Zhou Lin

At about three o'clock in the morning, I was put on a hood, my hands tied with plastic strips, and put into a car.

Although it cannot be determined with the naked eye, it can be inferred from the height of the chassis, acceleration when starting, and the feeling when riding that this type of model is obviously not affordable for the civilian class.

The guy who can let his minions drive a car like this to "invite people" must be a big shot.

However, I don’t feel that this “invitation” is anything to be happy about…

…………

My name is Sakaki Mugen. To use the ancient saying of Sakura no Mansion, it’s sakaki_mugen. Isn’t that bluffing?

It's a bluff, because it's a name I chose myself; I've been using it since I entered the dark world of "gambling" when I was fourteen years old.

Gamblers are like entertainers. Our names don’t need to have any sense of reality. Names that are so fake that they seem to be isolated from reality are the best.

In this world of jungle, momentum is very important.

Even if you are penniless and will fall into an abyss from which you will never climb out in the next second, your momentum must not collapse.

Because... once you let the other person see your fear and weakness, you are finished.

And the name is also part of the momentum. Gamblers want to use everything available to win - whether they want to be saddled with a cool and average name and be criticized in life, or they want to carry an ordinary name. Go to hell, it’s not that hard to choose.

…………

The city I live in is called "Kagetsu Town".

As the name suggests, this place is as gorgeous and ethereal as a mirror, flowers in the water, and the moon.

During the day, Kagetsu Town looks like a sleeping, pale woman, but at night, she wakes up and becomes the girl of your dreams after the first glass of wine.

Here, you can see the most beautiful and worst scenes in the world at the same time.

Men revel in the whirlpool of wine, sex and wealth. In one night, they may gain or lose everything.

The so-called "meaning" of gambling is that... it can turn all other "meaningful" things into "meaningless".

Everything has completed this transformation when you put it on the gambling table.

Money, power, beloved relatives, one's own life... As crazy as human beings can go, the limits of the gambling table can be expanded.

This kind of experience of wandering between reaching the sky in one step and eternal destruction is the most extreme game that only humans can enjoy.

And I am the leader in this field and one of the "two legends" of Kagetsu Town.

Of course... He is said to be a "legend", but in fact, he is just a gambler.

In the eyes of those who truly possess power, people like me... are nothing more than relying on a little talent and living off the flesh and blood of the fallen.

…………

I walked into the mahjong parlor near midnight.

I like to go to such noisy little places. On the one hand, it’s because regular casinos have basically blacklisted me. On the other hand, it’s because I can often meet peers in such places. In other words, it is the so-called "expert".

In addition to fellow gamblers, there are also many gamblers in this place who think they are "experts", but in fact they are just a little better than the average person because they have lost too much.

Playing with these people, even if I sometimes lose a little deliberately depending on the situation, is more fun than going to a regular casino to win money from ordinary people who are happy with their small gambling.

Tonight, a "big fish" came to the mahjong parlor.

I noticed him as soon as he walked in. He was a man in his early thirties. I could tell at a glance that he was a decent man, very different from the sloppy and greasy uncles around him.

The watch on his wrist was more expensive than the entire mahjong parlor, and he saw a mahjong mat (a plastic product, which can be traced back to the Showa era. Generally speaking, it is a square mat with raised edges on all four sides. Put it on The fresh look on his face when he put on the kotatsu (the kotatsu can be used as a mahjong table) shows that his class is far different from the people here.

In addition to being rich, he is also very capable.

He plays a very orthodox mahjong game, without any tricks or cleverness, just orthodox, reasonable and innocent.

I can see in his eyes the message that "the 'gambling in the sun' in the casino no longer attracts me." I have seen many such people, and they are not interested in real gambling... or in other words, in the darkness. The world is full of curiosity, and in the end, these people are all swallowed up by the darkness without exception.

After observing a half village, I winked at a regular customer at the table. He naturally knew me and knew what I meant, so he quickly found a way to go back.

Then, I joined the gambling table and started winning.

"Big Fish" ran out of sticks after an hour, but instead of showing any signs of anxiety or disappointment, his face showed excitement.

He readily took out the money and planned to add more sticks, but the boss found an excuse to reject him.

Obviously, the boss has smelled "trouble".

me too.

Therefore, I also found an excuse to quickly change money and leave.

"Big Fish" stopped me and said he wanted to chat with me. I refused him without hesitation and left the mahjong parlor as quickly as possible.

I thought that was the end of the matter, but I didn't expect...

In less than two hours, I was blocked in an alley by a group of very professional-looking practitioners.

This is not the first time that I have been controlled by force, but considering that every time I am caught in my profession, it may be the last time, I cannot face it with a relaxed mood.

I don't know where they are taking me, but I understand... The "fish" I encountered this time may be a bit too big; maybe it is so big that "the fish eats me" rather than "I eat the fish" situation.