Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 171: Labyrinth (8)

Dragon Raja 2

Zhao Menghua stood up with a pale face; he was the first to lose all his chips. Gao Mi, worthy of being the second-best mathematician from Cassell College back in the day, calculated probabilities like a human computer, and in less than ten rounds, he had taken more than half of the chips on the table.

No one said a word. Zhao Menghua slowly got up and walked along the tunnel back to the previous station, where a subway train would be waiting for him. That was the rule of the game—those who lost everything had to leave immediately, board a different train, and wander this labyrinth alone until the next round started, when the train would stop at Wangfujing Station, allowing people to gather again.

Lu Mingfei watched Zhao Menghua’s silhouette disappear into the darkness, feeling a deep sense of sympathy. He was left with only one dark gold chip, and he couldn’t even wait for Zhao Menghua to travel together as companions. This kind of mental game really wasn’t for him.

Texas Hold’em looked simple: each player had two hole cards, and there were five community cards on the table. The dealer revealed these community cards in three stages: three at first, then one, then another one. At the end, players could choose five cards from the seven available (the two hole cards plus the five community cards), and whoever had the highest combination won. Flush, straight flush, three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind—those were the big hands. Before each community card was revealed, bets were placed, and players who felt they had no chance folded, losing their chips on the table, while those who were confident added more chips. The dealer also participated.

The key was to calculate the probabilities. If someone had three Queens, they needed to determine if another player might have four 3s or something similar. If the odds were good, they should take the risk, but if it looked dangerous, they should fold and cut their losses.

In this simple game, a “Beibingyang” bottle cap was worth ten compasses, a compass was worth ten cigarette wrappers, a cigarette wrapper was worth ten dark gold chips, and a dark gold chip was worth ten ancient silver chips. The value system was completely inverted, as if the labyrinth’s gatekeeper was mocking them. But what kind of gatekeeper would go through all this trouble to create a labyrinth just to mess with them, without even charging an entry fee?

Lu Mingfei glanced at his hole cards, feeling disheartened. One was a 3 and the other was a 6, while the revealed community cards were a 9, a Jack, and a King. With such trash cards, there was no way to make a good hand.

He exchanged his last dark gold chip for ten ancient silver ones. He had already used one chip to see the first three community cards, and now he had only nine of the smallest chips left, while Gao Mi had thousands of ancient bronze chips piled in front of him! Gao Mi was deep in thought, his tightly pressed lips showing a hint of determination.

“That guy’s planning to step over you and Zhao Menghua’s backs to escape with his girl,” a lazy voice said beside Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei jumped in shock and quickly turned his head. “You?”

Lu Mingze raised his eyebrows. “Of course, it’s me. I said we should leave together, but you ignored me and ended up in the wrong place. Want to trade with me? I’ll open a space-time gate and send you out.”

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a long time before shaking his head.

Lu Mingze sighed. “I just helped you deal with a few punks, it’s not like I really killed them. You’re acting like I’m some kind of villain. You can’t get out of here on your own. Gao Mi’s math skills are amazing; he played both you and Zhao Menghua.”

“What do you mean?”

“How can you be so dumb? In Texas Hold’em, there’s only one winner per round, and the losers all pay the winner, which means the more players at the table, the greater the chance for someone to win big. If there were thousands of unlucky people in here accumulating loneliness and converting it into chips, then deliberately losing those chips to someone, that person could leave the labyrinth. Understand?”

“I still don’t really get it,” Lu Mingfei admitted honestly.

Lu Mingze shook his head. “Think of it this way: this is a ‘ghost pawn game.’ Some say that people eaten by tigers don’t become ordinary ghosts; they become ghost pawns. Ghost pawns can’t be freed and will lure others to be eaten by the tiger. The new ghost pawn replaces the old one, and the old one gains freedom, while the new ghost pawn continues to lure people for the tiger. Gao Mi’s plan is to win against you, Zhao Menghua, and the dealer, collect enough chips, and take his girlfriend out. He was actually very happy when you came, because you could replace him.”

“What the f***!” Lu Mingfei was furious.

“But don’t be afraid; I’m here,” Lu Mingze said with a light smile. “With me around, brother, you’re invincible. Now, show hand!”

This is one of the most iconic phrases at a poker table. It means to reveal your cards, your hands empty, putting everything on the line. In movies, the scene always shows a mighty gambler pushing a mountain of chips worth tens of thousands of dollars all at once.

“Do you even know how to play? I only have one dark gold chip! And it’s a terrible hand! Show my a**!” Lu Mingfei said.

“One chip is still a root, and as long as a tree’s root isn’t dead, it’ll come back to life.” Lu Mingze patted his shoulder gently. “They say if you bring just one dollar to Las Vegas, bet on red or black, and win every time, after 28 consecutive wins, you’d win the entire city. Brother, believe me, you’ll win more than just a city—you’ll win the entire world!”

Lu Mingfei slowly turned over his hole cards. He only had a 3 and a 6, but the remaining two community cards were both 6s, and he miraculously had three-of-a-kind with 6s. In this round, when everyone’s hands were weak, he suddenly stood out.

He showed his hand, and he won against everyone, raising his stake to four dark gold chips.

“See, see? I told you, Lady Luck is always by your side, brother. Take advantage of your luck and keep going!” Lu Mingze said warmly. “Keep showing hand! This kind of crazy winning streak is what we call ‘Samba!’”

In the next ten or so rounds, Lu Mingfei collected all chips on the table like a whirlpool sucking in gold. Wan Boqian managed to fold during some key rounds and escape with her life, while Gao Mi went from being the biggest winner to having only about two hundred dark gold chips left. The face of the math genius was deathly pale as he stared blankly at Lu Mingfei. Each time, Lu Mingfei defied the laws of probability, but he kept winning, as if he were a king holding the scepter of victory.

“How are you doing this?” Gao Mi asked softly.

“Just winging it,” Lu Mingfei avoided his gaze.

“Are you cheating?” Gao Mi asked.

Lu Mingfei suddenly became furious. “Cheat, my a**! If you’re so good, just win and take your girl out of here! Otherwise, stop talking nonsense!”