"The diamond Ace speaks."
The dealer, responsible for dealing the cards, turned his head and gestured for Mr. Chéng to place his bet.
However, Mr. Chéng merely raised his right hand, re-examined his hole card, then covered it with the back of his hand on the table, and said to the dealer: "Pass."
The dealer had no choice but to collect the deck of poker cards he had just opened, shuffled, and dealt, and throw it into the discard bin at his feet.
At the same time, a staff member beside him took a new, unopened deck of cards from the card case, showed it to the surrounding audience, and then opened it.
A low sigh emanated from the audience seats, and the host had to call for silence again.
[Trustworthiness: 35%...][Trustworthiness: 23%]
The trustworthiness plummeted again, reaching a very dangerous level.
However, Mr. Chéng's face remained as calm as still water. His movements and gaze were like a shoddy machine that could only turn over cards and not follow.
In fact, it wasn't like this at the beginning. Thanks to years of publicity and the reach of live television broadcasts, Mr. Chéng's initial trustworthiness upon entering this main scenario reached as much as 65%.
This meant that many people watching this gambling match at the venue and on television believed deeply in his identity as the "Successor of the Thousand Kings" and believed he could defeat Chan Kam-sing in the gambling match.
But... continuously folding and not following for over ten rounds would naturally make these people suspicious, dissatisfied, and even lose faith in him.
"Kid, what kind of tactic is this? With a hundred thousand ante each round, you've already lost over a million."
Chan Kam-sing, on the opposite side, puffed on his cigar and asked with a sneer.
Even he, with his years of cunning, couldn't figure out what Mr. Chéng was up to at this moment.
Was it some kind of strategy to make him underestimate the opponent? Or was he probing Chan Kam-sing's betting patterns?
Was he using the skip-betting method to determine if he had tampered with the cards?
Or... was it just because of the disappearance of "Miss Júzi"? Did he still think she had been kidnapped by their side, and thus dared not play his full hand?
"...Is it not allowed?" Mr. Chéng retorted, "Does any rule in 'Show hand' forbid folding?"
"Fine, if you want to fold, fold," said Chan Kam-sing. "However, the Black Tiger Society's gambling funds total thirty million. At worst, you can fold for three hundred rounds and you'll still lose it all in three to four hours. Although I'm old, I can wait."
These words were still sarcastic, but they clearly implied that Mr. Chéng was trying to "outlast the old man."
Using a young person's physical strength and energy to prolong the entire gambling match, forcing the older opponent into a state of exhaustion and ultimately making a mistake, was indeed a usable tactic.
It's just that in a gambling match of this caliber, using such a trick in front of all the audience and live television cameras was truly despicable.
Mr. Chéng frowned and did not answer Chan Kam-sing, but simply threw in the ante for the next round.
The dealer had already begun to shuffle and deal the new deck of cards.
Chan Kam-sing looked at his hole card, a Queen, and the second card, a 6.
Then he looked at Mr. Chéng's cards on the opposite side. He didn't know the hole card, but the second card was another Ace.
...Right, this kid's attitude was completely different from usual.
Chan Kam-sing had also studied the few public gambling matches since Mr. Chéng's appearance. This young man had always appeared quite confident, even arrogant.
He was like every genius who achieved fame at a young age in his field, fully aware that his abilities could suppress most opponents, and thus developed a proud demeanor.
But today was different. Today, Mr. Chéng was somber, taciturn, and his expression was cold.
Moreover, in the gambling so far, there hadn't been a single exchange of glances between the two of them.
...Thinking this, Chan Kam-sing glanced at Chén Xiǎodāo, who was sitting restlessly in the chair behind Mr. Chéng, and suddenly felt he had guessed correctly.
This kid, Mr. Chéng, must be completely disoriented by Júzi's disappearance, unable to maintain his usual state, let alone withstand the pressure of the gambling match.
"To be absolutely sure, I should test him again,"
he muttered to himself.
Just as Mr. Chéng raised his hand to cover his card and said "Pass" again, Chan Kam-sing suddenly tapped the table and turned to the referees sitting outside the spotlight. "Esteemed referees, since this round does not count, would it be alright for everyone to see both sides' hole cards first? I'll go first!"
He revealed his 6 and Q, signaling for Mr. Chéng to reveal his cards as well.
The gambling experts from the world's three major gambling cities on the referee's bench discussed the matter and finally nodded at the dealer.
The dealer then ignored Mr. Chéng's gaze and turned over the cards in front of him.
...The cards revealed on the table were two Aces.
The audience erupted in a commotion, with almost everyone standing up to look at the central card table.
The discussions became so noisy that the entire room buzzed. The host had to use the microphone and sound system to appease the audience's emotions, constantly repeating: "Please be quiet," "Please return to your seats," and so on.
[Trustworthiness: 11%]
Mr. Chéng lowered his eyes slightly, resting his chin on his fingers, making no statement.
Holding two Aces and still choosing to pass, preferring to lose the ante, could no longer be explained by "caution."
This could only be deliberate folding, a form of showing weakness, or simply intending to lose the hand.
Chan Kam-sing leaned back and smiled triumphantly, saying: "Heh heh, if you're afraid to gamble, then let's call it a day. The Black Tiger Society and I will settle our matters at another time."
Mr. Chéng's eyebrow twitched. He could hear how malicious Chan Kam-sing's words were.
As expected, before Chén Xiǎodāo behind him could excitedly stand up to retort, Kamiyama Kōji, sitting in the audience, suddenly rose from his seat and entered the area.
"Mr. Uesama, although this is indeed the Black Tiger Society's gambling match, I must remind you that your entering the venue in this manner might be construed as assisting Mr. Chéng in cheating."
The host and several members of the International Gambling Arts Association immediately went to stop him and advised Mr. Uesama kindly – they did not dare to anger the Black Tiger Society, but they had to make their position clear.
Mr. Uesama nodded to indicate he understood, stopped at the edge of the cleared central area, and, under the television cameras, said to Mr. Chéng with a grim expression, raising his voice: "Mr. Chéng, this is a battle for the honor of the Black Tiger Society. If you cannot avenge my father, then I will immediately terminate this gambling match and find someone else who can!"
Mr. Chéng gritted his teeth, turned around, and responded: "Even knowing that the person you sent has already fallen into his hands?"
Chan Kam-sing calmly shook his head, smiled, and said nothing.
Mr. Uesama immediately thought of who Mr. Chéng was referring to, his face showing anger, and said: "Since Júzi is a 'vassal' of my Kamiyama family, she must have the determination to sacrifice herself for the Black Tiger Society. Mr. Chéng, you promised me something, and it must be fulfilled here! Please start the real gambling match immediately!"
He did not say what would happen if Mr. Chéng disobeyed, but the referees, the audience, and the people from the International Gambling Arts Association present all understood in their hearts.
The Black Tiger Society is a branch under Japan's Yamaguchi-gumi. Even in suits, they are a violent syndicate, not office clerks.
"Fine."
Mr. Chéng's expression worsened, and he merely responded with a sound, then gestured to the dealer to begin the next round.
The dealer discarded the cards from the previous round into the discard bin, took a new deck of cards, and according to the standard procedure, opened, inspected, and hand-shuffled them, followed by a second shuffle using a transparent shuffling machine.
After shuffling, the dealer drew cards from the shuffling machine again and dealt them separately to Chan Kam-sing and Mr. Chéng on both sides of the table.
This time, the card in front of Chan Kam-sing was the 10 of Clubs.
He raised the corner of his hole card and found that the hole card was another 10 of Hearts.
And Mr. Chéng... his second card was the 6 of Hearts.
"The 10 of Clubs speaks," the dealer gestured, indicating it was Chan Kam-sing's turn to bet.
"Five million," said Chan Kam-sing.
The chips were immediately pushed to the center of the table. Mr. Chéng, opposite him, rubbed his brow and glanced at Kamiyama Kōji, who had not yet taken his seat.
"Call," he said.
"Whoosh—" The audience on the scene erupted in noise again. This was the first time Mr. Chéng had called a bet today.
Chan Kam-sing looked at Mr. Chéng.
"...He didn't look at his hole card just now and called the bet rashly; it must be the pressure from Kamiyama Kōji forcing him to do it. Moreover, his hands are constantly moving, touching his face, reaching for a cup, tapping his fingers on the table; all these actions are consistent with the subconscious movements he exhibits when anxious, as told to me by 'Júzi.' That's right!"
The third card was dealt.
On Chan Kam-sing's side was an Ace of Hearts, while on Mr. Chéng's side was the 4 of Hearts.
"The Ace of Hearts speaks," the dealer's hand pointed to Chan Kam-sing again.
Chan Kam-sing gave a cold laugh and said, "I'll go all-in for twenty-three million eight hundred thousand!"
Bet.
Cunning Chan Kam-sing was gambling at this moment that Mr. Chéng did not actually want to gamble with him; he gambled that under Kamiyama Kōji's pressure, Mr. Chéng could only follow his all-in bet; he gambled that Mr. Chéng, due to Júzi's kidnapping and his extreme anxiety, was no longer able to perform his gambling skills normally.
Furthermore, the rules of the gambling match were more favorable to him: even if he lost this hand, he would still have the capital to make a comeback, as his gambling capital was originally significantly larger than the opponent's.
Even calculating the cards, he was at an advantage at this moment.
Mr. Chéng looked up and sighed. Chén Xiǎodāo behind him was already anxious enough to rush forward and declare "Fold" for him.
But turning back, the "Successor of the Thousand Kings" still said: "...Call, all-in."
Kamiyama Kōji in the audience clenched his fists.
All the bets were pushed to the center of the table, tens of millions of dollars piled up like a small mountain.
"Good, then let's deal to the end." Chan Kam-sing, believing his plan was foolproof, picked up a cigar from the ashtray nearby, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of gray-white smoke with satisfaction.
The dealer continued dealing. Chan Kam-sing had the 8 of Spades, Mr. Chéng the 3 of Hearts; Chan Kam-sing had the Ace of Diamonds, Mr. Chéng the King of Hearts.
Chan Kam-sing leaned forward and said, "You don't even have a straight, how can you beat me? Young man, learn for two more years!"
With that, he flipped over his hole card and continued, "I have an Ace, a 10, two pair, come and see!"
...But Mr. Chéng opposite him suddenly relaxed his brow, a sly smile appearing on his face.
"—No straight, but a flush wins just the same."
He reached out and revealed his hole card, which turned out to be the Jack of Hearts.
"Mr. Chéng has a heart flush, Mr. Chan Kam-sing has Ace and 10 for two pair. Mr. Chéng wins this round!" the dealer announced.
[Trustworthiness: 27%...][Trustworthiness: 52%...][Trustworthiness: 79%]
Looking at the soaring trustworthiness and then at the confused Chan Kam-sing, Mr. Chéng swept away the gloom, his demeanor once again becoming incredibly confident.
"You can't figure it out, can you? There are still many things you can't figure out," he said, then turned to the host: "Please add a chair, a friend of mine will also be coming to watch."
In another corner of the audience, another person suddenly stood up.
A woman with elegant demeanor and a calm expression.
It was Júzi!