Chapter 64: Mental Breakdown

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Volume One: Entering a New World

Zu An happily accepted this wave of rage points, thinking that his refusal to discuss matters further in a private room was indeed a very wise decision.

Looking at Zu An's smug expression, Mei Chaofeng was seething with rage. Just half a month ago, such a piece of trash wouldn't have even been fit to appear before him; a mere subordinate's command would have had Zu An bowing and scraping.

Yet, in just a few days, he could now stand as his equal and even threaten him so brazenly?

Damn it, it's making me want to become a kept man myself!

Rage points from Mei Chaofeng: 666!

Mei Chaofeng took a deep breath and beckoned to his side. "Someone, bring Plum Blossom Seven over."

Soon, his subordinates carried over Plum Blossom Seven, who had gone limp as mud. Seeing him, Plum Blossom Seven quickly broke free and plopped onto his knees, hugging Mei Chaofeng's thigh tightly and sobbing with snot and tears. "Godfather, your child has wronged you, bringing such great trouble upon you."

Mei Chaofeng kicked him away without a glance and coldly said to Zu An, "The bet you had just now was Plum Blossom Seven's personal act and does not represent our casino. If you want to collect money, go get it from him. Furthermore, given Plum Blossom Seven's irregular conduct, which has caused significant negative impact on our gang, he is hereby expelled from the Plum Blossom Gang, effective immediately, and will never be reinstated."

"Godfather! Gang Leader, you can't do this to me! I've been so diligent for you all these years..." Plum Blossom Seven instantly realized he was being used as a scapegoat and panicked. Let alone 7.5 million taels, even 10,000 taels would be hard for him to come up with. Even if his bones were crushed, he couldn't sell them for 7.5 million taels.

He tried to speak again, but someone nearby punched him in the jaw, dislocating it, and he could only whimper, unable to utter another word.

Seeing his miserable state, the previously boisterous casino instantly fell silent. Everyone remembered that this was a ruthless underworld giant, and one by one, they decided to retreat, no longer daring to shout as enthusiastically as before.

Zu An narrowed his eyes. This fellow was quite skilled at the "temporary employee" trick.

But trying to swindle my money won't be that easy!

"Gang Leader Mei, aren't you treating everyone here like fools by doing this?" Zu An said. "This Plum Blossom Seven is your sworn son and confidant, and this Silver Hook Casino is an asset of your Plum Blossom Gang. Now you've lost money but refuse to acknowledge it. Who would dare to come to your casino in the future?"

"Exactly," people around whispered. What's most important for a casino? Reputation. A casino without reputation is destined to close down.

If the Plum Blossom Gang, backed by the Chu family, dares to renege on a debt, what about those powerless individual gamblers when they win money in the future?

Mei Chaofeng, however, sneered, "I won't be afraid to tell you, today I'm definitely stiffing you for your money! I'll pay every penny to my other customers, but in this entire Brightmoon City, you are the only one whose winnings I won't pay a single copper coin for. What can you do to me?"

You, a good-for-nothing, dare to challenge me? A mere chicken flying onto a branch will never become a phoenix. I've seen all sorts of storms over the years; how could a stinking brat like you, still wet behind the ears, possibly imagine it?

Do you think this world is all about reason? Today, I'll let you witness the wickedness of the world!

"Gang Leader Mei, that's rather shameless of you!" Chu Chuyan's face turned cold, and she was about to step forward but was stopped by Zu An's outstretched hand.

Zu An smiled. "Gang Leader Mei, do you think this leaves me with no options?"

Mei Chaofeng snorted, "What options could you possibly have?"

A good-for-nothing who relies on women to get ahead couldn't possibly turn the world upside down.

Zu An spread his hands. "It's fine if you don't pay me. From now on, I'll go to every single one of your casinos. I won't even need to place bets myself; I'll teach these people how to bet, and I'll make sure they win every single hand. What do you all say?"

The gamblers, and even the onlookers outside, instantly erupted:

"Good!"

"Long live Young Master Zu!"

"Young Master Zu, you're so handsome!"

"Young Master Zu, you are our second father!"

"Young Master Zu and Miss Chu, you are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman!"

"Damn it, you can say such insincere things?"

"Weren't you shouting enthusiastically too?"

As a great man once said, with 50% profit, people will take risks; with 100% profit, people will trample all human laws; with 300% profit, they will commit any crime, even risking the gallows.

As for the profits at the gambling table, Zu An just demonstrated it himself: a 15,000% profit!

Who wouldn't go crazy? What's more, these gamblers are all people who prioritize money over their lives. What if it's the Plum Blossom Gang? If they dare not pay, these gamblers united could destroy the Plum Blossom Gang.

Mei Chaofeng clearly understood this principle, and his expression was grim. "Do you really think you can win every hand?"

Zu An spread his hands. "I won 7.5 million taels from you in just two hands today. What do you think? From now on, please call me the God of Gamblers."

The surrounding onlookers, hearing that he would help them win money, shamelessly flattered him one after another:

"God of Gamblers!""God of Gamblers!""God of Gamblers!"

Zu An closed his eyes, his face full of intoxicated enjoyment as he savored the cheers of the crowd. All that was missing now was the classic background music.

Mei Chaofeng's face twitched. Honestly, he wasn't sure how the other party managed it. Judging by Zu An's tone, it was clear that the previous two wins were not coincidences.

In fact, it couldn't have been a coincidence; otherwise, how could he have placed his bets so accurately?

If this guy really led this group of gamblers to cause trouble at his other casinos, his casino business would truly be ruined. But paying him back was even more impossible; that was 7.5 million taels, not 75,000!

For a moment, he found himself in a dilemma.

Just then, a commotion arose at the entrance.

"Clear the way, clear the way!"

A group of soldiers burst in, followed by a young general clad in golden armor. He was tall and handsome, and his shining armor made him quite eye-catching.

"Wow, so handsome!" whispered a nearby maid.

Zu An looked disgruntled. Wasn't it just the advantage of a uniform? These women really haven't seen the world. He secretly glanced at Chu Chuyan, and seeing her expression was normal, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is causing trouble here?" The young general scanned the room after entering, his gaze finally settling on Zu An.

"Why are you looking at me? Jealous that I'm more handsome than you?" Zu An retorted irritably. This guy immediately targeted him, clearly with ill intentions, so there was no need to be polite.

Rage points from Sang Qian: 100!

"Surname Sang? That's quite an uncommon surname," Zu An mused to himself.

The young general had been ready to demand an explanation, but he was so sidetracked that for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Mei Chaofeng quickly went over and exaggeratedly explained, "Commander Sang, you've arrived just in time. This fellow came to our casino to extort money. When I disagreed, he even threatened to bring other gamblers to cause trouble at my casinos, making it impossible for them to operate."

The eyes of those around widened. Everyone knew he was a gangster, but did he have to be so brazen? Did he think they were dead?

However, no one spoke up. They knew this world wasn't truly a place for reason. Before the situation became clear, it was best not to get involved.

Although the money Zu An promised was tempting, one needed to be alive to spend it.

The young general named Sang Qian immediately reprimanded Zu An, "Do you know what the crime of extortion is? By the way, how much money did he extort from you?"

Mei Chaofeng gave a bitter smile. "7.5 million taels!"

"7.5 million taels?" Sang Qian was instantly startled. Were they playing for such high stakes? Even when his father was once the Grand Minister of Agriculture, this amount would have been an astronomical sum in the national treasury.

Thinking of this, he immediately looked excited. "Extortion of other people's property, if the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, carries a sentence of three to ten years of imprisonment; if the amount is exceptionally huge or there are other particularly serious circumstances, it carries a sentence of ten years or more. With 7.5 million taels, you'll be rotting in jail!"

Zu An couldn't help but roll his eyes, completely ignoring him, and instead looked at Chu Chuyan. "Wife, who is this guy? How can he just take the Mei fellow's word and condemn me? It seems he takes a lot of benefits from the Plum Blossom Gang, doesn't he?"

Hearing his words, murmurs of disapproval also arose from the surroundings.

Chu Chuyan's lips curved slightly as she explained, "This Commander Sang is the son of Sang Hong, the former Grand Minister of Agriculture. Now, Sir Sang has taken office as our new Governor of Linchuan Commandery, so you must not be disrespectful."

Sang Qian quickly bowed. "Miss Chu, you overstate it. My father's future work will still require much cooperation from the Chu family."

No man could resist the charm of a stunning beauty like Chu Chuyan. So even though it was clear their father and son had taken office to deal with the Chu family, he still subconsciously wanted to appear his most elegant and proper in front of her.

Just as Sang Qian thought his manners were impeccable, a discordant voice rang out. "Hmph, I thought he was so capable, but it turns out he relies on his family background, just like me."

Zu An was seen picking his ear, then flicking his finger towards Sang Qian.

Sang Qian's breath hitched. Although he had never met Zu An before, he had long heard of the Chu family son-in-law's "great name." This good-for-nothing was nothing more than a joke in their circles, yet today he was being dragged down to the same level as him?

Even being put on par with the other party in this manner felt like an insult!

Rage points from Sang Qian: 300!

Mei Chaofeng, standing by, also widened his eyes. Sang Qian's family was prominent; his father was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and he himself was now a high-ranking officer defending a region. He was truly a scion of a top noble family.

You, Zu An, are just a street punk who latched onto the Chu family through sheer dumb luck. Does that count as your family background? How can you even say such a thing? Have you no shame?!

Rage points from Mei Chaofeng: 300!

Zu An was taken aback, thinking, "I was talking about Sang Qian, so why is Mei Chaofeng getting angry? It seems these two indeed have some unspeakable private relationship."

Seeing Sang Qian's furious glare, Chu Chuyan secretly chuckled, thinking that others finally got to witness Zu An's shamelessness. She cleared her throat and said, "Young Master Sang, if I'm not mistaken, you are merely the commander of the River Defense Camp. You do not have the authority to manage local affairs. It might be inappropriate for you to make a ruling on matters here today."

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