allendalepharm Chapter 181 A Desperate Struggle
Chapter 181 A Desperate Struggle
Chapter 191 A Trapped Beast's Struggle
Just as the three Plasma Squad members heard the math professor's name, in the glass gambling room, Blueberry, who was fiddling with checks, suddenly spoke up—
"If I want to leave now, I'll find that the only lock on the secret room door can't be opened, right?"
Seated cross-legged atop a sea of banknotes, the gambling king casts his sharp, eagle-like gaze upon his opponent.
Unlike Pokémon battles, gambling between humans is not a game, but a war fought on the smallest unit. The loser cannot simply collapse on the roadside with mosquito coil-like eyes, and the battle cannot end in an instant with a clear winner and loser.
For Blueberry right now, the spoils of the Double Dragon poker showdown haven't been converted into cash yet, and his biggest rival, Vio, is still sitting nonchalantly in front of him...
This means that the betting game is not truly over yet.
As the evil-type king questioned him, the purple-robed old man, who had been keeping a blank expression, twitched his eyebrows. Just as Yueju had warned him, he instantly stopped acting and his dejected face turned gloomy and cold in the blink of an eye.
"I thought you'd be more interested in watching your opponent's embarrassing defeat, but I didn't expect you to be discovered so quickly... Is it because my performance was too exaggerated that it seemed abnormal?"
"Is this the impression the sages of the Plasma Group give off? They're either arrogant or paranoid; it would be abnormal for them to honestly admit defeat."
During their conversation, the live stream, which was connected to various screens on the Royal Union, was quietly interrupted, appearing to outsiders as a normal pause in playback.
Cranberry continued to reveal—
"Your men had already taken control of the exit of this gambling room long before the game was over, right? If I'm not mistaken, they've now blocked this room from the outside world. Otherwise, the ship's crew should have come here to collect the money when the duel ended."
The echo reverberated in the gambling room where only two people were present. The dealer, Mr. Tuan, had disappeared after the game ended... This also confirmed Yueju's guess.
"Not only that, but the Royal United is also being steered by your subordinates. The thirty members in Plasma Group uniforms who are following you are just a decoy. The real elites of the Order have already disguised themselves as gamblers and infiltrated the gambling ship—that's the real reliance on your confidence to take control of the gambling ship instantly."
“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.” The old man nodded with a wry smile. “The security checks on the Royal Union only target gamblers with bad records in casinos, so it’s not difficult to have someone infiltrate them… Now it seems that this was one of your schemes to lure me onto the gambling ship, wasn’t it? In comparison, Your Excellency’s screening of staff is much stricter.”
"Yes, I personally recruited each of them. They are top elites in the casino and used to be very troublesome."
Lingju, who used to frequent casinos of all sizes in the United States, was quite proud as she waved the check in her hand and said—
"If they weren't on the ship, I wouldn't believe the value these colorful tickets represent. So even if you want to hijack the gambling ship, please try to be gentle with my staff, otherwise I might retaliate in some extreme way."
They intimidated each other.
First, demonstrate your respective strength and will, and then begin more formal negotiations.
This is a clichéd yet classic confrontation scene. If a Hollywood director or bestselling author were here, they would surely be moved to tears.
Vio sighed—
"The amount of money I lost to you is too large. If it is allowed to flow into the market all at once, it will not only devalue the assets involved, but will also undoubtedly deal a serious blow to the Order's position in the financial market. Neither I personally nor the entire Plasma Group can tolerate such a situation."
"So, how about I make a suggestion?"
The sage rubbed his wrinkled thumb and forefinger together, looking earnestly at his opponent who had defeated him.
"I hope you can deposit these written financial documents with me, so that the assets they represent can continue to circulate in the Plasma Group's cash flow. When you need money, I will withdraw cash in installments through the cult's channels and deliver it to you in an absolutely trustworthy manner. If you agree to this payment method, the cult will provide you with storage interest rates that are impossible to achieve through conventional financial management methods. At that time, the total amount stored might even double without you realizing it."
It seems that after the failure of mathematician Dr. Vio, financial expert Mr. Vio has now taken the stage.
Lingju chuckled lightly: "Minimizing losses, huh? What a cunning old fox."
“You’re the only one on the ship who has no right to say that to me.” The old man raised his eyelids and replied weakly, “This is a win-win situation without any pretense. If you were still a member of Team Plasma, you wouldn’t be able to refuse this proposal.”
Even now, with tensions running high, are they still trying to use my status as a Plasma Group member to control me? Such a struggle is rather unsightly.
The Gambler King shook his head in disappointment: "That's really unfortunate. Having made a fortune this time, I'm no longer interested in continuing to toil for Mr. Quixote's great cause."
Thus, they issued a blatant declaration of apostasy.
"Was everything you did over the past three months just for this moment?"
The sage lowered his eyes. Although he was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but ask angrily after hearing the words.
Betrayed the alliance, defected to the religious order, and stole 500 million by flipping a coin.
He bought ships to open casinos, recruited members to evade internal investigations, and caused the suicide of a high-ranking official.
They lured him onto the ship, set up a blackjack table with obvious loopholes, and hosted a crazy double dragon duel.
In situations where winning is nearly impossible, repeatedly going all-in, adding cash at twice the inflation rate, and forcing oneself to invest a corresponding amount of real-world capital.
And the final card that was revealed...
Now, looking back calmly, all these elaborate schemes were actually traps designed to lure Vio into falling into them step by step!
And his momentary oversight could actually lead to the complete destruction of the cult!
"It seems that from the moment the sages first conceived the idea of keeping a Heavenly King of the Unova, they had already stepped into the abyss."
To the sage's resentful questioning, the evil Heavenly King simply smiled and brushed it off.
"Of course, I also want to stay in your Plasma Corps, gradually climb the ranks as I accumulate merits, and finally play an important role in the mythology of your newly established nation..."
It refers to lurking until the very last moment, betraying and beheading the Seven Sages just as they are about to defeat the Alliance, playing the role of a dark hero with a bitter and vengeful heart.
“However, after joining the cult, I immediately realized that you could not give me such an opportunity. Just because of my status as the former Heavenly King of the Alliance, you would never be able to completely let your guard down against me. If I hadn’t used the connections I had when I was Heavenly King to set up the casino, I would still be treated as a high-ranking officer in your cult and be ordered around at will.”
It now seems that this level of wariness is far from enough... Vio gave a forced smile and responded just as insincerely—
"Your worries are just an illusion. I am willing to bestow upon you the position of one of the Seven Sages."
"Heh heh, you just gambled away an astronomical sum of the Order's funds, and lost it all. It's uncertain whether you still retain your status as a sage."
"Before being formally stripped of my rights, I am still one of the Seven Sages. Now is the perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate your loyalty..."
Cranberry sneered, launching a scathing attack before the other person could finish speaking—
"Stop joking! Are you still planning to stall for time with this nonsensical conversation? No matter how fast the Royal United Ship is, it's impossible for it to reach the desolate open sea in such a short time!"
Vio froze. After being hit so many times, he no longer had the luxury of feigning composure.
The Plasma Group's intentions were crystal clear—by leveraging its inertia and gradually deviating from its course, Lantana could sense its ship rapidly sailing downstream towards the open sea. Once there, the Plasma Group could use its unrestricted naval power to encircle and annihilate Lantana.
As long as the holders of the checks and bonds no longer physically exist, the massive earthquake that is about to occur in the plasma cluster's funding chain can be averted.
“You can’t hold me back.” Blueberry shrugged.
"In fact, from the moment your hand was revealed, your defeat was already a foregone conclusion. Neither this secret room nor the encirclement of the cruise ship poses any real threat to me."
"Sigh, I know that too."
Vio actually lowered his eyebrows and admitted it directly.
“You are facing a Dark-type Elite Four member with exceptional combat strength. Once you unleash your full power, no one on the ship can stop you. Furthermore, the ship's current internal structure was designed under your personal supervision. Even if we send out a large number of people to surround you here, you will probably find an unexpected way to avoid this predicament.”
Just like the last two cards in a gamble.
At this point, the old man's eyebrows stubbornly rose again—
“But I’ll still give it a try. You’re not carrying any Pokémon right now, and the Poké Balls that were placed outside the room have been secretly moved to a distant location by my men. I’ve also personally searched every corner of this secret room thoroughly. Even if I can’t find something as absurd as the money blower, I’m confident that there aren’t any mechanisms that would allow one person to enter or leave. Based on all the information I have at this moment, I think the plan to trap you in the room is worth a try.”
"Why don't you take this opportunity to kill me?" The Dark Elite Four member remained calm. "Wouldn't eliminating my physical existence now achieve your goal in the same way?"
“I am an old man nearing the end of my life. Even if I have the foolish courage to gamble away money at the gambling table, I still don’t have the courage to wager my life. Now, relying on my acting skills and words to stall you is all I can do.”
This guy is lying. The real reason is something else!
Out of the corner of her eye, Yueju noticed a reflection in the pile of banknotes behind her and immediately jumped up.
At the same time, a beam of icy blue light pierced through the spot where the Gambler King had been standing. The once abundant banknotes were frozen into a straight slide.
It's not that we can't launch an attack, but rather that a surprise attack is already being planned!
The situation is quite obvious from the outside—
A geometric shape composed entirely of ice crystals appeared in the fish tank where Water-type Pokémon were kept, floating freely within the water-filled walls. Just moments ago, this geometric snowflake pressed its body against the inside of the tank and unleashed a move towards Blueberry.
Because of the special properties of the one-way mirror, Lanju was unable to see the location of the attacker. When he looked at the source of the "freezing ray", he could only see his own figure wearing a dark blue suit.
"It took a lot of time to make the skill able to penetrate the glass."
Vio also stood up at some point, placing his feet on the black and white dragon gambling table.
"The main Pokémon you brought on board have been taken to a secluded room in the distance by officers disguised as staff. They have no way of knowing what's happening here. Alright, Blueberry, if you still have any ways to turn the tide, use them now."
Just like the last gamble before.
"Heh, I wield Absol from the Pokémon, its sensory abilities are..."
Before Lingju could finish speaking, another round of "freezing rays" shot out from the wall.
But this time, there were six beams of icy blue light—the old man and his men were so ruthless that they put six fully-woven geometric snowflakes into the water tank that made up the wall!
The light emitted an icy, bone-chilling aura; if struck head-on, even if one didn't turn into an ice sculpture, one would immediately lose the ability to move!
Without hesitation, Lingju slid under the double dragon gambling table where Vio was standing, using Vio and the gambling table as cover, burying herself in the pile of banknotes.
"What? The Elite Four member who lost his Pokémon is even worse than an old man? He's hiding under the table, trembling like a newborn deer?"
The old man arrogantly taunted, trying his best to induce his opponent to take irrational actions.
Because the Geometric Snowflakes will coordinate with the trainer's movements, as long as he remains still, the scattering "Ice Beams" will never hit Vio. And as soon as Blueberry shows its face, it will be subjected to a concentrated barrage of attacks!
Without a doubt, Vio in the secret room has taken the initiative and gained an absolute advantage in terms of strength; Yueju, who is currently unarmed, has completely lost the opportunity to fight back - even if he wanted to kidnap Vio who is also in the secret room, he would not succeed, because the skills of the geometric snowflakes are hidden by the one-way mirror and it is unknown from which angle they will be shot.
At this very moment, if the Pokémon aim at the area beneath the gambling table buried under the ten thousand yuan bills and unleash another volley, the Unova Elite Four member, Blueberry, will be frozen solid and unable to move.
Then he will be able to recover those valuable financial certificates, destroy them completely, and thoroughly absolve himself of the heinous crimes he committed.
"General."
The purple-robed sage said coldly.
He wouldn't kill Lanting immediately, otherwise he would have to face multiple berserk Elite Four level main Pokémon. Taking them hostage would be a better option.
However, the green thing rising from the pile of banknotes made his eyes widen again the next second.