Chapter 86: The Show Begins
Inside a restaurant near Old Square, Snake was dining with a group of his men.
Beside him sat a voluptuous woman, her neck adorned with an intricate snake tattoo that almost covered the entire area. The inked serpent twisted along her smooth skin, giving her otherwise beautiful face an eerie and intimidating edge.
This woman was Lu Jin Huan, Snake’s wife, known in the underworld as Golden Ring Snake.
She was the only woman who matched Snake’s ruthless nature, the only one unafraid of snakes. Lu Jin Huan’s methods were just as vicious as Snake’s, if not more so. When Snake was imprisoned, it was she who took charge of his affairs, ensuring his empire didn’t crumble. Upon his release, it was Lu Jin Huan’s cunning and relentless drive that helped him rise to his current power. In many ways, she was his equal.
As Snake and his men clinked their glasses and downed their drinks, someone brought up the morning’s incident—Brother Tong had won over 1.6 million at Chen Xue Wen’s arcade.
“Snake Bro, don’t you think Chen Xue Wen has lost his damn mind?”
“Over 1.6 million, and he just let it go like that?”
“Hell, even if he sold both his arcade halls, they wouldn’t be worth that much!” one of the younger men scoffed.
The others burst into laughter.
“Exactly! That guy’s a damn fool.”
“He didn’t even think to shut down the power? Man’s got no brain!”
“Losing that much in one go… I bet he won’t be in business much longer.”
Their jeers filled the room. To them, allowing someone to walk away with such a huge sum was pure idiocy. Snake, too, wore a disdainful grin, his expression mirroring their contempt for Chen Xue Wen.
Amidst the raucous laughter, Ding Three, who had been silent this whole time, finally lifted his gaze. He looked around at his fellow gang members before fixing his eyes on Snake.
“Snake Bro, what would you do if this happened at Electronic Dynasty?”
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Snake.
Snake hesitated for a brief moment before scoffing. “Hmph. With me in charge, who the hell would dare cause trouble at Electronic Dynasty?”
A glint of amusement flickered in Ding Three’s eyes, though his face remained impassive. He pressed on, “But I mean, what if it did happen?”
“Sometimes, a young fool might not know fear.”
“If someone really won that much money at Electronic Dynasty, how would you handle it?”
Snake’s brow furrowed. He eyed Ding Three suspiciously. “Third Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?”
Ding Three chuckled. “I just want to know how you’d handle it.”
Snake didn’t answer immediately, his mind clearly working through the implications. Before he could respond, one of the younger thugs cut in.
“What’s there to handle?”
“Anyone dumb enough to try that at Electronic Dynasty would leave feet first!”
“We’re not like that coward Chen Xue Wen, letting someone walk away with our money.”
“If they wanna take our cash, they better be ready to bet their life on it!”
The men nodded in agreement, their faces set with vicious grins.
Ding Three ignored them, his gaze fixed solely on Snake. “And you, Snake Bro? What do you think?”
Snake met his stare for a long moment before replying coldly, “My brothers speak for me.”
Ding Three’s eyes dimmed with disappointment. He let out a small sigh. “So you’re saying, you wouldn’t pay?”
Snake’s patience began to wear thin. “Ding Three, what exactly is your point?”
Ding Three exhaled slowly. “Snake Bro, building an empire is easy. Keeping it is the real challenge.”
“Electronic Dynasty got to where it is today because of your reputation.”
“If you refuse to pay out legitimate winnings, don’t you worry about ruining your name?”
Snake’s expression darkened. He clenched his jaw, falling deep into thought.
After a long silence, he finally muttered through gritted teeth, “So you think I should pay?”
Before Ding Three could answer, Lu Jin Huan interjected, her voice as cold as steel. “There’s no need to pay at all.”
Ding Three turned his gaze to her, but Lu Jin Huan’s eyes were just as sharp, meeting his without hesitation.
“Third Brother, let’s be real—who walks away from an arcade with that kind of money under normal circumstances?”
“That guy must have been cheating.”
“And for a cheater? Not only should he not get a cent, he should be taught a lesson.”
“At the very least, he should lose a hand. Make sure he never dares to set foot in our territory again. Let it be an example to the rest.”
Her words sent a ripple of excitement through the room. Snake grinned, his earlier uncertainty melting away. His men erupted in cheers, fully endorsing her ruthlessness.
Ding Three said nothing. He merely stared at Lu Jin Huan, a faint bitter smile tugging at his lips.
Lu Jin Huan smirked, looking at him with disdain. “Third Brother, you’ve become too soft.”
“What’s wrong? Did watching Chen Xue Wen swallow a live snake last time break your courage?”
“If you’re that shaken, I can have the kitchen prepare some snake bile for you.”
The gang erupted into laughter once more.
Ding Three remained silent, lowering his gaze with another soft sigh.
He knew all too well that Chen Xue Wen was meticulous in everything he did.
This Brother Tong was most likely a trap Chen Xue Wen had set up.
If Brother Tong had really won, it wasn’t through cheating.
Which meant Snake would never be able to prove otherwise.
And if he refused to pay, if he tried to force his way out by claiming fraud and resorting to violence, then Electronic Dynasty’s reputation would be finished.
In that case, Chen Xue Wen would win without losing a dime.
And Snake’s empire? It would crumble.
Ding Three wasn’t about to explain all this to Snake.
He had only wanted to test Snake’s judgment.
And Snake’s response told him everything he needed to know—Snake would never be great.
He was doomed to lose this battle.
Snake didn’t listen to him. Instead, he listened to a woman.
That wasn’t his problem anymore.
As the gang continued their revelry, Snake’s phone suddenly rang.
Snake answered the call, and a tense voice immediately came through: “Brother Snake, s-something’s happened.”
“Someone’s been hitting our slot machines, and they’ve already won hundreds of thousands. And they’re still winning!”
Snake’s expression changed drastically as he jumped to his feet. “Shit! It’s really happening?”
“Hold on, I’m heading back with my guys!”
“Keep an eye on that bastard for me! Make sure he’s not cheating!”
After giving a few orders, Snake hung up and stormed out with his men, heading straight for Electronic Dynasty.
They weren’t too far away, so within ten minutes, Snake arrived at Electronic Dynasty.
Meanwhile, across the street in a small restaurant, Chen Xue Wen, wearing a face-covering cap, was still observing the scene.
Seeing Snake rush in, Chen Xue Wen smirked and muttered, “The show is about to begin.”
Upon entering Electronic Dynasty, Snake immediately noticed the commotion around the slot machines. A thick crowd had gathered, cheering and shouting in excitement.
A subordinate quickly approached him. “Brother Snake, that bastard has already won over a million… and he’s still going!”
Snake’s face twitched as he gritted his teeth. “Motherfucker, that’s ruthless!”
“Well? Did you catch him cheating?”
The subordinate shook his head. “I had several guys watching him closely. No signs of cheating.”
Snake’s face darkened. “You useless idiots!”
“Can’t even handle something this simple!”
The subordinates looked down in embarrassment, not daring to speak.
Seething, Snake marched over to observe the situation himself. Yet after watching closely, he saw no tricks from Brother Tong. That only infuriated him more.
He assigned his most trusted men to keep their eyes glued to Brother Tong, while he retreated to his office to strategize.
“What if we cut the power?” one of his men suggested in a low voice.
Snake shot him a glare. “Are you fucking stupid?”
“If we kill the power, everyone will know I can’t handle losing. Who the hell would come back here to play after that?”
Taking a deep breath, Snake said, “The key here is catching him cheating.”
“If we get proof, we won’t have to pay him a damn cent!”
One of his men hesitated. “Brother Snake, this guy is damn skilled. We might not find any evidence.”
“And if we don’t…”
Snake’s expression grew even darker. He was at a loss for what to do.
Just then, from the corner of the room, Ding Three spoke up. “Brother Snake, Electronic Dynasty belongs to Boss Hu.”
“Win or lose, it’s all on Boss Hu.”
“Why not contact him and have him cover the payout?”
After saying his piece, Ding Three stepped back into the shadows, done giving his final bit of advice. Whatever Snake decided next had nothing to do with him.
Snake’s eyes lit up. “Right! This money should come from Boss Hu!”
He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed. Several times. No answer.
Frustrated, he called one of Boss Hu’s men, only to be told that Boss Hu was undergoing a general anesthesia gastroscopy and hadn’t woken up yet.
Snake nearly smashed his phone in rage. “That old dog! He picks now of all times for a gastroscopy? Is he fucking dying?!”
With Boss Hu unconscious, Snake had no access to his money. No matter how tough he was, he couldn’t move Boss Hu’s funds without permission.
That option was dead.
In the corner, Ding Three sighed.
He knew that Boss Hu’s perfectly timed gastroscopy wasn’t a coincidence.
This was all part of Chen Xue Wen’s plan—to cut off every escape route for Snake.
This time, Snake was doomed.
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