Hell's Kitchen housed many shady establishments, but none were as large or as profitable as the Maggia's core club. Even in the dead of night, the building glowed like a beacon—alive with noise, music, and the scent of money changing hands. More than a dozen armed thugs guarded the entrance, their weapons visible beneath their jackets.
As Daniel approached, two guards stepped forward.
"Routine check."
"Go ahead."
Daniel raised his arms casually. With all his gear stored safely in his Game Inventory, he naturally had nothing on him.After the metal detector scan came up clean, the guard nodded. "You're good. Go in."
Daniel entered, instantly enveloped by deafening music and chaotic chatter. The interior was massive, divided into various entertainment zones. Without hesitation, he headed for the brightest and most crowded area—the casino.
The gambling hall was packed with people. Behind each table stood a seductive croupier, dealing cards with practiced smiles and dangerously low necklines. Most gamblers didn't even know whether they were staring at the cards… or the cleavage.
Daniel found an empty seat. The croupier instantly leaned forward with a professional smile.
"Sir, what game would you like to play?"
"Fight the Landlord."
"…"
The croupier froze. "I'm sorry, sir. We don't have that game."
"Big Two?"
"No."
"Tractor?"
"No!"
Her smile twitched violently. She looked seconds away from developing a full-blown stress disorder.
Daniel clicked his tongue. "How boring. Fine—Big or Small."
"Very well, sir."
Relieved to finally hear a normal request, she lifted the dice cup and began shaking it rapidly. Daniel widened his eyes, closely following the motion of the dice cup… not anything else. Definitely not.
After a few seconds, she placed the cup down.
"How much would you like to bet?"
"All-in. Big."
Daniel tossed a single chip forward.
The croupier stared.One chip. All-in.
Still, a bet was a bet. She lifted the cup—five, five, and six. Sixteen. Big.Expression unchanged, she pushed two chips toward him. "Congratulations, sir."
Daniel kept playing.
Ten minutes later…
Daniel hummed cheerfully while sipping cappuccino. A small mountain of chips—worth hundreds of thousands—sat before him.The croupier was pale, trembling, and drenched in cold sweat.
Fifty consecutive wins.This was no lucky streak. This was a nightmare.
"S-Sir… are you still continuing?"
"Of course."
She swallowed, took a deep breath, and began shaking the dice cup with desperate intensity. She even lowered her neckline further, hoping to distract him. The shaking continued for a grueling five minutes.
Daniel's eyes felt strained.Finally, she stopped.
"All-in. Triple."
Daniel swept every chip forward without hesitation.
Her hands trembled as she lifted the cup.
Six. Six. Six.
Triple.
His chips multiplied several dozen times in an instant.
The croupier's face went blank. She quietly took out her phone… and began choosing a coffin style. Losing more than ten million dollars—she would be lucky if the Maggia fed her to dogs instead of something worse.
At that moment, a burly man in a black suit strode up, glaring at Daniel.
"Sir, please come with me."
Daniel raised his voice deliberately. "What? You guys planning to cheat me because I won?"
The man stiffened. The crowd was already watching. Even a criminal organization needed to maintain appearances.
Forcing his anger down, he whispered, "You misunderstand. The stakes here are too low for your… level. How about moving to the VIP room?"
Basically, come alone so we can deal with you.
Daniel waved dismissively. "No need. But hey, if you pay me one hundred million dollars right now, I'll stop playing immediately."
The man nearly choked. "Why don't you just rob us?!"
Daniel blinked innocently. "How did you know I was going to?"
"What—?"
Before he could react, Daniel whipped out an overly flashy Golden Desert Eagle.
"Hands up! This is a stick-up!"
Meanwhile, in a private room…
Hammerhead—his enormous skull unmistakable—was sprawled lazily on a sofa, kneading two croupiers like stress balls.
Across from him sat a man in black-rimmed glasses.
"Hammerhead, have you considered my proposal?" he asked.
Hammerhead didn't even look up. "Tell Kingpin to come here himself."
"Mr. Kingpin is occupied, but he fully authorized—"
"Then I refuse."
Wesley frowned subtly.
Hammerhead continued with arrogance, "I heard about that 'Demon Gang' messing up your operations. With our cooperation, the Kingpin—"
"We'll handle it ourselves!" Hammerhead interrupted. "That damn Demon Gang—I'll crush them personally!"
"Their leader seems quite formidable. You might—"
"So what?"
Hammerhead slammed his massive head on the table with a thunderous thud."Bullets can't even pierce me. Some amateur gang thinks they can challenge the Maggia? Don't make me laugh!"
"In Hell's Kitchen, no one dares provoke us.""No one can afford to provoke us.""No one—"
BANG!
The door burst open.
A panicked thug stumbled inside.
"Boss! Bad news! S-someone's robbing us outside!"
Hammerhead: "???"