The familiar casino. Seeing those familiar gambling tools, Barak seemed to be transported back to the past. His face turned pale. Gamblers were sprawled across the tables, shouting loudly. His hands, hidden in the pockets of his windbreaker, trembled. Returning to this place again, he felt only endless anger and hatred in his heart. Benfica showed concern beside him. "Barak, are you feeling unwell?" Barak didn't reply. He found a seat in the lounge area and sat down. Immediately, someone brought over two glasses of wine. Benfica glanced at the gamblers around. "Dear Barak, I know you have painful memories here. Since you've decided you don't want to continue gambling, let's leave. It might make you feel better."
"Benfica, I didn't say I don't want to continue gambling. I just want to play a game with a specific person." Barak rubbed his finger along the rim of the wine glass and surveyed the room. Benfica secretly felt pleased, thinking that soon Barak would fulfill his wish. Poor Barak, he still couldn't escape his fate after all. But he said persuasively, "Barak, one shouldn't stumble twice on the same stone. I once led you into the abyss. I can't let you fall again. If you want to play big, I have to take you away from here."
"My friend, thank you for your kindness. If I have the chance to gamble with Zahavi Alkmarr again, I'm confident I can win." Barak displayed the gambler's fluke-like mentality, as if he had reverted to being a greedy gambler again. But in his heart, he scoffed. "I will make you devils pay the price."
Soon, the casino became noisy as the gamblers' attention shifted from the tables to the entrance. There stood Zahavi Alkmarr. He was dressed in a striped suit, paired with a tie, a black top hat, and a sexy mustache, leaning on a gold cane topped with a dazzling ruby. His high cheekbones gave his face a striking three-dimensional quality. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and was flanked by several bodyguards.
Zahavi waved to the gamblers. "Gentlemen, I hope I haven't interrupted your enthusiasm. Please continue." Benfica, sitting in the lounge area, wore a strange smile as he observed Barak's reaction. This was the moment Barak should reveal something.
Barak stood up, adjusted his hat and clothes, and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Mr. Zahavi, it's been a long time since we last met. What a great day!" Zahavi had already spotted Barak but feigned ignorance to avoid giving himself away. He needed to create the appearance of a chance encounter to avoid raising Barak's suspicions. Hearing the voice, Zahavi stopped, his shiny brown leather boots reflecting the light. He turned to look at the familiar face, the scars on it reminders of the damage his men had inflicted.
"Sir, do we know each other?" Zahavi pretended to be clueless.
"I think I should introduce myself. Barak, a former small-scale farmer." The flesh on Barak's face twitched slightly as he approached Zahavi. The bodyguards blocked his way, so he stopped and spread his hands. "I'm your old friend."
"My God, it's Barak! I almost didn't recognize you." Zahavi pushed aside the bodyguards and approached Barak, feigning great interest. "I've heard about you. You've managed to stand up again. Congratulations."
"Mr. Zahavi, since you already know I've made a comeback, I don't think I need to say more. We are both here. What a great opportunity. I can't wait to try my luck." Barak made his intentions clear, aggressive and resolute, clearly coming to reclaim what he had lost.
Zahavi observed this revitalized small-scale capitalist, recognizing the naivety etched on his face. "As an old friend, I can grant your request." Benfica, however, stopped Barak. "Barak, as a friend, I beg you not to get trapped again. I apologize for my suggestion that day. I only wanted you to have a little fun and relax. If this is why you came back here, I take back my words. Let's leave."
"If you are my friend, you should support me instead of trying to dissuade me." Barak brimmed with confidence. He pushed Benfica aside and walked into the casino box. Benfica subtly nodded at Zahavi, a gesture hardly noticed by others. His task was complete; now he just needed to collect his reward from Varen.
Donning had already entered the casino. Pretending not to recognize Barak, he flirted with the girl at the counter while witnessing the unfolding drama. The girl, too, was captivated by what had just occurred. "Look, Barak, who once stumbled here, is back. What a pitiful man," she remarked with a hint of regret.
"Really? I think it's quite brave of him to fight for himself and win back what he once had," Donning replied, twirling his wine glass, expressing admiration for Barak. The girl laughed somewhat mockingly. "I almost forgot you're also a gambler—a gambler who intends to avenge his friend, just like Mr. Barak avenging himself. Is this how you gamblers think? So different from ordinary people. I've seen many gamblers come in full of ambition but leave without even a shirt. Maybe that will be your fate."
This girl cautioned Donning. "Sir, listen to me. Use your money to buy rings for those enamored girls who admire your handsome face and put them on their fingers. It's more meaningful. Leave here. My intuition tells me you're not just a pleasure-seeking playboy. I've met a lot of men; my judgment is usually correct."
Since the day Donning had left her mercilessly in bed without so much as a gesture, she had seen through him. Donning's expression froze as he pondered what he had done to let her notice something. Perhaps he should have made a move that day.
"Miss, with your friendly reminder, may I know your name?" he asked.
"Taylor Swift." The girl wiped the wine glass expressionlessly.
"Well, Miss Taylor, this time your judgment is wrong." Donning finished the last sip of his wine and walked towards the box. "What a stubborn person," Taylor thought, losing interest in stopping him. As a girl earning a living here, she relied on her hard work. Sleeping with guests was merely a side job, and only those she liked qualified. She didn't have much in common with the casino, so she didn't mind reminding gamblers who had gone astray to find their senses, but none of them ever seemed willing to listen.
A commotion erupted at the entrance of the box. The casino owner, Varen, was introducing the rules of the gambling game to Zahavi and Barak. As a nominal third party, he had to ensure that Barak felt the casino wouldn't favor either side.
"Sorry, I'll go check on things. Make sure they're quiet," Varen said. He stepped outside and saw a young man attempting to enter the box, stopped by the bodyguards. "If you want to cause trouble, I'll send you to the police station for a good talk," Varen threatened.
Donning spread his hands, feigning excitement. "I want to seek justice for my friend. I have money. I want to participate in this gambling and challenge Zahavi."
"Get him out and hand him over to the police," Varen ordered before turning back inside.
"What's going on?" Barak and Zahavi asked in unison.
"Just a troublemaker. I hope it hasn't affected you two. Sorry about that," Varen said, picking up the playing cards to start the gambling game.
"I think I heard your conversation just now. Someone wants to challenge Mr. Zahavi and seek justice for his friend. It seems one of his friends must have experienced the same misfortune as me," Barak remarked, casting a sympathetic look at Zahavi. "For the sake of an old friend, I think you'll grant this request."
Zahavi, not wanting the main event to be disturbed, decided that adding a bystander wouldn't significantly impact the game. "Well, for Mr. Barak's sake, let him in." Donning was brought in and pushed onto a chair.
Varen then introduced the two big players in the gambling game. "You need to prove that you have enough money."
Donning pulled out a banknote from the national bank and placed it on the table. "I've been preparing for this for a long time." It was a banknote of 200,000 Caesars. Varen wouldn't turn down an opportunity to make money. Since this fool had money, he could stay.
"Better be honest. Don't play tricks, or you might end up regretting it," Varen warned. With a new player in the mix, the rules needed to be announced again.
"What's your friend's name?" Zahavi asked while they waited.
"Vitus. You should remember his name. You took everything from him," Donning replied, his eyes blazing with intensity as if ready to devour Zahavi.
"Is there such a gentleman?" Zahavi feigned disinterest. There were countless small capitalists who had fallen into his hands; he couldn't remember them all. As for Barak, he would only recall him because Varen had reminded him last night; otherwise, he wouldn't have remembered the farmer at all.
Today's gambling game, Donning was quite confident Barak wouldn't lose. He needed to provide some initial success to completely dispel Barak's concerns and makehim fall into it again and be unable to extricate himself.
When the first deck of cards was dealt, Donning's body began to heat up slowly. He could feel the intervention of supernatural power, but it wasn't a person, but a magic item. His eyes swept over the cane. The ruby on the top of the cane began to emit a faint light. It was a magic stone.
Just as he had guessed, Zahavi let supernatural power intervene in the gambling game so that he could be invincible in the casino. But today, using supernatural power was to keep Barak winning.
When the first round ended, Barak won. Donning confirmed his guess. He felt relieved. At least today it seemed that Barak would have a good harvest.
Of course, Barak remembered yesterday's advice. "Place a huge bet and make Zahavi bleed."