Once again, Antonio approached Jose to whisper something to him. The total amount of Jose's winnings so far was 7,500 Pesos! An amount a commoner can work for but a trash scavenger cannot!!!

"Antonio! We just got a whole 7,500 Pesos! A whole 7,500 Pesos, I say!!!"

Antonio approached Jose to whisper these words:

"For now, we should continue to ride the wave and bet another 1,000. I'm sure they're still planning to let us win."

He's about to say these words but his eyes had met Yanlei's. As if a devil's smirk, he felt a very intimidating aura from him. As if...

"He's not going to let us win anymore?"

At that time, Antonio's judgment was tested! Is he going to ride the wave by betting 1,000 or play it safe by betting 100? He thinks and thinks and thinks!!! And arrived at the conclusion that:

"We should play it safe for now. We will bet 100, Jose"

"Roger"

After that, Antonio came back at the corner and Jose put another bill to the number 6. Then he took a dart and threw it. It hits the number 2×, which means the bet will be multiplied. The moment the dart hits the board, the dealer started spinning the roulette.

The silver iron ball jumped again as the roulette spins. After spinning for a while, the iron ball finally stopped at number 6! A win! But...!!! The two of them just bet 100 and the multiplier is just 2×!!! Resulting in their win to be just 200 Pesos! A very petty amount in this situation!

Their total winnings are now 7,700!!! At this time, another line of thought entered Antonio's head.

"Wait, he's still planning to let us win? Maybe they set a goal that they'll stop letting us win the moment we hit 10,000 Pesos. But sucks to be them, 10,000 is more than enough for us! We don't need anything more than that!!! We should ride the wave!!!"

Antonio once again approached Jose and whispered something to him:

"This time, bet 2,000..."

An unexpected turn!!! Even Jose will be shocked at this bet! Of course, he's going to hesitate! 2,000 is almost all of his savings and almost 1/4 of what they have!!! But...!!! Seeing the results of Antonio's bets, Jose can't help but agree! At the first 2 bets, It only brought them good! That's why...

"Roger..."

Once again, Antonio walked over to the corner, and Jose placed his bet on the number 4! Then, I took a dart again and threw it! It hits the number 3×! Their winnings will be multiplied by 3 if they win! 2000 × 3 equals 6,000 Pesos!!!

The dealer started spinning the roulette once again, and the ball started to jump! Jose and Antonio were filled with tension. If they happen to lose... if they happen to lose... they will be left with an amount of 1,700 Pesos! It's even worse than their starting amount!

That's why losing is not an option! As the ball is jumping, Antonio is clenching his fists and Jose is praying to the god. He prays and prays! He believes that someone is hearing him!

"Please, god! Grant my wishes!!!"

Antonio continued to clench his fists but It's not enough for him to have an injury! Why? Because he's shaking! Shaking to the core! His legs, hands, and arms are shaking! He can't even stand straight! The fear of losing enveloped him!!! The darkness called Fear!!

The moment Jose finished his prayers... he opened his eyes and looked at Antonio first. He saw his shocked face... and after seconds of staring at it... tears are coming out of his eyes. His face doesn't have any motion... but there are tears coming out of his eyes.

"Don't tell me-"

He removed his eyesight from Antonio and looked at the roulette. The ball... landed at the number 5, just one step from their bet which is 4!!! They were defeated! An utter defeat!!!

"Sorry, but I have to take 6,000 from your winnings. Don't hate me, hah!"

Jose didn't even hear Yanlei. He's just there... staring into space... not doing anything. His physical body was there but his mind was not. In a flash, he just lost the money he put his all to save. All hard work, sweat, and blood just wasted! His eyes don't have life in it.

Gambling... the darkness called gambling!!! This is the darkness they're facing right now! But...!!! Antonio and Jose are still on the surface! The surface of the darkness called gambling!!!

END OF CHAPTER 9