The moment the truth was revealed, those dark lights that had surrounded me one by one stared at me with fierce expressions.
Among them, two who seemed to be leaders directly held my arms, one on each side.
I knew very well that if I dared to resist or struggle, they would subdue me without hesitation.
After dispatching the dark lights to surround me, the smile on He Guan's face also changed.
It was no longer a cold smirk of provocation and mockery, but a relieved and triumphant hearty laugh.
"Chen Xiang, if I were you, I wouldn't be thinking about all sorts of irrelevant things right now."
"The situation is settled, victory and defeat are decided. If you want to end this gamble with a bit more dignity, you should obediently reveal the card hidden in your sleeve!"
Upon hearing this, my heart sank into despair.
The extreme tension and pressure that had subsided earlier instantly swept over me again.
Heh heh~ Dignity?
No matter how dignified, it couldn't change the outcome where losing meant death.
I didn't want to, I didn't want to be captured without a fight.
Just like gamblers who have lost everything, their minds are still thinking of a comeback against the odds.
After glancing at He Guan, I shouted loudly, "He Guan, you are the one who should honor the bet, not me!"
"You're using your home advantage to refuse to admit defeat, and instead you're slandering me, accusing me of cheating. Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
"If you can't produce concrete evidence that I cheated and switched cards just now, I will fight you to the death, even if it costs me my life!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard He Guan say in a completely indifferent tone, "Fight to the death?"
"I'm afraid you won't get that chance!"
"Where are the people from the monitoring room? Come down!"
Within a few seconds, I saw someone walking down from upstairs.
The person was wearing a uniform, holding an object resembling a remote control, and rushed down the stairs with an excited stride.
As soon as he reached Xiao Tianci's side, the person fawned over him, seeking credit.
"Boss, as per your instructions, our monitoring room staff have recorded every little action Chen Xiang has made from the start of the game until now!"
"Among these, two small actions are very suspicious."
"One was when you wanted to inspect the cards earlier, and the other was when you checked your hole cards for the last time before calling the bet!"
"Boss, please take a look..."
After speaking, the person pointed to the projection screen on the side, "This is the footage from the first time Chen Xiang requested to inspect the cards!"
As soon as the words fell, everyone's eyes turned to the projection screen, where my actions during the card inspection were being replayed with perfect clarity.
After a while, the person pressed the remote control, and the footage on the projection screen immediately froze on the subtle movement of my fingers.
Seeing this, I was stunned.
The footage on the projection screen was of me secretly taking a card while pretending to inspect them.
At this moment, all eyes in the hall were focused intently on the frozen image on the projection screen.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Tianci's expression instantly changed from gloomy to cheerful. He said to the person beside him, "Continue! Continue with the second suspicious footage you mentioned!"
Receiving affirmation from Xiao Tianci, the person immediately pressed the remote control hard and began fast-forwarding to the footage of me cheating and switching cards.
This time, it seemed that concrete evidence of my cheating had been captured. The person repeatedly zoomed in on the footage of me switching cards, zooming in to the maximum frame before pressing the pause button to freeze it.
The moment my actions were enlarged and frozen, the person pointed to the big screen and said loudly, "Everyone, please pay close attention. A corner of a card is revealed from the gap in the cuff of Chen Xiang's right sleeve!"
As soon as the person finished speaking, the vast majority of people around involuntarily let out a series of C-rated exclamations.
"Holy crap!!! They actually caught it!"
After a barrage of crude exclamations, these people all looked at me with schadenfreude.
Staying out of it and watching the show is the nature of our countrymen.
The common vice of a cheat is the fear of being caught red-handed and having their hands chopped off, but at the same time, they are very willing to watch such a scene unfold with their peers.
The footage captured by the high-definition surveillance camera was very clear, and anyone with good eyesight could see it clearly.
This scene filled me with an indescribable sense of desolation.
Did I really fall for it this time?
As I thought of this, a look of unspeakable annoyance and unwillingness surged onto my face.
Unlike my dejection, He Guan was beaming with pride. He looked at me and said, "Chen Xiang, it doesn't matter whether you admit defeat or not."
"I can trace back and re-demonstrate all the little moves you made starting from the card inspection!"
"After revealing the card you hid in your sleeve, and then having the dealer check the deck..."
"Tonight, I will surely catch you red-handed with your cheating!"
As soon as He Guan finished speaking, the group of dark lights surrounding me immediately began to flatter him.
"Ghost Eye He Guan, truly lives up to his reputation! I'm impressed!"
"Indeed, a prominent figure in our Longxi circle. With this ability to trace back, I'm definitely no match for you!"
"Isn't what you said obvious? If you could match Ghost Eye He Guan, you would be the one sitting at the table tonight!"
"Tsk tsk tsk... Why do I feel like our boss is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut by asking Brother He to step in?"
"Exactly! I have the same feeling. This kid named Chen Xiang doesn't seem very capable! He Guan brother has him under control in just a few moves!"
"........."
He Guan, nicknamed "Ghost Eye," basked in the flattery from the dark lights of Tianci Building.
The crowd lifts the Bodhisattva, the gods beat the gongs!
No one dislikes hearing compliments, it all depends on the occasion.
"........."
Seeing that I remained silent, He Guan continued, "What? Do you think you can escape by not speaking?"
At this moment, the atmosphere in the entire hall had completely shifted to a one-sided affair.
And it was at this moment that I suddenly chose to change my tune.
"Excuse me, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you! I... did not cheat!"
As soon as my voice fell, I heard He Guan burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Hahahahahaha~"
"Chen Xiang, have you been scared silly? Do you think we are all blind? Or do you think the high-definition surveillance equipment in the hall is just for show?"
"If you didn't cheat, then what is that showing from the cuff of your sleeve in the footage on the projection screen?"
After speaking, he pointed to the projection screen.
I shook my head and replied unhurriedly, "Is there any rule stating that one cannot draw a poker card pattern on the cuff of their own sleeve?"
As soon as my words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Before He Guan could speak, I preempted him, "Do you really think I lost the first round because you bluffed me?"
"If it weren't for the purpose of retreating to advance and lure you into the trap, making you underestimate me on both strategic and tactical levels..."
"Would I have let you get over ten million chips for free with your worthless hand?"
"If you can play the game of covering up the truth, can't I use a feint to counter you?"