lowest levels of the casino.
Now that these experts had finally secured a chance to play at the table, it was normal for them to win.
"I didn't expect you to know about this," Ren Yi said, looking at the cockatoo on his shoulder with some surprise.
In his impression, a leader-type character like Wang Zhixin should have been a top student who focused on studies and education from childhood to adulthood. He shouldn't have been involved with gambling or black markets.
"Ahem, it’s not that I know," Wang Zhixin coughed slightly in embarrassment. "I just asked Old Zhou. He was one of my guards and used to get around quite a bit when he was younger. He knows these things."
"You asked your guard? Someone from Xin City?" Ren Yi’s eyes widened. "You can communicate with them now?"
"Most of them are in a deep sleep, but I can choose to briefly wake one of them to ask questions," Wang Zhixin answered honestly.
"However, I only know the abilities of the ministers and officials I’m familiar with. I happened to know Old Zhou understood these things, so I asked."
Fine, he even came with his own external knowledge base.
Just then, the scruffy middle-aged man stared intently at the dice cup, his brow furrowed, yet he maintained his surface calm. "I suspect there’s something wrong with the dice. I want to inspect them!"
Before his hand could touch the dice cup, he was stopped by another rabbit-masked waiter standing nearby.
In a professional capacity, the waiter acted very formally, his voice flat and mechanical without any inflection.
"Sir, please remain calm. All tools in the casino undergo strict inspections and are absolutely fine. Please do not question the professionalism of the Entertainment City."
The scruffy man’s movements froze, and the ferocity on his face instantly softened a bit.
He clearly knew these rabbit-masked waiters were not to be trifled with. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said sullenly, "I want to change to a new set of dice and a new dice cup!"
The waiter had no objection and turned to bring two brand-new sets of dice and cups, placing them before him.
The scruffy man picked up the dice himself, checking them over several times, and then shook the dice cup. His expression relaxed slightly.
"The dice are fine."
He sat back down at the table, though his eyes remained fixed on Battle-Damaged Guy across from him.
Throughout the entire process, Battle-Damaged Guy remained as still as a wooden statue.
He sat perfectly upright, hands resting on the edge of the table, his calm gaze fixed on the dice cup. He was motionless, as if all the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him.
Ren Yi listened to the whispers of the onlookers and quickly grasped the situation.
The scruffy man was indeed an expert; he had been on a winning streak in the casino earlier, winning quite a few chips and attracting many people to bet along with him.
But ever since he encountered Battle-Damaged Guy, he had lost two rounds in a row. The people following his bets had also lost quite a bit and were currently grumbling in low voices.
At that moment, Battle-Damaged Guy finally spoke, his voice hoarse and low, devoid of extra emotion. "Still betting?"
The scruffy man clenched his fists, a flash of stubbornness in his eyes. He then nodded and said as if it were a matter of course, "Of course. I can't keep losing forever."
Ren Yi studied him with some curiosity.
So this was a veteran gambler? He certainly kept his emotions hidden, as if he hadn't been the one who just lost.
The game resumed. The rabbit-masked waiter picked up the new dice cup and shook it gently, the crisp sound of the dice clattering echoing.
The surrounding onlookers instantly perked up and began betting on who would win.
Whether they were Human customers or the bizarrely shaped Instance natives, they all brought out their chips. For a moment, the area around the table became incredibly lively.
As Ren Yi watched the table, his gaze inadvertently swept through the crowd, and he suddenly noticed a somewhat familiar figure.
In the crowd, a familiar white lab coat was particularly eye-catching.
Ren Yi’s face darkened.
Dr. Lin?
What was he doing here?
Not far away, Dr. Lin was standing lazily in the crowd, his doctor’s attire looking completely out of place in the opulent casino.
He was playing with a chip in his hand, his long fingers moving constantly as the chip flipped back and forth between his fingertips.
He whispered a few words to the person next to him from time to time, clearly betting along as well. His attention was entirely focused on the game, and he hadn't noticed Ren Yi nearby at all.
Ren Yi turned to the waitress. "Wait, why is he here? Where’s my brother?"
As soon as he spoke, the waitress lowered her head and said in an eerie tone.
"Little Mr. Ren Yi, all I can say is that it’s perfectly normal for him to be here."
Rate on N.U.
