NOVEL WEB Chapter 143: End Game
The casino was thunder. Applause, sirens, air cannons—everything exploded at once. The central table lit up in fireworks, golden confetti raining down from the ceiling like divine judgment. Spotlights swept across the crowd and stopped dead on Xavier, who was just sitting there with that same laid-back grin, like he hadn't just broken the entire tournament with a royal flush.
A female voice echoed through the dome, loud, sharp, elegant—
"Winner confirmed. Team Xavier takes the prize… with a total victory of 100 billion credits!"
A storm of roars followed. Fans screaming. Glasses clinking. Champagne bottles popping. And then—
BOOM!
The entire center stage rotated, revealing a titanium vault rising from below. Engraved with shimmering gold digits: ₵100,000,000,000
Yelena didn't even blink. She just stood behind Xavier like a quiet blade, eyes locked on Ethan's group across the table. Watching. Waiting.
Ethan didn't move.
He just stared at the cards like the outcome hadn't sunk in yet. Like it couldn't possibly be real.
His fingers twitched. Lips parted.
"No…" he muttered. "That's not possible. He cheated. That's not… that's not how this game ends."
The rest of his team was pale. Ember looked sick. Rayne had his head in his hands, eyes wide. Drake stood still as a corpse, his lips a thin line.
The host's voice boomed again, cheerful and theatrical—
"And now, the prize vault is unlocked! All winnings, digital and physical, are being transferred to Team Xavier's account, starting now! Oh my, would you look at that number climb—!"
Giant holograms popped up across the dome. One showed Xavier's account. The numbers jumped:
₵0 → ₵17 billion → ₵39 billion → ₵72 billion → ₵100 billion
> "HE'S ACTUALLY RICHER THAN SOME COUNTRIES NOW!"
"THAT'S LEGEND SHIT. THAT'S GOD TIER CASINO ROYALTY!"
"XAVIER FOR PRESIDENT! OR KING! OR WHATEVER THE FUCK HE WANTS!"
Every camera drone zoomed in on Xavier's calm face, just as he reached out, picked up a glass of champagne someone had handed him, and sipped like this was just a Monday.
Meanwhile—
Ethan cracked.
"No—no, no no no," he snapped, slamming his hands on the table. "This was rigged. I want a recount. I want a full investigation!"
The host's smile faltered. "Sir—"
"Shut up!" Ethan barked, eyes bloodshot. "He rigged the cards. He must've hacked the system—how do you pull a royal flush in a final hand with fifty billion on the line?! That's scripted! You planted it! This whole thing is fake!"
Security moved in quietly.
But then—
The officials arrived.
Six of them. Dressed in jet-black suits with violet insignias. These weren't casino workers. These were the Casino Regulatory Authority of Astraeus City.
They didn't waste time. The lead official—a thin woman with white eyes and a digital notepad—walked straight toward Ethan.
"We received several reports of suspected manipulation prior to this game," she said. "And as per regulation, we conducted a silent investigation on all involved players."
Ethan's face dropped. "You… what?"
She didn't blink.
"Please direct your attention to the upper display."
A giant screen lit up above the table.
[SURVEILLANCE ANALYSIS – ETHAN TEAM]
—Cheating Activity Detected—
Video clips started rolling.
"Oh shit."
"No way. These fuckers were cheating the entire time."
"Wait—so they still lost with hacks?"
"That's the most embarrassing shit I've ever seen."
Then came the charts.
Bar graphs. Timestamps. Win/loss ratios. A real-time chart of their bluff success rate only when Ethan's team was playing—and it was statistically impossible without tampering.
The final graph flashed in red:
"Probability of Ethan's Team Winning Without Cheating: 0.00027%"
Ethan stumbled back.
"You set me up… you… you bastards set me up!"
The lead official frowned. "We didn't have to. You did this to yourself."
"Lies! That's all fake! He cheated too! Check him!"
She turned to Xavier. "We did. No violations found. Cleanest game on record."
Ethan looked like he'd been punched in the soul.
Yelena leaned toward him, whispering just loud enough for him to hear. "You should've kept your mouth shut after losing. At least you'd still have your name."
Then she turned her back to him.
And the crowd erupted again.
> "HE LOST EVERYTHING AND STILL GOT EXPOSED!"
"Bro's career is DONE. His team is DONE. That's 100 billion GONE."
"And the worst part? They got beat fair and square while cheating."
The official waved her hand. "Your accounts will be seized. You are officially banned from all high-tier casinos in the Red System. And an investigation into criminal fraud is already underway."
Ethan didn't scream.
He just sat.
Frozen.
Dead eyes. Hands limp. Face blank. His empire, his reputation, everything—gone.
Xavier stood up, stretched his arms, and walked off the stage like it was just another game. Just another walk. Just another day.
A swarm of fans and reporters tried to catch up, but security blocked them. Cameras flashed like mad.
And somewhere in the background, the massive hologram of Xavier's new balance kept spinning:
₵100,000,000,000
A number so unreal, it looked like a glitch in the system.
But it wasn't.
It was real.
The golden lights of the casino slowly dimmed behind them, drowned out by the silence of reality slamming down on Ethan's group like a truckload of bricks. They weren't allowed to leave through the front. No celebrations. No second chances. Nothing.
Security flanked them like prisoners. No cuffs yet—but the air said it was only a matter of time.
They were led through a silent corridor beneath the main floor—far from the cheers, the cameras, the screens. It felt like a tunnel for burying reputations.
The door at the end opened. A gray room with nothing but a long table, metal chairs, and two dozen eyes waiting behind black suits and chrome badges.
The "Answering Room."
"Sit."
That was all one of the officials said. Cold. Sharp.
Ethan didn't argue.
No one in his team did.
They sat like corpses, drained and pale. Rayne's fingers trembled. Ember looked like she'd puke. Drake kept cracking his knuckles like he wanted to punch someone but couldn't decide who. And Ethan—he was silent now. His face unreadable.
The head investigator entered. Slim. Bald. Glasses glowing with internal HUDs.
"You've been visiting the Red Grand Casino weekly. Every Friday. For over four years."
Ethan said nothing.
"We cross-referenced your logs. In that time, your combined group has won approximately ₵2.3 billion. Not absurd at first glance… but—"
He tapped his pad. A projection appeared in mid-air.
> A list.
Dozens of games.
Every win. Every table. Every opponent.
"Every win was either against randoms, or against low-level guests with poor win records. But when you played against experienced gamblers or high-level AI, you backed out. Every time."
More charts. More stats.
"It looks deliberate. And we suspect you used the same techniques—coded signals, reflection lenses, micro-devices."
Ethan finally spoke.
"…This isn't fair."
The investigator leaned forward, dead calm. "Neither is theft."
Then came the part that crushed them—
"We'll be seizing all previous winnings pending full investigation. All 2.3 billion. You'll be asked to prove each and every win was legitimate. If you can't, we'll classify the total as fraud. Under Article 57-C of Galactic Casino Law… that means prison."
Silence.
Real, soul-shattering silence.
No outbursts now.
No yelling.
Just wide, frozen eyes.
Ethan's mouth opened slightly. "You're joking."
"We never joke."
Meanwhile—
Xavier and Yelena were being treated like royalty in the executive tower that overlooked the city.
A private elevator had taken them thirty floors up. VVIP level. Not open to guests. Not even to rich ones. This was where casino owners, politicians, and syndicate heads smoked cigars and made power deals.
The double doors opened.
Inside, a room the size of a football field. Velvet sofas. Digital waterfalls. Holograms dancing in the ceiling. The city skyline stretched across the glass walls.
A dozen high-ranking officials stood waiting.
One of them, an older man in a gold suit, stepped forward and extended a hand with a warm, practiced smile.
"Xavier. On behalf of the Red Grand Casino… thank you. Your tip about Ethan's activities saved us from a long-standing fraud."
Xavier shook his hand lazily, no smile on his face.
The man gestured toward the leather seats.
Drinks arrived in crystal glasses. Waiters bowed. A synth band played smooth jazz in the corner like this was some secret royal gala.
The official sat down across from Xavier.
"As a gesture of our goodwill, we've decided to waive all the commission and handling fees from your winnings."
Yelena blinked. "That's over a billion credits saved."
The man smiled wider. "It's the least we can do for a man who saved our name."
Xavier didn't say anything.
He took a sip of his drink. Set it down. And leaned forward.
"Not enough."
The official's smile froze a little.
"…Pardon?"
Xavier's tone was calm. Sharp. No fake politeness.
"I exposed a billion-dollar cheating operation, broke your rigged table in front of the world, and handed you years' worth of evidence on a platter."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You're giving me what—no taxes? That's pocket change."
The man chuckled nervously. "Well, what exactly do you want then?"
Xavier tapped the glass table once.
"I want the Floor Owner's Badge."
The entire room fell quiet.
A second passed. Then two.
Someone finally spoke—one of the assistants. "The… Floor Owner Badge? That's reserved for casino stakeholders. You can't just ask—"
Xavier cut him off with a lazy smile.
"I didn't ask."
The main official stared. His jaw tensed, just a little.
Xavier continued.
"Give me that badge. I won't say how your own system couldn't catch cheaters for years, or how a random outsider found it in a matter of minutes."
He leaned back again, arms resting across the couch, looking at the skyline like this whole negotiation was beneath him.
"Up to you."
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke.
The man finally let out a breath.
"…We'll… consider the request. For now, please enjoy your evening, Mister Xavier. You've earned it."
Xavier just smirked.
"I always do."