Chapter 271: Chapter 59: Chance of Winning_4
Yan Shi sneered, "What, does this casino limit the bets of its customers? Isn’t that a bit unusual? Here is thirty-two thousand five hundred gold coins. Are you saying I cannot place my bet?"
Knowing that he had met a master gambler, the short and chubby middle-aged man realized that if he lost again, he would owe more than eight hundred thousand gold coins - a sum that his small casino could not afford to lose. He said loudly, "Dear friends, our casino has some business to take care of and we need to close temporarily. Please come back another day." Dozens of robust men emerged equipped with wooden sticks, slowly surrounding the group. Seeing the situation unfold, the gamblers quickly left. Most of them were small merchants who couldn’t afford to get involved in trouble. Everyone knew that those who ran casinos had strong backers.
Yan Shi held back a furious Yan Li and turned to Vatana, "Uncle, could you please wait for us outside?" Vatana, looking pale, couldn’t have been happier that Yan Shi gave him the suggestion and quickly left. Ah Dai looked at Yan Shi, who continued to smile without saying a word. Before long, all the gamblers except Ah Dai’s group had left. The short and chubby middle-aged man, now revealed to be the boss, ordered his men to close the large doors. The dozens of muscle men surrounded Ah Dai’s group. He glanced at Ah Dai, dressed as a mage and coldly spoke, "I suppose the three of you are not local. But since you are here, you are our guests. If you would like, you can take your winnings and leave immediately. If you still want to continue gambling, I am happy to accompany you." Even though over thirty thousand gold coins was a significant amount of money for him, the cunning man knew that these people wouldn’t be easy to deal with - especially since one of them was a mage. While he was a significant figure in the eastern part of the city, he couldn’t afford to offend the Mage Guild.
Yan Shi laughed, "Of course we continue gambling. I’ve placed my bet, so let’s start!"
The short and chubby middle-aged man said, "I am the boss here, everyone calls me Uncle Fatty. As much as there is a noble mage among you, this is Dark City. If you don’t want to die, leave immediately."
Yan Shi coldly retorted, "What if we don’t leave?"
Uncle Fatty’s chubby face quivered slightly. His narrow eyes narrowed into slits, the malicious light in them flickering. Coldly, he said, "Then, I will have to send you on your way. Get them, kill the mage first!"
Several dozen of his men rushed over yelling, more than ten of them heading straight for Ah Dai. But how could Ah Dai see these weak thugs as a threat? His True Qi emanating outward, an intense combat aura surging throughout his body, sent the men who came within three feet of him flying backward. Yan Shi and Yan Li did not draw their weapons. With just fists and kicks, they sent these henchmen stumbling and tumbling everywhere. The trio spared their lives, but not before incapacitating them. The moaning henchmen lay scattered on the ground, unable to fight.
Fat was trembling all over Uncle Fatty’s face, but he wasn’t afraid and glared at the imposing Yan Shi brothers. He roared, "You dare to make trouble here. Aren’t you afraid of dying?"
With a glint of dark light, Yan Li’s battle axe was suddenly at Uncle Fatty’s throat. He chuckled, "Looking for death? It seems like you’re the one closer to death."
Yan Shi added, "You’ve been exploiting plenty of people over the years, it’s time you bled a little. A casino of this scale, shouldn’t you have at least a hundred thousand gold coins stashed away?"
The menacing cold aura seeping from the axe turned Uncle Fatty’s plump face extremely pale. His voice trembling, he said, "What do you want? I am a relative of the City Lord. If you leave now, I could beg him for mercy and spare your lives."
Seeing Uncle Fatty scared out of his wits, Ah Dai frowned and asked, "Brother Yan Shi, what should we do with him?"
Yan Shi answered with a faint smile, "People who run casinos like him are nothing good. Killing him wouldn’t be a loss." Yan Li applied more pressure on his axe. The always pompous Uncle Fatty fell under the weight, the sharp edge of the axe breaking the skin on his neck. The sharp, stabbing pains finally instilled fear in the insufferable casino boss. "Don’t, don’t kill me. I give up." He realized that his life was far more important than his pride.
Yan Shi hummed coldly, "I can spare your life. However, you must give us all your savings."
Uncle Fatty hastily agreed, "Fine, fine. I’ll give you fifty thousand gold coins. This is everything I have."
Yan Shi glanced at the casino, which spanned a good three to four hundred square meters, then shook his head and said, "You’re not showing any sincerity at all! Fifty thousand? Do you think we’re beggars or something? Here’s the deal, you give us one hundred thousand Gold Coins and we’ll leave immediately. But after this, your casino can’t open again. If we come by next time and see you, we will take your head."
Uncle Fatty wailed, "You...you guys wanna kill me! Where would I get that much money!?"
Yan Shi said, "For a casino of this scale, I’m already asking you for a small amount. Quick, cough up the cash or otherwise don’t blame us for not being considerate."
Uncle Fatty frowned, "Even though the income here is alright, most of it has to be handed over to the City Lord. I’m hardly left with much. Sirs, please spare me."
Seeing Uncle Fatty’s tear-streaked face, Ah Dai softened and said, "Big brother, let’s let it go."
Yan Shi glanced at Ah Dai. He sighed inwardly and said, "Ah Dai, have you forgotten how these vampires drove Uncle Vatana to suicide? Asking him for a hundred thousand Gold Coins isn’t asking for too much."
Remembering the tearful pleas of Vatana the night before, Ah Dai furrowed his brow and said no more.
Yan Li was growing impatient. His Battle Axe plummeted down with a soft crack, fracturing Uncle Fatty’s right arm. The intense pain caused Uncle Fatty to emit a squeal like a pig being slaughtered. He rolled around on the ground. Yan Shi glared at Yan Li and said in a low voice, "Whether you want money or you want life, you choose one."
The extraordinary pain had already distorted the fat on Uncle Fatty’s face. He gritted his teeth and said, "I...I’ll pay, I’ll pay." As he spoke, he tremblingly reached into his clothes and shakily produced a card, which he then handed over. Yan Shi took the card. He saw that this black card was covered with a lot of strange symbols. "What’s this?"
Uncle Fatty explained, "This...this is a nationally recognized Magic Crystal Card. It records all my properties. You can withdraw money from any bank. It is worth more than one hundred and three thousand Gold Coins. Here, take it and please let me go."
This was the first time Yan Shi had come across something like this. He examined the Card, unsure. Ah Dai leaned in and felt a faint surge of magical energy coming from the card. He said, "This card is made of a special metal and it contains weak energy fluctuations. It’s probably real. Big brother, let’s go." Actually, Ah Dai couldn’t be certain that the card was legitimate, but the atmosphere in the casino was uncomfortable. The moans and groans filling the room stirred conflict within his kind heart. Although he knew these people were no saints, he couldn’t bear to see them in pain.
Yan Shi nodded and said, "Alright, let’s go. Uncle Fatty, you remember this well. Reopen this casino and we’ll have your head."
At that moment, the casino doors swung open, and a squad of soldiers dressed in black light armor burst in, led by a commanding officer. Upon seeing the soldiers, Uncle Fatty was visibly relieved. He exclaimed, "General Ma Rui, you must save me! These bandits are trying to rob me."
The commanding officer, known to Uncle Fatty as Ma Rui, frowned. He looked at the bodies littering the floor and shouted angrily, "Who do you all think you are, strutting around our Dark City?" His soldiers drew their weapons and swiftly surrounded Ah Dai and his companions.
Ah Dai and his friends felt a surge of surprise. Even though the soldiers weren’t strong, they did represent the military. If they caused a brawl, it would certainly distract from their primary purpose for being there. Ah Dai had a lightbulb moment and was quick to say, "Sir, we just came here to have a good time and gamble. But they cheated us in their casino, so we demanded they pay for our losses." As he spoke, he kicked the roulette wheel apart, revealing the trembling casino staffer hiding inside.
