Wu Chang seized the opportunity and said, "My Brother Jinton, playing cards without stakes is boring. Shall we bet on something?"
Jinton's eyes darted around, landing on the Potato Wu Chang had tucked in his pocket. He licked his lips and said with a smile:
"We don't need to play big at first. How about we bet on the Breakfast in your pocket? If I lose, your Breakfast tomorrow is mine."
Wu Chang immediately agreed: "No problem."
Jinton became interested, his fat hands, like bear paws, displayed a dexterity that belied their appearance.
The playing cards flew between his hands, and during the rapid shuffling, the patterns on the back of the cards resembled a rapidly changing kaleidoscope, dazzling the onlookers.
"Twenty-one, Baccarat, Sheep Head Card, Noble style, City style, or Country style—how do you want to play?"
Wu Chang didn't understand the games Jinton mentioned. After a brief hesitation, he said, "Keep it simple, let's just compare the size."
Jinton's expression became strange. Had he not explained clearly? His nickname was "Lucky Jinton."
"As you wish."
Jinton confirmed the rules with Wu Chang, while Wu Chang adopted the demeanor of a gambler, nodding perfunctorily, and urged the game to begin.
All he needed was for the gamble to start; winning or losing was unimportant.
While Jinton was confirming the rules and shuffling/dealing the cards, Wu Chang kept watching the Big Red Grudge behind Jinton.
The more than twenty Grudges Jinton carried all originated from Players.
Such a glorious record would classify him as at least an Elite Monster, a Newcomer Killer. For example, the Big Tree Guard that deterred countless people, or the Big Cat Vanguard that tired of Monkey Heads.
Among the many Grudges, the two most common ways Players died were: first, losing everything at the gambling table, then being sought out by Jinton in the Deep Night and dragged out of the room like a chick.
When collecting debts, Jinton would enter a Special state, making him almost impossible for Players to resist. Once dragged out of the room, they would instantly die due to some inexplicable Strength.
This confirmed that Jinton possessed the Ability to act at night.
The second way to die was by noticing Jinton's Special nature and attempting to defeat him head-on using the Player's high Stats.
However, Jinton only appeared in the Activity room during the day. If an attack was launched against him there, Jinton would Dodge while calling for help.
At that point, four or five Nurses carrying Cleavers would appear, making the troublemaking Player understand what true Stats were.
Anyone who has played an RPG knows that even if the character you control is invincible and the King has to beg you for favors, the Gate Guard in the city can still send you back to the respawn point in two strikes.
The Big Red Grudge that Wu Chang cared about had a death method for its Master of Resentment that was different from the above two—it was quite innovative.
He died directly from gambling at the table.
The owner of the Big Red Grudge was a pure Gambler; even the dragon tattoo across his shoulder was entirely composed of straight flushes. His Skills and Items were also biased toward the gambling domain.
His superb gambling technique allowed him to see that Jinton was cheating from the very first glance.
The cards had special Inspiration markings on them, visible with just a few minor tricks.
So, he played along, controlling the game all the way, luring Jinton to keep raising the stakes.
Until the end, he pretended to have lost everything in a frenzy, pulling out a Contract to bet his life against Jinton.
If successful, he could directly control Jinton, a key NPC.
Unfortunately, nine out of ten gambles involve deceit. Jinton also held back a card and used sleight of hand beyond the Gambler's comprehension, causing the Gambler to lose a sure-win game.
Under the effect of the Contract, the Gambler was instantly eliminated, dying right there at the table.
As a veteran Gambler, the Master of Resentment's Bloody Last Words were also very distinctive.
【 Defeat Jinton at the gambling table, or expose Jinton's cheating.】
He died in the Instance, yet his greatest Obsession in life was related to gambling. I don't know whether to praise his pure passion or say he didn't die unjustly.
Wu Chang, being an "unlucky person" who always needed the maximum pity pull to get a drop, was very confident in his luck. He handled the cards for checking and flipping without any delay, easily losing his Breakfast in just one minute.
The reason he lasted a minute was that Jinton spent fifty seconds shuffling the cards just to show off his technique.
Victory came so easily that even Jinton, accustomed to winning, was somewhat stunned. He looked at Wu Chang across the table, hesitating to speak.
Could this kid opposite him not have Delusion Syndrome, but actually be an Idiot?
Jinton gathered the cards on the table, feeling the urge to retreat.
Mom always said not to play with an Idiot.
"Brother Sean, if you can't put up more stakes, this round ends here today."
"Wait, don't rush." Wu Chang placed his hand on the playing cards on the table, then turned and whispered something to the patrolling Nurse.
Two minutes later, Julie hurried into the Activity room. Facing the fully functional and lively Wu Chang, and then looking at Jinton across from him, her cold expression wavered, revealing an Emotion called dissatisfaction.
"What is it?"
Wu Chang, like a misbehaving child whose parent has arrived, quickly stood up, hid behind Julie, and then shouted with a volume that filled the entire Activity room:
"He cheated!"
In an instant, the entire Activity room fell silent, and everyone's Gaze turned toward Jinton.
The entire Sanatorium, including the medical staff, had lost something to Jinton to some degree.
If it was just luck, everyone could afford to lose, but if Jinton won by cheating, he was in trouble.
The Moonlight Sanatorium was in a small town in the countryside, where the local customs were simple. They wouldn't make a big fuss over small matters like cheating at cards; they would just chop off hands and feet.
Jinton's expression stiffened, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Brother Sean, a bet is a bet. You can't just slander someone's reputation."
Wu Chang leaned forward slightly, completely shrinking behind Julie, and confirmed again: "You cheated just now."
Jinton's Gaze became serious, and Anger surfaced on his fat, Buddha-like face.
More than being accused of cheating by Wu Chang, he was more enraged by Wu Chang's questioning of his gambling skill.
Against a rookie like Wu Chang, he could win with his eyes closed. Why would he need to cheat?
"I didn't! Everyone in the Sanatorium has checked my cards; there's absolutely no problem with them."
Wu Chang pointed at the playing cards on the table and said loudly, "Your cards have markings. You can only see the content of the markings if you take three Special medicines at the same time."
Taking a full day's dosage at once—in any other place, proving Wu Chang's accusation would take some effort, but this was the Moonlight Sanatorium, and no one staying here was normal.
As soon as this was said, the fellow patients in the Activity room showed no hesitation. They stuffed medicine into their mouths while crowding toward the gambling table.
Faced with the zombie-like surge of patients, the Anger on Jinton's face froze. He frantically gathered the playing cards, not daring to let others see them.
He looked at Wu Chang, who was hiding behind Julie, his gaze filled with Anger and grievance.
He who spent all day hunting geese had his eyes pecked out by a goose.
He hadn't expected this newcomer to be playing dumb, when in reality, he saw through his cheating technique at a glance and then shamelessly exposed it in public.
Amidst his Anger, he also felt incredibly wronged by Wu Chang's actions.
If he had been caught cheating, he would have accepted it, but he genuinely hadn't cheated this time. The feeling of being falsely accused was too damn awful.
He couldn't bother settling accounts with Wu Chang and turned to explain himself to the hostile patients.
"The markings on the back of the cards weren't made by me. A friend of mine used my cards to demonstrate how to cheat. After watching, I realized cheating wasn't what I needed, so I refused that friend and sealed this deck away. It's just that I was in a hurry leaving my room today and grabbed the wrong deck, which caused Brother Sean's misunderstanding."
Jinton declared righteously, "I, Jinton, did not cheat!"
Even the patients of the Moonlight Sanatorium didn't believe such a perfunctory excuse. The atmosphere between the two sides heated up, and they quickly started fighting amongst themselves.
The medical staff responsible for maintaining Order collectively turned their backs, refusing to look at the Chaos inside the Activity room.
As Wu Chang watched the Big Red Grudge on Jinton dissipate, his Attribute Panel and Portable Space changed.
The reward for completing the Bloody Last Words had arrived.
Although Wu Chang still wanted to mock Jinton a bit, this wasn't the time. The fish had taken the bait; it was time for his next move.
He poked his head out from behind Julie and said with a look of regret:
"Brother Jinton, from my personal perspective, I am very willing to believe in your character. How about this: let's find time to play another round later. If you win, I will believe I misunderstood and that you weren't cheating just now."
Jinton's face lit up. Ignoring the fists raining down on his face, he shouted, "Now?"
Wu Chang displayed a cordial smile. "No, I want to play your favorite private game. You know the time and place."