Proofread by Dark Pride

***

Pacific Offshore City, 27 December 130 A.R.

In a huge room that was luxuriously decorated, many crystal lamps were hung on the high gold-adorned ceiling. Several marble pillars supported the supposedly heavy roof. On them, there were many classic engravings of mythologies that were told in the A.D. period.

Many people were there. Some of them were playing slot machines with excitement, nervousness, and even the occasional apathetic expression.

Many people chose to test their luck on the numerous tables spread throughout the room. On the tables were various games such as poker and blackjack.

Sometimes, cries of excitement or despairing sighs could be heard through the noise. For many gamblers, it was both a paradise and a prison. 

But there was a rare occasion that was happening in the middle of the room.

Many eyes were focused on a table that was placed at a lower part of the room. A man in casual clothes was sitting in front of the blackjack table. He looked nervous and waited for the dealer's next action.

The crowd that encircled the table two meters away from it looked nervous as well. They were watching the game that became a life-changing moment for the man. Either hell or heaven, they could only watch.

With a neutral expression, the dealer gave him a pair of closed cards. The dealer then flipped a card open, and it was a jack of hearts. She then smiled slightly at the man in front of her, as if signaling him to make a choice.

The man was indifferent to her. He took his time to check the cards he had gotten. As he saw an A and a K on his two cards, he smiled widely. He flipped open his cards and eyed the closed card that the dealer had nervously. There was a very small chance that she had blackjack, but like thousands of times before, it wasn't impossible.

This is his last hit or miss chance. It had been years since he entered and exited this casino in Pacific City. After tasting thousands of bitter losses, he had finally arrived at this moment, the peak and possibly the end of his journey as a gambler.

The dealer's expression then turned bitter, she opened the other card. It was 9 of spades.

"Congratulations Mr. Alex. It seems this is also a goodbye. There was never a boring day when you were here," She said in a sympathetic tone.

"I win!" The man said excitedly while raising his hands into the air.

The crowd that had been watching the man's game from the start, exclaimed and applauding.

"Wow… Damn! You did it man. I can't believe you achieve it," a man at his back shouted.

"Crazy! I have never imagined that I would see a person getting a million in the casino."

"He is cheating!" Another man shouted in anger.

"Yeah, he must have a device or anything."

"Hahaha… You idiot! How can blackjack be cheated with a device? Did you forget to bring your brain here?" Another man said.

Of course, not everyone was happy with his win, but it didn't matter to him what other people thought about it. His win was legitimate and their responses were not his concern at all, as he had another thing that he had to do.

"Thank you, Miss Cecile. I will take my leave," The man, Alex stood up and then walked with heavy steps to the exit. What was the toughest choice for a gambler? 

It was to leave the gambling table after getting a big win. It was a natural choice for a gambler to try again his luck after getting a bountiful win, but getting a million credits in a game forced him to leave the casino forever. 

There was a union law that forbade a person who won a million or more credits from gambling in casinos again. Winning a million credits needed more than luck, it also required skill or wealth.

This law was implemented to protect the casinos and the gamblers. 

The casinos that were monitored closely by the government for their fairness and accountability, must get protection from 'skilled' gamblers that could sweep clean their capital as compensation. 

The government needed them as one of the sources of entertainment for people, especially the 'white citizens' who got a monthly subsidy from the government's pocket, but on the other hand, the government also didn't want the casinos to cheat people out of their money with unfair methods. 

The 'skilled' gamblers were also protected by the law, as they would lose their hard-won money if they were allowed to continue gambling after winning. As it was in their nature to continue gambling when they had the upper hand.

Alex, who was addicted to gambling, found it somewhat hard to leave the casino. He would just win tens of thousands of credits and then leave for a few days before coming back again, but a phone call yesterday woke him up from this routine. 

'Vira, George, I'm coming,' Alex said in his heart as he walked through the crowd that was too excited over his win. In this casino, winning a million credits was a rare occasion.

Before he walked too far, Cecile called to him, "Wait Mr. Alex!"

Alex stopped, he then turned his body to look at her with a puzzled expression, 'I'm sorry Miss! It was fun to gamble, but a promise is a promise. I must stop gambling or Vira will really leave me.'

"Is there something wrong Miss?" But of course, he couldn't really say any of that aloud.

"You haven't taken your tokens," the dealer said in an amused tone.

"...."

***

"Come on man! There are several ways to gamble even if you can't enter the casino. You can bet online or play the stocks. It's a waste to let it go entirely. You can deceive others, but you won't be able to deceive yourself. Don't let your talent rot man!" Alex was on the train listening to a man's voice through a pair of earbuds.

Alex sighed and turned his view to the dark ocean outside the window. He could see some fish swimming in the polluted water. The nuclear war more than a century and a half ago still left radioactive pollution around the globe. 

People like Alex who hadn't lived through the war had never seen the many kinds of creatures that lived in the ocean back then. The third war killed most of them just like it killed the majority of the human population back then.

"Sorry, Frank. I can't do that. Although it was an arranged marriage, I've started to love her," Alex said.

"That's bullsh***! It's all about the government's subsidy for having a baby, right. Damn you, fertile people!" Frank sounded annoyed over the phone.

The effects of the nuclear war didn't stop at the destruction of the earth's environment, There were also billions of casualties, and a change to the climate. The survivors of the war also faced many health problems and a low birthrate because most of them became infertile. 

At that age, fertile citizens got special treatments from the government, starting with monthly subsidies and even including free housing. If the couple could birth babies, the government would give them additional subsidiaries and facilities. 

"Hahaha, sorry for saying this brother, but everything I have right now, I got from the government's subsidy. Moreover, getting a beautiful wife like Vira is a blessing. Although she is a little annoying, she is sweet. Every beauty has a fault man, and she isn't that bad," Alex said calmly.

*snort*

"Okay, kid. You win. Have a nice family life. Give my regards to her and George. Call me if you need anything," Frank said.

"Of course. See you brother!" Alex said.

"...," Alex waited for a few seconds for Frank to end the call, but as he didn't do it, Alex intended to do it. Before he could though, he heard Frank's voice again.

"By the way, do you know the virtual game with the title 'Desolate World'?" Frank asked in a serious tone.

"Mobile phone game? Grow up, man! That's for teens. You are thirty now," Alex said in a mocking tone.

"Did you misinterpret something there? It was the result of the Terra Project. I said 'virtual' right. It's not a fake virtual game that you have to wear goggles and stuff. It is a full immersion game that the military uses for training. It seems the AI is perfected now. Don't you watch the news?" Frank asked.

"Only old people like you watch TV in this day and age, but seriously? If what you said is true, it will be a revolution in the game industry. The stock market must be shaking now. Is it the reason you suggested me playing stock?" Alex asked.

"F**k, you moron! Don't you want to play a VR game? It's the first of its kind," Frank shouted over the phone.

"Calm down brother! I forgot that you are still in the army, so you must know about the gameplay. You used to kill each other in the VR world, so tell me, is it good?" Alex started to take an interest.

"It's super real. The VR world is very good. I don't know the specifics about the game, but I assure you, if it uses the same engine that the military uses, or a more advanced one, it will change everything. Buy a capsule soon! No! Buy two, one for your wife as well. You won't regret it."

***