"Hahaha, is this guy out of his mind?" the thug's underlings sneered.

"You talk like you can definitely win. You think you're so important that even the heavens have to give you face?"

"Yeah, yeah, anyone can talk big. If you're so capable, why don't you go inside to play, instead of showing off outside like a big shot?"

Even though the thug was wary of Angelina behind Xu Xiaoyou, hearing the girl's words, he couldn't help but consider the guy in front of him a lunatic.

To make such a promise, knowing the machine and even the building had issues, and talking about collateralizing one's heart, unless this guy had lost his mind over losing money, he couldn't think of any other possibility.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. He noticed that Xu Xiaoyou somehow had a wristwatch in her hand, which she was examining with interest.

"Don't believe me? Just turn left as you exit," Xu Xiaoyou repeated.

The thug's eyes widened.

When?

He had just snatched that wristwatch from someone else's table, so how did it end up in this guy's hand?

He remembered!

It was when the other person slapped him earlier and happened to take it from his pocket.

He hadn't noticed at all.

He never believed in technique, only in luck. He had always scoffed at the tales of top gamblers, but what happened just now was making him rethink their authenticity.

Was presenting the wristwatch not to provoke him, but to prove her ability?

If Xu Xiaoyou knew the thug's thoughts right now, she'd probably laugh out loud.

She didn't need to prove her skills to anyone; if the wristwatch was in her hands, it was hers.

"Think it over."

"Why bother with this lunatic. Let's go, boss."

"Yeah, right. Boss, you don't really believe this guy, do you?"

"I..." The thug made a decision that stunned everyone present, "I'll bet with you!"

"Bet with me?" Xu Xiaoyou raised an eyebrow. "On what?"

"If the result is as you say, we'll just take the principal. But if you lose, you'll bear the entire debt yourself."

Xu Xiaoyou was somewhat surprised that a thug would have such an idea.

Seeing the greedy and shortsighted look on his face, she chuckled and happily agreed.

"Boss... you..."

"I just want to see how you do it."

"Trying to swindle me and learn my tricks, huh?"

"Alright, learning my tricks will cost you, though. This wristwatch will be your tuition."

"Don't worry, you won't be at a disadvantage."

Xu Xiaoyou clapped her hands and gave the thug an approving glance.

"What's your name?"

"Chen Chou."

"Chou has no meaning," Xu Xiaoyou blurted out.

She hesitated, feeling that the scene seemed familiar, and as she looked more closely at the thug's face, he seemed familiar.

In a daze, it was as if she had returned to that underground church, where a bloodied figure with broken glasses overlapped with the thug before her.

"Chen Wuming."

"Chen San..."

Xu Xiaoyou lowered her gaze and shook her head.

Chen Chou reached out to his four underlings; despite their reluctance, they signed the agreement anyway. Verbal guarantees held no effect, so the agreement automatically transitioned to Tang Xin's account.

Currently, among the five people in Light Chasing Garden, three were blacklisted. Su Sui was a high-level member of the Guild, but ultimately a stand-in. Xu Xiaoyou couldn't bring herself to ask, and at a critical moment, she could only have her dearest Little Blue Bird sign the agreement.

Though she hadn't discussed it with Little Blue Bird, Xu Xiaoyou believed the other party wouldn't agree after hearing it.

Since she wouldn't agree, there was no reason to discuss further.

Xu Xiaoyou thought contentedly.

Looking at the account that had an additional 40,000¥, Xu Xiaoyou spoke:

"This machine also has issues. There's a magnet installed at the third level's opening, so your marble got pushed away when it approached."

"Then what's the point of playing here? This damn casino never intended for people to win!"

Chen Chou's underlings raised a racket until security shot them a look, causing them to quiet down sheepishly.

"It's impossible to win," Xu Xiaoyou said.

With that, she picked up a 10G marble and placed it in the pachinko machine.

"Why play if it's impossible?" One of the thugs was annoyed. "Are you treating us like fools?"

He wanted to say more, but before Angelina could act, Chen Chou stopped him with a look.

"Impossible to win is different from not being able to win. Whether the dealer wants you to win or whether you can win are two separate matters."

Xu Xiaoyou spoke calmly.

A deduction of 1000¥ appeared on the account. The marble traveled through the ducts to the spring compartment, where Xu Xiaoyou placed her hand on the remote lever of the pachinko machine and slowly pushed it back.

Under the gaze of the thugs, the marble passed smoothly through the first two levels, reached the third, rolled away from the opening, and lodged into the solid hole in the top left corner.

"What's she aiming for?"

"No idea."

"When the dealer has the advantage, you need to find the rule that works in your favor to fight back."

Xu Xiaoyou said, immediately inserting the second 10G marble, another 1000¥ was deducted.

The marble again went through the first two levels, this time lodging into a solid hole in the lower left corner.

"When no rules favor you, you need to find a way."

"Create a rule that favors you."

The third 10G marble was inserted into the pachinko machine.

In just a few seconds, Xu Xiaoyou spent 3000¥ at this pachinko machine, drawing the attention of many passersby.

"Come quick, see. Is she playing the pachinko machine with a zero win rate?"

"It looks like it. Ever since it's been here, no gambler has won the jackpot. The pool keeps growing. Has it reached 300,000 already?"

For wealthy gamblers frequenting the casino, 300,000¥ isn't worth wasting energy, less than a fraction of a major bet. But the key is that the pachinko machine placed in the corner is positioned like roaming equipment in bars, or a fruit platter in KTV rooms.

It's usually only gamblers who are bored, or street thugs like Chen Chou who think about coming here to gamble, hoping for a stroke of luck, and maybe win big to enjoy a good month.

Normally, with any pachinko machine, betting a ten or twenty thousand might hold one's luck even when it's bad. Occasionally, someone comes to try a few times, hoping to catch a break, but this specific pachinko machine, placed in this casino since that month, has never had anyone win the jackpot, which pooled from the initial thousands to tens of thousands.

As the jackpot grew, the pachinko machine's reputation increased, and more people tried their luck. Within days, the jackpot rose to an outstanding 300,000.

Old gamblers were well aware of the casino's tactics, called the pachinko machine 'ticket.' They said only fools would play, disbelieving it could be considered a lesson—buy a 'ticket' to understand the danger within a casino and weigh one's worth before entering.

They knew well, if they didn't have enough for the 'ticket' jackpot, they naturally weren't qualified to sit at a table and gamble alongside them.