Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 705 - 711: Coordination

Chapter 705: Chapter 711: Coordination

Zhang Yong couldn’t calm down, the more he lost, the more frantic he became, and the more frantic he became, the more he lost.

"Eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, smoking, what’s the most wasteful? It’s gambling, especially the kind where you rely entirely on luck and then act recklessly as soon as you get carried away. Even if you have millions... billions of assets, you’ll still lose everything."

Yang Yi said to Zhang Yong very seriously, then patted him on the shoulder and added, "Brother Yong, I gamble with Boer because it stimulates the mind and is fun. They gamble just for kicks, but you, when you gamble, you act so recklessly it’s like you’re willing to bet your life away. So, the most important thing for you is to stay calm."

Zhang Yong replied discontentedly, "Why didn’t you tell me this when we were in prison?"

Yang Yi sighed and said, "When we were in prison, I thought you learned well enough not to be so brainless. Oh, right, in prison, winning or losing was just about a few boxes of cigarettes; of course, you could keep your cool and watch the cards."

Zhang Yong picked up the cards, and again, it was a weak hand. With an expressionless face, he laid the cards face down on the table and then looked at Yang Yi, waiting for his cue.

"Fold."

"Fold? This hand isn’t bad, at least I should see the flop, right?"

"Fold!"

Zhang Yong tossed the cards back in annoyance and then said, "A pair of eights should make it through at least two rounds. It’s a live hand."

Yang Yi shook his head and replied, "I’m not teaching you tricks; I’m teaching you how to lose less. Pay attention and observe, see how your opponents are reacting."

Zhang Yong glanced over and said, "I don’t see any reaction."

"Come on, Brother Yong, you’ve seen your share of rough seas. Can’t you read people? Don’t guess the cards; read the players. Look at Roman’s demeanor; I bet he has at least a straight. And Xiao Ran, she’s got at least a high pair. Don’t believe me? Just watch, you’ll see, I’m right!"

Xiao Ran flipped her cards to compare with Roman’s. Roman had a flush, and Xiao Ran had a pair of kings.

Zhang Yong rubbed his chin and asked, "Yeah, how could you tell?"

"Guessed it. Roman wouldn’t play without a strong hand. Xiao Ran threw in two hundred very casually after getting her cards. If you observe her expression, you can tell she doesn’t care much about this hand, which means she isn’t very confident, but she also thinks she has a chance of winning. A hand that’s neither high nor low is most likely a high pair. I understand her style of play, but you could figure it out too if you paid more attention."

Zhang Yong scratched his head while Yang Yi whispered, "Gambling, if you keep on playing, you’re bound to lose, especially in a casino where there’s no hope of winning if you keep playing. I’ve told you, it’s a matter of probability. Unless you cheat or have a genius brain like Boer and I, but if you frequent the casino, you should know that whether you cheat or are someone like me, if you go often enough, you’ll be barred from entry."

Zhang Yong replied helplessly, "But at least the casino doesn’t rig the games."

"Correct, the casino doesn’t need to rig anything to win the money. But if you’re going to lose money there anyway, won’t you lose even worse playing with professional gamblers outside? If you could stay calm and walk away when you realize your luck is bad, or stop while you’re ahead when you’re lucky, then maybe you’d have a chance. But if you always gamble with the intention to lose everything before you leave, then there’s no point in playing, you’re definitely going to lose it all."

Zhang Yong picked up the cards for the third time, then expressionlessly placed them down. When it came his turn to speak, he again looked toward Yang Yi.

"Bet two hundred."

Zhang Yong immediately threw two bills into the pot. Then, after Chris followed the bet, as Zhang Yong was about to throw in more money, Yang Yi shook his head and said, "No more."

Zhang Yong looked very uncomfortable as he raised his voice, "Don’t we at least have to see each other’s faces? I want to reveal my hand!"

"Don’t reveal, just toss it. This hand is an attempted cheat. Since you can’t cheat, throw it away immediately, don’t linger in battle. Why bother looking at a losing hand, save two hundred if you can, just toss it."

Chris snorted, "I won’t let you see my cards."

While speaking, Chris mixed his cards into the deck, and Yang Yi chuckled, "Stop pretending, you have a small pair, Brother Yong has to reveal if you don’t."

Just then, Jethro walked out of the room, and with a smile, he said, "Are you playing cards? Robot, sorry to interrupt, I need to talk to you about something."

Though irritated that his boss needed him, Zhang Yong couldn’t stop Yang Yi from going; he was clear on what was really important.

Yang Yi patted Zhang Yong’s shoulder, whispering, "I’ve taught you a lot of techniques already. Just calm down and think about how you used to play in prison, and you’ll be fine. Remember, stay calm! Always stay calm, no matter what."

Yang Yi stood up and walked over to Jethro, who whispered, "Let’s talk in my room."

Once seated in Jethro’s room, Jethro immediately began in a low voice, "We’re making good progress, and so is Corkdor. The upper routes in Ukraine have been established, so we’ll be making several big moves soon."

Yang Yi laughed lightly, "That’s great."

Jethro nodded, then said somberly, "To make big moves, we need a lot of people. Right now, most of our manpower is under Ferdinand’s control. Um, Corkdor thinks we’ve been doing great these days and hopes we can continue to play a role in the upcoming operations. But, we’ll need to coordinate with Ferdinand."

"How will we coordinate?"

Jethro said, somewhat troubled, "Corkdor hopes we can help Ferdinand, which means following Ferdinand’s commands."

Yang Yi frowned, then shook his head, "Boss, if you were leading the next operation, of course, there would be no problem. But having us take orders from Ferdinand is not okay. I don’t trust him. If trust issues arise during the operation, it’s better not to cooperate at all from the start."

Jethro let out a sigh, "Alright, I understand that’s a bit too much to ask of you."

Yang Yi spoke quietly, "Why can’t you lead this operation?"

"Me? Impossible. Right now, Corkdor is in charge. Ferdinand and I may have some power, but we both have to listen to Corkdor. So working with Ferdinand is still following Corkdor’s orders. I can’t possibly take over completely."

Yang Yi said quietly, "Sorry, if I were following your orders, I wouldn’t worry about anything. But taking orders from Ferdinand is too dangerous for us, I can’t agree to that request."

Jethro responded in a low voice, "Alright, I got your thoughts, I’ll talk to Corkdor."

Yang Yi and his group were the only strength Jethro had left. If Yang Yi didn’t back Jethro, then Jethro would be all alone. After Boyata was injured, he couldn’t even dispatch a single person.

Seeing Jethro’s helpless expression, Yang Yi suddenly said, "Will your lack of manpower affect your position within the corporation in the future?"

Jethro spread his hands but said nothing, as he didn’t need to answer Yang Yi’s question.