Chapter 145: A Black Chip and a Blazing Row

The numbers on the screen scrolled again. This time, the first two patterns quickly stopped on ‘7,’ making the staff member breathe a sigh of relief.

‘It must just be a program delay. The response is coming through now. I’ll debug it later…’

Suddenly, the colored lights on the machine began to flicker wildly, followed by a torrent of jubilant music gushing out.

“Congratulations! You’ve won!”

Under their mixed gazes of joy and shock, the machine that had devoured countless fortunes finally let out a defeated groan. The chips that had once been fed into it poured out like an avalanche, scattering across the floor.

Among the sea of red chips, a black chip that bounced high from the machine’s output slot stood out, impossible to ignore.

It was completely different in both size and color. The seemingly understated ink-black, as it flipped through the air, reflected the brilliant golden lights, scattering enchanting sparks and leaving a shallow starry sky on the carpet.

Liu Qingruo was quick. She caught it in one smooth motion. The chip was smooth and warm to the touch, like jade—made of some unknown material.

When she lightly rubbed it with her thumb, she felt a silky texture akin to kneading mutton-fat jade. But no matter the material, its value was what truly mattered.

In her palm was a full small target—one hundred million.

At that moment, Liu Qingruo could already imagine herself becoming a rich, beautiful woman reaching the pinnacle of life.

As she giggled foolishly, the staff member beside her panicked.

“Wait, miss, this machine is malfunctioning. We can’t confirm if this is a legitimate jackpot before an inspection. Please hand over the chip.”

Cold sweat covered her forehead, her heart burning with anxiety. She dared not show any negligence and even reached out to snatch it.

If the tower master found out that she had allowed such a big prize to be lost, she would at the very least be skinned alive, or worse, like those who had disappeared before, be taken to the higher floors to become some unknown person’s kept companion.

‘I’ll die… No, it would be better to just die here!’

Just imagining that possibility made her legs weak. She wanted desperately to cover this up, but how could she at a time like this? The commotion here was already enough to attract the manager.

“Hey, what are you doing? It’s obvious I won. Where’s the malfunction?”

In fact, the machine really was malfunctioning. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for an ordinary person to win chips from it.

Even the possibility of ‘winning’ existed only to entertain the big shots who came to collect the chips inside the machine.

Normally, it would never activate—the machine’s alloy teeth would clamp down tightly on the chips inside, not letting a single one escape.

In a sense, this probability was so infinitesimally small as to be negligible. That’s why the casino felt safe placing the machine here. Who could have predicted this?

As the argument continued, the casino manager arrived. He was a long-haired man who appeared elegant and graceful.

The manager’s expression was gentle, but his eyes held no trace of a smile. They were cold, as if he were not looking at another human being but appraising an object, sending a shiver down one’s spine.

This kind of smiling tiger authority was not only for his subordinates but also for the gamblers who had lost everything.

He did not care who was considered a god, because he knew that the Shuiyue Tower did not mind losing a few pathetic customers.

Thus, he was accustomed to dominating this situation. Those of higher status had no interest in casual games here; they sought deeper thrills, occasionally amusing themselves by watching desperate gamblers scheme against each other.

As the manager, his most important task was to create more entertainment, ensuring that everything unfolding here would not be ruined by those counterfeit eyeballs–no, that everything would not bore those people. As for the methods, no one would care.

“Miss, I apologize. My employee may have handled this improperly. If there was any offense, please forgive her.”

He said ‘please,’ but it sounded like an order. His unpleasant tone immediately soured Liu Qingruo’s mood.

“So you’re just going to cheat me?”

Liu Qingruo stuffed the chip into her pocket and glared at the manager with hostility. Her fiery red eyes blazed like flames, even startling the manager for a moment.

‘What a fiery beauty,’ he thought. ‘But this is no place for you to cause trouble.’

“I’m very sorry, but this is not cheating. The machine malfunctioned, so the result is invalid. According to our backend data, the random content should have been two sevens and a strawberry.

The malfunction occurred due to unknown interference. So, until our investigation is complete, please do not leave.”

The manager smiled without sincerity, turning the tables. Though his words remained polite, he was subtly accusing Liu Qingruo of cheating and even restricting her freedom.

Liu Qingruo didn’t understand all that. She only knew one thing: she had worked hard to win a hundred million, and now the casino was going back on their word.

A surge of anger rose in her heart, like a spark landing on dry hay, quickly igniting a full blaze.

“Go to hell! The machine already spat it out, and you want to renege? Shameless!”

At her blunt cursing, the manager’s eyes showed a dangerous glint. He waved his hand, and two burly men in black suits and sunglasses came to stand behind him, backing him up.

Their shadows fell over Liu Qingruo, making her even more irritated. Quietly, she clenched her fists. Red magical energy flickered on the back of her hands, faintly forming into gauntlets.

Seeing this, Mo Yinling and Ye Qing both inwardly cried out in alarm.

If a fight broke out here, they weren’t worried about Liu Qingruo losing, but it would definitely cause a lot of trouble.

Liu Qingruo had a sensitive identity—she was a magical girl, and the Shuiyue Tower was surely backed by some evil organization. Those witches would not let it go easily.

If it escalated into gang warfare, things would get bad. Ye Qing didn’t know the other party’s background, and with CCB potentially making a move at any time, making more enemies was obviously unwise.

“Wait,” Mo Yinling said, stepping quickly in front of Liu Qingruo, separating her from the manager.

“As a guest, I must speak up for this red-haired lady. Even though she won quite a bit from me earlier, I’m not one to hold grudges. But I won’t stand by and watch your casino break the rules.

Are you bullying customers? Going back on something witnessed by everyone—have you no shame?”

The manager sneered. He didn’t mind dealing with one more person.

Even if Mo Yinling incited the other gamblers to pressure him, it didn’t matter. This level of casino was full of worthless small fry who couldn’t make a difference.

Everyone here combined wasn’t worth as much as that one level-five chip. Any elementary school student who could do math would know that.

“And we can’t even be sure if that chip is real. What if your casino uses fake chips to scam people? Miss, please show us the chip so everyone can see.”

Spurred by Mo Yinling’s shouting, Liu Qingruo was a bit dazed. She took out the chip, and the next moment, she felt a sharp pain in her finger, like a needle prick, and had to let go.

The chip slipped and fell, shattering on the ground.

Mo Yinling gasped dramatically, feigning shock.

“Look at that! It breaks just from falling on the carpet. This quality is worse than cardboard. Using fake chips to cheat people—Shuiyue Casino bullies its customers!”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

We Got Married

BLBoys LoveOmegaverse

Read Now →
Not interested