"Tonight's final showdown has you with the highest odds among the eighteen participants, at nine to one, based on your performance in the previous three days!"
"In other words, no one expects you to win!"
"I've come to you because I want to tell you... tonight, I'll help you win on the surface!"
"And you'll help me win off the surface!"
Hearing this, I immediately turned to Isabella, not reaching for the check, but frowning and asking, "What do you mean?"
Slightly raising the check in her hand, Isabella chuckled, "Who among the participants in the gambling tournament isn't here for the ten million?"
"But these casino folks are being too greedy! At the last minute, they've set up odds, clearly intending to profit from us!"
"They're forcing us to bet on ourselves, and also encouraging other eliminated contestants to place bets.
"For the ten million the casino is publicly giving away, they're secretly making back many times that! A clever trick of making the customer pay for it all!"
"Moreover, I suspect the casino is doing this because they've definitely arranged for an inside mole among us eighteen participants!"
"If my guess is correct, that mole's odds won't be the lowest or the highest among us eighteen, but rather the most inconspicuous one!"
"The lowest odds don't yield much profit, and the highest odds deter betting, just like yours!"
"Since the odds were released, there seems to be only about twenty-five thousand in bets under your name."
"Once the betting is closed and the game begins, the mole will collude with the dealers and the casino to rig the match!"
"They'll pocket all the external bets and the tournament prize money! That's the casino's game!"
Upon hearing this, I understood Isabella's purpose in seeking me out.
At the same time, I finally grasped why Yun Jin had been orchestrating such elaborate schemes within the casino.
A fierce tiger guarding its den, striking in all directions!
Even us participants weren't spared; the casino intended to "slaughter" us all!
If Isabella's "mole" theory holds true, then in tonight's final showdown, we outsiders would have no chance of winning!
To counter the casino's scheme, we would have to secretly cooperate and then target the external betting market.
Isabella, who had been interacting with me since the preliminary rounds, noticing me back then and witnessing my performance in roulette, proved she was a highly observant and meticulous girl.
Having someone like her as a teammate was far more comfortable than facing her as an opponent.
So, I lowered my voice and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"It's simple!" Isabella paused, then replied with confidence, "I'm a professional Texas Hold'em player. I can predict the card distribution based on the dealer's shuffling technique."
"Tonight, I'll help you win. You'll bet according to my secret signals and hints. We'll strike first and force that mole out into the open!"
"As soon as the mole reveals itself, we can then eliminate him!"
"Once the mole is out, we can focus on winning!"
"With my help, plus your own skills, winning should be no problem!"
"Although I'm not entirely sure what your skills are..."
"But to perform so brilliantly and conspicuously in the roulette game, you're the only one on this cruise ship who has!"
"By winning the final showdown, you'll not only gain the ten million prize money but also this two-million-dollar cash check from me, redeemable anytime, anywhere!"
"As for what I'll get, it's your nine-to-one odds in the external betting market for winning!"
"If you agree to cooperate, to avoid attracting attention, I'll place my bet on you to win in the last minute before betting closes!"
"Only this mutually beneficial and foolproof plan will ensure the casino can't find any fault with us after the competition."
After speaking rapidly, Isabella's face flushed slightly, and her chest rose and fell as she seemed to catch her breath.
Hearing this, I didn't answer immediately but narrowed my eyes, weighing the pros and cons in my mind...
After a long, long moment, I slowly said, "Pleasure cooperating!"
The moment my words fell, I reached out and took the cash check from Isabella's hand, the paper rustling in the sea breeze.
"Excellent!"
Isabella nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "I love cooperating with smart people like you! I hope this cooperation goes smoothly!"
With that, she stepped off the deck.
"Oh, right!" Just as she turned to leave, Isabella looked back at me and said, "You can bet a little on yourself, but try not to exceed five hundred thousand!"
"Because the big stake will be mine!"
"If you receive a large amount of chips early on with your odds, the casino will definitely adjust them later."
Before she finished speaking, Isabella was already walking away into the distance.
...
On the second floor of the cruise ship, in a lounge room.
"This check, did that girl named Isabella give it to you?"
Holding Isabella's check, Cheng Minglang examined it closely from all angles.
I nodded without speaking.
Taking the check from Cheng Minglang and shaking it, Han Jinlun frowned and muttered, "Why don't good things like this happen to me?"
"The prerequisite is that you have to make it to the finals!" Cheng Minglang gave Han Jinlun a big eye-roll and said mockingly.
Ignoring their bickering, I turned my gaze to Xu Shiyu and asked her about the betting odds.
Earlier, upon returning to the room, I had immediately told Xu Shiyu about the final odds and the cooperation plan, intending to ask for her analysis.
When you're in the thick of it, it's hard to see clearly.
I wanted Xu Shiyu to analyze and judge from an outsider's perspective what Isabella's true intentions were.
Unfortunately, this time, before Xu Shiyu could speak, a voice announcement echoed in the room, calling for us participants in the final showdown to gather.
Hearing this, I stood up and headed towards the competition area...
That evening, the final showdown commenced.
This final round, involving 18 participants, was divided into two tables, with nine people per table.
Furthermore, the final showdown was split into two stages: the ranking matches and the finals.