Chapter 630: Convergence

Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

The duo who had entered the casino early that morning was clearly very different from his own team.

Just by their appearance, the two looked like full-fledged villains. While they might not pose a direct threat to him, the presence of Tiantian and Zheng Yingxiong in the area made early contact with such troublemakers an unwelcome development.

“Handsome lad…” the tattooed man behind him called out, “Didn’t you say you were gonna borrow some ‘chips’ from someone? Why’d you just walk right in?”

“Oh, I remembered this old man’s game zone lets you check it out without paying upfront,” the other man replied. “Thought I’d see if I could borrow some inside. Not like we’d run off without paying back—good borrowing makes for good returning, right?”

The moment Xiao Cheng heard they wanted to “borrow chips,” unease flickered across his face. He pocketed his two remaining chips and turned to leave.

“Hey—hold on, hold on…” The man with a roguish grin stretched out an arm to stop him. “Why the rush, pal? We ain’t bad guys, I swear.”

Xiao Cheng had heard that line too many times—it was practically the classic villain opener.

“Ah, I…” Xiao Cheng hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere. “May I ask what to call you?”

“Me?” The man blinked. “Call me Calabash Boy. What’s up?”

Xiao Cheng froze, then turned to the tattooed man. “And you…?”

“Uh…” The tattooed man faltered. “If he’s ‘Calabash Boy,’ then I guess I’m ‘The Terminator’…”

“Got it.” Xiao Cheng nodded, unsurprised. “Well, I’ve got things to do, so I’ll take my leave.”

With that, he turned and walked away, and the two didn’t try to stop him.

He knew he had to find Tiantian and Zheng Yingxiong immediately to discuss a plan.

Soon, Xiao Cheng spotted Tiantian in a dim corner, carefully reading the instructions for a “chip grabber” machine. Since little time had passed, she hadn’t inserted any chips yet.

“Sis Tiantian!” Xiao Cheng approached her with a grave expression. “We might have a serious problem.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, turning to him.

“Two unwelcome guests showed up—definitely not good people. We should avoid them at all costs,” Xiao Cheng said seriously. “They mentioned borrowing chips, so we’d better hide in a small room or even a restroom.”

“That bad?” Tiantian frowned.

“Yeah. Where’s Yingxiong?”

“Not sure. Let’s go find him.”

After pocketing their chips, the two found Zheng Yingxiong behind a tall game structure. Just as the trio started discussing where to hide, the two men weaved around the tables, heading straight for them.

“Oh no, oh no! Sis Tiantian, take Yingxiong and run!” Xiao Cheng whispered urgently. “Take my chips too! Better to lose them all than get robbed!”

But Tiantian seemed frozen, staring at the approaching figures. Zheng Yingxiong sniffed the air, as if sensing something.

“You two…” Tiantian spoke up suddenly.

“Yo! Tiantian!” Qiao Jiajin grinned, striding forward.

“Wow! Little Zhang San!” Chen Junnan beamed.

The two walked over cheerfully, leaving Xiao Cheng utterly baffled.

Qiao Jiajin reached out and ruffled Zheng Yingxiong’s hair. “Yingxiong, kiddo! How’d you two end up here? Did you dodge those black threads yesterday?”

“Yeah.” Zheng Yingxiong smiled faintly. “Luckily, I ran into Sis Tiantian. You know her too?”

“Long story,” Tiantian sighed with a wry smile. “This kid was riding a bike—sort of saved me, actually.”

The four of them chatted amiably, making Xiao Cheng feel like the odd one out.

“Sis Tiantian… you know them?”

“Yeah,” Tiantian nodded, visibly relieved. “They’re not bad people.”

“Wot?” Qiao Jiajin slung an arm around Xiao Cheng’s shoulder. “Mate, you thought we were villains?”

“Uh…” Xiao Cheng chuckled awkwardly. “N-Not exactly…”

After introductions facilitated by Tiantian, Xiao Cheng finally accepted that the roguish man and the tattooed guy weren’t here to rob them.

But that didn’t change the bigger issue.

These two had strolled into the game zone without a single chip between them—and now they wanted to borrow four from Xiao Cheng to cover their entry fee.

From Xiao Cheng’s perspective, it was no different from losing four chips outright. He barely knew them, and after paying six chips for entry and losing one in a game, he was down to eight. If he gave away four more, the five of them would only have four chips left to gamble with.

At this rate, forget about “buying their freedom”—they wouldn’t even have enough to bet against other players.

And with five people needing at least fifty chips to leave, wasn’t someone bound to die here?

“Relax…” Qiao Jiajin patted Xiao Cheng’s back. “Lad, d’you know what’s most important in a gambling den?”

“What…?”

“Allies,” Qiao Jiajin said. “Not that I condone it… but if three people at a mahjong table are in cahoots, how d’you think the fourth fares?”

“Uh…”

Chen Junnan nodded. “Kid, this beats playing pinball solo. Remember, this is a casino, not an arcade. You planning to get rich off a single machine?”

Xiao Cheng studied Chen Junnan, recognizing that the man was sharper than him. He’d spotted the flaw in the “Eightfold General” machine at a glance—with their help, their odds might actually improve.

Besides, Xiao Cheng was no gambling prodigy. Luck and wits alone wouldn’t cut it—cheating as a team was the pragmatic choice.

When he looked up, Tiantian had already pulled out her two chips. Resigned, Xiao Cheng added his last two and handed all four to the dealer.

“Handsome lad… you’re the brains of this operation,” Qiao Jiajin said nervously. “But you only learned the rules last night. You sure you’re good?”

“Should… be fine?” Chen Junnan shrugged. “Don’t worry, Little Zhang San isn’t an idiot either.”

Xiao Cheng interjected gravely, “Listen, our remaining chips are dangerously low. We can’t afford any more—”

Before he could finish, Chen Junnan’s ears perked up. He turned toward the entrance, where a figure was slowly approaching, head bowed.

A smirk curled his lips. “Perfect. Now we don’t even need brains.”