Chapter 124: The High-Stakes Gamble

"As the dealer and host, I shall add some excitement to the game. I’ll bet 10 million!"

Long Fei was lost in his own thoughts when Ichiro Uchida tossed 10 million in chips onto the table. The man had a strong opening card: the Ace of Spades.

Long Fei’s own card was a King of Clubs. After peeking at his hole card—a Queen of Spades—the hand seemed mediocre. Just as he was about to call, the Dragon Lady whispered to him via telepathy to fold. Long Fei obeyed without hesitation. The others, all wealthy and bold, continued for several rounds. To everyone's surprise, Jenny emerged as the winner, raking in hundreds of millions. She was beaming, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and she couldn't stop casting flirtatious glances at Long Fei.

The others took their losses in stride, with no complaints.

The second round began. Long Fei was again told to fold by the Dragon Lady. After five consecutive folds, the man wearing a feather in his hair mocked him: "Kid, if you're just going to fold every time, you might as well pack it in and leave. Ha!"

Long Fei felt a bit frustrated, but he trusted the Dragon Lady implicitly. He grinned at the man, who looked somewhat like a toad, and replied, "Never seen someone fold before? Just wait until I get a good hand; I'll win every cent you have!" As he spoke, Long Fei gave the man a playful wink.

The man grumbled, "Fine, kid, I’ll be waiting. But if you dare to call, I’ll stay with you until the very end!"

Long Fei didn't respond. He flipped his cards: a King of Hearts and a Jack of Hearts—even worse than his first hand. Just as he was about to fold again, the Dragon Lady whispered, "You can stay until the end this time."

"Haha, finally my turn to speak! Alright, I won't scare you all yet, but I'm putting in 50 million!" Long Fei didn't treat the money as his own; he just kept tossing it into the pot, 50 million at a time.

His bold move didn't intimidate the others, who each called the bet. The man with the feather, holding a King and an Ace, gloated, "Kid, you've got guts. Come on, I told you I’d see you to the end!"

"Don't go crying later! I'll call that 50 million and raise another 50 million—that's 100 million! Fold if you're scared!" Long Fei was acting arrogant, though he hadn't even noticed his cards had become a Nine of Diamonds. Overall, he only had a single King. But following the Dragon Lady's instructions, he just kept throwing money in without a second thought.

As he continued to bet, the feathered man laughed, "Haha, kid, see that? I have the Queen of Hearts. You have no chance of a straight flush. My Ace alone is enough to beat you. I raise another 100 million!"

The others, realizing their own hands were weak, folded one by one, content to sit back and watch the two of them go mad. Since both men had deep pockets and were clearly locked in a grudge match, no one else wanted to join the frenzy.

In the end, Long Fei won over three billion. He had a straight, though not a flush, but his opponent had it worse, holding only a pair of Aces. The man slammed his cards onto the table in fury and stood up. "I'm done! I'm not playing anymore!"

With his outburst, the others signaled they were finished as well. After so long, over ten billion had shifted into Long Fei's pile, and there was no point in continuing.

Cardinal John Paul smiled at Long Fei and said, "You have excellent luck, sir. But since the game is over, I suggest everyone take their leave."

"What? We leave? And what about you?" Long Fei asked, stunned.

John Paul chuckled, "I still have matters to discuss with Chairman Ichiro Uchida regarding secrets of the Vatican. I trust you ladies and gentlemen won't mind, will you?"

By invoking the Vatican, he made everyone hesitant. However, everyone was well aware of John Paul's intentions; none were willing to let him walk away with the prize. They all wanted the mysterious disc. They figured that if it were to fall into anyone's hands, taking it from Uchida would be slightly easier than taking it from the Vatican.

"I think it’s better if we all stay," the man with the feather said, showing no fear of the Cardinal.

Long Fei was startled. Curious, he asked the Dragon Lady, "Wife, do you know this man?"

"Oh, he is Francis, a man who commands the powers of heaven and earth in Southeast Asia. There are enough legends about him to fill a million-word book."

A chill ran down Long Fei's spine. He had heard of Francis—a sorcerer feared worldwide. In Malaysia, he was respected even more than the head of state. From national leaders to commoners, everyone sought his counsel. He led an organization called the "Sorcerer's Club," which, despite having only thirty members, consisted entirely of renowned practitioners of dark arts.

Sorcery was on par with the arts of Onmyoji and Maoshan Taoists. The three were linked, all relying on arcane rituals. If they knew a person's birth date or possessed an item they had used, all three could use their arts to inflict harm or death. However, they had their specialties: sorcerers excelled in making "Gu" (toxic insects), Maoshan Taoists in formations, and Onmyoji in illusions.

The atmosphere turned tense. Though the others remained silent, none were people to be trifled with, and each represented the interests of a country or powerful faction. Jenny represented Britain; West, the heir to one of Britain's oldest families; and the American represented the U.S. government. Because they all had backing, no one wanted to back down.

After whispering something to the Dragon Lady, Long Fei took advantage of the awkward silence and addressed the grim-faced Uchida: "Mr. Uchida, I would like to play one more round with you. You don't mind, do you?"

"You wish to gamble more?" John Paul frowned.

The Dragon Lady smiled, "Let them play. I guarantee that after this round, we—and the others—will leave immediately. How about that?" She gestured toward Jenny, effectively making the decision for her, which was, of course, Long Fei's idea.

Seeing Jenny frown, Long Fei quickly used telepathy: "Trust me, we’ll leave together in a moment!"

It was the first time Jenny had experienced such a feat, and she blinked in amazement. Seeing Long Fei wink at her, she quickly smiled and said, "Fine, we’ll leave once they finish this round."

With the Dragon Lady and Jenny in agreement, John Paul had no further objections, and neither did the American or Francis. Ichiro Uchida, though reluctant, felt trapped by the heavy hitters surrounding him. He figured if a single game could get them to leave, it would relieve some of the pressure. He feigned generosity and said, "Very well, how shall we play?"

"Let's play dice. Simple: high or low. The stakes? 15 billion. I have exactly 15 billion on the table. If you win, it's all yours. If you lose, you pay me 30 billion. Deal?" Long Fei’s eyes gleamed with greed at the thought of the money.

Even the wealthy crowd gasped at the astronomical stakes, secretly labeling Long Fei a lunatic.

Uchida was surprised, but figuring he might not lose, he replied, "Fine, I accept. But I won't play against you directly; I will have someone play for me."

Long Fei grinned, "Fine by me. I wasn't planning on playing myself either!"

"Then who will play for you?" Uchida asked.

The Dragon Lady stood up gracefully, "I will play for him! And we will decide the winner in a single round!"

Recalling how skilled the Dragon Lady had been—not winning big hands, but consistently seizing every opportunity to come out as the only major winner—Uchida grew worried. He felt he had fallen into a trap, but he had no choice. Confident in his own subordinate, he nodded.

Moments later, a woman entered. She was attractive, wearing a low-cut shirt that revealed her cleavage. Her makeup was subtle, her eyes cold and sharp, and her hair was piled high. She bowed to Uchida upon entering.

"Hanako, I have a guest who wants to play dice with you for 15 billion. The rules are up to you," Uchida signaled her. To the Black Dragon Society, 15 billion was a significant sum, and he could not afford to lose.

Hanako was stunned. Though she was known as the top dice expert in Japan and had seen many high-stakes games, she had never witnessed a gamble of this magnitude. Her body trembled, but her eyes filled with a fierce, competitive spirit. She nodded at the Dragon Lady, looking genuinely excited.