Chapter 154 08

Chapter 154.08

Ruan Cong, on the opposite side of the casino floor, had just settled a dispute in the VIP area when he turned around and noticed trouble brewing.

He urgently called into his earpiece, "Table three, stop Khunla!"

No sooner had he spoken than several black-clad security guards rushed from various parts of the hall.

Ruan Cong also hurried in that direction.

He remembered the young man was a slender Chinese fellow—definitely no match for Khunla.

Though the casino had ample security personnel, the hall was vast, making an instant response impossible. The surrounding onlookers collectively took a step back; some of the more timid even closed their eyes in advance, dreading the bloody scene they anticipated.

At the critical moment, just as the sharp broken bottle was about to strike him, the young Chinese man sidestepped and dodged.

Judging by their positions, it seemed an impossible evasion, but luckily, the bottle merely grazed his slender waist.

The dodge was far from graceful; the young man stumbled sideways, barely catching himself against a nearby gaming table—otherwise, he would have taken a nasty fall.

Khunla, having missed his strike, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, veins bulging on his hands. Furious and humiliated, he lunged again. If his first strike was merely to vent anger without truly intending to kill, now he seemed to have lost his temper, each move filled with vicious intent.

Logically, such a reckless attack should have drawn blood by now.

But despite the young Chinese man’s clumsy and strenuous dodging, Khunla—armed with the broken bottle—gained no advantage.

The young man repeatedly reached out and gripped Khunla’s wrist. To others, it seemed unremarkable, but Khunla felt a forceful grip each time, nearly making him lose his hold on the bottle. Yet, just as he was about to drop it, the pressure would vanish.

After a few exchanges, the belated security guards finally arrived.

By then, the young Chinese man seemed to have reached his limit. When Ruan Cong rushed over, the tip of the broken bottle was already pressed against his nose.

Ruan Cong stepped forward and kicked Khunla in the jaw. His movement was swift and powerful, snapping Khunla’s head to the side and making blood seep from the corner of his mouth.

Immediately after, Datu swiftly snatched the broken bottle from Khunla’s hand, while two others quickly moved behind him, twisting his arms behind his back and pressing him against a nearby gaming table.

Pinned and unable to move, Khunla could only breathe heavily, still unable to comprehend how the seemingly frail young man possessed such surprising strength.

Once Khunla was subdued, Ruan Cong hurried over and asked the young guest, "Are you alright? Were you hurt anywhere?"

The man referred to as Boss Shen straightened up, smoothed his slightly wrinkled suit from the evasive maneuvers, and coughed lightly twice. He looked at Ruan Cong with obvious dissatisfaction, as if blaming them for arriving too late.

Ruan Cong maintained a respectful and submissive attitude. Though others might not notice, his intuition told him that this well-dressed, seemingly refined young Chinese man was far from as weak as he had initially assumed. On the contrary, his abilities might be quite good.

Fortunately, the young man did not make more trouble. He adjusted his loosened cufflink, made a gesture indicating he was fine, and then bent down to pick up the high-denomination chips that had fallen from his pocket.

The young man glanced at the chips, then at Khunla—who was still pinned to the ground but glaring fiercely and unyieldingly—and ultimately decided not to swallow this insult.

He turned to Ruan Cong, raising his chin slightly. "Intentional? Do you know each other?"

Several high-denomination chips moved between his fingers—an obvious threat.

Ruan Cong looked at the chips in the young man’s hand and understood his implication. These were the highest-denomination chips in the hotel casino, essentially the local currency.

Ruan Cong could estimate how many chips of this value Boss Shen held. While the amount might not be significant for gambling or spending in the casino, if he insisted on exchanging them all for cash immediately, the sum...

Ruan Cong couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be punished for it.

So he didn’t respond immediately, instead choosing to lower his head respectfully and wait for Boss Shen to state his demands.

Seeing Ruan Cong remain silent, Shen Xi’s face resumed its carefree, mocking smile. He pointed to a nearby camera and said, "That’s not just for decoration, is it? It should serve a purpose." Then, pausing his movements, he used the edge of a chip to raise Khunla’s chin, grinning as he tilted his head. "The second and fifth games."

The security guards restraining Khunla understood immediately and pulled open his collar. Several playing cards fluttered to the ground in full view of everyone.

As if he had expected it, Shen Xi didn’t even glance at the cards on the floor. He turned, found a random chair, and sat down casually, crossing his legs with an air of nonchalance. He asked Ruan Cong, the man in charge, "How do you plan to handle this?"

His tone wasn’t severe—it even carried a hint of amusement, as if he wasn’t particularly interested in the outcome and was simply causing trouble.

Ruan Cong knew it but could do nothing. After all, cheating and attempting to harm others were strictly forbidden in any casino.

People from Country J running the casino business also valued credibility. If such an incident got out, it would be tantamount to ruining the casino’s business, so the boss had to deal with it seriously.

"Please wait a moment, I’ll consult the boss," Ruan Cong said cautiously, speaking a few words into his earpiece.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in his forties came down from upstairs and hurried into the casino hall.

It was the hotel’s behind-the-scenes owner—Cha Xin.

Cha Xin had a square face and was of mixed heritage, with ancestors who were fishermen. Though he looked honest and dependable, the business he engaged in risked his life.

He glanced at the young man before him, then at Khunla, who was still pinned to the table and glaring furiously. "Boss Shen, please come this way. I’ll give you an explanation for today’s incident."

Despite Cha Xin’s politeness, Shen Xi remained seated without moving. Just as one of Cha Xin’s subordinates grew impatient and stepped forward, Shen Xi suddenly stood up, his face still wearing a friendly, businesslike smile. "No problem, after you." With that, he strode forward.

Cha Xin instructed Ruan Cong and several subordinates to escort the two to a small dark room behind the casino. They descended a few steps and entered the room.

Unlike the opulence of the main gambling hall, the walls and floor here were covered in gray cement. Some areas were moldy, showing patches of dark green.

Ropes and torture tools lay on a table nearby, and the floor was stained with blotches of blood. Against one wall stood a wine rack filled with bottles, with a few overturned glasses in front.

This room served as both the casino’s wine storage and a room for pressuring debtors.

The air carried a strange smell.

After just a few breaths, the young Chinese man lowered his head and coughed repeatedly, his face growing even paler.

Yet there was no trace of fear in his eyes. After coughing, he even looked around with interest, seemingly unconcerned about what might happen next.

Before Cha Xin could speak, Shen Xi had already found himself a seat.

The wooden chairs in the room looked aged. Shen Xi picked one that seemed relatively clean, brushed it with two fingers, then rubbed them together, not hiding his disgust.

Seeing no better options, he reluctantly sat down, frowning.

He acted very arrogantly.

While Ruan Cong didn’t know the young man, Cha Xin had investigated his background long before he toyed with Khunla at the poker table.

He knew the young man was named Shen Xi, a former rich kid from a bankrupt family. Now, he held shares in several overseas travel companies specializing in individual tourists to Southeast Asian countries. The scale was small, and profits were modest, yet Shen Xi’s extravagant lifestyle had only intensified.

Cha Xin’s business operations were extensive, but the hotel, casino, and bar were merely fronts. What truly made him rich was human trafficking.

Thanks to Pearl City’s strategic location, many human trafficking deals passed through his hands.

Lately, however, Cha Xin’s business had hit a rough patch. Several snakeheads he worked with had been arrested by the police, making it difficult for people to enter from outside.

It was at this time that Shen Xi arrived at his hotel. His identity was subtle, and his intentions were clear.

From the day he appeared in the hotel casino, he had been spending lavishly and drawing attention at the poker table. Today’s incident wasn’t so much Khunla provoking him as it was Shen Xi setting a trap, waiting for the fool to walk right in. Step by step, things escalated until Cha Xin, as the casino owner, had no choice but to show himself.

Cha Xin began to take an interest in the young man before him. He pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Shen Xi.

He studied Shen Xi’s handsome yet pale face, wanting to size up the young man.

With that in mind, Cha Xin glanced at Khunla, who was being restrained by Ruan Cong to the side, and asked, "Boss Shen, according to the rules here, the casino will handle it. How would you like us to make it up to you for the trouble?"

In situations like this, even if it was a close call, there were still matters to resolve. The first step was to seek the guest’s forgiveness, followed by punishing Khunla. To maintain their reputation, casinos usually offered some form of compensation—either cash or chips.

But clearly, Shen Xi had other intentions.

Shen Xi lazily raised his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips as if savoring Cha Xin’s words. "Compensation… hmm…" He chuckled softly, playing the gracious guy as he waved a hand. "I’ve won so much, and I wasn’t actually hurt. Asking for compensation from you would be rather shameless. Let’s be friends—keep things civil so everyone profits."

Then, his tone shifted abruptly as he glanced at Khunla nearby. "As for the cheating, let’s follow the usual rules—take one of his hands. That way, no one loses out."

"Holy shit…" One of Cha Xin’s subordinates couldn’t hold back and stepped forward, pointing at Shen Xi’s nose, ready to speak out, but a sharp look from Cha Xin silenced him immediately.

Cha Xin frowned, watching as Shen Xi continued to smile calmly at him. He hadn’t expected the other to say something like this.

Being in the human trade business had long desensitized him to the value of life, but Khunla was, after all, an old-timer at the casino…

Cha Xin hesitated, weighing his options for a few seconds before relenting. "Boss Shen plays fair. We also follow rules here. Let’s do as Boss Shen says."

Compared to a useless Khunla, Cha Xin was far more interested in Shen Xi’s motives. Observing Shen Xi’s demeanor, he grew even more certain of the man’s intentions.

Once they arrived here, Khunla knew things were serious. His legs had already gone weak, and he was trembling uncontrollably.

When Cha Xin spoke those words, Khunla’s face changed completely. He cried out from the side, "Boss Cha, we’ve known each other for so many years! You can’t do this to me!"

"It’s just one hand," Cha Xin reassured him, as if comforting a child who had misbehaved. "Don’t worry, I’ll stop the bleeding and send you to the hospital. It won’t kill you."

He then gestured with a finger, and Ruan Cong stepped forward with a cleaver. He grabbed one of Khunla’s hands and positioned the blade against his wrist.

Seeing the cold, gleaming blade and the heavy knife, Khunla was so terrified he almost pissed himself. Sweat poured down his face from sheer tension. He strained with all his might to pull his hand back. "No! I won’t do it again! I know I was wrong. I’ll never cheat again. No, I won’t ever come back. Boss Cha, please give me a pass this time!"

At that moment, Shen Xi, who had somehow wandered over to a wine storage cabinet, suddenly spoke up. "Wait."

Everyone froze, their eyes turning toward him in unison. Shen Xi took his time picking a bottle from the cabinet, picking up almost every one to shake and sniff them. Finally, he chose the hardest liquor, took a relatively clean glass from nearby, opened the bottle, and poured a drink.

Before even taking a sip, as if suddenly remembering something, he glanced in their direction. Then, with a shrug like it was an afterthought, he walked over with the glass in hand.

He completely ignored the hopeful expression on Khunla’s face and instead reached out to Ruan Cong. "Let me have a turn."

Ruan Cong naturally didn’t dare hand the knife directly to Shen Xi. He looked to Cha Xin for further instructions.

But Cha Xin’s gaze wasn’t on Ruan Cong—it remained fixed intently on Shen Xi. This young man’s demeanor always seemed somewhat unreliable, like a lamb raised in luxury, yet the aura he projected was entirely at odds with his appearance. For a moment, Cha Xin couldn’t quite figure out what he was up to.

After a brief hesitation, Cha Xin smiled and made an inviting gesture.

Since he had already made his decision, it didn’t matter who exactly chopped off Khunla’s hand—as long as the matter was resolved quickly.

Shen Xi took the knife. Through his amber-tinted shades, Khunla could see the subtle shift in his expression, even catching a chilling, slight grin at the corner of his lips.

As if afraid of dirtying his clothes, Shen Xi took off his white suit jacket and pushed up the sleeves of his black shirt to the cuffs, revealing lean but firm forearms.

Then, he took Khunla’s hand, clamping down on his fingers.

"Don’t… don’t chop my hand… please…" Khunla begged through tears. In his eyes, this pale young man was even more terrifying and unpredictable than Ruan Cong. If he had to lose a hand, he would rather Ruan Cong be the one to do it.

He struggled desperately, but with people holding him down firmly from behind, he couldn’t break free.

Shen Xi, however, comforted him instead. "Shh, don’t make such a racket. This is my first time doing this. If you scare me, what if I make a mistake?"

He didn’t hesitate or measure the cut—he simply pressed the blade directly against the back of Khunla’s hand. With a firm motion, the steel bit into skin, and blood immediately welled up.

Shen Xi’s hand was steady, cutting slowly. His eyes fixed intently on the blood, a vicious, almost hungry look in his gaze. The slight upward curve of his lips suggested he was enjoying himself.

Khunla screamed in agony, his fingers twitching as blood splattered.

The wound deepened gradually. A few drops of blood splashed onto Shen Xi’s lenses and his pale cheeks, but he seemed completely unfazed.

He didn’t stop until he had carved a jagged, bleeding cut across the back of Khunla’s hand near the wrist. One cut wasn’t enough—Shen Xi repeated the process, slicing three deep gashes down to the bone into Khunla’s hand.

Madman.

Three wounds for three instances of cheating.

Watching Shen Xi’s actions, Cha Xin didn’t buy a single word of what he had said about never having done this before.

Not only did he not believe it, he reached another conclusion: this person was no stranger to using a blade and seeing blood.

Only after carving three several-centimeter-long gashes did Shen Xi finally stop. He took half a step back, as if checking out his work, then picked up the glass he had set aside earlier and took a small sip. Seemingly displeased with the quality, he made a face.

Then, amid Khunla’s howls of pain and the stunned silence of everyone else, he poured the remaining liquor directly onto Khunla’s wounds. As the alcohol flowed and Khunla wailed like a stuck pig, Shen Xi finally seemed satisfied. He turned the bloodied knife around, offering the handle to Ruan Cong.

Ruan Cong took the knife, put it away, and handed Shen Xi a cloth to wipe the blood from his hands.

This time, Shen Xi didn’t complain. He took it and wiped clean the blood from his fingers, one by one.

Once finished, he tossed the cloth away like trash and looked at Cha Xin, opening his folding fan. "To honor Boss Cha’s standing, let’s leave it at this. He just needs to make a proper apology to me now."

Khunla, his face contorted in pain, clutched his wounded hand, still shaken. Although his hand hadn’t been chopped off, the cuts were deep and excruciating, especially after having liquor poured over them. The pain left him drenched in cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably.

Hearing Shen Xi’s words, Cha Xin also breathed a sigh of relief. If Khunla’s hand had actually been severed, he would have had to consider how to keep the incident under wraps. These wounds, while not life-threatening, were enough to make Khunla suffer.

So he nodded and signaled to Ruan Cong.

Ruan Cong stepped forward, pressed down on Khunla’s head with one hand, and shoved him to his knees.

Shen Xi had already returned to his seat, crossing his legs. Unlike his earlier sloppy look outside, he now sat with his long legs elegantly crossed, leaning back slightly in a relaxed yet poised posture.

Khunla, sweating profusely from the pain and trembling slightly, looked up at Boss Shen. All his earlier bravado was gone.

The man before him wore the same smile he had flashed at the gambling table, but now, that smile made Khunla’s blood run cold. Trembling, he whispered, "I’m sorry. I was wrong."

Hearing this, Boss Shen’s smile widened. He shook his head slowly and said, "What’s wrong? Could use another drink?"

Seeing this, Ruan Cong increased the pressure, forcing Khunla’s head down harshly. "Make it sound like you mean it!" he ordered sternly.

Khunla grimaced in pain, bowing his head to the cold floor. "I’m sorry. I was truly an idiot earlier. I’m willing to make it right, I’ll do anything, as long as you can forgive me… Thank you for your mercy, Boss Shen."

Shen Xi leaned forward slightly, closing his folding fan and using it to point at his shoes. "Your blood dirtied my shoes. How are you gonna fix that?"

Khunla hesitated. "I… I’ll wipe them for you…" Obediently, he got on all fours, rolling up the relatively clean sleeve of his other hand, and carefully wiped the bloodstains from Shen Xi’s shoes. Then he looked up, looking up like a whipped dog.

Shen Xi seemed satisfied. His smile faded, and he flipped a few chips dismissively toward Khunla like tossing a scrap to a dog. "For your medical expenses. Now get lost."

The chips he exchanged were all high-denomination. Even these few amounted to a significant sum. Khunla endured the pain to pick them up, then was hauled off like a sack of trash to receive treatment.