The three of us were at different distances from the dealer, so the amount of "card-playing smoke" we inhaled varied.
Therefore, after leaving the arcade, I went straight to the small convenience store next door and bought three bottles of mineral water.
Each of us holding a bottle of mineral water, the three of us sat side-by-side on the curb.
While card-playing smoke doesn't cause addiction, it significantly impairs self-control when its effects haven't fully dissipated.
Moreover, it makes one highly susceptible to impulsive actions driven by excitement.
It was only after witnessing Han Jinlun's lower body visibly deflate at an alarming rate that I finally got up and moved with the other two.
Not long after the three of us had recovered, the listless, non-mainstream girl walked out of the arcade.
Seeing her utterly dejected expression, I knew she had gambled away all the high-interest loans she had borrowed.
For seasoned cheaters like myself, it's different. Once we understand the tricks being used against us, we can often withdraw in time with strong willpower and self-control.
However, ordinary gamblers are not so fortunate.
This is especially true for gamblers who have already lost money and have become red-eyed.
As long as there are still chips in front of them, they won't easily leave the table, even if you point out the tricks involved.
Only when they've lost everything and have nothing left to pawn will they gradually calm down, followed by regret and remorse.
This is how "greed turns into poverty."
The reason card-playing smoke has been "popularized" in the cheating world stems from the greed of gamblers.
Therefore, everyone, not gambling is winning!
...
As soon as the non-mainstream girl left the arcade in despair, I immediately led Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun over to her.
Without any unnecessary pleasantries, I cut straight to the chase and asked, "Do you want to win back all the money you lost?"
Hearing my question, the non-mainstream girl was initially stunned. Then, she looked at me with a wary yet indifferent gaze and asked, "Who are you?"
Ignoring her question, I said in a deep voice, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know you not only lost money but also gambled away all the high-interest loans you borrowed!"
"Huh!?"
Upon hearing this, after scrutinizing me from head to toe, the non-mainstream girl slowly replied, "So it's you!"
"What? Did you lose money too?"
It seemed the non-mainstream girl remembered me as one of the gamblers at her table earlier.
However, she mistakenly assumed that I, too, was a gambler who had lost money.
Without minding my perceived identity in her eyes, I asked her, "Do you want to win back all the money you lost?"
"Of course, I do! But..."
She paused, then said with annoyance, "My own money plus the loan money comes to about two hundred thousand. Without at least a hundred thousand in capital, how can I win it back?"
It was clear that the non-mainstream girl already possessed the typical gambler's mentality.
The so-called gambler's mentality is that when one wants to recoup losses, they always plan to win back the principal with half the amount.
At this stage, if they fall into the trap one more time, they are essentially on the verge of becoming an incurable gambling addict.
Gambling addicts don't care about principal; as long as they are given money to gamble, regardless of the amount, their minds are always filled with the words "win it back."
Seeing that the non-mainstream girl was sinking deeper, I didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead, I directly said, "I have an opportunity here to win back your losses with a small investment."
"You don't need to invest too much capital to have a chance to get back all the money you lost!"
"Are you willing to give it a try?"
Although I spoke earnestly, the non-mainstream girl listened with a casual air.
"Handsome, I didn't expect this! You're young, but you've got a lot of tricks up your sleeve!"
"Do you think I'm new to this? This 'win big with small stakes' nonsense doesn't work on me! Just say it directly..."
"Earlier, at the table, you took a liking to me, didn't you? You couldn't bring yourself to ask me out directly, so you came up with this unreliable excuse?"
Honestly, seeing the non-mainstream girl's self-righteous expression, for a moment, I truly wanted to slap her twice.
But then, remembering that she was about to become the first person I would strike against Xiang Tianhua, I suppressed my anger and said coldly, "Your imagination is running wild! Listen, I'll only say this once!"
"You lost your two hundred thousand to card-playing smoke, and that place is rigged!"
"Think back carefully. Every time the dealer blew smoke at you, didn't you feel compelled to increase your bet, for no reason whatsoever?"
Hearing the sincerity in my tone, the non-mainstream girl's expression faltered slightly, and she began to recall the scenes at the gambling table earlier...
After an unknown amount of time.
"Damn it all!"
As soon as she snapped back to reality, the non-mainstream girl launched into a torrent of expletives.
She alternated between calling herself "this old lady" and exclaiming "damn it all," truly embodying a young delinquent.
After I explained the matter of card-playing smoke, every word the non-mainstream girl spoke was laced with profanity.
And the louder she cursed, the more my scalp tingled.
After about seven or eight minutes of relentless verbal assault...
"Just tell me, handsome, how are you going to help me?"
Finally! I managed to get a question from her that didn't contain any swear words.
After a moment of thought, I replied directly, "It's not me helping you; it's you helping yourself!"
"Heaven helps those who help themselves!"
"One person's strength is limited. If you want to get your money back, you have to leverage power!"
"Leverage power? How do I do that?"
The non-mainstream girl asked, looking confused.
After lighting a cigarette and taking a puff, I said in a deep voice, "Leverage the power of all the gamblers at the venue!"
"Using card-playing smoke as an entry point, draw all those gamblers to your side, and then unite to pressure the casino!"
"As a victim of card-playing smoke and a woman, leading this effort will easily evoke sympathy from the male gamblers."
"As for how much money you can recover, it depends on how effectively you can utilize this strategy of leveraging power!"
After hearing my words, the non-mainstream girl didn't give a clear yes or no answer. Instead, she suddenly said, "Since you discovered the card-playing smoke, why don't you do it yourself?"
"Oh... I get it! You bastard, you're using me as a pawn!!!"