"This thing of yours isn't working too well."

Liu Zheng looked at the chips before him.

Half an hour had passed, and he'd only made 500 bucks.

To put it bluntly, what could that even buy?

"Clearly you're just too unlucky—even a joker card can't save you."

Bullhorse insisted stubbornly.

"This won't do."

He shook his head and stood up.

"What are you doing?"

Bullhorse quickly asked.

"Changing gambling methods."

Liu Zheng looked around and walked toward a gambling table.

"Do you even know how to play?"

Bullhorse questioned doubtfully.

"Texas Hold'em? I've played plenty."

He said confidently, then plopped down in an empty seat right across from the dealer.

The dealer lifted its head to glance at him, yellow vertical pupils flashing with greed, a trickle of drool dripping from its scaly mouth.

"Can I file a complaint against it?"

Liu Zheng pointed at the dealer.

"May I ask what the guest wishes to complain about?"

The dealer spoke up.

Its voice carried a strange hissing quality.

"You're drooling at me. I believe you're sexually harassing me."

He stated righteously.

"The guest misunderstands."

The dealer chuckled awkwardly.

"I have no interest in mating with humans—I merely wish to eat your flesh."

It explained.

"Hahaha."

The other gamblers burst into laughter, some mocking, some with ill intent.

"I don't care what you think—I care what I think."

Liu Zheng waved his hand, treating the laughter as nothing.

"Can I complain about it or not?"

He asked Bullhorse again.

"You can, but..."

Bullhorse scratched his head.

"Good. You—go call your supervisor."

Liu Zheng pointed at a passing server and shouted.

"Me?"

The jellyfish-headed server pointed at itself.

"Yes, hurry up, or I'll file a complaint against you too."

Liu Zheng said seriously.

"There's no need for that, guest. Don't forget—you'll have to leave eventually."

The dealer wore a cold smile on its face.

"Who the hell are you threatening?"

Before Liu Zheng could speak, Bullhorse lost his temper.

"Come on, let's step outside right now and settle this. Whoever chickens out is a mama's boy."

He stood up on his hind legs, his expanding shadow completely enveloping the dealer.

Bullhorse might act submissive around Oink, but that didn't mean just anyone could throw punches at him.

"My apologies, I spoke too loudly. How would you like to resolve this?"

Anger flashed across the dealer's face before it spoke again.

"You tell him."

Bullhorse tilted his chin toward Liu Zheng.

"Get us two drinks, then change dealers."

He said.

"Very well. May you both have prosperous gambling luck."

The dealer said stiffly before leaving the table.

Somehow, the other gamblers' laughter had also stopped.

A minute later, two glasses of whiskey were delivered by a server.

The new dealer also arrived—a female succubus.

And damn, was she something!

Well, Liu Zheng didn't really get a chance to look at her face.

"Handsome, it's my first day on the job—please don't file any complaints against me."

The succubus dealer winked at him.

"That depends on how you deal the cards."

Liu Zheng said coldly.

"How about dealing them like this?"

The succubus dealer slipped a card between her two hemispheres, then leaned forward.

"You're sexually harassing me. I'll let it slide this time, but don't let it happen again."

He reached in and retrieved the card.

"Then thank you, handsome."

The succubus giggled, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

Not just anyone could touch her chest—this human actually remained unaffected.

"Deal the cards."

Liu Zheng urged.

His time was running short.

"Okay~"

The succubus opened a new deck and dealt two hole cards to each player.

Liu Zheng looked at his hole cards—a pair of nines.

One club, one diamond.

How to put it? Not great, not terrible.

Worse than big pairs like Aces or Kings, or strong suited hands like AK or KQ, but better than unpaired hands or small pairs.

He scanned the other gamblers, then frowned.

In Texas Hold'em, reading opponents' expressions is an important skill.

But that technique was hard to use now, since some gamblers didn't even have faces.

"Bullhorse, smash my face in."

Liu Zheng said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Bullhorse looked completely confused.

"Hurry up, don't you want to win money?"

"Since when do you get to order me around?"

Bullhorse grumbled, then kicked Liu Zheng in the face.

He controlled his strength perfectly—just enough to disfigure Liu Zheng without damaging his eyes or brain.

Snorting out two clumps of bloody foam from his smashed nostrils, Liu Zheng threw out a white chip.

"Raise!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

"Starting that strong already?"

Bullhorse was startled, almost reaching out with his hoof to pull the chip back.

"If I've got pocket Aces and don't raise big, I shouldn't be playing."

Liu Zheng didn't hold back at all.

"You looking for a beating or something?"

Bullhorse's eyes widened dramatically.

"Besides, you don't have pocket Aces—you have pocket nines."

???

Both the dealer and gamblers turned their attention toward them.

Were these two here to perform crosstalk or to gamble?

Did they even know how to play?

"Fold."

The dog-headed creature sitting next to Liu Zheng thought for a moment, then threw away his cards.

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

Out of six players, four chose to fold.

The remaining eel-headed creature looked at his hole cards again, then smirked coldly at Liu Zheng.

"Do we know each other?"

He squinted his eyes.

The eel-head didn't speak, just continued smirking coldly.

"Now I remember—almost didn't recognize you without your uniform."

Liu Zheng said with sudden realization.

During his first delivery, this guy had bitten off a piece of his flesh.

Today it wasn't wearing a security uniform—its slender eel head grew directly from its chest cavity, looking like a swaying flower arrangement.

"Your flesh... very fragrant."

The eel-head finally spoke, its words slow and mocking.

"Thanks, you look pretty good too. After I win your underwear off, I'm going to swallow your dead fish head whole."

Liu Zheng said seriously.

"Deal the cards."

He threw a yellow chip to the succubus dealer.

"Boss is so generous~"

The succubus dealer slipped the chip into her cleavage, giving Liu Zheng a sickly sweet smile.

After the first bet, three community cards were dealt.

A heart Ace, a club 5, and a heart King.

"Handsome, it's still your turn to speak~"

The succubus dealer said.

"With three Aces, what more is there to say? Raise."

Liu Zheng threw out his remaining five white chips.

"I have... an Ace. I don't believe you."

The eel-head stared at him for a long moment before speaking slowly.

"If you don't believe me, then call."

Liu Zheng leaned back, a tentacle bringing the whiskey to his lips.

"That's enough already. He's got pocket Aces, you've got pocket nines—why would you call?"

Bullhorse tried to persuade him.

"If you keep undermining me, I'm going all in right now."

Liu Zheng glared at him.

"You wouldn't dare!"

Bullhorse slammed his hoof on the ground.

"He's got a..."

He opened his mouth to shout.

"Fine, fine, three Aces it is."

Bullhorse covered his mouth.

"Ptooey, ptooey."

Liu Zheng spat violently.

This bastard's hoof smelled like a composite stench of corpses.

"Hurry up, I'm waiting until the flowers wither."

He rinsed his mouth with whiskey and urged.

"Fold."

The eel-head squeezed its hole cards, finally giving up.

"Tch, you got away fast. Everyone watch closely—three Aces!"

Liu Zheng flipped over his hole cards, slamming them hard on the table.

The pair of nines lay together like two people achieving life's great harmony.

"Oh, turns out they're not. My apologies, my apologies."

He smiled cheerfully as he gathered the chips toward himself.

Completely ignoring the other gamblers' murderous stares.