Chapter 168: Money Game (5)

Sitting at a table to gamble and gambling on a bed were two completely different experiences.

At the table, everything felt ceremonial.

People became much more invested.

Back in the Death Countdown instance, He Yu had already discovered that the Federation also had gambling, but it mostly revolved around betting on outcomes—for example, betting on who would become the final winner of the Top Talent Show, or wagering on which warrior would win a duel...

Interesting, certainly.

But nothing compared to the novelty of what He Yu had introduced.

The Bray family's Third Young Master from Money Planet, a man obsessed with wealth, was now experiencing the joy of gambling firsthand.

Of course...

That joy came at a heavy price.

With one hundred thousand credits' worth of chips sitting beside him, every round became even more exhilarating.

The first round at the table.

The Third Young Master had excellent cards.

He won one hundred chips.

As a result, he immediately thought that with such a good hand, he should have raised the bet even higher.

The second round.

His cards weren't very good.

He lost fifty chips.

He was still regretting the previous hand, muttering to himself,

"My cards were so good last round. If I'd known, I would've bet more... what a waste."

He Yu smiled.

"You're still getting used to it, Third Young Master. Don't worry. You'll draw another good hand eventually."

Hearing that, the Third Young Master's eyes once again followed He Yu's fingers expectantly.

The third round.

His cards were still bad.

He lost another hundred chips.

The fourth round.

An average hand.

He won fifty chips.

The fifth round.

A good hand.

He won two hundred chips.

The sixth round.

An average hand.

He lost two hundred chips.

The seventh round.

Terrible cards.

He lost one hundred chips.

...

The Third Young Master was beginning to grow impatient.

Then came the eighth round.

He received an incredible hand.

He Yu's cards were also excellent.

This round, the Third Young Master won fifteen thousand chips.

Their bets had escalated from using "1" as the unit...

To using "10,000."

Rather than becoming cautious, the Third Young Master only found it more exciting.

At one point, he won until He Yu had barely more than ten thousand chips remaining.

The Third Young Master beamed with delight.

His heartbeat pounded violently.

His entire body was in a state of intense excitement.

A few tens of thousands of credits meant very little to him in reality.

But here...

Against the sharp contrast of He Yu's apparently dejected expression...

He experienced an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

Who could make money...

While having fun?

—Such an incredible thing had existed all along, and he'd never discovered it!

He never once considered whether He Yu would actually be able to cash in those chips.

To him now...

The chips themselves were money.

Unfortunately, his smile didn't last long.

Over the next three rounds, although his cards were good, He Yu's were even better.

Very quickly...

Only a single chip remained beside him.

Just a little more luck.

Just a tiny bit.

Then not only wouldn't he have lost...

He would've won even more.

Filled with frustration, the Third Young Master eagerly prepared for the next round.

He Yu smiled as he gathered up the chips.

"It's already very late, Third Young Master."

"Let's go to sleep."

Sleep?

Sleep my ass!

The Third Young Master glared at him.

A man whose gambling addiction had only just been awakened...

Who had just lost one hundred thousand credits...

How could he possibly stop now?

He hadn't even enjoyed himself enough, yet he'd already lost money.

There was no way he'd allow that.

He slammed the table.

"Exchange another hundred thousand for me—"

"No."

"Make it five hundred thousand!"

He had lost one hundred thousand in half a night.

He had no intention of gambling until morning.

He simply wanted to win that hundred thousand back as quickly as possible...

And preferably make even more.

Naturally...

He needed more chips.

The more chips he had...

The faster he could recover everything.

He Yu sighed.

Nevertheless, under the Third Young Master's "insistence," he exchanged another five hundred thousand credits' worth.

Five hundred thousand credits were transferred directly from the Third Young Master's smart terminal into He Yu's account.

At this moment...

He Yu's account contained six hundred thousand credits.

And sitting across from him...

Was a Third Young Master who had only just fallen hopelessly in love with gambling.

[Bullet Screen: "He Yu only has six hundred thousand. Cheng Zhao's account is already approaching sixty million after just one day. There was already a starting gap, and Cheng Zhao is incredibly good at making money. He Yu's situation is looking dangerous."]

[Bullet Screen: "Exactly. Cheng Zhao just half-coerced, half-persuaded several experts into jointly creating a combat training course to sell across all of Money Planet. It's practically guaranteed profit!"]

[Bullet Screen: "!!! You're all wrong. Cheng Zhao has guaranteed profits, but He Yu has a business with zero investment! You're all focusing on the fact that he only earned six hundred thousand after working all night, completely ignoring how he made it. That's a huge mistake! Once He Yu spreads gambling, the money will come in unbelievably fast!"]

[Bullet Screen: "I still don't think Cheng Zhao will lose. After the last instance, Cheng Zhao obtained an incredible combat equipment item. Combined with his starting status in this world... if all else fails, he can just rob people. What makes money faster than robbery?"]

...

Many people still weren't optimistic about He Yu.

After all...

Cheng Zhao was targeting the entire market.

Meanwhile, although He Yu seemed to be making money quickly, he was only working on one person.

Even if he repeated it over and over, it couldn't possibly compare to such a massive market.

Someone sincerely sighed,

"He Yu's intelligence is extraordinary, but business isn't just about being smart."

No sooner had they said that...

Than every viewer watched the Third Young Master lose another five hundred thousand credits.

In fewer than five rounds.

Five hundred thousand.

He won twice.

Lost three times.

One round he won two hundred thousand.

The very next round he lost three hundred thousand.

Again...

Just barely.

Just one tiny bit short.

"Again! Exchange another million!"

At first, they had been betting in units of one.

One hundred thousand credits had felt like an enormous amount.

Later, they shifted to units of ten thousand.

That required five hundred thousand credits' worth of chips.

Now...

Each round involved gains and losses measured in hundreds of thousands.

At least one million credits' worth of chips was required.

The million-credit chips arrived.

Fortune smiled upon the Third Young Master.

Not only did he quickly recover everything he had lost...

He even ended up earning an additional five hundred thousand credits.

Five hundred thousand.

Half a million earned in a single night.

The Third Young Master had only just become an adult.

He wasn't yet one of the Bray family's major figures.

He had never before earned half a million in a single night.

His eyes turned bright red with excitement.

The veins on his forehead bulged.

He was incomparably exhilarated.

He Yu specialized in playing with people's heartbeats.

One and a half million credits...

Vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Another million!"

He Yu also seemed to have become absorbed in the game.

He didn't refuse.

He simply continued gambling with the Bray family's Third Young Master.

[Bullet Screen: "Why does He Yu always win?"]

[Bullet Screen: "Are you idiots? Both the playing cards and the chips are He Yu's equipment!! Of course he can't lose!"]

[Bullet Screen: "The Third Young Master is playing poker. He Yu is playing the Third Young Master."]

—

By dawn...

The Third Young Master discovered that he had run out of money.

Yes.

The entire five million credits he had available...

Had all been lost.

Less than ten thousand remained beside him.

Naturally, the Third Young Master owned far more than five million in total assets.

But...

Five million was all he personally had access to.

Looking at the balance in his account...

His head, already aching from staying awake all night, throbbed violently.

He couldn't understand it.

How had he managed to lose five million?

The entire night had been spent bouncing between the extremes of excitement and rage.

By the time he came back to his senses...

His account was empty.

He remembered exchanging chips several times.

He remembered losing one million in a single round.

But he also clearly remembered winning plenty.

One round alone, he'd won nine hundred thousand.

So how...

Had the final result become a loss of five million?

He looked at the chips beside himself.

Then at the towering mountain of chips beside He Yu.

His eyes became bloodshot.

Not from sorrow.

From rage.

Suddenly, He Yu pushed all the chips into the center of the table.

His gaze locked onto the Third Young Master.

"Let's play one final hand."

"Five million."

"If you win, you take five million."

"If I win..."

"You owe me five million."

Five million!

Five million decided in a single hand.

One round to determine victory or defeat.

A life-or-death gamble.

The furious Third Young Master felt his heart stir again.

A single five-million-credit wager made his heartbeat instantly spiral out of control.

This thrill...

He couldn't get it from men.

Nor from women.

Nor from business.

No legitimate business could earn five million in a matter of minutes.

—Only robbery.

—But wealthy people on Money Planet, despite lacking morals, generally didn't rob each other.

If you targeted someone else...

Someone else might target you.

It wasn't worth it.

When they did rob...

They only preyed upon weaker people.

And those people rarely possessed five million credits.

The Third Young Master was tempted.

Narrowing his eyes, he slammed the table.

"Fine!"

He was still intoxicated by the aftereffects of gambling.

He simply couldn't resist the possibility of turning everything around.

Five million wasn't a small sum.

Moreover...

The Bray family and the Nan family were about to begin a major capital competition.

Within the Bray family itself, competition among the heirs was also beginning.

If he lost these five million...

He would certainly lose to the Eldest Young Master.

Money Planet wasn't a place that valued family affection.

If he lost...

Resources for the next quarter would inevitably shift toward the Eldest Young Master.

He could already imagine that arrogant expression.

—The Third Young Master would never allow that.

So...

He agreed to this final gamble.

He wanted his five million back.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

The Third Young Master's entire attention remained fixed on the cards dancing between He Yu's fingers.

Completely impatient, he barked,

"Who is it?"

Bodyguard B's careful voice came through.

"Third Young Master, you instructed us to wake you at seven. It's time to pay your respects to the Patriarch and the ladies."

The Third Young Master answered with only one word.

"Get lost."

Bodyguard B froze.

After a long moment, he cautiously called again.

"Third Young Master?"

The Third Young Master had never once skipped paying his respects.

What had happened today?

Then he suddenly remembered the servants' report.

The lights had remained on all night.

The room had been noisy the entire time.

They had repeatedly heard the Third Young Master's cries of excitement...

Holy shit!

Bodyguard B was stunned.

He stared fixedly at the door, almost as though trying to see through it.

Just what abilities did that beggar possess?

At that exact moment...

The Third Young Master opened the door.

After an entire night...

Rather than looking refreshed, he had dark circles beneath his eyes and swollen eyelids.

His steps seemed unsteady.

Yet his eyes burned with brilliant light.

His exhausted body stood in complete contrast to his soaring emotions.

"I told you to get lost!"

"If I don't open the door, nobody is allowed to disturb me!"

Bang!

After roaring those words, he slammed the door shut.

Bodyguard B: "..."

He was utterly dumbfounded.

Out of instinct...

He obediently retreated from the door and left the main building.

Near the corner connecting to the side building, several servants witnessed everything.

The Bray family's servants were highly professional.

But even they couldn't resist whispering among themselves.

"My goodness... the Third Young Master's new lover is incredible!"

"They actually kept the Third Young Master occupied the entire night... and they're still not done after sunrise."

"Just look at the Third Young Master. He really worked hard."

"They're clearly deeply favored. They definitely won't be killed anytime soon. We'll have to serve them properly."

"They're so thin and delicate... how are they... so durable?"

...

The servants continued gossiping.

Every one of them looked toward the room with profound respect.

Little Stone also heard the rumors.

Someone even brought him breakfast.

Since He Yu was now "favored," Little Stone's treatment naturally improved as well.

Looking at the breakfast spread before him...

He didn't touch it.

Something felt wrong.

Suddenly...

He remembered He Yu's objective.

Getting money from the Third Young Master.

Little Stone's heart pounded.

He couldn't sit still.

—That idiot better not do anything stupid.

—Even if he got the Third Young Master's money...

The Third Young Master could simply take it back whenever he wanted.

—And He Yu would pay with his life.

—

A five-million-credit game was different.

Even the Third Young Master couldn't stop sweating nervously.

His palms were soaked.

Looking at the two face-down cards before him, he wiped his hands repeatedly on his clothes before cautiously turning them over.

Then...

His heart exploded with joy.

But he restrained himself.

Putting on an expression that looked fierce while hiding weakness, he slowly asked,

"So... five million this hand?"

"Want to raise the stakes?"

After a single night...

The Third Young Master had already become quite skilled at gambling.

He deliberately adopted the attitude of someone pretending to have a strong hand despite actually holding terrible cards.

He acted convincingly enough.

Unfortunately...

His opponent was He Yu.

If circumstances had been different...

He Yu might even have offered him acting lessons.

He Yu replied calmly,

"I can raise."

"But Third Young Master..."

The Third Young Master's eyes widened.

"You think I don't have money?"

"I'll add another million!"

He Yu didn't move.

He didn't even bother looking at his own cards.

Instead, he calmly took out a notebook and pen.

With practiced ease, he wrote out an IOU.

He placed it on the table.

His long, elegant fingers pushed it across.

"Third Young Master."

"Please sign this first."

His voice was hoarse.

After staying awake all night, the Third Young Master felt terrible.

He Yu wasn't feeling well either.

After all...

The former's physique vastly surpassed that of someone with only two combat power.

Fortunately...

He Yu had taken a nap beforehand.

Though exhausted, He Yu merely looked somewhat pale.

He was still strikingly handsome.

The Third Young Master frowned.

Apparently thinking of something, his expression relaxed.

Picking up the pen, he signed his name without hesitation and tossed it back.

[Bullet Screen: "I've gotten completely used to watching He Yu write IOUs."]

[Bullet Screen: "He's becoming more and more skilled at writing them. Hahaha. The biggest creditor in history."]

[Bullet Screen: "He'll never collect the money anyway. He couldn't collect from Zhen Xing, and he won't collect from the Third Young Master either. Money Planet people have no morals. They're all villains. Nobody repays gambling debts."]

[Bullet Screen: "Agreed. The Third Young Master is definitely going to kill He Yu. I originally thought the final hand was He Yu 'returning' the money, but making him sign an IOU doesn't look like he's planning to repay five million at all..."]

Of course he wasn't going to repay it.

This hand wasn't worth five million.

It was worth six million.

If He Yu lost...

How could he possibly pay the extra million?

Originally, he hadn't possessed a single credit.

Even now, all he had was the five million he'd won from the Third Young Master.

So—

The Third Young Master lost.

Again.

Again.

Again.

His hand was excellent.

He Yu's was even better.

All six million...

Belonged to He Yu.

Not only had the Third Young Master failed to recover his original five million...

He had also signed an IOU for another six million.

In total...

He had lost eleven million credits in a single night.

That absolutely wasn't a trivial amount.

Even the Patriarch of the Bray family couldn't simply ignore eleven million.

The Third Young Master lowered his eyes.

He remained silent.

He Yu didn't rush to collect anything from the table.

Leaning back in his chair, he rested lazily against it.

His entire body radiated an indescribable languidness.

His bangs were slightly messy.

His eyes half-lidded.

Every inch of him possessed a lazy charm that made it impossible to look away.

His glasses rested low on the bridge of his nose.

The languid almond-shaped eyes beneath them were completely unobstructed.

Though he'd stayed awake all night, his complexion was merely pale.

There were no dark circles.

No swollen eyes.

Rather than diminishing his appearance...

The sleepless night had given him an entirely different kind of beauty.

Half-reclining in the chair, his black pajamas had become slightly disheveled.

From his collar down to his abdomen...

The fabric alternately concealed and revealed his body.

Faint abdominal muscles could be seen.

Not exaggerated.

But clearly defined.

Powerful.

Above them...

Beautiful collarbones.

Below them...

Distinct abs.

He remained the same young man.

Thin and slender.

Yet somehow filled with unmistakable strength.

In He Yu's understanding...

A truly outstanding male actor sacrificing himself for art was perfectly normal.

Exposing part of his upper body meant nothing.

This wasn't the audience's first time seeing him.

Yet they still screamed with excitement.

Male viewers.

Female viewers.

Everyone went completely crazy.

He Yu paused.

Confusion flashed through his eyes.

He couldn't understand why his votes were suddenly skyrocketing.

Unable to see the Bullet Screen, he could only assume everyone was simply happy he'd won the Third Young Master's money...

Even sitting there motionless was enough to send viewers into a frenzy.

Not to mention...

Between the index and middle fingers of his right hand...

He held the playing card that had just won him six million credits.

His long, slender fingers gently tapped the black spade card against the tabletop.

Each tap...

Seemed to strike directly against the viewers' hearts.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

His fingers suddenly stopped.

His lazy eyes slowly opened.

His low, husky voice echoed quietly.

"Third Young Master."

"A bet is a bet."

The Third Young Master suddenly looked up.

Today's He Yu looked no different from yesterday.

Yet...

The mountain of chips covering the table.

Those cold eyes.

Suddenly made the Third Young Master realize—

This wasn't a docile lamb.

It was a wolf.

"I originally intended to keep you."

"Both you and your cards are very interesting."

The Third Young Master's voice was equally hoarse.

Unlike He Yu's pleasant tone, however...

His voice carried emotions that made people uncomfortable.

"So?"

He Yu raised an eyebrow.

"You're planning to kill me?"

Tilting his head slightly, that simple motion added a trace of rebelliousness to his entire figure.

Beneath the slender frame...

Lived an unyielding, unruly soul.

The Third Young Master stood up.

The chair scraped loudly across the floor.

The harsh sound echoed throughout the silent room.

Looking down at He Yu, he said,

"That's right."

"What else do you have to rely on?"

The moment the words left his mouth...

The ring on his finger aimed at He Yu.

A razor-sharp bullet shot straight toward He Yu's forehead.

Had it struck...

He Yu would have died instantly.

[Bullet Screen: "Just as expected. He's trying to kill He Yu."]

[Bullet Screen: "Damn it. Money Planet really is a world full of villains."]

The Third Young Master had no intention of sparing He Yu.

Even if He Yu returned every credit.

Even if he tore up the IOU.

He would still kill him.

That was simply how Money Planet people were.

People without the slightest morality.

Lose money to He Yu?

Then kill He Yu.

Take the money back.

The Third Young Master had already written an IOU.

He Yu knew he'd lost more than ten million credits in a single night.

Even if the money were recovered...

If the Patriarch learned about it...

It would still be disastrous for him.

The simplest and most permanent solution was—

Kill He Yu.

That was also why he'd signed the IOU so readily.

The moment he signed it...

He had already decided He Yu wouldn't leave alive.

One death.

He didn't care in the slightest.

The bullet cut through the air.

Yet...

Just before reaching He Yu's forehead...

It stopped.

The Third Young Master froze.

So did the audience.

He Yu never moved.

His expression never changed.

It was as though he'd expected this from the very beginning.

The corners of his lips rose slightly.

He casually lifted his hand.

With a light tap from the back of his fingers...

The bullet flew away.

It landed crisply on the floor.

The Third Young Master's pupils contracted violently.

He instinctively took two steps backward.

His face filled with terror.

"You're an expert?!"

Even an S-rank expert might not have been able to block that attack.

Yet He Yu had not only stopped it...

He'd done so in such an overwhelming fashion.

Unable to believe it, the Third Young Master fired another bullet.

This one targeted He Yu's heart.

The ring had been given to every Bray family's young master by the Patriarch.

It had cost an astronomical amount.

Each ring could attack only three times.

Yet every attack was capable of killing virtually anyone below SS-rank.

Now...

The Third Young Master had already used it twice.

The second bullet...

Stopped before He Yu's heart.

He Yu casually waved his hand again.

The bullet fell to the floor.

His hoarse voice carried unwavering confidence.

"Third Young Master."

"If I dared win your money..."

"I was never afraid you'd make a move against me."

The Third Young Master's response was his longsword.

It slashed down with tremendous force.

Yet...

The blade halted just before touching He Yu.

The Third Young Master gripped the sword desperately.

No matter how hard he pushed...

It refused to advance another inch.

His chubby face turned bright red.

Still...

He couldn't move it.

Did He Yu possess some incredible defensive equipment?

No.

No matter how powerful defensive equipment was...

It couldn't remain completely invisible and leave absolutely no reaction.

At least...

The Third Young Master had never seen anything like it.

At this moment...

He realized the man before him had an enormous secret.

Realizing he simply couldn't kill He Yu...

His complexion turned pale.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Call in the bodyguards?

If they couldn't kill He Yu...

Then have his father personally intervene.

But that would also mean everything that had happened tonight could no longer be hidden.

He had invited a wolf into his home and lost eleven million credits.

Even if he recovered the money...

It would become a permanent stain.

The Eldest Young Master would use it against him forever.

Let He Yu leave?

Impossible.

Forget the six-million-credit IOU.

Just the original five million he'd lost was enough to make him lose the family competition and surrender next quarter's advantage.

Neither option worked.

His face became uglier and uglier.

After a long silence...

He stared fixedly at He Yu.

Hatred filled his eyes.

"Who sent you?"

"The Eldest Young Master?"

"The First Madam?"

"The Nan family?"

"Who exactly are you?"

"Why are you trying to ruin me?"

He Yu raised a hand.

Two long fingers gently pressed against the blade.

With a casual flick...

He pushed it aside.

It wasn't because He Yu was stronger.

The Third Young Master had already lost all his strength.

He Yu slowly stood.

His jade-like figure stretched gracefully upward.

His movements remained calm and unhurried.

Although the Third Young Master was slightly taller and far broader thanks to the Federation's unique combat physiques...

Standing beside He Yu...

He was completely overwhelmed.

Even Wanrenzhan had never managed to suppress He Yu's presence.

The Third Young Master stood no chance.

He Yu was shorter.

Yet standing face to face...

It felt as though he were looking down from above.

Those calm almond-shaped eyes showed not the slightest ripple.

The rimless glasses reflected icy indifference.

At that moment...

He Yu seemed to grow taller.

While the Third Young Master shrank.

Then He Yu spoke.

His voice remained gentle.

Yet every word sent a chill down the listener's spine.

"I am simply myself."

"He Yu."

"If you insist on asking who sent me..."

"Then my only answer is..."

"Greed."

"Third Young Master."

"Once you've boarded my carriage..."

"There's no getting off."

"Cherish your life."

"Stay away from gambling."

"Gamblers never meet a good end."