I was drifting in the nameless void of consciousness, my mind like a forgotten soul abandoned in the deep shadows. Suddenly, a violent tug hooked into my chest and yanked me out of the nothingness.
(That damn feeling again...) - I cursed inwardly.
It was the sensation of a body being forced back into a cramped mold. Muscles that had been dissolving suddenly stiffened; blood began to surge through my veins, carrying the searing heat of returning life. I felt my fingertips twitch, then my arms, my legs... my senses slowly reconnected to the central brain like an ancient machine finally being oiled.
I risked opening my eyes. Instantly, a barrage of blinding white light crashed in, piercing through my retinas and sending a sharp sting through my head. I squinted, trying to take a deep breath to dispel the vertigo. As my vision blurred into focus, the first thing to greet me wasn't silence, but a chaotic, ear-splitting cacophony. Cheers, curses, the clattering of tiles, and a restless hum of whispers flooded my ears, making my head spin for a moment.
I blinked repeatedly to adapt. The space before me appeared lavish yet suffocating. High on the ceiling, brilliant spotlights swiveled, casting multi-colored beams across an atmosphere thick with cigarette smoke and expensive perfume. Shimmering disco balls seemed to dance, splashing restless spots of light onto the walls.
Scanning the distance, I saw men in neat black uniforms standing motionless with cold expressions and earpieces-the security detail of this place.
Realizing I was sprawled right in the middle of the grand hall, I - Zhao Tianxia - hastily pressed my hands against the plush red carpet, which felt soft yet strangely cold. I bolted up, trying to appear composed even as my heart hammered against my ribs.
Before me lay a labyrinth of gambling tables. Each was besieged by layers of people, faces either flushed red with excitement or pale with desperation. The rhythmic clack-clack of chips colliding sounded both melodic and predatory.
There was no doubt about it. This specific atmosphere of gambling, the scent of money and greed... I had dropped straight into the heart of a genuine casino.
Amidst the chaos, a lingering sense of confusion clouded my mind. But then, my gaze was locked onto a flamboyant neon electronic board, its lights flashing incessantly as if provoking me: CHALLENGE THE CASINO BOSS: WIN 3 ROUNDS - EARN 1 WISH. STEP UP!
Reading those words, a chill ran down my spine, and my newly recovered muscles began to protest with a dull ache. Even without a system notification, the intuition of someone who frequently gets "beaten down" told me: This was the key objective of this mission. A honeyed trap, or the only way out.
I hurriedly scanned the area, searching for a familiar figure. But my expectations were met only by faces drunk on the blood of gambling, and high-society figures in extravagant suits with their eyes glued to the numbers.
Where was Yashu? Was I meant to fight this mission alone?
A wave of disappointment and gloom washed over me. Without that quirky yet reliable girl, this glitzy casino suddenly felt exceptionally cold.
However, just as I let out a heavy sigh of frustration...
-"PEEK-A-BOO!!!"
A blast of cold air and a shrill sound erupted right by my ear. I flinched violently, nearly jumping out of my skin, my heart ready to leap out of my chest and hit the floor.
I spun around only to find Yashu standing there, her hands still raised in a scaring pose. Somehow, by some miracle, she had slipped past the dense crowd of guards to get behind me without making a single sound.
-"Haha, why so jumpy? I didn't think you were the type to get a heart attack," Yashu teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I could only click my tongue, scratching my head as I replied awkwardly:
-"Seriously... You show up like a ghost."
After Yashu's bout of hearty laughter, the atmosphere between us suddenly settled. We looked at each other and nodded in silent confirmation: It was time to face reality. We began to stroll around the vast casino, maintaining a calm facade like seasoned gamblers to scout the situation.
This place was truly a paradise of vice built upon a foundation of hell. Debauched revelers, faces numbed by hard liquor, slumped over the bar amidst a mess of scattered bottles. A bit further away, "big shots" in magnificent attire placed gargantuan bets with expressions so calm they were chilling. Occasionally, the din was torn apart by the scream of some poor soul who had just lost everything, trying in vain to flee before being intercepted by the towering security guards.
Yashu and I realized we weren't alone. Quite a few other figures were walking around with the same scrutinizing gaze as ours. They were the Players. Some radiated an aura of experience, quietly observing every loophole; others were entering the "Devil's Gate" for the first time, their faces ashen, limbs trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a guttural scream erupted from a distant Roulette table. A player had just lost a bet, and the price to pay wasn't money. Before the eyes of the wildly cheering crowd, the dealer's cold, sharp blade swung down, claiming a finger from the unfortunate loser.
Blood stained the green tabletop red, but the game continued as if nothing had happened. That cry of agony was quickly drowned out by the thumping music and the ecstatic roars of the winners. It all blended into a bizarre sound-a symphony of hell echoing through the hall.
-"This mission is going to be tough..." Yashu whispered, her voice stripped of its earlier playfulness. "The Devil's Gate hid the Casino Boss's identity too well. Among this mix of gold and dross, who is the one we need to find?"
I listened to her, my mind swirling with countless thoughts about the people around us. Anyone here could be the target the mission mentioned.
While my mind was occupied with speculations about the true identity of the mastermind, the entire lighting system in the hall suddenly died. The space fell into a dark, suffocating silence for a few brief seconds.
Click!
The stage lights snapped back on simultaneously, but this time they weren't swiveling chaotically. Instead, they converged into a singular, blinding beam toward the front of the grand hall. There, an ornate, gold-carved door that had been tightly shut began to slowly creak open.
Amidst a haze of artificial fog and colorful lights, a man began to emerge. He had a stout build with a massive beer belly protruding beneath a layer of glossy silk. Every step he took oozed the scent of money and corrupt power. Around his neck were thick, heavy gold chains; his pudgy hands were covered in diamond rings that glittered under the lights, casting blinding reflections.
He walked out slowly, his fleshy face wearing a look of sheer satisfaction as he basked in the silence and the mixture of terror and awe from the surrounding crowd. That aura of his... it was truly arrogant.