Chapter 54

Bai Xuechao watched as Gong Ting dealt him a second card.

His two cards now were a Jack of Hearts and an 8 of Diamonds, totaling 18 points.

Looking at the other three players' cards:

Zhou Chenhao was dealt a Jack and a 7, totaling 17 points.

Ling Feng was dealt an 8 and a 9, totaling 17 points.

Gong Ting's face-up card was a 6 of Clubs.

Bai Xuechao found it a bit amusing. Gong Ting had really dealt them all quite high cards. It would be easy to bust if they hit, but their point totals were a bit low if they didn't.

"Hit?" Gong Ting asked Ling Feng, while gathering the used poker cards from the previous round and placing them in the center of the table.

Used cards would not be put back into the deck for now.

Ling Feng was under some pressure this round. He had just over 86 million game coins left.

If he lost this round, he would need to continue exchanging his own possessions for game coins to meet the 50 million required for the next round.

Without much thought, Ling Feng said in a deep voice, "Hit."

If he didn't hit and lost, he'd be out 50 million; if he hit and busted, he'd still be out 50 million.

Might as well take a chance.

"Alright," Gong Ting, with a delighted expression, picked up the deck of poker cards he had shuffled and was about to deal a card to Ling Feng, "This one is yours—"

Bai Xuechao suddenly reached out and grabbed Gong Ting's wrist!

Gong Ting's dealing motion froze, his pupils dilated, and his muscles stiffened for a moment.

…How could it be?!

At first, Zhou Chenhao and Ling Feng didn't understand, but when they saw Bai Xuechao looking at Gong Ting's dealing hand with a half-smile, they followed his gaze and finally realized—

At that moment, Gong Ting was holding the deck of poker cards he had cut and shuffled in his left hand, and was taking a card from the top of that deck with his right hand, about to deal it to Ling Feng. However, the poker card Gong Ting was holding was only half-drawn, and there was clearly another card on top.

The card he was about to deal to Ling Feng was the second one!

—Gong Ting had cheated!

Dealing the second card was a basic cheating technique in poker. As long as the dealing speed was fast enough, it was difficult to spot even if someone was watching closely.

Gong Ting was indeed an excellent and experienced cheater, but unfortunately, he had met Bai Xuechao, who had mastered various cheating techniques since childhood.

Gong Ting's dealing speed just now was indeed very fast, almost drawing the second card in the blink of an eye. If one waited until they saw it to act, it would definitely be too late.

Therefore, Bai Xuechao had relied on prediction. He had timed it perfectly, catching Gong Ting just as he had drawn the card halfway out.

"You cheated," Bai Xuechao's voice was clear and cold, his tone calm. His red eyes, more beautiful than rubies, stared at Gong Ting, like a judge from on high.

This was the second time Gong Ting had heard Bai Xuechao say these words.

Gong Ting's breath caught, and he unconsciously widened his eyes at Bai Xuechao. With the excellent vision enhanced by his special ability, he saw his own stunned face in the other's jewel-like, clear red eyes, so foolish that he couldn't bear to look.

Even now, he couldn't believe that he had been caught on such a basic technique. It was like a mathematics graduate making a mistake in mental arithmetic with addition and subtraction within a hundred.

The second time… the second time!

The sleight of hand he was so proud of, which had brought him countless victories, was so fragile and vulnerable in the eyes of this white-haired boy before him, caught twice! This was something he could not tolerate. The blow it dealt him grew exponentially with each time he was caught cheating.

If the first time with the dice was due to his own miscalculation, then what about this time?

He had indeed been caught in the act of dealing.

Damn it, he refused to accept it!

He hated losing.

When he was a child, losing meant being beaten; later, when he was a little older, losing meant loss; and later still, he had never lost.

He also hated losing his freedom.

Not long after that strange, worldwide blood rain that had lasted for a day and a night in his childhood, he awakened his special ability. His gambling-addicted father was ecstatic upon learning this, controlled him, and forced him to learn sleight of hand. He had no freedom, had to endure a strange hunger every day, and was taken by his father to various casinos.

It wasn't until he became invincible with his outstanding sleight of hand and obtained everything he had never dared to hope for before that he finally broke free from his father and gained his freedom.

The two most important things in his life: sleight of hand and freedom.

On December 31st of last year, having not tasted defeat for a long time, he lost to the leader of the Apocalypse Society, and from then on, lost his cherished freedom, becoming the other's "most loyal" subordinate. He was a useful tool; under the mechanism of Dream Game City, he could not refuse any of his "master's" commands.

After that night, he mockingly called himself a running dog.

His life had already lost its freedom. If even the only thing he had left, his sleight of hand, was lost to others again and again, his life would be meaningless.

At this thought, emotions surged in Gong Ting's eyes, and he gritted his teeth, unable to say a word.

If he couldn't defeat Bai Xuechao today, then the image of Bai Xuechao calmly saying, "You cheated," would become a nightmare that would haunt him for the rest of his life! If this continued, his ability to cheat in the future might even be affected.

He had to win!

The big screen chimed with the sound of gold coins and updated the game coin counts.

Gong Ting was caught cheating and fined double the amount of game coins, to be split evenly among the other three players. The extra game coin that came from the indivisible sum was still given to Bai Xuechao, who had caught the cheater.

【City Lord: 113,333,3334】

【Player A: 119,999,999】

【Player B: 409,999,998】

【Player C: 936,666,669】

The round started over, with Gong Ting still as the dealer.

Gong Ting flipped over the poker card that had been his downfall. It was a King of Diamonds. If dealt to Ling Feng, it would have definitely made him bust.

He collected this card and the other players' cards, placing them in the pile of used cards in the middle.

Gong Ting began to shuffle the cards again. The two stacks of poker cards interlaced in his hands, but his gaze unconsciously drifted past the cards to Bai Xuechao opposite him.

Bai Xuechao was propping his sharp chin on one hand, his snow-like eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his eyelids. His eyes were half-closed, not looking at him at all.

It seemed he didn't care at all whether he would cheat this time, or how he would cheat.

Gong Ting was in a daze for a moment.

After Bai Xuechao appeared, he had gone from being the player with the most game coins to the one with the least, just like a dream.

Who would believe that he had once won over 500 million in this game?

Ling Feng was also somewhat in a daze.

Because Gong Ting was caught cheating, Ling Feng received a share of the game coins, pushing his total over 100 million. Now, even if he lost this round, he could still participate in another one without having to exchange more of his own possessions.

Regardless, Bai Xuechao's action had helped him, even if that wasn't the other's intention and it was just a coincidence.

Ling Feng had mixed feelings.

But he didn't change his attitude towards Bai Xuechao because of this. Instead, he became even more cautious.

It was obvious that Bai Xuechao was now at the top of their "food chain." He could cheat, and even Gong Ting couldn't catch him on the spot, and he could see through Gong Ting's sleight of hand. Perhaps, if Bai Xuechao wanted, all of their game coins would end up in his pocket, which would be the worst possible outcome.

He had to learn to play poker like he learned to play dice. Although poker was harder than dice, he had to do it!

Gong Ting and Ling Feng, one holding the belief that he must win, the other holding the thought that he must learn to play poker. Only Zhou Chenhao still looked like an optimist, his expression relaxed.

But in reality, Zhou Chenhao's heart was not calm. Hidden beneath his relaxed exterior was a strong sense of unease and anxiety.

Although he now had over 400 million game coins, he was very clear that he probably couldn't hold on to them.

He wasn't like Gong Ting who could cheat, nor was he like Ling Feng who had good mental calculation and memory skills and could count cards. He could only be reckless and rely on luck, but he understood very well that such luck was only temporary. A person wouldn't always be accompanied by good fortune; he would lose sooner or later.

As for the remaining person at the table—

Zhou Chenhao's dark brown eyes unconsciously glanced at Bai Xuechao.

At this moment, his feelings towards Bai Xuechao were complicated.

Just now, he had a feeling that Bai Xuechao was secretly helping them. But this thought was quickly overturned by him. Bai Xuechao catching Gong Ting cheating could also just be to get Gong Ting punished, and at the same time, increase his own game coins.

He didn't know why Bai Xuechao was here, but it certainly wasn't to lose. The other's game coins had already exceeded 900 million. They had to find a way to win back the 100 million plus from Bai Xuechao's hands, otherwise, they wouldn't have enough game coins to save Xia Xiaoxi.

If Bai Xuechao's stance was opposite to theirs, then he was truly a formidable enemy…

Just then, Bai Xuechao seemed to notice Zhou Chenhao peeking at him. His translucent, pomegranate-red eyes shifted and glanced over.

Zhou Chenhao subconsciously averted his gaze, but for some reason, he recalled the scenes of them getting along at the marine amusement park.

Heroes are not judged by their origins. Bai Xuechao had indeed helped them in the beginning, and he was still grateful to him for that.

But the other had also indeed concealed his special ability level.

As Ling Feng had said later, they didn't know if Bai Xuechao's appearance at the marine amusement park was premeditated or a coincidence. Coupled with the fact that the other had concealed information, it was always right to be more cautious. Now that they would meet again in A Port, two thousand kilometers away, it was hard to say whether it was fate or premeditation.

But his intuition still made him retain a shred of goodwill towards Bai Xuechao.

Aaaah, I don't want to think about it anymore!

It would be good if Bai Xuechao could be on their side, but even if his stance was opposite to theirs, they wouldn't change their mind about saving Xia Xiaoxi.

Calm, I must be calm.

Zhou Chenhao stared intently at Gong Ting's shuffling movements, trying to see something from them.

He had to find a way to win!

A suppressive silence hung over the table. Zhou Chenhao and Ling Feng both silently listened to the sound of shuffling cards, watching Gong Ting's fingers fly in a fancy shuffle.

Three people, each with their own ulterior motives. The only one who was truly relaxed was Bai Xuechao.

He calmly waited for Gong Ting to finish shuffling and start dealing.

Ling Feng was dealt a 3 and a 9, for a total of 12 points.

He was dealt an Ace and a 5. Since the Ace could count as 1 or 11, his current score was both 6 and 16. To win, he had to hit.

Zhou Chenhao was dealt a Q and a 7, for a total of 17 points.

Gong Ting's face-up card was a 2 of Spades.

Who would believe that this result wasn't manipulated by Gong Ting?

But Bai Xuechao didn't care.

Before Gong Ting could ask, Ling Feng spoke up, "Hit."

"However," his brow furrowed slightly, and the serious expression added a touch of coldness to his face, "I want to draw the card myself."

"Are you afraid I'll cheat?" Gong Ting smiled indifferently and handed the deck over, "Sure, you can draw it yourself."

His attitude was so open, as if he had never intended to cheat in the first place.

Ling Feng reached for the deck of poker cards handed to him.

He thought, as long as I don't get a 10-point card, I won't bust… wait!

Ling Feng's outstretched hand paused imperceptibly, and his already slightly furrowed brow tightened even more.

He already knew that he would definitely bust after drawing this card.

Based on Gong Ting's attitude towards him drawing the card himself, it was clear that Gong Ting did not intend to use the second-card trick again, and was well-prepared for his request to draw, which was why he could be so calm. His mind worked quickly, and the answer was obvious—

Gong Ting had already tampered with the cards when he was shuffling.

"Why don't you flip it over?" Gong Ting asked with a grin.

Ling Feng, with a cold, handsome face, flipped over the card he had drawn. It was a Queen of Hearts.

As expected, he had 22 points, a bust.

Zhou Chenhao's hands on the table clenched into fists.

"You busted," Gong Ting feigned ignorance, his acting quite realistic. He sighed in a schadenfreude-like tone, "Looks like your luck isn't good this round."

Ling Feng's mouth twitched, and he said expressionlessly, "Whether it's luck or man-made, you know it yourself."

"I don't know, you shouldn't make baseless accusations," Gong Ting blinked his green eyes, as if regaining some confidence from Ling Feng. His tense emotions relaxed a bit, and he became more composed, and also more irritating, "You drew this card yourself, don't blame me just because you lost."

Ling Feng let out a low "tch" and didn't want to engage in a meaningless argument with him, so he didn't speak again.

He began to review Gong Ting's shuffling technique in his mind, trying to find the trick that allowed Gong Ting to shuffle the cards he wanted to the top.

It all depended on how fast he could learn.

After Ling Feng, it was Bai Xuechao.

"Hit," Bai Xuechao's choice was as Gong Ting had expected.

Gong Ting stared straight at Bai Xuechao and handed over the deck of poker cards in his hand, "Do you want to draw the card yourself?"

"Whatever," Bai Xuechao still propped his chin on one hand, looking as if he had no intention of reaching out.

Gong Ting slowly picked up the top card, as if to prove that he wasn't cheating. He placed the card in front of Bai Xuechao and smiled, "Good luck to you." The smile held a hidden malice.

"Of course I'll have good luck," Bai Xuechao covered it with his hand and was about to flip it over.

His fingertips moved slightly.

Gong Ting immediately grabbed his pale, slender wrist and said with wide, excited eyes, "You cheated!"

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