A Gamble of Life and Death chapter 2

The Soul – Snatching Ace of Spades

There were fifteen people participating in this life – gambling game. After the drug lord arranged them to sit down, he said, “Gentlemen, pay attention. Our game is about to start. I’d like to remind you that if you’re scared to death and don’t want to gamble, you can still leave now. But once I deal the first card, there’s no way out if you want to leave.” After saying that, the drug lord scanned the fifteen people sitting around the table with his sharp eyes. After a while, one person stood up and left, and then another. The drug lord’s eyes fell on the boy. The boy looked anxious, with fear in his eyes and his body trembling slightly. The drug lord was extremely happy when he saw the boy’s appearance. He laughed and goaded him, “Kid, it seems you can’t hold on. Then leave quickly. Life is more precious than money.” The boy gritted his teeth and resolutely said, “No, I’ll never back down!” The drug lord was impressed by the boy’s courage and stopped teasing him. He shouted, “Okay, let the game begin!”

The drug lord dealt the cards slowly. He paused for a long time after dealing each card, waiting for the person to turn the card over so that everyone could see the face of the card. The drug lord looked down on these life – gambling people from a superior position, enjoying their various fear – stricken expressions and feeling extremely happy.

The fifth card was dealt onto the table in front of the boy. The boy’s body shook like a sieve. His outstretched hand hardly obeyed his command. He silently prayed to God in his heart that the card in his hand must not be the Ace of Spades, and then he slowly turned it over. When the boy saw the symbol on the card, he let out a terrified scream, slumped off his seat, and fainted. Seeing this, the other life – gambling people assumed that the boy had got the Ace of Spades. They were overjoyed and cheered.

The drug lord was a bit disappointed that the game ended so quickly. He asked everyone to be quiet, and then asked the person sitting next to the boy to take the card from the boy’s hand, turn it over, and put it on the table. As soon as the card was put down, the gamblers’ faces suddenly turned ashen, while the drug lord burst out laughing. The card was not the Ace of Spades but the Ace of Clubs. The boy only saw the letter “A” and, out of panic, mistook it for the Ace of Spades. So, the drug lord ordered his men to wake the boy up.

The life – and – death gamble continued. The drug lord happily dealt out the remaining cards. Finally, in the extreme fear of the people, the soul – snatching card landed in the hands of a gambler. When everyone saw the card clearly, their tense nerves finally relaxed, and the room immediately became lively again, filled with a sense of rebirth. After the unlucky gambler was forced to go to hell, the drug lord readily distributed the money to the life – gambling people. Because the boy’s performance had brought the drug lord fresh excitement, he gave the boy double the reward.

The drug lord laughed and teased the boy, “Kid, it was quite exciting just now. Will you come and play again next time?”

The boy stared at the drug lord and said seriously, “I originally planned to come again, but you gave me double the reward. This sum of money is enough. Thank you for giving me the chance to earn this huge fortune. Otherwise, maybe I could never fulfill my wish in my lifetime!” After saying that, the boy picked up the money and strode away.