Chapter 117

Almost the instant Jack's words left his mouth.

The door to the VIP room suddenly swung open.

The next moment.

Dozens of bodyguards poured in.

Every one of them was armed.

These men were clearly well-trained. Their movements were sharp and coordinated. The second they stepped into the room, they fanned out and sealed off every exit.

Black gun barrels rose from all directions, aimed straight at Jack without mercy. The air instantly filled with a suffocating smell of gunpowder.

Then.

A crisp set of footsteps rang out.

Kirk stepped forward through the crowd.

He walked up to Jack and looked at him with cold, unfriendly eyes. "Hello. I'm the person in charge of this casino. Kirk Graham."

The corner of Jack's mouth curved up slightly.

So the casino had finally cracked. They wouldn't have put on a show like this otherwise.

Faced with a scene that would have made most people's knees buckle, Jack didn't flinch even a little. If anything, he looked like he was watching something entertaining.

The smile on his face deepened. It was lazy and mocking, as if the dozens of gun barrels pointed at him were nothing more than matchsticks for lighting a cigarette.

He even took his time straightening his shirt cuffs, moving with the kind of ease you'd expect at a dinner party.

Then he tilted his chin up slightly and met Kirk's heavy, oppressive gaze head-on, without the slightest hesitation.

"Hello." Jack's voice was completely steady, without even a ripple of tension. If anything, it carried just the right touch of politeness.

He glanced sideways at the bodyguards standing on high alert, his tone dripping with casual mockery. "What's all this about? Is your casino so against letting people win that you're planning to rob and kill me?"

The moment those words landed.

Kirk's expression turned ugly.

If something like that got out, it would destroy the casino's reputation. No one would ever set foot in the place again.

But if he let Jack keep playing.

The way Jack was betting.

The entire casino wouldn't be enough to cover the losses.

Kirk had no idea how Jack was doing it. Even God had lost to him.

But one thing Kirk was sure of.

Jack was cheating. He just hadn't figured out how yet.

Still.

He couldn't let Jack keep playing.

Something bad would happen if he did.

Kirk drew in a slow breath and forced down the rage rising in his chest.

He waved a hand, signaling the bodyguards behind him to lower their weapons.

"Mr. Carter, you have quite a sense of humor." Kirk stretched his mouth into a smile that never reached his eyes. His gaze was cold and flat as a snake's. "This casino runs on fairness. If you win, we welcome it. But if someone's using methods that don't hold up to the light... then don't blame us for not playing by the rules."

Jack let out a quiet laugh at that.

He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, then fished out a lighter and clicked it to life with a sharp snap.

Pale blue smoke curled upward, drifting across his unhurried face.

"Mr. Graham." Jack exhaled a slow ring of smoke, his voice low and a little rough. "Are you saying I cheated? Where's your proof?"

He tapped the ash off his cigarette and looked Kirk straight in the eye, his tone edged with challenge. "Your casino calls itself the fairest in the state. You've got the most advanced surveillance system around. If I actually cheated, your cameras would have caught it by now. But you still don't have any evidence. Doesn't that mean... I didn't cheat at all?"

Kirk's expression darkened further.

Jack was right.

They had reviewed every single camera angle. Watched the footage over and over, more than a dozen times. And found absolutely nothing.

But how could any normal person win this many hands in a row? How could anyone predict the cards like that? It made no sense.

"Sir."

Kirk bit down and kept his voice low. "I don't care whether you cheated or not. This game ends here. Every dollar you've won will be paid out in full. But you cannot keep playing today. We need to conduct an internal review."

Kirk suspected there was a problem somewhere inside the operation.

When Jack heard this, his smile got a little wider.

"A review?"

"How long will that take?"

Kirk frowned, not quite sure what Jack was getting at. He thought for a moment, then said, "Five days."

"Fine."

"I'll give you five days."

Jack stood up right then and there.

"Leave the chips here. Let your casino hold onto them."

"What I expect is this: in five days, your casino reopens as normal, and I walk back in and keep playing. And I expect that this time, there will be no limits placed on my bets."

The moment those words landed.

Kirk's face shifted sharply.

What was Jack saying?

Was he coming back in five days?

He'd already won over three billion dollars, and he still wasn't walking away?

Was this guy seriously planning to go to war with the casino until one of them was finished?

Kirk stared at the man in front of him and felt a chill crawl up from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He had seen countless gamblers who lost everything and couldn't stop. He had seen arrogant cheats who thought they were untouchable. But he had never seen anyone like Jack.

Won over three billion dollars. Didn't run. Voluntarily left his chips behind. And was already planning to come back for more in five days.

Was he actually trying to take the whole casino?

The nerve of this man.

This wasn't gambling. This was a flat-out declaration of war.

"Mr. Carter, you are out of your mind!" Kirk's voice finally cracked, carrying a faint tremor he couldn't quite hide.

He stepped forward sharply and slammed both hands down on the table, leaning in close, his whole body angled toward Jack in a posture that was pure threat.

"Do you think this casino is some kind of charity? Do you think we won't touch you?" Kirk's voice came through his teeth, and something vicious flickered in his eyes. "Three billion dollars is more than enough to buy ten of your lives. Aren't you afraid you'll turn up in some ditch in Imperial City tomorrow morning?"

Faced with Kirk's barely-controlled fury, Jack didn't even blink.

He took one last slow drag of his cigarette, pressed the burning end into the crystal ashtray, and leaned forward slightly to meet Kirk's murderous stare.

"Mr. Graham," Jack's voice stayed even, almost amused. "Are you threatening me?"

As he said it.

Jack extended one finger and tapped the table lightly. A clean, sharp sound rang out.

"I'm not someone who makes empty talk. I said I'm going to take this casino, and I mean it."

Jack's eyes sharpened in that moment, cutting straight through to Kirk. "If you're scared, I'd suggest shutting the whole place down. Just close up and walk away."

"Or, like you just said, hire someone to kill me. That would certainly solve your problem. Of course, that's only if you can actually pull it off."