At 2:10 a.m., a mahjong game, which can be called the pinnacle of the entire "highest game", kicked off.

For Ryunosuke and Eric, if they can defeat each other in this "grudge game", not only will they have a great chance of becoming the ultimate winner of tonight's party, but they will also have a certain psychological impact on more duels that may occur between the two in the future - as long as they can take the lead here and come out on top in other occasions in the outside world in the future, the winning side will naturally have a psychological advantage.

And for Sakaki and Hopkins, this is a fight to the death with no way out.

Because they are gamblers.

There is no first, there is no second betting; The contest between gamblers will be divided, the winner will be the king, and the loser will be the minister.

"Invincible", "Undefeated", "King of Gambling", "Legend", ...... The more people are given these titles, the less room there is to lose; Those who fall from the altar into the abyss will fall worse than those who fall from the flat.

In the world of gambling, your goal is always to be the strongest, and as long as there is someone who is better than you and can beat you, then you may have nothing at any time.

…………

In the first game of the East, the game unfolded in a dignified atmosphere.

Since all the automatic mahjong tables used in this cabin are used, the "Feiyan Cut" that Sakaki has in his hand can not be used.

And techniques like "left-handed skill to change cards" and "transfer flowers" and other skills, although Sakaki will also, but there is no doubt about it...... Hopkins would, too.

Gamblers of their caliber would not use these techniques on such occasions; Because they all know very well that as long as they use this kind of thousand techniques, the other party will definitely expose them immediately. Even if you are so fast that you can't be caught red-handed, the other party can prove that you are out of thousands by "telling your methods in detail, and then asking the person in charge of supervision to access the surveillance video to verify".

This is also one of the rules of the "expert", in a place where there is monitoring, the tricks used are "seen through", that is, losing.

Of course, this rule is only valid if you first "see" through your opponent's method with the naked eye and accurately describe it, and then the surveillance video shows the same as what you described.

If you don't see through your opponent's tactics and talk nonsense, then even if you find out that your opponent is really out of the box when you watch the video at the end, it is you, not the other party, who is regarded as a fraud.

When he was in Ryunosuke's mansion, Sakaki could have used this rule to deal with Okochi and Takagi, but he didn't like to do that - he would rather use a mocking way to expose the opponent's methods, and then convince his opponent with a hand of Feiyan who "saw it and didn't know what was going on", rather than solve them with "watch the video verification" before the first two games were over.

Despite the pressure of potentially tens of millions of gambling debts, he did not choose the path of sure victory, but chose a winning method that he thought was more "interesting".

This kind of person...... Undoubtedly, he is a rare type of madman among top gamblers. They have long since seen through the nature of "gambling", and are willing to walk in the dark abyss and taste the most delicious feast of chaos in the world.

"Hoo! Pinghu, Treasure One, 2000 points. ”

On the ninth round, when Eric was already standing straight, Sakaki deduced the cards that Ryunosuke had listened to through a few roundabout cards played by Ryunosuke, and decisively sent Hu; Although Ryunosuke only played a small card of 2000 points, he successfully prevented the two-way listening in Eric's hand that had a chance to "slam".

In this mahjong game, it is very important to have a combination of "sending Hu", if used properly, it can not only curb the opponent's big cards, but also help the partner to get a higher ranking.

"Heh......" When the mahjong table automatically shuffled the cards, Hopkins, who was sitting on Ryunosuke's right, laughed, "Brother Sakaki, you seem to be quite familiar with this kind of 'two-on-two mahjong' gameplay." ”

Anyone could tell that he was tempting, but Sakaki didn't seem to care: "Ah...... When I first started in the industry, I played this kind of mahjong, so I ...... This is a housekeeping skill. ”

"Oh?" Hopkins heard this and pushed the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, "So, 'get you on the road'...... Is it a finches? ”

In the eyes of others, Hopkins's question seems to be a bit out of the ordinary, but "experts" are well aware of the logic of this.

The day when a professional gambler officially "enters the industry" is not the day he starts gambling, but the day when a certain "expert" "brings him into the industry" - the person who brings you into this dark world is your "guide".

The guide will show you the rules of the connoisseurs, teach you some techniques, and take responsibility for some of your actions before you are able to become independent...... However, the leader is not, and will never be, your "master."

There is no master-apprentice relationship between gamblers, and in this world where everyone pursues the "strongest", such a thing as "seniority" is considered a redundant constraint.

Most of the leaders will become partners with the newcomers they are optimistic about, and cooperate with each other in a relationship of mentor and friend until "the day when they can't continue to cooperate"; Sakaki's case is no exception, so "two-on-two mahjong", which can be said to be the origin of his entire gambler career, is what he is best at.

"Huh...... I'll just ask one more question......" I don't know what Hopkins had in mind, he suddenly sneered and asked, "Sakaki-kun, who is your leader?" ”

"It's just a bad old man surnamed Tachikawa, not enough to worry about." Sakaki said, taking a puff on his cigarette and replying in a very casual tone.

"Hah!" When Hopkins heard the word "Tachikawa", he immediately laughed, "I see...... He was once recognized as the strongest finch in Sakurafu.、A young man brought out by the name 'Sakura Tachikawa'.。 ”

"What? Do you know that old man? Sakaki continued.

"Of course I do." "Not only did I know him, but I also played mahjong with him six and a half times......," he paused, and then added, "After playing, I watched him gouge out his eyes, remove the thumbs of his hands and feet, and throw him into a jackal cage." ”

Hearing this, Sakaki's smoking movement paused slightly for a second, and after a second, he continued in a very calm tone: "Oh, that's it...... For him, it can be regarded as an expected ending. ”

Seeing this, the corners of Hopkins' mouth smiled even more, and his eyes under his sunglasses were firmly fixed on Sakaki, and he asked aggressively, "You don't ask...... Why did he end up like that? ”

"Nothing to ask." Sakaki continued, "I said, it's to be expected; A gambler who has 'lost his luck'...... If you go to the table again, Bacheng is this kind of end. ”

"......Hmph," Hopkins snorted, "'lost your luck'......" he repeated the sentence, and then added, "Could this be the reason why you broke up with him?" ”

"I don't have anything to say." By the time Sakaki responded to this, the automatic mahjong table had shuffled the cards.

The conversation between the two came to an end for the time being due to the start of the second East Game.

In fact, even if the game doesn't start, Sakaki doesn't plan to ramble with him anymore......

Although he called the other party a "bad old man", Sakaki has always respected Tachikawa very much in his heart; The reason why the two of them broke up was not that Sakaki abandoned Tachikawa, but that Tachikawa took the initiative to leave Sakaki.

A gambler like Tachikawa can feel when his career is coming to an end...... He was no longer favored by Lady Luck, so in order not to drag Sakaki down, he chose not to say goodbye.

Sakaki was also faintly aware of these things, so he didn't look for Tachikawa.

However, one thing is clear about Sakaki...... Tachikawa, who has already retired, is unlikely to take the initiative to gamble with others again; If Hopkins' words weren't a lie, then Tachikawa must have been forced to sit at the table for some reason and died there.

"Riichi." On the sixth round, Hopkins suddenly threw down the stick and announced Riichi.

Immediately afterward, Eric on his right hand immediately sent Hu, so he ...... Standing upright, broken, and the treasure card is one, and he was stunned to make up a "slam".

"Heh......" As soon as Hopkins' card was revealed, Eric smiled at Ryunosuke, "Don't think you're the only ones who can play cooperatively. ”

"Cut ......" Ryunosuke snorted, not having any verbal arguments with him.

But at this moment, some kind of ominous premonition has sprouted in Ryunosuke's heart.

His hunch was not wrong...... In this mahjong game, the combination of him and Sakaki has a big disadvantage - the two have never practiced together at all.

On the other hand, the combination of Eric and Hopkins had been practicing together for a long time before the "highest game"; Whether it's mahjong, baccarat, stud, or Texas Hold'em, they've all played together. Even if the two are not "perfectly matched", they still know some basic codes and each other's habits...... In terms of tacit understanding, they are obviously far stronger than Ryunosuke and Sakaki, who have met for less than eight hours.

Take mahjong as an example, through the code to confirm whether the teammates have their own cards in their hands, and then one side of the upright, the other side in the next position directly to send Hu routine, for them is already familiar with the road.

And what about Ryunosuke and Sakaki...... They didn't discuss and write down any codes beforehand, so they had no way of knowing what their partner's hand was, even if they wanted to use the same tactics as their opponents. Most...... It is like the first game of the East, and it is up to Sakaki to unilaterally speculate on Ryunosuke's hand and release the dangerous cards that the latter may listen to to send Hu.

However, compared to opponents who can send Hu to each other, this way of sending Hu can only be sent in one way is much worse.

In front of this "two-on-two mahjong", at the end of each half village, in accordance with the rules of "50,000 points for the first place", "20,000 points for the second place", "10,000 points for the third place", and "zero points for the fourth place", add these bonus points to the original point stick, and then compete with the points of both sides.

For example, if there are two pairs of AB and CD, A takes the first place, B takes the fourth place, C takes the second place, and D takes the third place; The final score of the AB combination is the sum of the points held by the two of them, plus the 50,000 points reward, while the final score of the CD combination is the sum of the points held by the two of them, plus the reward of 30,000 points.

In other words, as long as one of the two grabs the first, he will be able to get at least 20,000 more points than the other party at the time of settlement.

Under this kind of rule, the side that knows the code and can send Hu to each other can not only help their own people fight for the first place more efficiently, but also have a double opportunity to destroy when the opponent wants to play a certain big card; And the party that has no code and can only rely on the master to lead the layman will naturally have fewer choices.

It seems to be "two-on-two", but from the perspective of Sakaki and Ryunosuke, it is basically "two-on-one" - very disadvantageous.

…………

In the second game of the south, Ryunosuke's hunch has become a reality.

Eric and Hopkins, who can communicate with each other, occupy absolute dominance. In addition to sending Hu to each other, they can also use means such as sending "eating", "touching", listening, making big cards, protecting their own side and breaking their opponents...... Even if these are not 100% successful, the mahjong of those two is much more relaxed than that of being overwhelmed and getting more and more impatient and Ryunosuke.

Although Sakaki also broke the opponent's streak with a few quick small cards within his ability, he and Ryunosuke fell behind and the situation was still not better.

By the time this game was played, Ryunosuke and Sakaki were ranked third and fourth respectively, and Hopkins, who was in first place, had a lead of nearly 20,000 points over Ryunosuke (the rule of this game was 25,000 per person at the beginning), which was still a result played on the premise that Sakaki gave Ryunosuke Huguo......

Completely, there is no hope of a comeback.

According to this situation, when this half bank ends, the point difference between the two sides is likely to reach more than 100,000; At the table's default "1000 to 1" odds, Ryunosuke would have to pay out more than 100 points...... This level of trade-off is tantamount to handing over the throne of the "winner" to others.

"Mr. Arai." Just as Ryunosuke's cold sweat was running down his sideburns, Sakaki suddenly spoke again, "You're too nervous." As he spoke, he lit a new cigarette for himself and said lightly, "It's just that the stick is a little behind, so you don't need to be so cautious." ”

These words may be seen as useless comfort to others, but when they come out of Sakaki's mouth, they can't help but make people think about it.

"What do you mean?" Ryunosuke immediately said in his heart, "'Don't be so cautious in fighting'...... Is it so that I don't have to be afraid to play guns, and I can play cards boldly and confidently? But if I am hit directly by the other party, wouldn't the difference between the points be ......" Suddenly, he had an idea, "Huh? Wait, Sakaki and I are now the third and fourth, even if I lose a few thousand points now, it will be nothing more than a swap with Sakaki's ranking, and our reward points will still be 10,000 ...... when the final settlement is settled" Thinking of this, he glanced at Sakaki and immediately got a look of affirmation, "I understand...... Sakaki means that in the current situation, no matter how bad it is, it can't get any worse; Whether you lose 100,000 or 110,000, you will also lose the opportunity to win the game...... With such a big gap, only by breaking the kettle can we have a chance to get it back, rather than looking ahead and playing the safety card, it is better to simply ignore the risks and fight for it......"

Smack-

After figuring it out, Ryunosuke took a picture of a super dangerous card that had been held for a long time.

Both Hopkins and Eric were a little surprised when they saw the card, but it didn't hit the hook......

As a result, Ryunosuke's confidence increased dramatically, and he played two more dangerous cards in the next two rounds, and both passed unharmed.

Risk is always accompanied by opportunity.

Ryunosuke, who twice skimmed the brink of danger, survived by successfully making a big three-way draw and disrupting his opponent's judgment of his hand.

After a round, Eric let go, and Ryunosuke made a "double full", reversing the difference between the two in an instant; Although there is still a gap between him and the first Hopkins, the conversion of the second and third places has narrowed the reward spread generated at the settlement from 60,000 (50,000 + 20,000 to 10,000 + 0) to 40,000 (50,000 + 10,000 to 20,000 + 0), plus this one-third of the expected difference of about 100,000 yuan.

"Hmph...... It's just a moment of good luck, don't get complacent. Eric was not very reluctant after the gun, so he muttered in a very unhappy tone.

However, Sakaki actually took over this nonsense and corrected: "No, it's not 'momentary' good luck. ”

"What did you say?" Eric raised his eyebrows and looked at Sakaki with a look of disdain, "Heh, it's not 'for a while', then it can be a 'lifetime'?" ”

"If you mean one time, Mr. Arai's good fortune will have to last at least two hours." Sakaki responded in a serious manner again.

"Huh?" Anyway, the cards were being shuffled at this moment, and Eric didn't mind talking to him at a long time, "You kid...... Know what you're talking about? Scold...... I don't think you should be called Sakaki anymore, change your name to God Stick. ”

"Uh-if you don't believe me, just ask the Xingjun gambling king next to you." Sakaki leaned back in his chair, spitting out the flue.

When he said this, Eric was really a little shaken.

Just as Eric frowned and was about to turn his head to look at Hopkins, Hopkins laughed, "Huh...... Hahahaha......" He laughed so loudly that his shoulders were shaking, and after laughing for five seconds, he retracted his smile a little and said, "You want to say ...... After the game just now, the 'fortune' has been guided to your side, right? ”

"Ahh Sakaki does not deny that "although your style of play can greatly increase the probability of winning, the way of playing that gives up the 'individual' for the sake of the 'situation' will not lead to 'luck', and even if the luck goes to your side, it will become fragmented by your actions." ”

"Huh...... Your theory, Tachikawa also said. Hopkins replied calmly, "And his fate ...... You already know that, too. He paused, "You gamblers from the East, even if you become 'experts', will generally fall to the latter in the face of probability and metaphysics, this kind of ...... seems to be dissolved in your blood The tendency to ignore reasonableness is ridiculous to me......"

At this point, he waved his arm and pointed at Sakaki's face and said, "Don't be kidding! Sakaki no illusion! You said you were going to win me with 'strength', but now you're talking to me about 'fortune'? Do you want to talk to me about horoscopes and blood types? He didn't wait for Sakaki to answer, he continued, "Don't do it again, Sakaki-kun, I can see it...... You're not the kind of person who believes in luck, and you're just bluffing when you're saying that......" He slowly withdrew his raised arm and clenched his fingers into a fist, "If I'm not mistaken...... You're trying to distract me from this, right? ”

Squeak –

Before he could finish speaking, the automatic shuffle was complete.

With a mechanical rhythm, the four rows of cards and the hand were sent to the four people.

The moment he opened his hand, Ryunosuke's expression changed despite his best efforts to restrain him......

He didn't know if the hand in front of him was the fortune of crossing a certain line, or if Sakaki was secretly moving, he only knew...... This is the first time in his life that he has won the opening game with three dark carvings and containing "medium" and "hair".