Jiao Changqing and Xian Zhongde’s acts of “giving warmth” at a crucial juncture transformed Yu Shuang, who was previously at the bottom of the chip pile, into the undisputed leader!
The previously calm six-player stud poker game instantly saw two players eliminated.
Once another player was out, this six-to-three match would officially conclude!
Fast! Unforeseen and impossibly swift!
Aside from Yu Shuang herself, almost everyone else, both on and off stage, was caught completely off guard.
After a considerable pause.
It wasn't until Hu Dinggui, the dealer, recovered and announced the elimination of Jiao Changqing and Xian Zhongde that Yu Shuang finally spoke.
“My apologies, Chen Xiang! Because… it wasn’t just you and Mr. He who had an arrangement!”
At this point, there was no point in holding back any longer.
Hearing this, I was instantly rendered speechless.
That’s right! Given Mr. He’s cunning and calculating nature, how could he have placed his bets on only me?
From the moment Jiao Changqing and Xian Zhongde revealed their traitorous identities, this competition, which was ostensibly a six-to-three elimination round for the Gambling King tournament, had secretly escalated into a heated battle of strategy and manipulation between Mr. He and his son, He Zhonghua.
Merchants pursue profit! And the more successful the merchant, the better they understand the benefits of diversifying their investments.
This is the classic theory of “not putting all your eggs in one basket.”
If I were Mr. He, I would certainly hedge my bets and invest on both sides.
Now, let’s talk about Yu Shuang.
As the saying goes: “From a single spot, you can see the whole leopard!”
Judging by the Queen Bee’s usual modus operandi, if she requested the privilege of direct advancement to the finals from Mr. He, she would certainly not be willing to play second fiddle.
Therefore, her earlier display of non-competitiveness, even seeming mediocrity, was all a facade!
It was all to mislead everyone, and then, in the crucial six-to-three elimination match, to unleash her full force and seize the initiative!
“One point understood, all points understood!”
It now seemed that I likely no longer needed to worry about Mr. He’s personal safety.
Given his discerning eye and his far-reaching plans and strategies, his previous disappearance was probably not an accident, but a calculated move!
A plan to kill two birds with one stone!
Using the Gambling King tournament as an opportunity, he would decisively suppress his disobedient son and simultaneously purge all the wavering opportunists around him, thereby consolidating his absolute power!
As for whether this is true or not, I'll keep you in suspense for now…
The subsequent matches were devoid of any suspense.
He Chenguang, realizing he had been backstabbed by his own accomplice, decisively signaled the last remaining member, Zha Meng, to lose all his chips to him, to avoid further unexpected incidents.
Due to the significant reduction in player numbers, this transfer of chips was not as smooth as in the previous round.
Except for Yu Shuang, who remained seated and unperturbed, I repeatedly intercepted chips to maintain my position within the top three as much as possible.
By the time the match concluded, the chips in front of He Chenguang and myself were almost identical.
After Zha Meng had “lost” all his chips, the second round of the six-to-three competition officially came to an end.
Just like after the first round, there was a 30-minute intermission.
Half an hour later.
Hu Dinggui, the person in charge of the Grand Lisboa Casino and the dealer for the second round, replaced the previous host and walked to the center of the stage to address the audience.
“Distinguished guests, after careful consideration and unanimous decision by Mr. He and the organizing committee, the following adjustments will be made to this year’s final…”
“Firstly, the final round will abolish the chip and chip ranking system, and there will be no fixed competition events set.”
Before Hu Dinggui could continue his explanation, a wave of uproar erupted from the audience.
For the uninformed spectators, their heckling was merely to follow the crowd and enhance the atmosphere.
However, for the few who were in the know, they had already detected something unusual in Hu Dinggui’s words.
Just after He Chenguang was betrayed by his own people and lost his absolute chip advantage, the organizing committee immediately changed the rules for the final round.
The intention behind this was self-evident!
Even I, hailing from the mainland, had pieced together the entire situation.
If my guess is correct, Hu Dinggui, the person in charge of the Grand Lisboa handpicked by Mr. He, had long been colluding with He Zhonghua, they were birds of a feather.
If this deduction holds true, it would perfectly explain why, in the highly secure and guarded Grand Lisboa, it was so easy for He Cong, who was merely filling in as a bodyguard, to create an opening and subdue Mr. He.
Having understood the cause and effect, I completely ceased worrying about Mr. He.
Since he had decided to settle things definitively with He Zhonghua during tonight’s final, and had begun his strategic planning long ago, there was no reason for him to overlook Hu Dinggui, who held a position of power and authority.
I could now freely engage He Chenguang in a showdown on the final stage!
………………
According to Hu Dinggui’s description, the final round would consist of three matches, collectively known as the “Ultimate Thousand Arts Battle”!
He also stated that the reason for the last-minute change in the final format was due to feedback from many viewers who felt the first two rounds were too mundane and failed to showcase the skills and caliber of top-tier cheaters.
Therefore, with the approval of the organizing committee, an emergency meeting was convened, and after deliberation, it was unanimously decided to return the final events to their roots, focusing on the theme of the Gambling King tournament.
The three thousand arts competition events would be determined by a random draw among the three of us, with whatever was drawn being the game played.
The competition events would be all-encompassing, including anything that could utilize cheating techniques.
There would be no chips, and no concept of bets.
Only points!
In each round, the first person to win would receive 3 points, the second to win would receive 1 point, and the loser would receive no points.
After three rounds, the person with the highest score would be declared the winner and crowned the Gambling King.
In the event of a tie in scores, a tie-breaker match would be held.
The rules for the tie-breaker would be the same as the first three final rounds.
After listening to Hu Dinggui’s complete explanation of the rules, I had a strong premonition that He Chenguang was an exceptional thousand arts master!
Otherwise, there would be no need for such a elaborate setup.
It appeared that He Zhonghua had gone all in, deciding to place all his chips on He Chenguang.
As long as He Chenguang could shine in the ultimate thousand arts battle and win the championship, he would undoubtedly gain significant prestige.
Once the title of Gambling King was established, not only in Macau but potentially across the entire mainland, it would attract many underworld figures to seek him out!
As I was contemplating this, Yu Shuang, the person responsible for drawing the participants for the first round, walked to a transparent glass box and, under everyone’s watchful eyes, reached in to pick a ball…