"This thing of yours isn't working either."
Liu Zheng looked at the chips in front of him and said.
Half an hour had passed, and he had only earned 500 yuan.
To put it harshly, what was that enough for?
"It's clearly because you're too unlucky, even the Joker Card couldn't save you."
Niu Ma stubbornly retorted.
"This won't do."
He shook his head and then stood up.
"What are you going to do?"
Niu Ma hurriedly asked.
"Change the way I gamble."
Liu Zheng looked around and walked towards a gambling table.
"Do you even know how to play?"
Niu Ma questioned.
"Texas Poker, I've played it plenty."
He confidently said, then sat down in an empty seat, right across from the croupier.
The croupier lifted his head to glance at him, a gleam of greed flashing through his yellow vertical pupils, as a trickle of drool ran from the corner of his mouth, covered in scales.
"Can I complain about it?"
Liu Zheng pointed at the croupier and said.
"May I know what the guest wants to complain about?"
The croupier spoke.
His voice carried a hissing noise.
"You're drooling at me, I consider that sexual harassment."
He spoke righteously.
"The guest has misunderstood."
The croupier laughed without humor.
"I have no interest in mating with a human; I just want to eat your flesh."
It explained.
"Hahaha."
The other gamblers let out bursts of laughter, some mocking and some with ill intent.
"I don't care what you think, I care what I think."
Liu Zheng waved his hand, disregarding the laughter.
"I can complain about it, right?"
He asked Niu Ma again.
"Well, you can."
Niu Ma scratched his head.
"Alright then, you, go call your leader over here."
Liu Zheng shouted at a passing waiter.
"Me?"
Jellyfish Head pointed at himself and asked.
"Yes, you, hurry up, or I'll complain about you too."
Liu Zheng seriously said.
"There's no need for that, guest. Don't forget, you'll have to leave at some point."
The croupier wore a cold smile on his face.
"Who the hell you threatening?"
Before Liu Zheng could speak, Niu Ma exploded.
"Come on, step outside with me now and let's have it out. Whoever doesn't dare is a mommy's boy."
It stood up, its expanding shadow enveloping the croupier completely.
Niu Ma might submit to Oynk's beatings, but that didn't mean it would take them from just anyone.
"I apologize, I was too loud. How would you like to resolve this?"
The croupier's face flashed with anger before he spoke again.
"You tell me."
Niu Ma tilted his chin up towards Liu Zheng.
"Get us a couple of drinks, then change the dealer."
He said.
"Alright. I wish you two luck in your gambling."
The croupier said stiffly as he left the table.
At some point, the other gamblers' laughter had also stopped.
A minute later, two glasses of whiskey were brought over by the waiter.
The new croupier was in place, a female Succubus.
Man, was she a looker!
Okay, Liu Zheng didn't bother to look at her face.
"Handsome, it's my first day at work, please don't complain about me."
The Succubus croupier fluttered her eyes at him.
"That will depend on how you deal the cards."
Liu Zheng said coldly.
"Is this way of dealing the cards no good?"
The Succubus croupier tucked a card between her two cleavage revealing hemispheres and then bent down.
"You're sexually harassing me. I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."
He reached in and plucked the card out.
"Thank you then, handsome."
The Succubus giggled, a peculiar light sparkling in her eyes.
Not just anyone could touch her chest, and yet this human hadn't fallen for her charms.
"Deal the cards."
Liu Zheng urged.
His time was running short.
"Okay, handsome."
The Succubus broke open a new deck and then dealt everyone two hole cards in turn.
Liu Zheng flipped over his own hole cards to see, it was a pair of "9s."
One club, one diamond.
How to put it? Not good, not bad.
Compared to a pair of Aces, a pair of Kings, or even suited AK, KQ, these big hands, it was worse, yet still better than a random or small pair.
He glanced around at the other gamblers, then frowned.
Playing Texas Poker, reading your opponents' expressions is a very important skill.
But now this skill was hard to use, after all, some gamblers didn't even have faces.
"Niu Ma, smash my face in."
Liu Zheng suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Niu Ma was baffled.
"Hurry up, don't you want to win money?"
"Since when do you get to order me around?"
Niu Ma grumbled, then kicked him in the face.
It controlled the strength well, just ruining Liu Zheng's face without damaging his eyes or brain.
Bloody snot oozed from his destroyed nostrils as Liu Zheng tossed out a white chip.
"Raise!"
"Raising so much right off the bat?"
Niu Ma was bluffed, almost reaching out its hoof to pull back its chips.
"It's not big with a pair of Aces? No way I'm laying down."
Liu Zheng was unapologetic.
"Are you fucking asking for it?"
Niu Ma's eyes bulged with anger.
"And you're full of shit with your 'pair of Aces.' You clearly have a pair of nines."
???
The eyes of both the croupier and the rest of the gamblers converged on them.
What are these two up to, performing a comedy skit or gambling?
Do they even know how to play?
"I fold."
The dog-headed person sitting next to Liu Zheng thought for a moment, then tossed his cards away.
"I fold."
"I fold."
"I fold."
Out of six players, four chose to fold.
The remaining Eel Head glanced again at his hole cards and sneered at Liu Zheng.
"Do we know each other?"
He squinted as he said it.
Eel Head didn't speak, just sneered.
"I remember now, almost didn't recognize you without your clothes on."
Liu Zheng pretended to recall.
The first time he delivered, this guy had bitten a chunk out of him.
Today, without its security uniform, the long eel head protruded directly from its torso, swaying like a decorative flower arrangement.
"Your flesh, it tasted good."
Finally, Eel Head spoke slowly, with a mocking tone.
"Thanks, you don't look half bad yourself. I'll win your underwear next and then gobble up your dead eel head in one bite."
Liu Zheng said seriously.
"Deal the cards."
He tossed a yellow chip to the Succubus Croupier.
"You're very generous, boss."
The Succubus Croupier stuffed the chip into her neckline, giving Liu Zheng a saccharine smile.
After the initial bet, it was time to deal the three community cards.
A heart Ace, a club five, and a heart King.
"Handsome, it's your call."
The Succubus Croupier said.
"With three Aces, what's there to talk about? I raise."
Liu Zheng threw out the remaining five white chips.
"I have, one Ace, I don't buy it."
Eel Head stared at him for a long while, then drawled out.
"If you don't believe it, then call."
Liu Zheng leaned back, wrapping a tentacle around a whiskey and brought it to his mouth.
"Enough already, he has a pair of Aces, you have a pair of nines, what's the point in calling?"
Niu Ma advised.
"If you mess up my act again, I'm going all in."
Liu Zheng glared at it.
"You wouldn't dare!"
Niu Ma leapt to its feet.
"It has a..."
It opened its mouth to shout.
"Alright, alright, three Aces it is,"
Niu Ma quickly covered its mouth.
"Ptooey, ptooey."
Liu Zheng spat furiously.
That bastard's hoof reeked like a corpse.
"Hurry up, I've waited so long the flowers have wilted."
He rinsed his mouth with the whiskey, urging on.
"I fold."
Eel Head pinched his cards and finally gave up.
"Tsk, you got away fast. Ladies and gentlemen, observe, three Aces!"
Liu Zheng flipped up his hole cards, slamming them hard on the table.
A pair of nines lay together, like two entities in harmonious coexistence.
"Oops, my bad. Not really. Sorry about that."
He gathered the chips to himself with a smile, utterly ignoring the murderous glances from the other gamblers.