"Essence" determines the choices a person makes in moments of crisis.

In gambling, seeing through an opponent's "essence" is a shortcut to victory.

Once seen through, one can be disturbed, lured, and even manipulated, ultimately stepping into the abyss of defeat.

Mr. Jing's failure belongs to this situation.

Feng Bujue's words and actions...while advancing the game, were also probing the opponent's "essence."

Taking this opponent as an example...Brother Jue quickly discovered that Mr. Jing's essence was "concession," or rather, "compromise under the premise that there is still room for maneuver."

It would be more appropriate to describe this type of person as a "conservative派 with a strong exterior but a weak interior"...

Years of bureaucratic style have cultivated his principle of handling affairs without seeking merit, but seeking no fault; as long as there is still room for maneuver, and there is still safe space...he will make concessions and deceive himself by telling himself "this is a rational, unavoidable choice."

But in reality, due to insufficient ability, he simply cannot judge what is a rational and correct concession...

...

"Settlement begins now." The referee immediately said after hearing the "declaration of surrender," "The questioner declared surrender in the twenty-first round, and the fine is...31,000 US dollars."

"Wh...what! So much?" Mr. Jing couldn't help but exclaim when he heard the amount, "Why did I lose so much even though I surrendered?"

"The fine formula is written in the rules, you can verify it yourself," the referee replied coldly.

Hearing this, Mr. Jing lowered his head somewhat woodenly, picked up the printed paper with the rules from the middle layer of the trolley, and found the relevant content.

From the twenty-first round onwards, the second fine formula is adopted, namely: [10% of the opponent's money at the beginning of the game * (50 - number of completed rounds) % + 10% of the opponent's bet in this round + basic fine], and the [basic fine] for rounds 21-30 is [20% of the opponent's money at the beginning of the game].

To sum up, Mr. Jing's fine is: 10000 * (50-20)% + 80000 * 10% + 20000, which is indeed 31,000 US dollars...

"Understand?" The referee waited for Mr. Jing for a minute, and then continued, "In addition, the amount of the 'gambling round' must be included, which is 1000 US dollars, so...at the end of this game, the questioner should pay the guesser 32,000 US dollars. Subtracting the 20,000 US dollars that the guesser lost in the previous 20 rounds, there are still 12,000 US dollars. Please pay."

"Damn...damn..." Mr. Jing muttered through gritted teeth, and reluctantly took the money out of his plastic-sealed bag.

After the referee took the banknotes, he took out a bill counter from the trolley, quickly counted the correct amount, and handed it to Feng Bujue.

"Hehe...thank you." Feng Bujue took the money from the referee with a smile, and thanked Mr. Jing.

"Hmph..." Mr. Jing snorted coldly, his hands clenched into fists, his whole body trembling with frustration from the failure.

"Then..." At this moment, the referee took out the paper with the correct answer written on it by Mr. Jing earlier from his coat pocket, "This answer is now invalid." As he said that, he put the paper into the shredder on the bottom layer of the trolley, "You two...please prepare for the second game."

...

Just as they were cleaning up the table and settling the accounts...

"Friend, play a game with me."

"I challenge you, yes, you."

"Handsome guy, would you do me the honor?"

"I want to challenge you, come on."

Many people in the surrounding crowd suddenly started to take action.

These people who took the lead...had already seen the danger of this game, so they quickly launched "challenges" to the people around them.

...

At the same time, on the second floor of the main hall.

"Hehe...finally realized it, huh?" The organizer looked at the people who were launching duels one after another, and said with a smile, "However...no matter how fast they are, they can't catch up with the man wearing the crow mask. That person is a whole game ahead of them."

"Young master." Bodyguard A stepped forward to remind him in a timely manner, "That gentleman...is called Jiang Daode."

"Jiang Daode?" The organizer responded, and then operated on the tablet device in his hand a few times, pulling up Jiang Daode's information from the database, "Hmm...well-known entrepreneur...Top Ten Outstanding Youths...game industry...the company is currently on the verge of bankruptcy...huh..."

...

On the other hand, the second game between Feng Bujue and Mr. Jing was about to begin.

At this time, Brother Jue had quickly scribbled six numbers on the paper and handed it to the referee.

The moment he saw the six numbers, the referee almost knelt down...

"You...are you sure these are the six numbers?" The referee looked at the paper with the words "123456" written on it, and a painful expression was already revealed under his sunglasses.

"Yes." Brother Jue replied without even thinking.

The referee nodded: "Okay..." He put the paper away and turned to look at Mr. Jing, "Then please let the guesser say the 'round declaration' first."

"Fifty rounds." Mr. Jing chose a very safe number; of course...given his ability, he didn't have the capital to take risks.

"1000 US dollars." And Feng Bujue also gave the lowest bet amount.

"Wait!" Mr. Jing immediately said loudly, "This bet amount is not right, is it? Your current holding is already 112,000 US dollars, you have to bet at least 1120 US dollars."

"Hmph..." Feng Bujue chuckled, "Why don't you go and read the rules carefully?"

"Huh?" Mr. Jing was stunned by what he said, and then went to flip through the rules again.

As a result, he was dumbfounded again...

The rules are written like this - when "gambling rounds," the lowest bet amount placed by the questioner must not be lower than 1% of the total amount of money they hold at the beginning of this duel.

Please note that the phrase used here is [this duel], not [this game].

This concept is undoubtedly different, because one "duel"...has two "games."

"Just as this gentleman said." A few seconds later, the referee also spoke, "The minimum amount for 'gambling rounds' is calculated according to the ratio of money held at the beginning of the duel, otherwise...if the guesser loses so much money in the first game that they only have a few hundred US dollars left, wouldn't they only need to bet a few dollars when they act as the questioner in the second game?"

"Tch..." Mr. Jing spat, "Alright, alright~ one thousand is one thousand." He took the pen, looking ready to go, "First round, I bet 880 US dollars, will you follow?"

Mr. Jing's holding in this game is 88,000 US dollars, and the "minimum bet amount per round" is still calculated according to the total amount of money he holds at the beginning of this game, so the amount of his bet has also decreased accordingly.

"I surrender." Unexpectedly, in the next second, Feng Bujue replied with a very calm tone...

When he said this, Mr. Jing had already written two zeros on the paper...

"You surr...huh?" It wasn't until he was about to finish writing six zeros that Mr. Jing realized, "What? You surrender?"

Feng Bujue ignored him and looked directly at the referee and said, "Mr. Referee, settle the accounts."

"So that's how it is..." The referee thought to himself at this time, "This kid planned to surrender in the first round, so he can write whatever he wants..."

So, the referee calculated for a few seconds and announced, "The questioner declared surrender in the first round, and the fine is...8888 US dollars."

When Mr. Jing heard this number, he didn't raise any more questions, because he had just re-read the rules, so he knew that this number was correct.

Since Feng Bujue surrendered in the first round, he referred to the first set of formulas, namely [10% of the opponent's money at the beginning of the game * (50 + number of completed rounds) % + 10% of the opponent's bet in this round + basic fine (the basic fine for rounds 1-10 is 5% of the opponent's money at the beginning of the game)], substituting the numbers, it is 8800 * (50-0)% + 88 + 4400, and the result is that number.

"Including the amount of the 'gambling round', the total is 9888 US dollars." The referee said this and looked at Brother Jue, "Please pay."

Feng Bujue casually took out a stack of money and gave it to the referee, and said, "What about the change?"

"We are naturally prepared." The referee replied, and took a small box from the locked part of the middle layer of the trolley. The box was filled with small denomination bills of several specifications.

In short, this number guessing duel between Feng Bujue and Mr. Jing ended just like that.

In the end, Feng Bujue only won 2112 US dollars from the other party.

Although the amount won was not much, seeing this, the guests watching from the sidelines finally realized the importance of the "total amount of money held" in this game.

Because the bet for "gambling rounds" depends on how much money you have at the beginning of the duel, and the "surrender fine" depends on how much money the other party has at the beginning of each game...

When the gamer acts as the "guesser," the higher the total amount of money held, the higher the fine given by the opponent. Relatively speaking, if you hold less money, the opponent can pay less fine.

From this point of view, the "challenger" undoubtedly occupies the dominant position, because the challenger can first act as the "guesser." As long as you obtain enough benefits in the guessing game and lower the opponent's fund limit, then when you act as the questioner, the surrender fine you need to pay will naturally decrease.

Moreover...this kind of "financial advantage" is basically a snowball effect. The person who wins will become more and more advantageous, while the person who loses will find it increasingly difficult to make a comeback. Therefore...be fast!

...

"I challenge you!"

"I challenge you!"

"No, I challenged you first!"

"Nonsense, I said it first!"

For a time, the surrounding crowd became a mess.

The people who reacted faster had already found someone to start a duel quietly when Brother Jue and Mr. Jing settled the first game.

As for these "slow-paced" guys, or rather...the "vast majority of people," they only reacted after watching the settlement of this second game. They challenged each other anxiously, and everyone wanted to be the guesser first.

Scenes like this are commonplace for those men in suits and sunglasses, and they are also very familiar with how to deal with them.

"Everyone, calm down, don't quarrel. The two people who need to duel, please come to the table first."

"Please come to the table, you two."

"Please be patient and come here."

Under the persuasion of the men in suits, those who had disputes successively came to the table. Then...the men in suits took out their tablet devices one after another and retrieved the real-time video to determine who "said" the challenge declaration first.

...

On the other hand...

"Hmph...I'll consider this your win this time." After Mr. Jing took back the 9888 US dollars, he also said to Brother Jue, "We'll meet again..."

"There won't be a next time." Feng Bujue interrupted before the other party could finish his harsh words, "A person like you...is destined not to leave this ship tonight."

"What did you say..." Mr. Jing was somewhat exasperated and stepped forward with his arms and sleeves rolled up, seemingly wanting to resort to violence.

However, when he rushed in front of Brother Jue, a chill swept through his entire body.

At that moment, not only was Mr. Jing unable to speak, but even his breathing became very difficult.

He suddenly had a feeling - under that strange crow mask...it didn't seem to be a human being, but some kind of more terrifying, unknown creature...

"Whether you agree with what I say or not, I still have to say it." Feng Bujue said coldly when he saw that the other party was no longer speaking, "If you are not convinced by the loss, I don't mind gambling with you again for one game, or even two or three games, until I win all your money."

Mr. Jing didn't respond, but instead retreated...

"But for now..." Feng Bujue said, slowly turning around.

At this moment, a tall man wearing a golden crying face mask was already standing behind Brother Jue.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Feng Bujue looked at the other party and said casually.

"Hehe...it's only been a minute or two." The tall man replied with a smile.

To others, these two sentences of their dialogue sounded like ordinary polite words, and seemed to have no beginning or end.

But in reality, these simple two "greetings" were both mutual probing and a display of strength.

Feng Bujue's "Sorry to keep you waiting" was intended to show that "I know you have been waiting behind me for a long time, waiting to challenge me."

And the tall man's calm response, as well as his act of "challenging the crow mask man," all showed that he was by no means an ordinary person.

"Then...let's begin." Feng Bujue continued.

"Okay." The tall man said, striding towards the position where Mr. Jing had previously stood.

"Referee, I have challenged this gentleman wearing the crow mask." As he walked, he turned his head and greeted the referee.

Hearing this, the referee glanced at Brother Jue; although he was wearing sunglasses at this time, one could feel that...he was using an inquiring gaze.

"Why are you looking at me?" Feng Bujue responded, "This is my second duel. I can't refuse a challenge before this one is completed, right?"

"Since that's the case, then...please ask you to come up with a question first," the referee replied.

Feng Bujue shrugged and took out another piece of white paper from the trolley and laid it on the table; he still didn't think much about it and wrote down a set of numbers.

This time, when the referee took this "answer paper," he was prepared to see "123456" again, but...Brother Jue's mystery this time was more normal, it was "953724."

"Huh? No repeating numbers?" The referee thought to himself, "But...if you think about it carefully, under the premise that all the numbers can be tested out in the first nine rounds, deliberately not using repeating numbers seems to be a good choice. After all, 'which six numbers' is not a problem from the tenth round onwards. Under the premise that the numbers are determined, there are actually more non-repeating combinations."

Thinking of this, the referee put the answer in his coat pocket and said to the tall man, "Please make a round declaration."

"Hehe..." The man chuckled twice, "Eighteen rounds."

"What?" Mr. Jing, who was standing aside and hadn't left yet, couldn't help but exclaim when he heard this.

"Hmph...what's there to be surprised about." The tall man looked at Mr. Jing and found it funny, "Speaking of...why are you still here?"

Hearing him ask this, Mr. Jing was not happy: "What's wrong? Can't I just stand here and watch for a while?"

"Don't you understand?" The tall man replied, "Right now...is the time to race against time..." He pointed at Feng Bujue, "That 'Crow's Mouth' gentleman didn't hesitate to give you thousands of dollars for nothing in order to buy time, why don't you know how to cherish it?"

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Jing asked suspiciously, "When did he give me thousands of dollars?"

"Oh?" The tall man laughed again when he heard this, "What? You don't even know the most basic thing about 'in which rounds you can escape'?" He shook his head and continued, "Hoo...no wonder people say you won't be able to leave tonight."

"You guys, what are you all talking about!" Mr. Jing's anger was stirred up again, "Speak clearly if you have something to say, don't beat around the bush!"

"Sigh..." The tall man sighed and explained, "Then I'll just give an example...Suppose that gentleman just played with you for a while longer, for example...waited until the nineteenth round and suddenly surrendered, you calculate yourself, what is the difference between the fine at that time and the amount you paid."

Mr. Jing could still complete this kind of arithmetic that even elementary school students could complete. He looked down at the formula on the rules and immediately calculated it.

A dozen seconds later, Mr. Jing's face suddenly changed, and he muttered, "18 times 880 US dollars is...15840...and the fine for surrendering in the nineteenth round is 14872...I...not only didn't win money, but I lost 968?"

"That's right." The tall man replied, "However, you still have the 1000 US dollars for gambling rounds, so you can still earn 32 US dollars (because the base bet for gambling rounds is fixed at 1000, so when Mr. Jing guesses, Feng Bujue is still at a slight loss in the nineteenth round. He will only be profitable in the twentieth round), but it's far from 9888, right?" He paused for half a second and then said, "What if...he dragged it to the twentieth round and then surrendered? You don't need to calculate it, I'll tell you...even if you include the 1000 US dollars for gambling rounds, you will still lose 760 US dollars..." He said with a smile (although the other party couldn't see it), "This...is the so-called 'escape round'; for the party who asks the questions first, this is very important, but you didn't grasp it well...when you were the questioner, if you had surrendered one or two rounds earlier, before the other party increased the bet, even if you couldn't win too much money, you wouldn't have lost thousands of dollars."

"I...I..." Mr. Jing gritted his teeth under his mask in regret, and said dejectedly, "If I could have been one round earlier..."

"There's no such assumption." The tall man interrupted him, "I advise you to quickly find a place and calculate the comparison between the fine and the income in each round clearly...and then take advantage of the fact that everyone still has to accept the challenge and finish your 'second duel'. As for the game that we're going to play..." He said, looking at Brother Jue again, "It's not a gamble that people at your level can get involved in..."