Chapter 208

– %$$%&^하는 건 내 몫……! !#$@……. –

– 여차하면…… 뽑아……! –

It sounded like dissonance echoing in a cave. The conversation could be faintly heard, intermittently fading in and out.

One party was definitely John who had gone into the restroom, but the other was difficult to identify, though it was clearly a man. The audio quality was too distorted to make out anything more.

In Neo Haven, where hate crimes born from grudges were rampant, it was illegal for ordinary citizens to record others without consent… But hey, what are you gonna do? Is gambling legal?!

“……Definitely. It’s a bit unclear as evidence of cheating.”

– “It seems the sound is amplified more due to the water pipes embedded in the wall.”

Unfortunately, since Zero’s components lacked separate eavesdropping functions, we failed to obtain definitive evidence.

It’s somewhat disappointing. I had noticed when the man went to the restroom, but since I was clumsy at following, I had asked for a subtle tail… Now that I think about it, I should have confronted him head-on.

‘Or maybe not… Wouldn’t exposing his dirty tricks in the middle of the game hurt him more?’

“Why?”

Because John, who had returned to his seat, was glaring at something with fiery eyes. His act of indifference had slipped halfway, making him even more fun to watch.

The target of his gaze was, of course, the mountain of chips in front of me. After getting some leniency from Mr. Alfred, the 500 black chips stacked like a partition to my right were apparently exuding some kind of overwhelming aura, drawing everyone’s attention.

Ironically, that made them pay relatively less attention to me, who had attempted such a reckless act.

So what if you talk and gossip about me right now? In a casino like this where professional cheaters scam customers, once it’s revealed, everyone will be busy grabbing collars. I’m sure no one would even notice someone like me.

Therefore… The audience is waiting. Shall we start soon, Mr. John?

Tap, tap, tap, tap…!!

Cards rhythmically dealt from the dealer’s rack sequentially landed in my lap.

Though it’s a bit scary to use someone else’s credits for such a reckless act, surely the director of Paradigm Corporation, boasting the highest cash reserves in Mega Cop, wouldn’t mind lending it to me and then complain about the charges later, right?

“Alright… With both parties agreeing to a minimum bet of ten million and the same penalty for folding… We shall proceed to the preflop phase.”

If the two players were each appropriately tense for their own reasons…

The dealer, who had been in charge of the table from the beginning, was now looking resigned with dead eyes as he mechanically ran through his lines.

The game had grown larger but with fewer players, so from the referee’s perspective, it seemed there was less to worry about – though it doesn’t seem to be that simple.

Sorry, I’m just now getting started. If you could stay focused, that’d be helpful.

“The betting order will remain… “50 million, bet.” …What… about the progression??”

As if unwilling to touch something dirty, maintaining a posture that could come across as rather arrogant, I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed.

Instead of me, Zero extended an arm, placing five chips into the box with a decisive “Clunk.”

The received hand remained hidden.

More accurately, it remained untouched right where the dealer had dealt them.

Why am I speculating about this? Because I have my eyes firmly shut.

To avoid accidentally giving away unnecessary information by mismanaging my facial muscles, and to fully pack this with frustration for our gambler friend to ponder over, I believe he’s quite satisfied.

“What… is this…?”

“Miss Anastasia? Have you checked your hand…?”

I could feel doubts like “Did she get caught?” or “Is this woman insane? Why the sudden change?” swirling in John’s mind, which made me feel quite accomplished.

The dealer tried to maintain professionalism despite the confusion, but unfortunately…

In this game, I could only respond with answers that seemed off-kilter, as that was the goal of this standoff.

“…Anyway, whether I win or lose, since the odds are even, isn’t it fine to bet without looking? It’s bothersome.”

“…”

“…Wow…”

“Ho ho ho…! That’s right! As expected, this miss is no ordinary person! She’s here just to raise the stakes pointlessly!”

To think someone could resolve curiosity while laughing so cheerfully.

Sasha expressed amazement at some new perspective. Mr. Alfred, perhaps due to some strange prejudice against me, burst into laughter. Meanwhile, John and others appeared to be suffering from severe headaches, their mouths only twitching.

…Because no one expects someone to play around with other people’s money this way, it seems there’s a minor misunderstanding, but let’s move on for now.

In short, what I wanted to say was roughly this:

“If you want that 5 billion so badly, why not bet everything you’ve eaten so far and really test your luck? Alternatively, you can continue to meddle like before, but if caught, I intend to rip off your prosthetic arm. So if you’re confident enough to try…”

Like in that famous movie.

Wouldn’t it be an equally fun and interesting experiment to play purely with cards without any tricks on either side and see the result?

…Wait? You’re not interested or excited at all, just completely terrified? Let’s carefully consider whether that’s because you’re a cheating bastard. I find it completely entertaining?? Haha!

“The player John folds. The active player Anastasia automatically wins.”

“Hmph…”

After enduring unbearable pain, countless suspicions, and temptations, John called. Seeing me stack chips into the box right as the flop started, before the community cards opened, he immediately tossed his cards.

The loss amounted to 50 million.

A mere 50 million? It’s hardly anything considering we could have lost 200 million after all the bets if we proceeded.

At this rate, following my tempo and stubbornness will likely make the remaining 350 million evaporate in the next two hands.

What if I win? Well, if he wins fairly, I could certainly congratulate him.

Regardless of how I feel, my instinct warned but I still planned to keep throwing the same amount of chips into the fire. If he proves his innocence now… No, considering the cheating until now, declaring complete innocence would be excessive. Yeah.

Flap, flap.

Despite the chilling air conditioning, John kept tugging at his shirt as sweat poured down. Too proud to remove his coat despite the heat, he stubbornly clutched the collar.

Feel free to ponder as much as you like~ Yes, take your time.

Just remember that my doubts and distrust are accumulating somewhere with each passing moment.

Where’s his gaze going? He couldn’t even handle the stress of an even fight. Was he trying to pull something?

“…Let’s call it a day for this round.”

“A, start whenever you’re comfortable.”

I’ve already lost everything… Well, Zero will take care of throwing the chips. I’m just killing time watching this struggling man when, conveniently, some service arrived to alleviate this boring moment.

“Customers, this is a drink offered by the house… Please enjoy it without refusal.”

“Dear me.”

A well-built waiter brought a tray full of glasses carefully offering them individual free drinks.

Already had one from the malfunctioning slot machine problem. Considering balanced nutrition, it’d be better to have a proper meal on the way home sometime, rather than keep snacking.

“Eh, this won’t make my hard-earned muscles fall off, right?”

…If only they had grown a bit more!

In any case, bowing slightly in gratitude and tilting the received glass to my lips…

I stopped my movement.

The unpleasant, bitter sweetness lingering near my lips, the strong smell piercing my nose. Memories and rejection rose up my esophagus, warning instinctively not to drink this mysterious liquid.

Put it down immediately and reflect. Haven’t you had clear experiences to avoid this poisoned cup? Because…!

“Sorry, could you change it to a non-alcoholic drink? I don’t drink alcohol at all.”

“!?!”

Oh my god. The alcohol smell is resonating from the glass edge.

Even though Zero is here, I know my limit. Why would I get drunk in such a situation? Contemplating this, my astonished reaction drew confused stares as if questioning the existence of someone who abstains from both alcohol and cigarettes.

…What, what? You crazy pleasure seekers.

Is it better to spend that energy farming Neo Haven or completing one more quest as a hardcore gamer? Huh?

“…”

I roughly pushed the held glass to the left side of the table.

Fair enough. Anyway, people here are excessively debaucherous. By normal standards, those seem like monks here.

“Hem…!”

“??”

Just as I was muttering internally for a while, what’s this?

Whether observing the game or not, it was questionable if this stylish man named Sugar even had any interest in gambling.

After moving the pushed glass and giving a glance at my somewhat sulky expression, he lightly nodded his head.

I naturally interpreted it as asking if he could drink it for me. There was nothing else it could mean.

However, it seemed to carry an entirely different code for this self-proclaimed Sugar man.

Asked him separately later, specifically… “I’m tired of this. Just wrap it up already.”

Crack—!!

“Ahhh!!? Such a damn…”

“Quiet… We’ll arrest some of the filth within Rendezvous Casino for violating the drug distribution law and deceit under Gaming Law. This is already coordinated with the local combat police. I warn you, resisting fiercely could result in immediate shooting on the spot.”

The cards shot out from John’s arm were not blood but trump cards that flew out as the device broke.

Though some quick-witted people realized the situation while raising their eyebrows, his high-pitched scream tore through the ears before it even registered.

As the person sitting next to him casually stabbed a steak knife from a scattered plate into the table when John was about to attempt something.

Is this a situation with no precursor?

“AAAAAAAAK!? Son of a bi—!!”

“Be calm… Additionally, you’re accused of attempting to poison the upper class. I hope you refrain from moving recklessly.”

Crrrrk!!

As the waiter serving drinks stepped back with trembling legs, Sugar’s swift leg struck his floating bone, causing him to collapse with a chilling impact sound.

Passing by the man who could only twitch his lips in extreme pain… The merciless Sugar slowly stroked the corner of the glass with one hand and continued speaking.

“…Though trendy among the upper class, putting unwanted drugs in drinks for VIPs isn’t acceptable. Moreover, not knowing one’s place and repeating this, even involving our staff recently.”

“?”

Why did he glance at me at the word ‘VIP’? And how come everything is proceeding smoothly without my doing anything?

There’s a major difference in perception on both sides, which I cannot pinpoint… And the question of who this person with the absurd alias is, commanding hundreds of troops in the middle of the capital, isn’t solely mine.

“Hmm.”

Squish—…

Realizing the blank expressions around him belatedly, he used a built-in component in his body, wiping the dissolving compound from the implant near his clavicle with both hands… And shockingly splashed it all over his face.

“!!?”

“A?”

This sudden act that could be mistaken for suicide, along with the stench of melting flesh, startled many. However, when the face gradually revealed dark blue hair and a stubbornly wrinkled expression…

Paradigm Corporation Neo Haven General Branch Manager Ragus Angelus.

If John had artificial eyeballs and an artificial arm, this astonishing human had worn a fake protein layer covering his entire head while mingling in the casino.

…Just a moment, so you were operating under the alias ‘Sugar’ all this time as Ragus. Ha ha.

Alright, I finally understand that I fell for a laughably bad wordplay. I get it.

Still, I don’t understand why Aaron sent me to a store where Ragus, disguised and conducting undercover operations, was present, giving me a lot of money.

“A, it’s been a long time. Mr. Ragus.”

“Exactly 423 days since the last tax adjustment discussion. It’s fortunate Miss Sasha, who came to study in Neo Haven, seems well.”

“Ahaha… Hello…”

The awkward greeting with Alfred, who shared funding issues in the past.

Sasha, who suddenly switched to an awkward ladylike mode, possibly because her company ‘Daily Brewworks’ was a subsidiary of Paradigm.

He interacted cheerfully with them while checking the casino managers and staff being dragged away with gunshot wounds here and there.

However, despite meeting eyes a few times, Branch Manager Ragus deliberately ignored me, a familiar face.

The pieces of gathered information don’t fit together properly. There’s a growing necessity to connect them carefully.

So, was Ragus, who appeared as a minor character in the game, just here to kick around in this playground for kids and personally catch a few petty thieves? No, absolutely not. I saw traffic controls just a few days ago due to Ragus and Aaron’s movements.

He certainly maintains a tight schedule, not even showing up at Cassane’s famous social gatherings recently.

It’s just that the scale of activities involving main characters has grown increasingly larger. On average, even events with half Mega Cop’s involvement become scandals discussed everywhere.

Thinking logically, Ragus’s presence here is probably my fault. The reason I was invited to play is thanks to Aaron’s carefully prepared invitation.

…What exactly did he say during our heated argument then?

He apologized for interrupting his evaluation of Ragus.

…What was the comment left with the invitation and debit card?

Go and have a good time, he had said with a smile. I took that as a figurative expression.

…

…

“Is this fool who personifies excessive loyalty and premature assumptions really…!!”

– …Are you alright? –

Damn, I’m not alright at all.

In case a shootout happens, I covered my face with my hand placed on my thigh and bent down deeply.

I can feel my ears turning red as blood rushes to my head.

Realizing the truth that all this mess originated from the “genuine scammer” problems and our misfortune, I feel too deflated. I’ve lost all energy, and my stomach aches.

Even during our three-way meeting, Ragus, who acted half-threatening like a superior, had no intention of asking me for anything then. Nor would I be shameless enough to give direct orders…

In short, all this commotion was because we were simply observing each other.

That… I apologize to everyone involved instead of that Aaron bastard -grind- yes…

“Hmph…”

Since it would be inappropriate to interrogate the guests in front of Ragus, I looked away from the passing special unit members pretending not to see us.

Judging by the looks, Rendezvous Casino will be permanently closed from today, so the money I didn’t have originally doesn’t matter at all. Absolutely.

Besides, didn’t I also gain a cheap apartment and some time for self-reflection thanks to hanging out with Aaron? There weren’t only negative aspects, so I can overlook it to some extent.

Most importantly, I’ve somewhat pioneered a new cash-making continent, so I’ll consider Aaron’s sin somewhat mitigated.

Next time we meet, I’ll perm all his wavy blonde hair into curls.

Just wait, you damn bastard… I will definitely get my revenge someday!!