John Knight opened his eyes and found himself standing at the base of the Grand Tower Building.
He glanced back at the towering skyscraper, a sense of unreality lingering in his mind.
He had just jumped from that building.
But the solid strength coursing through his body told him that everything was real.
"I've been through life and death. From now on, John Knight will never be the man who's pushed around again!"
John clenched his fists.
He oriented himself and headed in a specific direction.
Victory Grand Hotel.
One of the most luxurious hotels in Coastal City.
As John reached the entrance, two security guards stepped in his way. "Sorry, no entry for unauthorized personnel... Huh? John?"
This hotel had been John's old workplace, and he was well-liked by the staff. He was known for his loyalty and charm, and the security guards knew his story. Now, seeing him again, they didn't know whether to stop him or let him through, unsure of what to do.
"What's he doing back here?" flashed through their minds.
"John, some things are in the past. Don't make it difficult for your brothers," one of the guards said.
John chuckled. "You think I'm back to cause trouble? Don't worry, that's all in the past. I've just made a bit of money, and I'm here to have some fun. You guys go on with your work."
"Oh, in that case, welcome back. Enjoy yourself!" The two guards greeted him warmly and let him inside.
"Fun? Do you really think you can afford to have fun here? One meal here could cost you an entire year's salary," the guards thought again, but John saw right through them.
Sigh... People really can't hide what's on their minds.
John didn't care to argue. He just smiled and walked in.
Victory Grand Hotel had twenty-four floors. The upper seven were all guest rooms, while the first six floors were packed with entertainment and leisure facilities: bars, nightclubs, various lounges—you name it. The hotel's women were handpicked from the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas, all beautiful, with perfect figures, skilled in singing and dancing, and fully capable of catering to any guest's needs, including some... special ones.
John Knight was dressed casually, so no one paid him much attention as he entered. He quickly scanned the room and saw that his ex-girlfriend, Emily Park, wasn't around. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood to see her just yet—he still wasn't wealthy.
He headed straight to the third floor. He didn't want to run into Emily right now—his plans were still in their early stages.
The third floor wasn't just any floor; it housed a secret casino. Whether you were in the underworld or the upper echelons of society, anyone who had money and a gambling addiction knew about this place. It was one of Coastal City's largest casinos, and because of its powerful backers, it had never been raided. John had worked here before, so he knew the place well.
The guards had a point: with his current status, John could only afford a drink here. His immediate goal was to make some quick money, and with his newfound abilities, the fastest way to do that was through the casino.
The third floor was as tightly guarded as always. If John hadn't worked here before, getting in with his current appearance would have been difficult.
John scanned the room and sat down in front of a heavyset man.
It wasn't by chance; he had already seen the man's thoughts. This man had just won over a hundred thousand, and now, with a woman on each arm, he was fantasizing about taking them both to bed.
This type of man was the easiest to manipulate.
"Anything I can do for you?" the man grunted, his tone unfriendly. No one liked being interrupted while enjoying themselves with women.
John smiled. Since he'd gone through life and death and had his mind and body enhanced by Hades, his demeanor had changed dramatically. He now exuded an air of mystery that made the man take notice.
John's smile was enigmatic, enough to make the man pay attention.
"It looks like you've won a lot, and you've got beautiful women by your side. But with all this, don't you feel like something's missing?" John said with a hint of mystery.
"Missing something? What do you mean?" The man frowned, clearly intrigued by John's words.
"Thrills," John replied casually. "Everyone who comes to this casino is looking for excitement. Don't you think the one thing you're missing right now is some real excitement?"
The man smiled slightly. "You've got a point. So, what, you want to bet a couple of rounds with me?"
"Exactly," John said with a sly grin. "But since I'm looking for something thrilling, how about we try a new kind of bet?"
"A new kind of bet? What do you mean?" The man raised an eyebrow, now fully interested.
"Let's play a guessing game. We'll each draw a card from a deck and let the other person guess. Whoever is closest wins. What do you say?"
The man's interest piqued. "Sounds interesting. There's no bet I, Louis Walker, would refuse. So, what's the stakes?"
John pretended to think for a moment before casually replying, "How about one bet for ten thousand?"
"Alright, it's a deal!"
With that, the heavyset man, Louis Walker, turned to the dealer beside him and said, "Did you hear what this young man just suggested? Bring us a deck of cards. You'll be dealing."
The dealer nodded and shuffled a deck of cards, handing one to both John Knight and Louis Walker. He was curious about this unconventional game, too.
Louis Walker glanced at the card in his hand and asked, "Who's guessing first?"
John Knight smiled. "Since I came up with the idea, of course, it's only right for you to go first."
Louis Walker thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll guess you have the Seven of Diamonds."
John Knight laughed inwardly. He could easily tell what Louis was thinking. The Seven was the middle card of the deck—this guess wasn't meant to win, just to avoid losing.
John Knight replied, "I'll guess you have the Four of Clubs."
Louis Walker's face immediately twisted with surprise, his eyes widening as he stared at John Knight. He suddenly shouted, "You're cheating!"
His loud shout caught the attention of the people around them.
Cheating in a casino wasn't just frowned upon—it was a serious offense. If caught, the punishment could be severe.
When people heard the cry of "cheating," the casino's security guards immediately rushed over. Their job was to maintain order within the casino.
John Knight raised his hands and smiled. "Well, well, Big Brother, you've got to have evidence to back up your accusations. You say I'm cheating, but according to the rules, you need to explain how I did it. If you can't do that, then you've just damaged my reputation, and as we all know, a person's gambling integrity is just like their character. Damaging my reputation is a serious matter."
Louis Walker was momentarily speechless. He had seen John Knight correctly guess his card and, out of reflex, assumed he was cheating. But in the heat of the moment, he had forgotten the proper procedure. However, he wasn't about to back down. "You guessed my card correctly, so there's no way it's just coincidence! You must be cheating!"
Of course, John Knight saw right through his thoughts.
John Knight smiled. "Big Brother, you're putting me in a difficult spot. You can't explain how I cheated, but you're still insisting that I did? Could it be that you really can't afford the ten thousand bucks? If that's the case, I'll just forgo the bet and give you the money. How does that sound?"
At John's words, the crowd around them started laughing. Ten thousand was a drop in the bucket in this casino. In a place like this, losing money was part of the game—whether you were a big shot or a nobody, you had to pay up without exception. If you didn't, you'd be seen as having bad gambling morals, which was the lowest of the low. Seeing Louis Walker making such a fuss over ten thousand, the onlookers began to disperse, some throwing disdainful looks his way.
Louis Walker's face turned red with embarrassment.
His earlier behavior, now exposed, made him look like someone who didn't honor his losses.
He pulled a ten thousand chip from his pocket and tossed it toward John Knight. "Who cares about the ten grand? I just think your gambling method is fishy. How could you guess my card so easily?"
John Knight shrugged and smiled. "Big Brother, that deck was just randomly chosen, and you picked the dealer. Aside from my own card, I haven't touched the deck once. How could there be anything fishy?"
"I still think something's wrong!" Louis Walker insisted. "Here's what we'll do: we'll play again. This time, I'll pick the deck myself, draw a card, and you try to guess. If you get it right, I'll believe you weren't cheating."
John Knight sighed. "Big Brother, you're still suspicious of me, aren't you?"
Louis Walker responded, "If you guess right this time, I'll give you one hundred thousand. If you don't, I won't take a penny. Does that sound fair?"
John Knight made a show of being reluctant, shrugging and gesturing with his hand to indicate that Louis could go ahead.
This new wager sparked curiosity among the crowd, who quickly gathered around.
Louis Walker took a fresh deck, shuffled it expertly, and drew a card from the middle. He peeked at it and said, "Guess."
John Knight couldn't help but smirk inwardly. "Go ahead, try not to look at the card. If you've already seen it, don't think you can hide it from me."