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However, when a casino staff member rushed in to report to Howard Zhao that the two big bosses had arrived, Howard Zhao finally broke into an excited grin. He glanced at Zach Chow, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, a glint of schadenfreude flashing in his eyes. Then he said, "Hehe, sir, our casino's two big bosses are back. Can you call your boss, Mr. Yu, out yet? He's quite an old acquaintance of our bosses. I think our big bosses will treat Mr. Yu very well. Oh! And I'm sure they'll also treat you and your young friend to a special welcome!"
Zach Chow raised his eyebrows and waved his hand, saying, "Oh! Your big bosses are back, so I guess they want to gamble with Mr. Yu! But you should know, Mr. Yu is busy right now, and my young friend is even busier! If you want to keep gambling, you'll have to deal with me!"
"Oh! You? You think you can gamble in Mr. Yu's place?" Howard Zhao sneered.
"Hehe—I'm pretty sure that's not a problem!" Zach Chow replied confidently.
At that moment, a cold laugh echoed from outside the VIP gambling hall: "Is that so? Well, right now, I have no interest in gambling with you!"
As soon as those words fell, a large crowd surged into the hall. First came a dozen armed thugs, then Nick Carter and Goldtooth strode straight in. Seeing Zach Chow still sitting calmly on the sofa, eating chilled fruit, both men couldn't help but be impressed by his nerve.
"Oh! I didn't expect that David Yu would have such a gutsy friend like you! Heh—looks like you guys came prepared! How should I address you?" Nick Carter asked nervously, watching Zach Chow, suspecting him to be the 'monster' the Dragon Elephant Master had mentioned.
"Oh! Since you know we came prepared, there's no need for introductions. We've won so much money in your casino, it's obvious leaving safely won't be easy. We're all smart people here! Since you're the boss and you don't want to gamble, just say what you want to do!" Zach Chow squinted at Nick Carter.
Before Nick Carter could reply, Goldtooth sneered from the side, "What do we want? Heh—simple. Leave all the money you've won, each of you chop off an arm, and then crawl out of Mai Zayan! That way, you might just keep your lives! Otherwise, hmph—"
"Oh ho—didn't expect your famous Golden Mountain Casino to be so lame! Win some money and you won't let the guests leave? Is that really how things work around here?" Zach Chow wasn't intimidated by Goldtooth's threat, and instead shot back with some biting sarcasm.
"Screw your rules! You're way too cocky! You dare cause trouble in my place? I'll kill you right now!" Goldtooth, furious and humiliated, lunged forward and tried to grab Zach Chow's neck with a grappling move.
Zach Chow squinted, shifted his body on the sofa, and dodged Goldtooth's sudden attack. Then, with a quick spring forward and a twist of his arm, he locked and wrenched Goldtooth's right arm, pulling off a flawless counter-grapple!
Goldtooth hadn't expected Zach Chow to be so skilled. Caught off guard, he was thrown onto the sofa, pinned down by Zach Chow's grip on his right shoulder. Enraged, Goldtooth struggled fiercely and reached for the pistol at his waist with his left hand, but Zach Chow was a beat faster—he snatched the gun and pressed the black barrel against Goldtooth's temple!
Goldtooth froze in terror. Now he realized Zach Chow was much faster and far more skilled than he'd imagined. If he resisted, he'd end up with a hole in his head.
Even Nick Carter hesitated now. He and Goldtooth had planned to give their opponents a harsh lesson, but instead, they'd just been taught one! Nick Carter stood there, hand on his powerful Desert Eagle, while his dozen men raised their weapons at Zach Chow. The scene was suddenly tense and explosive.
"Heh—Nick Carter, Goldtooth, don't think you're tough just because you've got numbers!" Zach Chow said coolly, raising his eyebrows in a mocking sneer.
Just then, Grandmaster Draco ambled in from outside, leaning on his cane. He stopped less than three meters from Zach Chow, stretched out his vivid red tongue like a snake, and licked his cracked lips, a bizarre smile twisting his aged face.
"Uh—Old man, this has nothing to do with you. Get out of here!" Zach Chow could sense a huge danger approaching and quickly raised his pistol, aiming it at Grandmaster Draco.
But Grandmaster Draco ignored the warning. Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue. Zach Chow saw that the tongue's surface wasn't a normal color but a dark green, and Grandmaster Draco's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as his tongue trembled, making retching noises. His neck suddenly elongated and swelled, pulsing rhythmically as if something was about to crawl out of his throat.
Zach Chow stared in shock at the bizarre sight. Suddenly, he felt his own mouth pried open by some mysterious force, stretching wide against his will. Alarmed, he pressed his left hand to his jaw, trying to clamp his mouth shut, but it was useless—his jaw was being forced open as if pulled by invisible strings.
"Mmm—mmm—" Zach Chow panicked. He realized he'd fallen for the strange old man's trick! He couldn't worry about controlling Goldtooth anymore; he had to deal with this creepy sorcerer first.
But to his horror, as soon as Zach Chow tried to move, he felt an overwhelming force pinning him down. Even turning his body was as hard as moving a mountain. Shocked and furious, Zach Chow summoned all his inner strength, determined to raise the pistol and shoot the bizarre old man!