37: It's a complete mess
The smell of blood had not yet dissipated, and that severed hand still lay lonely in the corner.
However, the atmosphere at the gambling table was even more frenzied than before.
It was a bloody madness.
"Chu Xiong, are we still playing?"
Broken Finger Qiang toyed with the dagger that was still stained with blood, looking at him like a piece of meat on a chopping board.
"If you're not playing, then get lost. Don't waste my time making money."
"We're playing! Motherfucker! Why wouldn't we play!"
Chu Xiong's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his neck bulged, making him look like a wounded tiger.
The scene just now hadn't sobered him up; instead, it had stirred the desperate ferocity in his bones.
In Harbin, when had he, Chu Xiong, ever suffered such a great loss?
Losing money was a small matter, but losing face was a big deal!
If he went back dejectedly like this, how could he continue to hold his head up in the underworld?
"Old Liu!"
Chu Xiong suddenly turned his head, staring fixedly at Mr. Liu, the Thousand-Faced Buddha, who was sitting beside him.
"Tell me the honest truth!"
"Do you have any secret techniques left?"
"As long as you can turn this game around, I'll give you whatever you want!"
Mr. Liu was also covered in cold sweat at this moment, the screams of his fellow gambler having his hand chopped off still echoing in his ears.
But he had no way out.
If he didn't help Chu Xiong win it back, not only would this trip be in vain, but he might even be thrown into the river by Chu Xiong upon their return.
"Master Chu, I do!"
Mr. Liu gritted his teeth, his voice sinister.
"I have one more move that has never failed."
"But it requires capital—heavy capital!"
"Good!"
Chu Xiong slapped the table and looked at the casino's financial manager.
"Get me money! Give me three million!"
"Boss Chu, you know the rules."
The financial manager, wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, walked over with a smile, holding a promissory note that had been prepared long ago.
"Nine out, thirteen back."
"Three million loan, you receive two point seven million."
"Repay within a week, three point nine million including principal and interest."
"If it's overdue... hehe, those properties of yours in Harbin will belong to us."
This was a trap that devoured people without even spitting out the bones.
But at this moment, how could Chu Xiong care about any of that?
"Sign it! I'll sign!"
He grabbed the pen and fiercely signed his name on that promissory note, which was essentially an indenture.
Two point seven million in cash, plus the hundreds of thousands Chu Xiong had left, made up three million in chips, piled on the table like a small mountain.
"Deal!"
The game was Texas Hold'em.
A more exciting variation that placed more emphasis on psychological warfare and courage.
Mr. Liu took a deep breath and, while adjusting his tie, gave an obscure look to his two disciples disguised as bodyguards behind him.
The two immediately understood and quietly moved apart, standing diagonally behind Broken Finger Qiang.
From their tricky angle, they could just catch a glimpse of the corner of the cards using the reflection of the lights.
The dealer dealt the cards.
The atmosphere froze to the extreme.
Broken Finger Qiang's face-up cards were: Ace of Spades, Ace of Hearts.
Mr. Liu's face-up cards were: Jack of Clubs, Jack of Hearts.
On the board, Mr. Liu already had three Jacks. He and Chu Xiong had looked at the hole card, which was a Jack; this was already an extremely strong hand.
For Broken Finger Qiang to win, his hole card would have to be an Ace to make three Aces.
But in this round, one of the players who folded had an Ace among their face-up cards.
There are only four Aces in a deck.
In other words, the probability of Broken Finger Qiang having an Ace was very small, though not impossible!
Just then.
The pinky finger on the right hand of one of Mr. Liu's disciples hooked twice slightly.
It was a signal!
It meant: The opponent's hole card is not an Ace! It's a junk card!
Mr. Liu's heart began to pound wildly.
Texas Hold'em uses 5 community cards; the dealing continued.
The final Ace actually appeared on Mr. Liu's side.
That meant no matter what, Broken Finger Qiang's hole card could not be an Ace!
It was a sure win!
This hand was a lock!
Three Jacks would crush him!
"Three million! I'm all in!"
Mr. Liu suddenly pushed all the chips in front of him forward, a hideous smile appearing on his face.
"Broken Finger Qiang, you're dead meat this time!"
"Oh? Such confidence?"
Broken Finger Qiang puffed on his cigar, looking at him with a half-smile.
"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
"Call."
He also pushed three million forward.
The entire room went silent.
Everyone's breathing stopped.
This single hand was a six-million-dollar gamble!
Adding in what came before, the stakes were nearly ten million!
"Showdown!"
Mr. Liu roared. To prevent any last-minute changes and for the pleasure of revenge.
He flipped over his hole card directly.
"Open your dog eyes and look closely!"
"I have three..."
However.
The moment that hole card was flipped over.
Mr. Liu's voice was cut short, as if it had been violently throttled by an invisible giant hand.
The card that was definitely supposed to be the Jack of Diamonds.
At this moment, it had turned into a useless Three of Hearts!
"How is this possible?!"
Mr. Liu's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets; he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"I clearly saw it! I clearly saw it!"
"Hahahaha!"
Opposite him, Broken Finger Qiang laughed wildly and casually flipped over his hole card.
It was a Four of Spades!
Although it was useless, the two Aces already beat the two Jacks.
A total win!
"What? Great King of Gamblers Liu, are your old eyes failing you?"
"You dared to go all in against me with a Three of Hearts? You underestimate me too much, don't you?"
"No! That's not right!"
Mr. Liu suddenly stood up and roared hysterically.
"You cheated! You must have cheated!"
"My card was clearly a Jack! You swapped my card! It must be you!"
Chu Xiong had also seen it clearly from the side.
He had indeed peeked at Mr. Liu's hole card just now, and it was indeed a Jack!
How did it change in the blink of an eye?
It must be Broken Finger Qiang's doing! This damn place was full of hidden mechanisms!
A surge of fury at being fooled rushed to his head.
Chu Xiong slammed the table and pointed at Broken Finger Qiang.
"Qiang! You dare to play dirty?"
"I saw it too! It was a Jack!"
"You changed the card right in front of me? Do you think we're blind?"
"I want an inspection!"
"Do you dare to let us search you!"
Chu Xiong was now putting everything on the line.
According to the casino rules, if you suspect the opponent of cheating, you can request a body search and card inspection.
But the price was huge!
If something was found, they could cut off one of Broken Finger Qiang's hands, and the winnings from this round would go to Chu Xiong.
If nothing was found.
Then it was a false accusation!
Not only would the money Chu Xiong lost be doubled, but as the player at the table, Mr. Liu would have to leave both his hands behind!
"An inspection?"
The smile on Broken Finger Qiang's face vanished, and his gaze became as sharp as a knife.
"Boss Chu, you said it yourself."
"Do you understand the rules?"
"If we find nothing, then what's left behind today won't just be money."
Hearing Broken Finger Qiang say this, Mr. Liu suddenly felt a bit cowardly.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Just search him!"
Chu Xiong roared; he had absolute confidence in his own eyes.
With that kind of card-swapping technique, the original card must be hidden on the opponent's person or under the tablecloth!
As long as they found that Jack of Diamonds, they could turn the tables!
"Come on then!"
Broken Finger Qiang stood up and spread his arms wide.
To humiliate his opponent, he even took off his floral shirt and threw it on the floor.
Revealing a body covered in terrifying tattoos and scars.
"Search! Search me thoroughly!"
Everyone cleared the area, leaving the space open.
Chu Xiong did it personally.
Along with two bodyguards.
And Mr. Liu, who had gambled both his hands.
The three of them surrounded Broken Finger Qiang, searching up and down, inside and out, even checking the inside of his belt and the soles of his shoes.
Time passed minute by minute.
Chu Xiong's face changed from anger to anxiety.
Finally, it turned deathly pale.
Nothing.
There was nothing.
That damn Jack of Diamonds seemed to have vanished into thin air!
"How can there be nothing... how can it be!"
Chu Xiong staggered back two steps and slumped into a chair, looking as if his soul had been drained.
"Are you done searching?"
Broken Finger Qiang unhurriedly put on his clothes and buttoned them up.
That high-and-mighty disdain was more painful than being killed.
"Since you're done searching, it's time to settle the score."
"Falsely accusing the dealer of cheating."
"Besides the three million you just lost, there's another three million fine!"
"Furthermore..."
His gaze turned toward Mr. Liu, who was already shaking like a leaf.
"That hand just now wasn't enough of a warning, was it?"
"There's no need to keep these two hands either."
"Chop them off!"
"No!! Master Chu! Master Chu, save me!"
Mr. Liu let out a shrill wail.
But this time, no one could save him.
Two burly men pinned him to the table like a dead dog.
"Crack! Crack!"
Two blood-curdling sounds of bones snapping.
Accompanied by a spray of fresh blood.
Both of Mr. Liu's hands were chopped off cleanly!
"AHHHHH!!!"
The scream was more unpleasant than the wailing of a ghost.
Watching this scene, Chu Xiong felt his vision go dark and his head spin.
He had lost six million in one go!
Even with the Chu family's vast assets, producing so much cash was a crippling blow!
*Pfft—*
Overwhelmed by anxiety and rage, Chu Xiong spat out a mouthful of blood.
His body slumped, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
"Dad!"
"Master Chu!"
Chu Tianbiao and Chu Jiaojiao, along with a group of subordinates, rushed forward crying.
The entire second floor was a total mess.