Chapter 192: Chapter 192: A Miracle Happened_1
Even Xu Dahe looked at Zhang Bin mockingly and said, "Young man, do you really still want to play against me?"
Ordinarily, once people knew he was Xu Dahe, they wouldn’t dare to play against him, unwilling to be humiliated. That was why he asked.
"Old man Xu, you think you’ve won? Let me tell you, it’s not over yet. So, hand over my money. In a bit, I’m taking back all 3,000 yuan," Zhang Bin declared with overwhelming confidence.
"Heh heh..."
The crowd chuckled in disbelief.
"Right, right, the match isn’t over. There are still two games left. I was being too greedy," Xu Dahe said as he began to set up the board. "There’s no need to take out the money. It’s too much hassle passing it back and forth. Rest assured, if you really beat me, I’ll give you the three thousand, not a single cent less."
This was utter contempt. He wasn’t taking Zhang Bin seriously at all.
Chen Junheng may have the world’s number one hacking skills, but he’s just like a child, far too immature. I must have been crazy to agree to meet with such a brat. It seems there’s only one Zhang Bin in the world; there is no other. I’m so envious of Sis for finding such an outstanding boyfriend. Liu Ruomei sighed to herself.
Meanwhile, Zhang Bin was already squaring up to play the second game with Master Xu. This time, of course, Zhang Bin would move second.
Master Xu opened with a Central Cannon. He even said with a smile, "Young man, today I’ll teach you a thing or two about how the Central Cannon is played."
A faint, cold smirk appeared on Zhang Bin’s face. He said nothing, simply moving his knight into position.
The two then engaged in a fierce battle. Master Xu was indeed a master of incredible skill. His attacks came like a tide, wave after relentless wave, leaving no room to breathe. The display was dazzling, a true spectacle.
He started off very relaxed and scornful, but he soon grew more serious. After so many moves, he still hadn’t gained a clear advantage. It seemed this young man possessed some real strength.
From then on, he played with great solemnity, pondering long and hard before every move.
Zhang Bin, in contrast, was the picture of ease. He responded instantly whenever his opponent made a move, without the slightest hesitation. He even took out his phone to play a game, clearly impatient with how long Master Xu was taking to think.
The onlookers stopped their jeering one by one, now staring at Zhang Bin as if he were some kind of freak, their faces etched with surprise.
Even Liu Ruomei wore a strange expression as her gaze shifted to the chessboard.
The game was a tangled mess, with red and black locked in a fierce struggle, making it impossible to see who held the advantage. However, this very fact only proved that the Rabbit King was more than meets the eye, because he was completely relaxed while Master Xu was so grimly serious.
Could it be that he lost the previous game on purpose? Liu Ruomei wondered inwardly. But why would he intentionally lose a game? What would be the point of that?
"Old man, hurry up and make your move. I don’t have all day to waste." Zhang Bin was getting impatient. He put away his phone and urged him on.
Master Xu ignored him, continuing to move his pieces at a snail’s pace.
"I’ve waited so long the flowers have withered. So this is all Xu Dahe amounts to. I can even spot you a knight," Zhang Bin said.
"You..." Master Xu was so angry he almost spat blood.
The people in the crowd also wore furious expressions, and they began to verbally attack Zhang Bin.
"Young man, you’re too arrogant! Master Xu has never been defeated in chess. The person who could give him a knight handicap hasn’t even been born yet!"
"You’d better apologize to Master Xu, or I’ll make you see why flowers are so red!"
"..."
Zhang Bin ignored the crowd, instead saying tauntingly, "Master Xu, didn’t you play very quickly in the last game? Why so slow now? And also, weren’t you going to teach me how to play the Central Cannon? I don’t think your playing is all that great."
"Shut up!" Master Xu roared, but he couldn’t help but speed up his moves.
Soon, one of his elephants was captured by Zhang Bin, and then a guard followed. Master Xu’s face was a mask of disbelief. He used every trick in the book to defend himself, but he still couldn’t fend off Zhang Bin’s pervasive attacks. Soon, the enemy was at his gates, and he was driven into a hopeless position.
"I’ve lost," Master Xu admitted reluctantly, his eyes wide as they could go as he stared at the board for a long time.
"He lost? Master Xu lost? How is that possible?"
All the onlookers were dumbfounded, scarcely able to believe their eyes and ears. Although Master Xu was getting on in years, his chess skill hadn’t declined much. In all the time he had been setting up his stall here, he had never once lost a gambling match.
But what on earth was happening now? How could he have lost?
Could it be that he threw the game on purpose to lure his opponent into another bet, maybe even several more? Yes, that must be it. Master Xu was laying a trap. Just look at how pleased that lad is!
However, Liu Ruomei didn’t think so. Her face was a canvas of shock, because she had used her Mind-Reading Ability to perceive Xu Dahe’s thoughts.
Damn it! I, Xu Dahe, have hunted geese my whole life, only to be blinded by a goose today. This youth is an incredibly skilled chess master, no less formidable than I was in my prime, perhaps even better. This is a disaster. My 1,500 yuan is as good as gone... That’s my living expense for a whole month! And I still have to help my son with his mortgage...
"Now it’s one-to-one. Let’s play the final game. Old man Xu, you’d better be careful this time," Zhang Bin said with a wicked grin as he began setting up the board, looking completely relaxed.
Of course, with his own lousy chess skills, there was no way he could have been Master Xu’s opponent. He was cheating, letting Tutu play in his stead. Tutu was an incredibly powerful AI program with unparalleled computational ability. Having mastered the rules of chess and rapidly analyzed the games of various grandmasters, it had naturally become a chess master of the highest caliber. A human might make a mistake while playing, but it was impossible for Tutu to err.
Therefore, even if Xu Dahe could return to his youth, he would be no match for Tutu.
Xu Dahe was loath to part with his 1,500 yuan, so, clinging to a sliver of hope, he played the final game against Zhang Bin.
But this game was even more tragic for him. Tutu was constantly learning, and it had grown even stronger. After just a dozen moves, Xu Dahe was already at a complete disadvantage. A few moves later, one of his knights was captured, then a rook. After that, Zhang Bin steamrolled him into checkmate.
It was an utter rout, a spectacle so tragic it was hard to watch.
All the onlookers were completely stunned. So Master Xu wasn’t laying a trap; he genuinely couldn’t beat this young man! Who on earth was this youth? How could he be so terrifyingly good at chess?
Because Liu Ruomei could read Master Xu’s thoughts, she had anticipated this, but seeing such a miserable outcome still left her jaw hanging in astonishment.
Xu Dahe’s face was ashen, and his body was trembling. He had played chess for many years, outmaneuvering countless opponents, and while he wasn’t invincible, he had never suffered such a crushing defeat