Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du had said those words in Chinese but he did not expect the man to have a decent grasp on the language. The man understood what he said and responded in Mandarin, “Who brought you guys here?”
Thar Ne Win and his buddy stepped forward meekly and one of them whispered, “W-w-we were forced, boss. They wanted to come to take a look.”
Li Du chuckled. “You speak Chinese? That’s great, it’ll be easier for us to communicate. What do you guys play at here?”
The hulk of a man stared him down as he said, “Cockfights, dogfights, cards, pai gow, and mahjong. What do you want to play?”
Li Du said, “I like dice. Do you have that here?”
The man’s face soured and he said, “Listen, boss. If you are really here to play I will welcome you with open arms, but if you’re here to pick a fight, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Li Du waved his hands. “You’re reading too much into this. I’m just here to play.”
He then snapped his fingers and Godzilla walked over. He unzipped his backpack and drew out a bundle of American hundred-dollar bills, of which he tossed a stack at the man. “Here, you can examine the cash if you don’t believe me.”
The man checked the bills and any traces of animosity vanished from his face quickly, replaced by a warm smile. “How should I address you, boss? My name is Du Enhai but you can call me Old Du.”
Li Du pointed at himself and said, “You can call me Old Zhong. And I really did come here just to play. What about those dice? You and me.”
Hearing this, the smile on Du Enhai’s face slowly dimmed. Li Du’s words made him suspect; the man still believed Li Du was here to wreck the place. The way he looked to bet with the boss of the casino right away, it was clear that Li Du harbored certain intentions.
Li Du carried on speaking, “Ten thousand US dollars per round. You can use cash in place of chips, or you can choose to use answers instead. That is to say, if I lose, I’ll pay you ten thousand US dollars, and if you lose, you’ll have to answer a question of mine.”
Du Enhai frowned. “What’s this? Hey, what are you playing at?”
Li Du smiled. “Dice, no? We could do something else if you prefer. It just so happens I have a dog with me. Should we go with a dogfight? If so, we’d have to make some changes to the terms—”
“No betting on dogs,” Du Enhai interrupted him before he could finish speaking. “The thing you have there is not a dog, it’s a wolf!”
He had been in the industry for a long time, long enough to be familiar with the different breeds of dogs. Hyenas, wolves, African wild dogs, he had seen them all. As such, he could tell with a single look what Ah Ow was.
Li Du clapped. “As expected of the boss, your eye is far more expert than your men’s. They thought I had a really good dog and tried to buy it from me.”
Du Enhai had more or less figured out that the two boys had landed themselves in trouble with Li Du. He glared viciously at the duo and admonished them, “F*ck, were you guys born brainless? Did God forget to give you wits?”
Wolves and certain breeds of dogs looked similar in their build, but there was a very clear difference in their strength. Whether it was stamina, speed, biting force, agility, fighting spirit, or ruthlessness, wolves were just far superior to dogs in every aspect. Du Enhai knew this very well: dogs, regardless of their breed, were nothing but fodder to wolves.
Li Du said, “I suggest we stick to dice. If I lose, you walk away with ten thousand US dollars, and if you lose, all you have to do is answer a question. Isn’t that a great deal for you?”
Du Enhai snorted. “It sounds a little too good to be true.”
The man might have looked like a brainless hulk, but he was extremely meticulous and cautious. Li Du had laid out terms for him that might seem attractive, but he did not believe Li Du was really that generous. He was sure Li Du had some tricks up his sleeve!
Li Du asked, “So are you in or not?”
“Of course I’m in. I run a casino, how can I possibly not be down for a gamble?” Du Enhai called for his men and one of them brought over a dice cup and some dice.
Du Enhai asked Li Du, “Do you want to examine the dice to see if I’ve tampered with them?”
Li Du smiled. “There’s no need for that, I trust you.”
Du Enhai’s mouth twitched. “That’s quite the burden you’re placing on me, considering we’ve never met before. However, since you’re not checking, let’s start, shall we? How many dice?”
Li Du said, “Let’s start simple. We’ll start with one dice and guess if it’s big or small.”
As he spoke, he sat on a boulder and put down ten thousand American dollars. Du Enhai eyed the bills that were on the ground, greed written all over his face. He shook the dice cup and said, “I’ll be the banker first and you call?”
Li Du nodded. “Alright.”
Du Enhai shook the dice cup quickly, then slammed it down aggressively. “Big or small?”
Li Du said carelessly, “Big.”
He tilted the cup to reveal the dice: two points. In an instant, someone announced in a loud voice, “Two dots, small!”
Li Du tossed ten thousand dollars to Du Enhai. He took the dice cup over and shook it a few times before holding it firmly to the ground. “Your turn.”
The man strained to listen, then declared solemnly, “Still small!”
Li Du lifted the cup. It was one point this time. “One point, small! Congratulations, boss, you won this round too!”
Twenty thousand in less than a minute. Du Enhai grew even more ambitious and his eyes gleamed. “Hand the cup over to me. Guess — big or small?”
Li Du said mildly, “It’ll be big this time. It can’t possibly be small three times in a row, right?”
Du Enhai lifted the cup. This time, there were four dots. Indeed, it was big. As such, he said, “As we agreed, ask whatever you want.”
Therefore, Li Du asked, “Where did you learn to speak Chinese?”
Du Enhai said, “Hpakant. It’s your turn with the dice cup. I’ll call this time.”
Li Du shook the dice cup. When he set the cup down, Du Enhai said, “I say it’s big again!”
There were four dots. The bunch of teenage hooligans who were gathered in a crowd and watching erupted into raucous cheers. “F*ck, the boss won another ten thousand!””Boss, you’re the best! You’re winning so much!”
Du Enhai shook the dice cup. Li Du said, “It’s small this time.”
The dice were revealed: one point, small.
Li Du asked, “How long have you been operating here?”
“Five years,” Du Enhai said, then rubbed his hands together. “Come, it’s your turn with the cup and my turn to guess.”
Li Du shook the cup. Du Enhai maintained his pose as he strained to listen to the dice shaking and rattling about in the cup. When Li Du stopped shaking, he declared, “It’s big this time!”
Six dots, big. The hooligans were going wild.
They switched roles again. This time, Li Du called big as well. It was six dots again. “How did this huge pit form?”
“It was left behind by people who came here looking for jade.”
The pair took turns guessing and shaking the dice cup, consecutively calling out big and small. As the game went on, Du Enhai raked in a load of cash while Li Du accumulated bits and pieces of information.
Li Du took charge of the dice cup again. When he stopped, Du Enhai called out confidently, “It’s big this time!”
He lifted the dice cup: one dot. Du Enhai’s eyes widened in anger. Some of the hooligans hooted tactlessly, “Another ten thousand, all hail the boss! F*ck, why is it small?!”
Li Du smiled. “Almost there. Here, it’s your turn with the dice cup.”
The cheer drained from Du Enhai in an instant. He shook the dice cup a few times and put it down. Li Du said, “Lift your finger from the top of the cup. I’m guessing it’s small.”
This time, it was not just Du Enhai who turned solemn. The crowd of hooligans were equally serious; some of them subtly reached for the bayonets and daggers strapped to their waists.
The dice cup was lifted: two dots, small!
Li Du smiled as he glanced at the dice. “My final question…”
