SWNOVELXO chapter 186
111. Gamble
“Now, can you tell me where the Rat King is?”
One second passed.
The scarlet flower blossomed, then with the gentle breeze, it merged into the mist of the night.
That seemingly unbothered “ordinary citizen” stood amidst the pool of blood, still maintaining the posture of holding his top hat, politely, elegantly, and calmly smiling as he inquired of Swick.
He looked like a lost gentleman, merely asking for directions to his next destination.
But at this moment, Mu En’s smiling face appeared to Swick as if it belonged to a demon from hell; his complexion turned pale, trembling as he raised the crossbow in his hand, aiming at Mu En’s forehead.
However, that trigger which usually would easily take someone’s life with a gentle pull now felt as if it had been welded shut with molten iron, not moving an inch.
“Who… who exactly are you?”
“Sigh, how many more times must I introduce myself? I’m just an ordinary citizen passing by.”
Mu En calmly approached, brushing aside the crossbow, looking down at Swick’s terrified eyes.
“Sir, I am patient, so this is the last time I will ask.”
His smile gradually faded, and a coldness emerged on his deep features.
“… Where is the Rat King, Sam?”
“I…”
Swick trembled with pale lips.
You can’t say it, Swick, you can’t say it.
You are the trusted confidant of the Rat King!
You are his right hand and left hand, his most loyal subordinate!
The more this moment, the more your loyalty shines through!
With a snap, the bowstring of the crossbow suddenly broke, and Mu En flicked his fingers, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
“Sir…”
“The casino, he’s at the casino!”
Swick screamed in terror:
“Sam has a gambling addiction; every night he can’t help but place a bet, so he must be at the casino now.”
“Oh, which casino?”
“The underground casino on Mink Street. I can lead the way; just don’t kill me, and I can take you there…”
“Very well.”
Mu En nodded in satisfaction, politely expressing his thanks.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“It’s my honor to assist you.” Swick forced out a smile that looked worse than crying, mimicking Mu En’s manner, bowing comically.
Indeed, the more cultured someone appears, the more twisted they are behind the scenes!
Just like those noble lords in the upper city!
…
After dealing with this trivial little trouble, Mu En turned and looked at the gaunt man still in a daze.
“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
Noticing Mu En’s gaze, the man began to plead in terror; to him, someone who could easily handle so many mobsters must be an even more vicious villain than the mob itself.
Just like the urban legends lurking in the shadows of this city.
However, the anticipated death did not come; he only felt a warm hand gently placed on his shoulder.
Startled, he looked up, not sensing the expected brutality and ferocity, but instead colliding with a pair of deep and calm blue eyes, like tranquil lake waters.
“You just said you want to be a good person?”
“…Yes.”
The man nodded blankly,
“I am already being a good person.”
“Then that’s good.”
The man felt a heavy pat on his shoulder.
“Very good.”
In the distance, the searchlights of the guard on Tower Bridge occasionally cast a beam of blinding light.
In the man’s dazed gaze, that “ordinary citizen,” more ferocious than the thugs, walked around him, waved his hand, and then headed into the depths of darkness.
Swick hunched over, cautiously following behind him, as humble as a dog.
“Damn it… who says good people don’t get good rewards.”
The man suddenly burst into tears, bowing deeply in the direction where Mu En had disappeared.
“Bruce Wayne…”
He reverently chanted this name in his mouth.
……
……
“You lost.”
In the opulent casino, King Rat Sam slammed down his hand of cards, looking disdainfully at the middle-aged man in front of him, drenched in sweat.
“How… how is that possible?”
The middle-aged man slumped down in his chair, incredulously staring at his hand of cards.
“I have three of a kind, how can I lose?”
“You have three of a kind, but I have four of a kind.”
Sam tapped the four identical cards in his hand, revealing a cold smirk:
“Winners take all, that’s the house rule, kid. You don’t want to welch on your bets, do you?”
“I…”
The middle-aged man’s face turned pale; he wanted to say something more, but at that moment, a beautiful dealer in a low-cut short dress pushed all his chips in front of King Rat Sam.
Earlier, confident in his hand, he had chosen to go all in to try to recover his losses.
Now, all his chips, totaling one million, would belong to the man across the long table, who, though small like a dwarf, was not someone anyone dared to underestimate.
His hopes of breaking even, or even striking it rich, had evaporated; now, he had nothing left.
“Wait…”
In despair, the middle-aged man pressed down on the last few chips, trembling lips whispering:
“I’m not done yet. Please give me another chance, let me play again. I can definitely win back all the money I’ve lost. Please, just give me one more chance.”
“Opportunities aren’t given by me.”
Sam toyed with the beautifully crafted chips, far more enticing than paper money, and chuckled:
“One thousand Amiri per chip, everyone is equal. If you want to make a comeback, bring more money.”
“Money… but where do I have money now? I’ve already mortgaged all the properties and fields at home just to get tonight’s money. How could I have any left…”
“Is that so? You really have no money, huh.”
Sam let out a regretful sigh, then his expression suddenly turned cold and stern:
“No money and still wasting my time? Get him out of here!”
“Wait… don’t drag me away, don’t drag me away! I can still get money, I can still get money! Sam, Sam, I can mortgage my daughter to you, and my wife too. I can mortgage them all, just lend me a little more money, just lend me a little more! I feel like my luck is turning around, next time I will definitely win!”
The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled in the hands of the casino guards, desperately trying to return to the place that had cost him everything.
But Sam was completely unaffected. He took a deep puff from the cigar handed to him by his subordinate and disdainfully said amidst the swirling smoke:
“Damn it, who doesn’t know that your two ladies are like mother and baby dinosaurs, looking more hideous than the mud under my feet? What do I want them for, to treat low blood pressure?”
In a heart-wrenching wail, the man with nothing was thrown out of the casino, unsure of where he would go.
But almost everyone knew he would most likely return, armed with money from who knows where, continuing to step into this bottomless abyss.
“Boss, are we playing tonight?”
His confidant leaned over and asked in a low voice.
“Tonight…”
Sam glanced over the entire casino.
According to his usual practice, he wouldn’t end this early.
However, recently the atmosphere in Belrand had been off, causing the casino’s business to drop significantly. Looking around, there were hardly any big fish in sight.
“Forget it.”
Sam casually reached out and groped the fair and tender bosom of a nearby dealer, leering as he said:
“That kid Swick, didn’t he offer up his sister? I’ll go play something else tonight.”
“Alright.”
The confidant replied and prepared to go arrange things.
But just then, from behind the previously empty gambling table, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere.
“Hmm? Is it already over?”
The figure removed his formal coat, placing an ancient cane and a silver box on the gambling table.
He adjusted his high-crowned wide-brimmed hat and flashed a harmless, amiable smile at Sam.
“The night is still long, Mr. Sam. Would you like to play a few more rounds?”