"Huh? That doesn't count! No way! You're cheating! How could you kick Uncle John... there? And with a sneak attack, no less?" Sophia Turner shouted, her face flushed.
"You didn't specify that I couldn't use a sneak attack. Besides, as a bodyguard, my main duty is to ensure the safety of my charge—any means necessary. I caught him off guard with my sneak attack, and that's his own fault for being careless. If I wanted to harm you... well, given the situation, the consequences would likely be... unthinkable!" John Knight replied, his tone smug.
"That's still not okay! You're shameless! I absolutely refuse to have such a disgraceful bodyguard! Get out right now! Moore, take him and leave—I never want to see him again!" Sophia Turner pointed angrily towards the door.
Diana Moore gave John Knight a helpless smile, signaling that it was time for him to go.
"You promised that if I defeated him, I'd be your bodyguard!" John Knight reminded Sophia Turner, his voice insistent.
"I take it back, okay? I've changed my mind! I don't keep promises! Now leave, and don't come back!" Sophia Turner used her most effective womanly weapon—her fury.
John Knight shrugged and muttered loudly enough for her to hear, "Fine! I'll go! I was actually going to share an ancient breast-enhancing secret with you—supposedly super fast-acting with no side effects. They say Yang Guifei used it to become so... well-endowed. But I guess I'll just save it for some other unfortunate woman."
As he turned to leave, Sophia Turner's mind raced, and she reached out as though to stop him. But in the end, her pride held her back, and she didn't say anything.
As John Knight exited Sophia Turner's room, in another spacious room of the Heavenly Building, a man in his fifties with an air of authority watched a surveillance screen, a knowing smile spreading across his face. He murmured to himself, "This young man... quite interesting…"
"Mr. Knight, about this matter... I can only say, it's a shame," Diana Moore said with a sigh after John Knight exited Sophia Turner's room. "Miss Turner is just like that. If you'd caved a little, things might not have turned out this way."
"It's fine, Moore. Thank you for everything you've done for me—I really appreciate it. Got time for a quick meal?" John Knight offered with a friendly grin.
"No, I've got things to do. I'm sorry I couldn't help more," Diana Moore said, feeling somewhat embarrassed that things hadn't gone as planned.
What's there to regret? My goal's already been accomplished, John Knight thought to himself, though he wouldn't say it aloud.
"Don't mention it, Moore. We'll meet again soon enough," he said with a knowing smile, leaving her behind.
Once outside Heavenly Enterprises, John Knight took stock of his efforts.
Sophia Turner's thoughts hadn't escaped his keen observation. From the first moment she looked at him, to the time he left, he had read every single one of her thoughts. He knew he had planted an indelible seed in her mind. Especially after the last comment, John Knight was certain she would contact him again. So, he wasn't in any rush.
Having completed his task, John Knight realized his cash reserves were running low, so he made his way to the casino on the third floor of Victory Grand Hotel—he needed to earn some money to cover his expenses!
Before long, another target caught John Knight's eye.
"Hey, big guy, how about we try something a little more... exciting?" John Knight asked a man in his forties who had just won a small fortune. The man was grinning, clearly riding high on his recent luck.
"What kind of exciting gambling method are you talking about?" The middle-aged man didn't hesitate for a second. As soon as John Knight suggested a bet, he immediately agreed.
"Pick a random card from the deck. We each draw one, then guess the suit and the value of the other's card. Whoever gets the closest wins."
The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sounds interesting. What's the stakes?"
"How about 20,000 per round?"
"Hmm? Little brother, it's you again? Back for another card-guessing game? Don't tell me—are you some sort of card-reading genius? You seem to always guess right! How much did you win this time?" Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
John Knight looked up to find Louis Walker, the fat man he'd won money from last time, standing beside him.
Louis Walker didn't treat John Knight as a stranger at all. He sat down next to him, all friendly, as if they were old pals. After all, John had left him with several thousand dollars the last time, and Louis had had a great time gambling, so he thought John Knight was a solid guy.
What Louis didn't realize was that John Knight's only thought at that moment was: If you keep talking like that, no one will ever dare to play with me again!
The middle-aged man grew cautious upon hearing that this guy had played the game before—and always won with a perfect guess. He was now reconsidering whether or not he should continue with this game when another voice rang out.
"I'll play with this little brother instead!"
John Knight sighed inwardly. Of course it's him. What bad luck I have!
The person stepping forward wasn't anyone else but the same man John Knight had met here last time—the one who managed the casino.
Actually, the moment John Knight entered the casino, this man had already spotted him through the surveillance cameras. When he saw John Knight preparing to play his card-guessing game, he quickly made his way over.
"Little brother, fancy meeting you again," the man said, smiling as he sat down across from John Knight. "Finally, I get the chance to test my skills against you."
John Knight immediately tried to refuse. "But I've already made a deal with this gentleman…"
"No problem, I'll let him go. I just want to see what a real expert can do," the middle-aged man, eager to leave, immediately backed off.
The other man continued, "I'll only play three rounds, and you'll be the one guessing. If you guess my card right, I'll give you 100,000. If you guess wrong, I take 10,000. How about that?"
"That's a fair deal! Bet with him, I believe in you!" Louis Walker practically became John Knight's fan. The moment he heard about the stakes, he eagerly encouraged John Knight to play.
But John Knight knew the truth—this guy was unpredictable, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. How could he even play?
He had been spending money like it was nothing over the past couple of days, and now he only had a little over 10,000 left. If he lost three rounds, that'd be 30,000, and if that happened... there'd be no way he'd leave this place today.
While John Knight had gained ten times more strength through Hades and was skilled in top-tier martial arts, he knew better than to underestimate the depth of the waters at Victory Grand Hotel. The hotel was filled with experts, and if things turned violent, he wouldn't necessarily be able to handle himself.
"I think it's unnecessary," John Knight said with a smile.
The man's face turned cold. "What, you think I'm not qualified to gamble with you? Or is it that you look down on Victory Grand Hotel?"
Once those words were out, John Knight knew it was no longer a matter of choice—whether he wanted to or not, he was in this game now.
The man casually took a deck of cards and began shuffling them.
John Knight had never seen anyone shuffle cards with such skill before. The cards seemed to come alive in the man's hands, flipping and spinning as though they were part of him. Sometimes it looked like a whale swallowing water, other times like a rainbow arcing through the sky—so mesmerizing it was hard to follow.
After the shuffling, the man casually drew a card and gestured for John Knight to guess.
John Knight broke into a cold sweat. Damn it, this is a hopeless situation!
He couldn't read the man's thoughts at all. How the hell was he supposed to guess?
John Knight struggled, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get a read on what the man was thinking. Just as he was about to give up, the middle-aged man who had almost gambled with him earlier couldn't help but glance over, and by sheer luck, he caught a glimpse of the card in the man's hand.
Finally, that was the break John Knight needed.
With newfound confidence, John Knight spoke up, "I'm guessing you've got the Jack of Clubs."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the middle-aged man's face changed. He looked at John Knight, his expression clearly saying, This guy's a goddamn genius. Meanwhile, he silently sighed in relief, thinking, Thank god I didn't gamble with this kid. I would've lost my pants.
Louis Walker, though also thinking that John Knight might be able to guess the card, was equally stunned. How the hell did he do that?
The expert across from them still wore a blank expression, but John Knight noticed a slight twitch in his eye. Despite being an expert himself, the man couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. Could this guy really be so skilled that he could spot a pattern from how I shuffle? Or maybe he's memorized the entire sequence of cards? If that's the case... this is terrifying.
"You win. I owe you 100,000," the gambling expert said, flipping the card over to reveal the Jack of Clubs.
"Let's go again!"
Reluctantly, John Knight braced himself for another round, forced to continue the game.
Another round of shuffling followed, and the expert drew another card.
John Knight's only hope now was that the middle-aged man's curiosity would get the better of him and that he would sneak another peek at the card.
Sure enough, the middle-aged man couldn't resist and looked over again, catching sight of the card's face.
John Knight casually said, "I'm going with the King of Hearts this time."
The expert visibly stiffened. I've been in this game for years—how have I never heard of someone like this? When did this guy appear on the scene?
Realizing there was no point in continuing, the expert stood up, his face betraying a hint of admiration. "I didn't expect you to be such an expert. I bow to your skill. However, if you ever find yourself in need of money, our little operation may be small, but we'd be honored to count you as a friend. Please, don't hold anything against our customers."
With that, the expert pulled out a pen and wrote a check. "Here's 1 million. Take it and spend it however you like. Feel free to visit us anytime. We'll make sure to treat you like royalty."
Going up against a gambling expert was a huge taboo in the casino world. What the expert was doing was paying for peace of mind.
John Knight took the check, smiling. "I get the rules. I won't be coming back here."
The expert silently exhaled. This kid was clever. It seemed like the casino hadn't wronged him; that was good. Anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.
As John Knight exited the casino, his heart was pounding.
Holy shit, I'm a millionaire now?
That thin piece of paper was worth 1 million! This was beyond exhilarating.
But just as one thrill ended, another came right after.
As soon as John Knight stepped out of the Victory Grand Hotel, at least five cars pulled up in front of him, and more than a dozen men in black suits stepped out.
No way. They're already coming for me? That was fast.
John Knight quickly dismissed the thought. These guys weren't here to harm him. Even if they were, they definitely weren't from the Victory Grand Hotel. No one would be stupid enough to come to the hotel's front door to attack someone. Besides, he hadn't really wronged anyone recently.
"Mr. John Knight, is it?"
One of the men in black stepped up and asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
John Knight quickly went through a mental list of everyone he knew, confirming he didn't recognize this person. Trying to get a read on the man's thoughts, John Knight was frustrated to realize there were none. So, he simply nodded and said, "That's me." In his mind, he debated whether to make a move or try to escape.
"Our boss would like to meet you." The man's tone was still as impassive as before.
He made a motion, signaling for John Knight to get in the car, not giving him any option to refuse.
If it's good, it's good; if it's bad, there's no escaping it. Let's see who the hell wants to meet me.
Once inside the car, the five vehicles sped off, disappearing as though they'd never been there.
After the cars had left, a pair of eyes watched their departure, filled with deep contemplation.
The five cars brought John Knight to an empty underground parking lot.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, a sudden feeling of danger surged through him. He quickly leaned to the side, just as a flash of steel sliced through the air, a black-clad man swinging a gleaming knife at him.
They brought me here to kill me?
John Knight's anger flared. Is this what Victory Grand Hotel has come to? Are they willing to kill for a million?
But there was no time for more thought. After narrowly dodging the first strike, three more blades came slashing toward him.
Since being enhanced by Hades, gaining ten times his previous strength and learning martial arts, John had never actually fought anyone in real combat. Now, he was scrambling to keep up.
Luckily, martial arts emphasized speed, so even though John was caught off-guard, he managed to narrowly evade the deadly strikes, relying on his superior agility.
In the chaos, John quickly realized that at least a dozen men were attacking him, each wielding a short blade about a foot and a half long, aiming for his vital points.
Damn it, I'm still a virgin! I can't die like this!
He quickly thought of his self-taught martial arts, which he had never used in real combat. With no other choice, he unleashed them.
"Ah! Ugh!"
"Ow!"
"Damn!"
The air was filled with the sounds of painful yelps.
Before long, John Knight had taken down seven or eight of the attackers, who lay groaning on the ground.
He hadn't expected his martial arts to be so powerful. Combined with his tenfold enhanced strength, his first strike had taken out almost half of his opponents. Getting carried away, he picked up a discarded short blade from the ground and charged at the remaining attackers.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out—deep and magnetic, yet commanding.
All the remaining black-clad men froze at once.
John Knight turned around and saw a man in his fifties, wearing a white long robe, approaching him. There was an air of authority about him, a commanding presence that made him seem above the rest, as though his mere presence exuded power.
The man approached and carefully scrutinized John Knight before speaking. "John Knight."
John Knight was taken aback. Who the hell is this?
He tried to read the man's thoughts, but the result was frustrating: This guy is inscrutable! John Knight couldn't read his mind at all.
Another person whose thoughts I can't read? John Knight's frustration grew. How the hell do I keep running into these people? My power is still too low.
"Who are you?" John Knight asked, not backing down, meeting the man's gaze.
The man suddenly smiled, looking at John Knight as if surprised he didn't recognize him. "You came to my company earlier today to apply as a bodyguard. How is it you don't know who I am?"
"I went to your company to apply? You... are you Charles Turner?"
The only company John had applied to recently was Heavenly Enterprises. If this person claimed to be the owner of that company, then he had to be Charles Turner.
Charles Turner nodded and smiled. "I am Charles Turner." But inwardly, he thought, Kid, don't you ever read the news?
John Knight studied the man more carefully and finally recognized him. Charles Turner wasn't a celebrity, but as a businessman, he occasionally appeared in financial news. John Knight, always looking to make money, would sometimes glance at the business section—though he'd usually ignore the faces of the people there, especially since there were rarely any women to catch his attention.
"I see. Mr. Turner, then what exactly is the meaning of all this?" John Knight coldly gestured to the black-clad men with his short blade, his voice sharp with suspicion.