Chapter 141

Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict.

Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish! 

Tang Yu and Rebecca stood in front of an entrance, looking up at the business sign above their heads. The red fluorescent lines outlined two characters.

Phoenix.

With her hands clasped behind her head and chewing gum in her mouth, Rebecca muttered, "Phoenix Club, is this the place?"

Phoenix Club in Kabukicho, Watson—this was Tang Yu's intended destination. Confirmed, they stepped into the club.

At the reception desk, the attendant asked the two strangers if they had a reservation. The Phoenix Club primarily operated a casino and also offered services like private rooms, drinks, braindances, and companionship.

Seeing no prior reservation and only a wish to try his luck at the casino, the receptionist sized up Tang Yu, noting his lack of high-end cyberware but couldn't ignore his quality suit and air of nobility.

"Entering the casino is fine, but there's a minimum chip purchase of 10,000 Eurodollars," the receptionist said, adding a rule on the spot meant to gauge the affluence of their guests.

Without minding the receptionist's game, Tang Yu simply asked Rebecca to convert all the Eurodollars she had into chips for play.

The receptionist, surprised by the sight of little Rebecca, said dismissively, "I forgot our other rule—we don't serve minors."

Rebecca's casual demeanor fell as she angrily glared at the receptionist. Who are you calling a kid? Her cybernetic eyes lit up as she transferred 150,000 Eurodollars for chips to prove her point.

Shocked, the receptionist realized his mistake and quickly warmed up his attitude, "Ah, forgive my discount cyber-eyes, I will upgrade them soon so as not to misjudge esteemed guests like yourselves. Please, come inside. Whatever you wish to play, just ask. Our drinks are on the house for customers like you."

He processed the chips, presented them in a fancy box, and two bunny girls, with glowing ears and striking figures, were called to guide them into the casino.

Rebecca, holding the box of chips, looked displeased at the bunny girls towering over her. Once inside, Tang Yu dismissed the bunnies uninterested in special services. This left Rebecca to focus on the gambling.

For her first casino visit, the diverse games like slots, roulette, dice, and fishing thrilled her, while Tang Yu was nonchalant, having played all these games before. Losing seemed irrelevant compared to the experience.

Rebecca, bursting with excitement, chose the slot machine. She inserted a 1,000 Eurodollar chip and pulled the lever, only to lose the round. Undeterred, she tried again and again to no avail, until she nearly kicked the machine out of frustration, stopped only by Tang Yu.

Feeling she had "fed" the machine enough, Tang Yu took over, asking her to blow on the chip for luck. She did so skeptically before he inserted it and pulled the lever, finally hitting a small win.

They roamed from game to game, with Rebecca enjoying every rush of adrenaline that came with the gambling experience. When her initial 150,000 and Tang Yu's additional 300,000 Eurodollars ran out, she felt a void and a hint of despondence. The thrill was not enough yet.

As they prepared to leave, the staff offered high-value, low-interest loans—a trap for gamblers. Ignoring the risks, Tang Yu asked for 500,000 more in chips.

Worried, Rebecca questioned if continuing to gamble was wise, knowing they could not cover the losses. But it was too late; the cycle of high stakes and debt was set in motion.

Tang Yu told Rebecca to stop worrying, to just relax and enjoy the moment.

"Don't worry, someone will foot the bill for us when the time comes."

Soon after, a waiter came out pushing a trolley loaded with Eddies, exactly half a million Eurodollars.

He respectfully presented the chips to Tang Yu, saying, "I wish you a pleasant game."

At this point, Rebecca wasn't feeling like playing anymore; spending her own money was one thing, but watching Tang Yu take out a loan made it all seem dull.

She sat listlessly next to the gambling table, drawing her legs in and resting her head on her knees, her thighs forming deep creases.

Seeing Rebecca silent beside him, Tang Yu could tell she wasn't in high spirits, so he smiled wryly, snapped his fingers, and summoned the waiter.

The waiter stood by respectfully, waiting for Tang Yu's instructions.

Tang Yu gazed at the gambling table for a moment, then said, "Put all these chips on number four."

All of it?

Thinking he might have heard wrong, the waiter double-checked with Tang Yu before moving the stacks of chips to the table, piling them all onto position number four.

This bold move drew the attention of the entire casino.

Betting half a million Eddies in one go — how wild could it be?

Even Rebecca, who was feeling disinterested, was surprised by this daring play from their company.

High-level corporate employees might deal with large sums of money, but this behavior didn't fit with Tang Yu's usual style.

She tilted her head in confusion towards Tang Yu, then realizing something, relaxed her furrowed brow and said with a triumphant smile, "Wow, company man, playing big and not telling me..."

Meanwhile, in the casino's control room, the manager also noticed Tang Yu's bold actions.

Though the Phoenix Club had seen high rollers before, someone like Tang Yu borrowing half a million Eddies and betting it all at once was unprecedented.

The manager squinted at the monitor, as if trying to figure something out.

"Is this guy really foolish, or is he doing this on purpose?"

Clearly, he sensed something was off.

Several casino bouncers gathered around, ready to teach any debtor a lesson should he dare to default on his loan.

"Manager, should we keep an eye on him? If he doesn't pay up, we can just grab him."

The manager thought for a while and told his men to wait.

"Don't rush, we still don't know who he is, and he's a new customer. I'll report this to the boss first—just keep a close watch for now."

The manager took out his phone and dialed Norimoto Shota's number.

Shota, wearing a suit and a protective coverall, was busy in the club's secret base, torturing someone tied up on a large white mat.

Upon hearing about the casino incident, his expression turned unhappy, and he waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to take the person to the operating table for further processing.

Shota walked out of the room, removed his blood-stained coverall, and prepared to head downstairs.

It was the day to pay tribute to the Tiger Claw gang leader, which included setting up special services at the Phoenix in addition to the required amount.

Because the Tiger Claw boss would personally visit the Phoenix Club to collect the money and enjoy the services provided.

After getting ready, he took the private elevator to the backstage area of the club and then went to the control room.

The casino manager stood up immediately and respectfully greeted Shota, then pointed to Tang Yu on the screen and explained, "Lord Shota, this is the man. Just after I reported to you, he borrowed another half a million Eddies..."

Shota observed Tang Yu on the monitor, silent for a moment.

He noticed Tang Yu didn't seem to care about the sum of the Eddies, betting carelessly with a calm demeanor.

The customers around the casino had gathered to watch the bet unfold, curious about just how far it would go.

When the results were declared, Tang Yu lost the half million Eddies again.

The crowd responded with jeers and whispers; Tang Yu's reckless gambling baffled everyone.

Shota asked in a deep voice, "How much money has he lost in total?"

The casino manager answered, "Including their own money, they've lost 1.46 million so far. 10,000 of those chips were complimentary."

Shota wasn't convinced and believed Tang Yu wasn't just there to enjoy gambling but was challenging them.

Tang Yu didn't show any change in emotion, treating the money as if it were merely chips.

He could be flaunting his wealth, meaning to teach the casino a lesson, or he could be confident in retrieving the money.

Based on his judgment, it was more likely the latter.

This lamb could actually be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Did you find out anything about him, like records at NCPD?" Shota inquired.

The casino manager confirmed there was no information about him, except that his surname was Tang and the girl liked calling him 'company man.'

Company man?

Shota sensed trouble.

Whose company could it be?

Despite his wide connections, including gang leaders and corporate executives, it was impossible to know every high-level corporate individual.

The lack of any corporate identifiers and unreadable scans on the man made the situation challenging.

The waiter sought the casino manager's opinion, revealing that Mr. Tang wanted to borrow another million Eddies.

One million Eddies?

The manager sensed something amiss as in his long career, he had never seen anyone play like this, so he hurriedly asked Shota's opinion.

"Lord Shota, this man seems to be purposely causing trouble. Maybe I should send some brothers to deal with him and have him pay up."

Shota coldly responded, "Nonsense. We don't even know his details. Who knows how we might die from this?"

He suspected Tang Yu might have the backing of a high corporate level, or he wouldn't dare act so brazenly in their casino.

Shota wanted to check if there was a Tang in the Arasaka company ranks.

After ordering an investigation, he brought over a trolley with a million Eddies in chips to Tang Yu, smiling, "Mr. Tang, good evening. I'm the owner of this establishment, Norimoto Shota. May I have a word with you?"

Tang Yu finally looked away from the table and at Shota, showing interest now that he had found the man in charge, replying calmly, "Go ahead."

The customers stared at Shota, recognizing him as a notorious figure who rarely showed his face, surprised to see him personally intervene.

Shota didn't appreciate Tang Yu's disinterest and disrespect while seated at the table, his temper flaring slightly.

"How do you plan to repay the loan?"

He placed his hand on the chip pile, awaiting Tang Yu's answer.

Rebecca sensed the tenseness and prepared for a possible conflict, understanding Tang Yu was here on business, not for fun, and his target was the casino boss, Shota.

Regardless of how much money was lost, they'd have to recoup it from him.

Tang Yu replied, "Repay? How would you like to handle it, or shall we have another game?"

Shota never expected Tang Yu to continue gambling and angrily asked, "Fine. Since you're so interested, I'm happy to accommodate. What would you like to wager?"

Looking around, Tang Yu said thoughtfully, "Although your casino is somewhat small, we've had fun. Betting the casino itself seems appropriate."

The crowd grew larger and vocal, surprised by Tang Yu's boldness, wondering how much money he'd pour into the game.

Shota smirked, his every move now watched, surrounded by armed guards ready for his command.

Sneering, he agreed, "Alright, I accept. Since you think you can win, I'll bet the casino."

"And what will you wager, Mr. Tang?"

"You surely can't just make empty boasts."

Tang Yu, a bit exasperated, wagered, "How about your life as the bet? If I win, I might consider sparing you."

Furious and veins bulging, Shota nearly ordered an attack only to be interrupted by the panicking manager.

The manager whispered urgent news in Shota's ear, his anger turning into shock as he stared at Tang Yu.

Confirming with the manager, Shota grasped why Tang Yu was so brazen and extravagant.

Damn it!

The money must be cursed!

Trying to contain his rage and shock, Shota forced a smile, now refraining from speaking.

A group from the Tiger Claw gang walked into the casino, with the boss apologizing to Tang Yu for Shota's misbehavior.

Tang Yu looked at Shota, seemingly indifferent, then stood up with Rebecca, mentioning the loss of a hundred million and leaving the casino to Tiger Claw and Shota's people.

As they left the Phoenix Club, Rebecca raced to keep up with Tang Yu, teasingly admiring how he handled the Tiger Claw members with ease.

Tang Yu replied with a smile, "Arasaka is like a godfather to the Tiger Claw, why wouldn't they be obedient?"

When Rebecca asked about the lost money, he barely had time to answer before she received a transfer of 150,000 Eddies from the Phoenix Club, undoubtedly thanks to Tang Yu's influence.

Instead of worrying about debts anymore, Rebecca invited Tang Yu for a drink, appreciating the cleverness of his actions.