Reservoir Dogs chapter 47
Gambling
Gamblers who lose their last chip couldn’t leave. No one could just get up from that chair. Every casino had loan sharks; borrowing money on-site was common.
Xiao Zhou guessed he must be Flower Snake, “A million.”
Even Flower Snake was shocked by this bold request, thinking he was talking nonsense, “Borrowing a million at once? Do you think I’m running a bank?”
Xiao Zhou said, “Can’t your place even lend a million?”
Only then did Flower Snake scrutinize him carefully. He noticed that Xiao Zhou’s clothes, though plain in style, were expensive. Having seen many people, he could tell who was truly rich and who was just pretending. Xiao Zhou, though young and low-key, lacked the arrogance of a rich second generation or the demeanor of a suddenly wealthy boss. Instead, he had the calmness of someone used to big scenes, generous and indifferent to winning or losing. He had just won a million and lost it all in an instant, yet he remained unmoved, making Flower Snake uncertain.
He didn’t want to recklessly lend money, nor did he want to miss out on the big fish that took the bait.
He gave Zhang Qiang a signal, and Zhang Qiang immediately went to Chen Jin, who was standing nearby, to inquire. Chen Jin’s face was solemn. After hesitating for a while, he began fabricating a lie for Xiao Zhou. His lie was flawless, and when Zhang Qiang relayed it back, Flower Snake immediately changed his demeanor and cheerfully instructed someone to get chips for Xiao Zhou.
One million in chips was neatly arranged in trays, looking even more orderly and spectacular than before.
Flower Snake said, “There’s a rule for loans. No interest if repaid within ten days. After ten days, interest starts accruing.”
Xiao Zhou nodded to show he understood.
The gamblers around were excited by this dramatic turn of events. Starting from 20,000, reaching a peak of one million, losing everything in one round, and then borrowing another million to gamble again—such lavish gamblers and thrilling games were rare in a small casino.
Bets were placed, cards were dealt.
To the onlookers, the amount won seemed less important now. Watching the man and the casino battle it out was what truly thrilled them.
Xiao Zhou played two rounds himself, winning one and losing one, leaving the chips on the table unchanged.
In the next round, he pushed out half of his chips, causing another wave of chatter around him. Countless eyes were fixed on the card backs, almost boring holes through them. Both sides had sixteen points, making this round a tie with matching card values.
Seemingly impatient with the stalemate, Xiao Zhou stretched his stiff muscles in the chair. Then he stood up and told Xiao Ping to sit down, “You play.”
Xiao Ping hadn’t recovered from the series of changes. He hesitated and didn’t move.
“Do you think you can win?” Xiao Zhou asked.
Xiao Ping opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
“Think carefully. If you say we leave now, we will.”
Xiao Ping was hesitant, battling internally whether to risk it all or leave with nothing. After a while, he gritted his teeth, “We can’t leave like this. We need to win back that million. I have a feeling we can win it.” He clenched his fist and sat down heavily, his face determined and desperate.
Xiao Zhou’s gaze was cold, but he wasn’t surprised. Just as Xiao Ping hadn’t stopped after winning the first million, he wouldn’t stop now.
Cards were dealt, bets were placed.
The yellow lights above the casino swayed, casting distorted shadows of greedy, crazed faces.
Those fully focused on the game didn’t realize that luck had been stretched to its limit that night.
It couldn’t endure any more.
The borrowed million was quickly lost.
This time, when Xiao Ping stood up, his face was pale. He swayed, unable to stand, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He looked at Xiao Zhou, lips trembling, but he didn’t cry or apologize. He asked, “Ge, how will you repay?”
Xiao Zhou asked, “How did you plan to repay your previous million?”
Xiao Ping’s voice trembled, “Within ten days, 500,000 for each hand. If both hands are cut off, it’s settled.”
Xiao Zhou nodded, his voice icy, “Perfect, 2 million.”
Xiao Ping was stunned, sitting in shock as if struck by lightning.
Flower Snake approached them, showing a predictable smile, “How about it, Mr. Xiao? Want to continue?”
Xiao Zhou looked at him and then said, “Mr. Liu.”
Liu Neng frowned. It was the first time someone had called him by his real name here. He wasn’t sure what Xiao Zhou was up to.
Staring into his deep black eyes, Liu Neng found it astonishing how calm Xiao Zhou was despite his massive debt. His composed demeanor was like that of a monk, seemingly disconnected from the greed and cruelty displayed earlier at the gambling table.
Xiao Zhou said, “I know there’s a competitive match where life and death are irrelevant. The top prize is two million, plus additional bonuses from outside bets. The higher the odds, the greater the bonus.”
Liu Neng was surprised to hear this, “That’s right, so are you interested?”
“The prize of two million plus the bonuses should be more than enough,” Xiao Zhou said. “If you give me a chance to participate, you can bet on the side. I’m an Omega; no one will bet on an Omega. I can multiply your principal several times over. All I want is the prize money.”
After discovering the transactions on the card given to Xiao Ping, Xiao Zhou had asked Sun Xu to investigate the person involved. The information he got was shocking.
On the surface, Liu Neng was a real estate developer, investing in various properties and developing several large projects in the third ring. His net worth was in the billions. However, he also operated floating casinos in empty office buildings and hotels. In recent years, to increase excitement, the gambling had moved from gambling tables to people. He organized underground fighting matches where wealthy individuals bet on live fighters, similar to betting on horses or dogs. The highest prize for the winner was two million, and as the host, he often profited tens of millions from a single match.
In this world, the fastest way to make money, aside from what’s listed in the criminal code, was to gamble with life.
Liu Neng quickly realized this man came prepared. Perhaps his calm demeanor stemmed from having such an irresistible fallback.
Liu Neng was suddenly intrigued, “What if you lose?”
“According to the rules of the casino, if I lose, you cut off his hands and I die in the ring,” Xiao Zhou said, pausing for a moment. “But don’t worry, I won’t lose.”
Liu Neng burst into laughter, “That’s some big talk. Why such confidence?”
Xiao Zhou slowly curled his lips into a smile, adding a touch of softness and an indescribable charm to his otherwise stern face. “You will agree to my terms because we are both gamblers.”
Liu Neng’s gaze lingered on him, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat. He scratched his neck and said, “Alright, whether you win or not, I hope you don’t die in the ring.” His eyes took on a sly, lewd expression. “Letting an omega die in the ring would be a great waste. I hope you come out alive, either making me a lot of money or we can find another way for you to pay your debt. An omega’s value is not just in this rough fighting game.”
Liu Neng picked up a bottle of Rémy Martin from the bar and walked over to Xiao Zhou, eyeing the patch on the back of his neck. “How about this, take off your patch and drink this bottle of liquor, then I’ll give you the entry ticket for the match.”
Xiao Zhou removed the patch without hesitation and drank the liquor in one go. Some of the liquid trickled down the corner of his mouth, wetting the collar of his shirt, creating a sticky and ambiguous stain on his pale skin. The rapid drinking caused a flush to spread from his neck to his ears.
The tender gland was exposed to the air, emitting a scent like the ocean—faint and moist, imperceptible unless close. Alongside the salty sea breeze, there was a slight trace of alcohol, perhaps from the liquor he had just drank.
Liu Neng watched his hand gripping the bottle, his smooth and tense jawline, and the Adam’s apple moving up and down. Suddenly, he thought that even if Xiao Zhou lost and couldn’t pay up, it wouldn’t be too bad. With his skills, he could extract countless two million from this young, decent-looking, and gambling omega. An omega like him inherently represented endless wealth.
Holding the empty bottle, Xiao Zhou wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, “Is that enough?”
Liu Neng walked away from him, “Tomorrow night at eight, be here. I’ll take you to the match.”
Xiao Zhou nodded, lifting the limp Xiao Ping from the floor.
As they stepped out of the casino, Xiao Ping finally panicked, kneeling and pleading, “Ge, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. I won’t ever gamble again!”
Xiao Zhou ignored him.
When they reached the street, Chen Jin also sneaked out from the door and called out to Xiao Zhou.
Xiao Zhou let go of Xiao Ping, “Go clean yourself up and go home.”
Under the moonlight, Xiao Ping looked at Xiao Zhou’s face, trying to detect any anger or blame, which would make him feel a bit relieved. But there was none. Xiao Zhou acted as if nothing had happened. This made Xiao Ping even more anxious. His voice choked, “Are you really going to fight tomorrow?”
Xiao Zhou nodded, “Yes.”
Xiao Ping sniffed, “Can you win?”
“Maybe.” Xiao Zhou lowered his eyes. Xiao Ping tilted his head up. For the first time in a long while, he realized he hadn’t looked at his brother closely. In his memory, Xiao Zhou was always a tall and strong protector. Now he saw he was actually very thin, with sharp facial features, a lean chin, and an exhausted, haggard look. He didn’t seem so invincible. Xiao Ping suddenly felt scared, as if Xiao Zhou had turned from the brother in his memory into an ordinary person who could get hurt, feel sad, and be incredibly fragile. He was happy his brother had come back, despite all the blame and complaints. But tomorrow might mean he would lose him forever.
He grabbed Xiao Zhou’s arm urgently, “You can’t Ge.”
Xiao Zhou paused for a moment, then patted Xiao Ping’s shoulder, “It’s okay.” His voice was calm, “Go home. You’ve been gone all day, Mom is worried about you.”
Xiao Ping bit his lip, tears glistening in his eyes. He suddenly cried out, “Ge,” and threw himself into Xiao Zhou’s arms, his tears wetting the collar already damp with liquor.
Xiao Zhou was a bit surprised. After a moment, he hesitated and then embraced him, patting his back.
After a brief hug, Xiao Ping turned and ran away.
Watching his brother’s figure disappear, Xiao Zhou waited for Chen Jin to walk up to him, then nodded slightly, “Thanks for covering for me just now.”
Chen Jin shook his head, “No problem. But your move was so unexpected. You should have given me a heads up so I could be better prepared.” He paused, then asked, “So, did you cheat? How did you keep winning? Were you really counting cards?”
Xiao Zhou shrugged, hands in his pockets, walking slowly, “Normally, it’s impossible to count cards. But I noticed the cards used here are old versions made by Gemaco, the same manufacturer of the cards we used for fun back in the day. These cards aren’t perfectly cut, so the patterns on the back aren’t symmetrical, and the edges are different. Observe the first deck, remember key cards like 6, 7, 8, and 9, and in the second round, bet after the dealer deals the cards. You can guess with about 80-90% accuracy. But my skills aren’t perfect, I made mistakes. Mainly, I was just lucky today. Maybe fate enjoys giving things to those who don’t want them. When you really desire something, it often slips away from you.”
Chen Jin also remembered that when Xiao Zhou used to be alone in the cell, he would either read a book or play with cards, but he never gambled with others, only passing time by himself. Chen Jin asked, “So, you never thought about what would happen if you kept making mistakes and lost everything?”
Xiao Zhou responded nonchalantly, “I didn’t, because I never thought I would win. I knew I would definitely lose. The difference was only in the process of losing. Whether I won ten times and lost all the money or won a hundred times and then lost all the money, there’s no essential difference. Maybe just a slight difference in dramatic effect, but today was quite interesting.”
Chen Jin blinked, “So you’re really just going to lose everything? Someone with no certainty at all borrowed a million. You used a whole million just to teach your brother a lesson?”
Xiao Zhou said, “It’s okay. Maybe tomorrow the result will be good. Even if I’m not first, being in the top three will be enough to pay off the debt.”
Chen Jin knew that Xiao Zhou had built his resilience through real struggles in prison. Even if he couldn’t win the championship, he would survive. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt.”
Xiao Zhou thought for a moment, “That’s also part of the lesson.”
Xiao Zhou continued, “Do you remember that gambler in prison? Cutting off one finger wasn’t enough to make a man quit gambling, but when he found out his son started gambling, he regretted it so much he almost broke down.” Pausing, he added, “I’ve never seen him like that. He cut off his right hand and had it sent to his son by a guard, then died from infection. Fortunately, when his family came to claim the body, I heard his son successfully quit gambling and returned to school.”
“Anyway, I also want to try.”
Chen Jin was stunned.
Xiao Zhou yawned, perhaps a little tipsy from the bottle of alcohol he just finished. “When does your alpha usually come back? Can I sleep at your place for a while?”
Chen Jin replied, “He usually stays out all night; the casino is busiest at night. He won’t come back. So it’s okay if you sleep at my place, but aren’t you going back to your alpha?”
Xiao Zhou’s eyes were a bit misty from the alcohol, and he looked at the mercury-like moonlight on the ground. “I don’t want to. I don’t know if he’ll come back.”
Seeing his unsteady steps, Chen Jin reached out to support him. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, “Alright, let’s go.”