Chapter 1539: A Life for a Life/ Generate Doubt
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Chapter 1853: A Life for a Life

“Now, let’s try to get this done today.” Yang Ming wasn’t willing to keep staying here. He still had things to do at home.

“Okay…” Wang Mei nodded and called the phone number the person at the casino left for her.

Soon, someone answered the phone. Wang Mei asked carefully in English, “Hello, I’m someone from Zhang Jiefang’s family. We have prepared the money. What should we do now?”

The person on the phone said a few sentences to which Wang Mei nodded and said yes. After a while, Wang Mei hung up the phone and said to Yang Ming, “Brother Yang, they asked you to go to the South City Casino now. After that, find the security manager Smith.”

“Okay, I got it. Wait for me here.” After Yang Ming wrote it down, he prepared to leave.

“Ah? I’m not going?” Wang Mei had thought that Yang Ming would take her with him.

“It would be dangerous if you go. I would need to take care of you. You just wait for the news here.” Yang Ming also couldn’t figure out what the South City Casino was trying to do, whether it was simply wanting money or something else.

After Wang Mei heard Yang Ming’s words, she knew that Yang Ming meant that she would be a burden. Yang Ming would have to take care of her safety.

Yang Ming waited at the hotel’s entrance for a taxi. He told the driver the name of the South City Casino. Although Yang Ming also saw the address of the South City Casino in the investigation report, he was not familiar with the city of Las Vegas. Even though Yang Ming knew the street’s name, he wouldn’t be able to find it on his own.

“Sir, are you going there to play?” The taxi driver smiled slightly after hearing the address Yang Ming said. The South City Casino had a hidden rule: taxis drivers would be rewarded with ten dollars for every guest they brought. This was why the taxi driver was very happy and started to talk to Yang Ming.

In fact, many entertainment industries and hotels had similar rules. Taxi drivers who brought guests would be rewarded with some money.

“En.” Yang Ming was reluctant to say anything to the taxi driver and just responded lightly.

“Take care and don’t play too big. Know when to stop.” The taxi driver also saw that Yang Ming didn’t want to talk more, so he just reminded him. He didn’t think much about it. He just assumed that Yang Ming was silent as he was a foreigner and thus not very good at conversing in English.

“Thank you,” Yang Ming thought in his heart that this taxi driver’s character was not bad. However, his reminder was not very useful for real gamblers.

If gamblers listened to advice, there wouldn’t be so many broken families in the world.

The scale of the South City Casino was very large, even larger than the Douglas Vast Hotel. Yang Ming paid the fare and got off. He coldly assessed this grand building.

He looked at the large characters of “South City” that were shining with neon light.

South City, Southern City, Southern City Casino? Yang Ming frowned. The name seemed familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before?

After entering the casino, the enthusiastic waiter greeted Yang Ming, “Sir, do you need to exchange chips?” Yang Ming looked unfamiliar. These waiters knew most of the VIP members of the casino. Yang Ming looked like a temporary tourist who had come to play, so the waiter asked him directly if he was redeeming chips.

“I’m looking for someone,” said Yang Ming. “Is Mr. Smith here?”

“Mr. Smith?” The waiter froze. He immediately thought of Mr. Smith, the security manager. Mr. Smith had explained to all the receptionists at the front desk that if anyone came to look for him, they were to take them directly to the security manager’s office. Thus, the waiter smiled and said, “He’s in. Please come with me.”

Yang Ming didn’t say anything. He just nodded and followed the waiter. They entered the casino, passed through a narrow staff passage and came to an office door. The waiter knocked on the door. A thick male voice sounded from inside, “Who is it?”

“Mr. Smith, a guest is looking for you,” said the waiter.

“Okay, bring him in,” said Smith.

The waiter pushed open the room’s door and took Yang Ming into the office. Yang Ming saw a middle-aged black man with a somewhat vicious appearance sitting in an office chair. In the neighboring cubicles, there were a few macho men with differing tones and huge bellies sitting there. They seemed to be this Smith’s men.

“You go out,” Smith waved to the waiter and signaled that he could leave.

“Okay,” The waiter nodded and turned away. He did not forget to close the room’s door before he left.

“Smith?” Yang Ming glanced at the black man and asked, “What about my friend?”

Yang Ming took the opportunity to sit on the sofa in front of Smith’s desk.

However, Smith didn’t speak. The few macho men in the cubicles stood up and surrounded the sofa Yang Ming was sitting on.

Yang Ming turned a blind eye to these people and continued to look at Smith coldly.

“Your friend is fine,” Smith didn’t expect that this invisible pressure would be of no use against Yang Ming. He also didn’t know whether this kid was pretending or not.

“How much? Name your price.” Yang Ming naturally knew that since Smith had a plan, they would not hurt Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang.

“Name my price?” Smith shook his head, “I don’t think my word matters. You should ask Mr. Klass. Your friends bet with him.”

Not long after Smith finished talking, the office’s door was pushed open again. An Asian man walked in, followed by four black bodyguards.

After the Asian man came in, Smith stood up respectfully. “Mr. Klass, you should talk to him.”

After saying this, Smith gave up his seat to Klass, the Asian man. Klass just unceremoniously sat directly in Smith’s seat.

Yang Ming had been paying attention to Smith’s expression. Judging from his respect for Klass, Yang Ming figured that this Klass’s status was not low. He was either the casino’s sponsor or a very respected person. Only someone the casino didn’t want to offend could make Smith so respectful.

Yang Ming’s initial conjecture was that the casino and a gambler united to cheat, scamming Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang. The gambler then came out to ask Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang’s family for money.

But if this was the case, the casino would be risking investigation by the regulatory authorities to help the gambler detain people here.

However, it seemed that the security manager’s attitude towards Klass was a bit too respectful. Could it be that his guess was wrong? Was it really because Klass’s identity was so respected that the casino was willing to stick up for him?

“Are you a friend of Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang?” What surprised Yang Ming was that Klass actually spoke fluent Chinese and did not use English in front of Yang Ming.

“Yes.” Now that Klass used Chinese, Yang Ming naturally also used Chinese. “How is my friend? What do you want?”

“Your friends are fine. But are you sure you want to take care of this matter for them?” Klass’s tone was flat.

“Just tell me how much money you want,” Yang Ming frowned.

“Money?” It was as if Klass heard something funny. “What would I want money for? You ask Smith, ‘Am I short of money’?”

Klass’s strange attitude made Yang Ming even more confused. Not short of money? What does that mean?

“Then what are you going to do?” Yang Ming didn’t get angry but waited for this Klass to continue.

“A person like me, the thing I lack the least is money,” Klass shook his head as if he was talking to himself. “For me, money is just a number without any pleasure or excitement. I like excitement. I like adventure. I chase a moment of happiness. So, I like to gamble lives with others!”

If it wasn’t for the fact that this matter seemed strange from beginning to end, Yang Ming would not be so alert. Yang Ming surely would have thought that this Klass was crazy. However, Yang Ming didn’t have that feeling now.

Although Yang Ming didn’t think that this Klass was crazy, his words still made Yang Ming scratch his head.

“If you want to take care of this matter, then you have to gamble with me!” Klass said while pointing at Yang Ming with the thick cigar in his hand.

“Gamble with you?” Yang Ming asked back.

“That’s right. Gamble with me. A life for a life!” Klass laughed, “If you win, I’ll return you a life. If you win again, I will return you to another life!”

Yang Ming understood Klass’s meaning. This guy meant that if he won once, he would return the life of either Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang to him.

“What if I lose?” Yang Ming asked back.

“If you lose, naturally, your life will be mine,” Klass shrugged, “Isn’t it fun?”

Chapter 1854: Generate Doubt

“Fun?” Yang Ming raised his eyelids lightly, “Do you think this is fun?”

“Yeah. I already said that I want to chase excitement. Normal games no longer give me any feeling. Only controlling the life and death of others can excite me!” Klass said solemnly, “Of course, you can choose not to gamble. I will not force others to do anything. You can leave now.”

“If I leave, what will happen to my friends?” Yang Ming pursed his lips. All of Klass’s words were simply nonsense. Yang Ming already knew that since he had already come, he could not leave alone.

“They, unfortunately, lost the bet of their lives, and I’ll be responsible for the harvest,” Klass said like it was a common thing. “Unless someone gambles in their stead.”

Yang Ming was thinking of countermeasures while speaking with Klass. Of course, Yang Ming was confident he could kill all the people in this room directly. He could spare Klass alone while killing the others, and then find Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang through him.

Since Klass could speak to him here confidently, Yang Ming also believed that he was not a fool. Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang had probably been moved to some other place and were not inside the casino.

Of course, although Yang Ming had the confidence to subdue Klass and force the truth out of him, Yang Ming was afraid that this Klass was also a little pawn who was pushed forward. If he subdued Klass and it turned out that he didn’t know anything or the people behind him didn’t care about him at all, it would backfire instead.

This was why Yang Ming was so cautious. It was also because this matter seemed strange from the beginning. It also was not an ordinary type of strange. How could Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang run into a psycho who gambled lives on their first visit to this casino?

If Klass was as rich as he said and Smith respected him so much, he must be a VIP of this casino. How could he cross paths with Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang?

Big gamblers like him gambled in the VIP rooms upstairs. Tourists like Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang could only play in the first-floor lobby and had no chance of playing with Klass. So, it was clear that something was wrong.

Having figured out the key points, and considering the gains and losses of this matter, Yang Ming did not intend to directly take action. He would make his decision depending on the situation, and see what tricks Klass would play after this.

“Oh, gambling. I’m the best at gambling lives if I do say so myself,” Yang Ming’s words were shocking and surprised Klass.

He initially thought that Yang Ming would back down. Even if he agreed, he would be reluctant and scared. He didn’t expect Yang Ming to agree to gamble his life and say that he was the best at gambling lives…

Is this guy also a lunatic? Klass hesitated in his mind but thought that this kid might just be putting on airs. Why am I afraid? So he said, “That’s fine. Since this is the case, I have no opinion. We will meet here tomorrow at 9 am sharp. I won’t wait if you’re late. Of course, you can choose to not come.”

“Tomorrow at nine, right? No problem,” Yang Ming responded directly. Gambling? Yang Ming had never been afraid of anyone… Even if they were going to play something else, Yang Ming would not be afraid either.

After Yang Ming finished speaking, he ignored Klass and stood up, ready to leave. Klass did not say anything either, but Smith’s expression was a bit ugly. The reason he previously asked his men to surround Yang Ming was to put Yang Ming in his place. He was very annoyed by Yang Ming’s calm expression. When people came to his place, which of them were not careful?

“Cough!” Smith coughed twice, hinting that his men should give Yang Ming a show.

“Boy, are you just going to leave like this?” A black macho man blocked in front of Yang Ming.

“Is there anything else?” Yang Ming asked lightly. He naturally heard Smith’s cough and knew this was instigated by Smith.

“You and Mr. Klass have settled your matters, but the commission your friends owe the casino hasn’t been cleared yet!” Smith said angrily. He felt very disrespected by Yang Ming’s attitude.

“Commission?” Yang Ming glanced back at Smith coldly. “Doesn’t the casino take the commission from the winner? You can ask Klass for it.”

After speaking, Yang Ming walked forward. The black macho man didn’t get Smith’s permission so naturally, he couldn’t let Yang Ming go. Like an iron tower, he blocked Yang Ming’s path.

“Move,” Yang Ming frowned. He grabbed the collar of the black macho man and flung him aside. The black macho man’s huge body was thrown like a cannonball and collided loudly with the wall three meters away. The black macho man immediately collapsed to the ground. Because his head hit the wall, he died straight away.

After doing this, Yang Ming didn’t wait to see Smith’s reaction. He opened the door straight away and left.

Smith’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect Yang Ming to be so awesome. A seemingly careless push could throw a macho man weighing 200 pounds. Is he even human?

It should be known that this black man’s body was already big and strong. Yang Ming looked a lot smaller than him. But in the end, Yang Ming could hold him up with one hand. What kind of strength is this!

“Blast!” Smith had wanted to put Yang Ming in his place, but he did not expect that Yang Ming would put him in his place. He even made a spectacle of himself. Smith was a little unsatisfied, “I’m going to find someone to take care of that boy!”

Having said this, Smith wanted to command his men but was interrupted by Klass on the side, “Smith, don’t act rashly. If we mess up my boss’s big deal, never mind you, even your casino’s boss can’t afford it!”

“Yes… Yes… Mr. Klass, I just said it for fun. Don’t get angry…” Smith was startled and suddenly became alert. He was cooperating with Mr. Klass, so he couldn’t act impulsively, If he messed something up, he would be finished!

Smith also faintly knew that Klass’s background was not simple. Even the big boss of the casino feared him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t help Klass and take the risk of being investigated by the management department.

Although the hostages had been moved to other places, the casino still had an unshirkable responsibility in this matter. However, the boss could actually risk the casino’s reputation being damaged and help the people behind Klass. This showed the problem.

“Relax. I won’t let him leave here alive tomorrow,” Klass sneered.

“That is. Mr. Klass’s gambling skills are unrivaled. Even our casino consultants are no match for you!” Smith said charmingly.

After Yang Ming stepped out of the room, he walked towards the casino’s entrance. But he was not being idle. Now that he had realized that something was wrong, Yang Ming directly used his special ability to lock onto the situation in the security manager’s office.

After seeing the conversation between Smith and Klass, Yang Ming froze and secretly thought that he had lucked out. Fortunately, thanks to his careful analysis just now, he did not act lightly. There was indeed someone behind Klass. If he took Klass down today, he might not have been able to find out anything and end up hurting Zhang Bing instead.

But, why are these people doing this? Is it just to seek excitement? Yang Ming didn’t believe his words at all. Although this matter seemed to have been provoked by Zhang Bing and Zhang Jiefang, these people seemed to be targeting both of them.

However, Yang Ming couldn’t help but think that this matter was not so simple. If his intuition was correct, this Klass seemed to be targeting him more. Especially considering his last sentence – “Relax, I won’t let him leave here alive tomorrow.”