NABC Chapter 142: The first game was so exciting?
Chapter 142: The first game was so exciting?
Chapter 142: The first game was so exciting?
"Wow! The woman next to Song Sheng is Miss Jin Lei, the heiress of the Huangtian Group!"
"My God, Miss Huang is his date? This relationship—"
"It seems Huangtian Group is strongly supporting Song Zhaowen!"
DoDo's voice rang out at the opportune moment: "This is our host for this competition, and also one of the participants, the owner of 'Star River'—Mr. Song Zhaowen! And the beautiful lady beside him, as you all probably recognize, is Ms. Huang Lei from Huangtian Group! Thank you, Ms. Huang, for being Mr. Song's special guest tonight!"
There was thunderous applause.
He B then explained the competition format: "The six top players will be drawn into two-on-two matches! The rules can be negotiated between the players. There is no limit to the bets in each round, until one side loses all their chips! The winners advance to the next round! Ultimately, three top players will enter the finals to compete in Texas Hold'em for the ultimate 'God of Gamblers' honor and a prize of 100 million!"
"Now, the six players will draw lots to determine their matchups for the first round!"
A waiter dressed in a tuxedo and wearing white gloves stepped forward carrying a silver tray covered with red velvet. On the tray were three pairs of crystal chips of different colors, each representing one of the three duels.
The six people took turns drawing lots.
The atmosphere instantly became tense. Everyone held their breath, watching the chips in their hands.
Song Zhaowen drew a blue crystal chip.
Zhuo Lan looked at the chips in her hand—they were also blue.
"The first pairing is set!" DoDo announced loudly, "Mr. Song Zhaowen will face off against Zhuo Lan!"
Zhuo Lan, with her short hair, blew a kiss to Song Zhaowen: "Handsome, go easy on him later~" Zhuo Lan's voice was languid, creating a strange contrast with her cold and beautiful appearance.
Song Zhaowen laughed heartily: "Miss Zhuo is too kind. Let's just learn from each other."
This short-haired woman is very attractive. If he hadn't had a female companion with him, Song Zhaowen might have taken the opportunity to flirt with her.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by others, Song Zhaowen had a miniature earphone receiver hidden in his ear.
This is how we receive Chen Xiaodao's communications.
"Boss, we've investigated this woman's background. She's the goddaughter of Sister Hua, the Singaporean female drug lord. She's a master at cheating at poker. You need to be careful."
(PS: Zhuo Lan is from "The Winner Takes All 2")
In the second group, Chen Jincheng drew the red color, and his opponent was—Nie Wanlong!
"Wow! A gambling demon versus a gambling maniac! It's like Mars colliding with Earth!" He B exclaimed exaggeratedly.
Chen Jincheng adjusted his glasses and looked at Nie Wanlong. Nie Wanlong grinned, revealing a provocative expression, and made a "throat-slitting" gesture towards Chen Jincheng. The tension between the two instantly escalated.
In the last group, Jiang Zhen faced off against Sun Yifeng.
Jiang Zhen slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the cold and mysterious woman opposite him. Zhuo Lan was also looking at him, her gaze calm, yet carrying a hint of inquiry.
After the draw, the three groups headed to their respective betting tables.
Song Zhaowen and Zhuo Lan arrived at the betting table slightly to the left of center. Huang Lei naturally followed him, sitting elegantly in the co-pilot's seat, her gaze curiously observing Zhuo Lan opposite her.
It's rare to see girls gambling in Hong Kong, especially those who consider themselves skilled at cards.
After greeting both parties, the dealer asked, "Mr. Song, Ms. Zhuo, please discuss the rules for the first round."
Song Zhaowen raised his champagne glass casually: "Miss Zhuo, right? You're a guest, and a beautiful woman, so you can choose. I don't care."
Zhuo Lan tossed her short hair: "You're so sweet-talking, aren't you afraid the pretty girls around you will get jealous?"
Huang Lei blushed and said, "I'm not his girlfriend, we're just very good friends."
"Ha, there's no such thing as pure friendship between men and women in Singapore. In the end, they all end up sleeping together, don't they? A handsome guy spending 30 million to win a beauty's smile is quite a price to pay, isn't it?"
Zhuo Lan mistakenly believed that Song Zhaowen's act of going to the gambling table was only to win a smile from the beauty beside him.
Song Zhaowen took a sip of champagne, his smile unchanged: "Miss Zhuo is joking. Thirty million for a beautiful woman's smile sounds very romantic. However—I'm a rather practical person. Since I'm at the gambling table, I naturally want to win. If I accidentally win against Miss Zhuo, I hope you won't cry later."
Zhuo Lan was taken aback at first, then a hint of anger flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and smiled even more charmingly: "Mr. Song, you have quite the big mouth~ Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? My 30 million isn't so easy to win."
"Whether it's easy to win or not, we'll find out by trying." Song Zhaowen shrugged, still looking relaxed and casual. "Miss Zhuo, what game are we going to play? If we keep talking, it'll be dawn."
Zhuo Lan was exasperated by his stubborn and slightly roguish attitude. She took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure: "Regular blackjack is too boring. Since Mr. Song is so confident, how about playing something more exciting?"
"Regular blackjack is too boring. Since Mr. Song is so confident, how about playing something more exciting?"
"Oh? How will you stimulate me?" Song Zhaowen raised an eyebrow.
Zhuo Lan stood up, took a brand new, unopened deck of cards from the female dealer, and weighed it in her hand: "There are fifty-two cards in total. We each take three steps back, and I'll toss it into the air. Before the cards land, we'll simultaneously grab the cards from the scattered deck to form the highest possible hand in blackjack. Only one round, thirty million chips, all-in, one round to decide the winner!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire gambling hall fell into a deathly silence for a moment, and then erupted into a huge uproar!
"Discarding and stealing cards?! And forming the highest possible hand in blackjack in mid-air?!"
"Holy crap! How is this possible? The cards are flying around so fast I can't even see them!"
Even DoDo and He B were stunned and momentarily forgot their lines.
Huang Lei covered her mouth, her eyes filled with astonishment and worry. This kind of game was simply unheard of!
Jiang Tiansheng, the Crown Prince, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, not expecting the first match to be so explosive.
Looking into Zhuo Lan's confident and provocative eyes, Song Zhaowen knew that she had been provoked by his teasing and wanted to get back at him in this extreme way, and she was confident that she could win with her skills and eyesight.
Little did they know—this was exactly what Song Zhaowen wanted!
The cockroach's mutation grants him an ultra-wide-angle vision and dynamic capture ability, giving him an unparalleled advantage in such a fast-paced and chaotic visual environment! As for his skills? With a foundation in Bajiquan plus five times the speed and strength of an ordinary person, who has he ever feared?
"Miss Zhuo's suggestion is very interesting." Song Zhaowen slowly stood up, took off his suit jacket, handed it to Huang Lei behind him, unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing a section of his smooth forearm.
"However," he said, cracking his wrist and looking at Zhuo Lan, "when grabbing cards in mid-air, physical contact is inevitable. Miss Zhuo is a lady, and I'm afraid that I might accidentally touch something I shouldn't, which could cause a misunderstanding."
Zhuo Lan's face turned cold: "Mr. Song, don't worry! At the gambling table, everyone relies on their own skill; there's no distinction between men and women! If you manage to find someone, that's your skill! Just don't be a sore loser!"
"Good! That's straightforward!" Song Zhaowen laughed heartily. "Then let's do as Miss Zhuo says! Dealer, count the chips, I'm going all in!"
The female dealer looked at the tournament's judging panel (composed of several highly respected retired gambling veterans and lawyers). After a brief discussion, the judging panel confirmed that although this game was novel, it was voluntary for both parties and the rules were clear, and it did not violate the tournament's general rules, so they approved it.
Both sides' respective 30 million chips were pushed into the center of the prize pool, piling up like a mountain, creating a strong visual impact.
Everyone inside the casino held their breath, craning their necks, afraid of missing a single detail. Media cameras were also fixed intently on the gaming tables.
Song Zhaowen and Zhuo Lan retreated to either side of the gambling table, about six meters apart. Zhuo Lan had already taken off her cumbersome high heels and stood barefoot on the soft carpet. She squatted slightly, assuming a starting stance that resembled both a sprint and a fight, her eyes sharp as an eagle, her whole being like a mother leopard poised to pounce.
Song Zhaowen appeared much more relaxed, simply standing there casually. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that his muscles were in a peculiar state of relaxation, like a fully drawn bow, ready to unleash terrifying power at any moment.
"Are you ready?" Zhuo Lan asked, holding the brand-new deck of cards between her fingers.
Song Zhaowen beckoned to her with his finger: "We can start anytime, Miss Zhuo, just don't cry later."
"Hmph! Smooth talker~"
Fifty-two playing cards, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, or a flock of startled butterflies, fluttered and spun in the air above the gambling table.
Tumbling and drifting, its trajectory is chaotic and disordered!
The instant the cards left her hand, Zhuo Landong pushed off the ground barefoot, her body shooting out like an arrow! Her hands shot out like lightning, grabbing several specific cards—the Ace of Spades, the Ace of Hearts, and the King of Clubs! Her goal was clear: to steal the cards that could form Blackjack (A+10/J/Q/K) and cut off Song Zhaowen's escape route.
Almost at the same time, Song Zhaowen also made a move.
With a single step, as if shrinking the distance to an inch, he instantly covered a third of the distance and appeared below the area where the playing cards were flying!
In a moment unnoticed by anyone, his pupils dilated slightly, and his vision suddenly became incredibly wide and clear! The trajectory of each card in the air, the speed at which it flipped, and even the slight curling of its corners were all clearly imprinted in his mind, as if in slow motion!
He saw Zhuo Lan's hand reach for the Ace of Spades.
A barely perceptible smile curved Song Zhaowen's lips. His left hand casually reached upwards, his index and middle fingers like iron clamps, and with a split second, he caught the corner of the Ace of Spades. At the same time, his right hand, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, drew several dazzling arcs in the air, accurately snatching the King of Hearts, the Queen of Diamonds, and the Ten of Clubs.
Zhuo Lan missed her target and was shocked! She hadn't expected Song Zhaowen's speed and eyesight to be so terrifying! But she reacted quickly, immediately changing her strategy, abandoning the initiative, turning her body, and using her elbow like a spear to strike Song Zhaowen's ribs, while simultaneously grabbing the nearby Queen of Hearts with her other hand! This was a combination of offense and defense, both disrupting the opponent and continuing to steal cards!