Chapter 247 88: Edge of Chaos
Anyway, if someone else is paying, there's no reason not to play.
With Cao Yilin backing him up, KK joined the game too.
At first, he played cautiously, with small bets, just for fun, not caring much about winning or losing.
But then seeing others have a streak of luck, raking in big wins, he got a bit envious.
Thinking about how his wallet wasn't too full lately, and that his winnings were his to keep while losses would be on Cao Yilin, he started playing big.
And wouldn't you know, he had an excellent run today; the losses were minimal and in the rounds he won, he had bet heavily.
Just like that, the cash in front of him piled up, growing from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in just half an hour.
With just a few card games, he made almost half a year's salary; this unearned gain felt truly wonderful.
Soon, a new round started.
This round was tense, with players continuously folding and quitting, until only KK and a bald guy were left in the game.
The bald guy glanced at his cards, occasionally giving KK a mocking look.
KK clicked his tongue, saying cheekily, "Are you going to hatch an egg by holding onto your cards? Can you speed it up?"
The bald guy took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly, pushing all the cash in front of him forward: "All in!"
Whistles erupted around the table, as the folded players watched eagerly and egged them on: "Come on! How can you hold back? Go for it!"
Now the pressure was on KK, and he frowned, staring at his cards, deep in thought.
The bald guy didn't pass up the chance to taunt him: "Hurry up, are you trying to lay an egg there?"
KK couldn't decide, so he looked at Cao Yilin for guidance.
The latter pondered for a moment and then nodded to him solemnly.
KK suddenly pushed his base of hundreds of thousands onto the table, saying firmly, "I follow, show your cards!"
The bald guy excitedly stood up and flipped his cards: "Three of a kind! Show me the money!"
Just as he was about to gather the money, KK suddenly held his hand down.
KK, filled with joy, flipped his cards onto the table, shouting hoarsely, "Who do you think you're bragging to?! 2-3-5!!!"
"What the hell??!!" Suddenly, the whole room was in an uproar.
In the rules of their game, three of a kind was the highest hand.
But the 2-3-5 hand, though it can't form a sequence, was the smallest of all unconnected cards.
However, the 2-3-5 hand was special – it was the only hand that could beat the highest, the three of a kind, inversely.
The bald guy went pale, staring dumbfounded at the cards KK threw out, unable to believe it for a moment.
After what seemed like an eternity, he cursed, "Damn it! Are you insane? Going all in on 2-3-5?! Who plays like this?!"
"Hey, you got to see it today! If you're timid, why play cards at all?" KK, too excited, dove across the table and swept all the money toward him, rolling back and forth in the ocean of cash, "I'm rich! I'm rich! Hahahahaha!!!"
Watching KK's face twist with laughter, an almost imperceptible cold smile appeared on Cao Yilin's face.
All the players here, including the dealer, were his recruits.
Just now, he had secretly signaled for KK to win.
He could assert that this person was done for.
Humans, as a species, are extremely prone to inertia.
With just a flick of the wrist in one night, he earned several years' worth of salary.
This excitement and ecstasy would make the brain wildly secrete dopamine; once the thrill of fast money is experienced, addiction follows, and it becomes impossible to work steadily again.
Countless people have been ruined by the card game like this.
From this moment on, KK was a goner too!
...
That night, KK played with Cao Yilin until the morning, winning more than losing, ultimately raking in over a million in monthly currency.
After returning, KK didn't show up for work the next day, instead sleeping in a stupor.
Later, without Cao Yilin accompanying him, he would go to the Queen Bar for a drink whenever he had the time, and then play cards with others until late into the night.
During that time, KK was hardly seen in Edge Mansion at all; even the game room's records hadn't been updated for a long time.
One morning, after playing all night outside, KK returned to Edge Mansion and just as he entered the lobby, he saw Su Mo waiting there.
Su Mo approached him and questioned, "Where have you been?"
KK sniffed and replied sluggishly, "Went out for a couple of drinks."
Su Mo frowned deeply, speaking with an unfriendly tone, "Since when did you start drinking? Huh? When you first came to me, even asking you to drink a bottle of beer would take ages, and now you're drinking all night?"
KK shamelessly said, "I didn't realize before that alcohol was such a good thing. So what if I drank all night? Doesn't Dongdong often drink all night too? Why only pick on me?"
Su Mo shouted sternly, "Are you two the same? Dongdong never messes up because of drinking, but how many days have you missed work? Every time you come back, you reek of alcohol. Do you have any decency left?"
Seeing KK stay silent, Su Mo shoved his shoulder, "Are you listening to me? Who taught you this bad habit, huh? Was it that friend of yours, Cao Yilin? Answer me!"
KK replied helplessly, "Bro, if you want to scold me, scold me, why involve him?"
Su Mo told a nearby mercenary, "Go get that guy with the surname Cao for me."
A few minutes later, Cao Yilin hurriedly came running out of the elevator: "Captain, you were looking for me?"
Su Mo pointed at his nose, asking, "Tell me, was it you who led KK into this bad habit? Huh? You've been taking him out to mess around all the time, what's your intention?!"
Cao Yilin waved his hands in alarm, "Captain, I just took Master K out for a few drinks, all in legitimate places, nothing immoral or illegal, I didn't do anything bad..."
KK also stepped in front of Cao Yilin to block him, advising, "Big bro, don't make it hard for Xiaocao. I'm responsible for my own actions, I'm not a kid, what's this about being led astray?"
Su Mo rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily, "KK, you're still young, and this city is full of temptations. I'm just worried you'll lose yourself in pleasure, understand?"