Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 20.20. The purpose of a newspaper is to attract attention.
His eyes turned.

—Inside the Big Bird Spinning Bar—

At 2:12 a.m., the neon sign with the giant bird logo was still brightly lit, its red and blue colors resembling a lighthouse on the sea. Two drunken men emerged from the bar, supporting each other as they staggered for about ten meters before collapsing to the ground and falling fast asleep.

"One more drink! Burp, I'm not drunk~"

Outside, there was a deafening snoring sound, while inside, there was a lively, noisy commotion.

He Ye stood bewildered in front of the bar, dragging his suitcase and looking disheveled. He wondered how he had ended up back here. — He was being chased by the National Security Bureau right now, and every second counted.

But what the hell is coming to the Big Bird Spinning Bar now?

Want to go in and have another drink?
Although her mother was indeed distraught and had such impulses, she shouldn't!

"gentlemen!"

Just as He Ye was lost in thought, Nicole Griffiths' words interrupted his reflections.

The girl stood before him, her gaze resolute.
She turned around and took out two 5-crown coins from her pocket, which was all they had left—ten crowns in total, enough for a fried rice meal.

Nicole spoke with great emotion, her hands clenching two coins tightly.

"Sir, this might bother you, but I'm incredibly lucky! If we really need money, the easiest way is for us to take this ten dollars to the casino and gamble! Winning a hundred or even a thousand won't be a problem!"

"."

After listening, He Ye hesitated, feeling as if his head had been struck by a meteorite from the Cretaceous period.

"Um, what do you think of this plan?"

Nicole finished speaking with a firm gaze, then realized something and slowly lowered her head guiltily, nervously waiting for a reply.

To be honest, waiting for this answer for so long was a bit nerve-wracking, but considering our current situation, it seems that this is the only way to obtain a large amount of cash.

More importantly, since we're already here, what else can we do?

After remaining silent for a while, He Ye finally smacked his lips and looked at the interrogator, asking:
Are you sure you're really lucky?

Winning 100 or 1000 yuan from 10 yuan is no easy feat; losing one round can lead to utter ruin. You're not some gambling god.

He Ye's voice indicated a kind of agreement, which made Nicole overjoyed. It wasn't because of the gambling, but simply because she could help him, which made her feel useful.

Nicole patted her chest and said excitedly:

"Yes! Before I met you, sir, I hadn't lost a single game in those four weeks!"

Hearing this, He Ye felt a little more at ease. He trusted Nicole; of course, he had no other choice but to trust her now. So, he strode confidently into the Big Bird Spinning Bar with his head held high.

The lights inside are dazzling.

The crowd was full of people.

A stage of some kind is being set up in the center of the dance floor.

Brooke, the bartender, was already off work. When He Ye glanced at the bar, a blonde woman in her thirties was working there. She looked fiery and was listlessly smoking a cigarette. He Ye felt a little disappointed not to see his good friend.

We arrived at the stairs leading to the second floor.

He Ye walked ahead with a determined look in his eyes, but was immediately stopped by a burly security guard wearing sunglasses, who warned him sternly: "Homeless people, stop here!"

Oh my god.

He Ye, who was always praised for his handsome appearance, grimaced in discomfort, staring wide-eyed as if he wanted to retort, but looking at his dirty hands and clothes, he couldn't say a word for a long time.

In the end, Nicole stepped forward, took off her hat, and used her dirty little face to pass through the facial recognition system.

“It’s me!” Nicole frowned.

"Oh, it's you! Please come in!"

The moment the security guard in sunglasses saw her, his voice trembled, and he even bowed respectfully.

He Ye now believed the legend of this guy's complete victory around here - even the security guard on the stairs respected her so much, her reputation was really something!
Maybe I can win more money.

Upon arriving at the casino on the second floor, one is immediately struck by the overwhelming emotions of catharsis.

Inside the enormous casino were over twenty different game tables, each with a dealer and individual players, arranged like a pool table from a previous life. Black-uniformed dealers stood at the game tables, expressionless as they dealt cards online, while the surrounding individual players, their eyes bloodshot, clattered green banknotes and coins around them.

"Big, big, big!"

"Buy and leave!"

"Damn it, what bad luck, I lost again..."

Noise, clamor, and the stench of banknote ink.

As far as the eye could see, the gamblers were engrossed in their games, and He Ye didn't see any black-stockinged bunny girls serving drinks—shouldn't casinos usually have sexy bunny girls?
"Which game are you best at? Let's finish this quickly and stop once we've earned 500 crowns."

He Ye said seriously, turning to look at Nicole.

Nicole placed her hand on her brow, looked around, and then said, "Anything is fine, but I'd like to go to a less crowded table!"

"Then let's go with that one."

Soon, the two arrived at a slightly less crowded game table. The gambling game at this table was diamond cards. The way to win was to get 21 points in your hand. If the points exceeded 21, it was zero points. The dealer dealt the cards, and you could choose to add cards or not.

He Ye watched two rounds from the side and realized that the game tested card counting ability and risk decision-making, requiring a bit of brainpower.

Although she said she would trust her first, when they actually sat down at the table, He Ye wanted to intervene. Just as she was about to tell her not to bet this round—

"Add more cards!"

Heye: "?"

He Ye looked at Nicole's serious gaze, and then at the five-yuan coin she had already slapped down. It was too late to stop her.

He pursed his lips.

"No, do you really understand the rules?"

It seems the dealer has a better chance of winning this round, since their first revealed card is 19 points.

"I don't really understand," Nicole shook her head simply. "But with luck, I should be able to win!"

“%＃*￥%……” He Ye was incoherent.

He began to feel regret and remorse, thinking that he should have taken the five crowns himself, at least he could have died knowing the truth.

Surprisingly, they actually won!
"21 points!"

Nicole even achieved a Grand Slam!
In an instant, the wealth on her desk increased from five crowns to fifty crowns!
Nicole patted her chest in relief. It seemed her luck had returned. She hadn't won a single time before; it must have been a setup.

"Sir, you see, I told you we were lucky!"

He Ye was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself that this little guy really wasn't lying.

Second round, 20 points, won.

In the third round, with 21 points, I won.

Fourth round, 20 points, win.

"You might be the future of gambling."

He Ye, who had been observing the entire game, remarked that Nicole Griffiths hadn't bet more than 20 kronor, as that was the maximum bet for the table. It seemed that they recognized Nicole, which prevented anyone from doubling down.

The dealer, who had been idle at the beginning, also entered a state of battle, seemingly realizing that the ragged girl in front of him was the famous undefeated emperor.

"Hey, buddy!"

Just as He Ye was thinking that he might be able to earn back 100,000 crowns tonight, a familiar voice drifted over.

Brooke put her arm around his shoulder and teased, "You're playing too?"

He Ye turned around and saw his shady friend's face, and a strange feeling of emotion welled up in her heart.

"Long time no see," he said.

Brooke paused for a moment, then released her grip and said:

"Hey, what's wrong with you? You were only out for a few hours, why do you look like you've been through a hail of bullets and are exhausted? Look at the way you are, you look like a homeless person."

"Would you like a drink? My treat."

Brooke squinted her left eye and invited him.

He always saw right through He Ye's heart, hitting right where he was most vulnerable—if he could, he really wanted to have a nice drink to relax.

But running away is the priority now.

He Ye had to race against time to earn enough money for the journey, and then leave the city... leave...

But if I leave, I'll never have the chance to see this bartender again, right?

“Don’t worry, I’m off work now, I have plenty of time.” Brooke patted him and said gently, “My colleague is downstairs, she mixes much stronger drinks than I do, you should really try her drinks, friend.”

Hearing this, He Ye's heart stirred. He was a sentimental person, and even if this relationship was insignificant, he ultimately liked to cherish the past.

“Nicole, I’m going down for a drink with a friend. Come find me when you earn 5000 crowns, and then we’ll set off.”

He Ye said to Nicole, who was sitting at the table, that after seeing her extraordinary luck, he understood that five hundred crowns was nothing, and earning five thousand would probably only take ten minutes.

“Yes, sir!” Nicole replied earnestly.

Soon enough, He Ye and Brooke walked downstairs shoulder to shoulder, sighing and moved, like Grey Wolf embracing his cousin reminiscing about the grasslands of the past.

Meanwhile, a new round of games began at the card table.

Nicole took out her bright green banknotes and placed her bets again as usual. At the chess table, only four or five skeptical gamblers were still playing a point contest with her. Even the dealer resigned himself to his fate and didn't bother to catch her cheating—because she was truly relying purely on luck.

But this time!
0:0!
Many gamblers at the chess table gasped in as they witnessed Nicole Griffith's incredible hand, a hand that seemed destined for victory!
how so!
Even Nicole herself stared wide-eyed, feeling a little strange. Logically speaking, even if she had bad luck, she should have gotten 18 points. How could she have blown her cards?

Undeterred, I'll start another game.

0 points!
Another hot deal!

"Strange, strange, strange, strange..." Nicole's brows furrowed, but she still refused to believe it and went for another round, though her clenched fists betrayed her anxiety.

Could it be that we've been set up again?
One hand, two hands, three hands… the money she won was quickly lost back, and Nicole's expression grew increasingly serious.

No, no one set it up.

Nicole had to admit something.

My luck has vanished!
Should she quit while she's ahead? But the master's order was five thousand crowns, and she only had two thousand four hundred crowns in her wallet. Nicole had never experienced such a sudden downturn in luck before, and she felt that this was only temporary, and that she could just keep playing.

Most importantly... she didn't want to disappoint her husband.

"Again, again!"

……

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Big Bird Spinning Bar.

In front of the bar.

The blonde female bartender, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, clicked her tongue, thinking that the homeless man in front of her was really annoying. After only a few drinks, he was already in tears recounting his failed marriage. But when she saw that the person sitting next to him was her colleague Brooke, the female bartender reluctantly accepted it.

"Whoosh! I really, really love curvy women~ My goal in starting a new life was to find a girlfriend with a curvy figure! But why, why did it turn out like this?"

Thumbs up!
With her cheeks flushed, He Ye drank her mojito heartily, then put down her glass and slammed it heavily on the bar. With her other hand on Brooke's shoulder, she poured out all her pent-up emotions!

Brooke smiled slightly, a hint of drunkenness in his eyes, and shook his head.

"Bro, do you know why I like you?"

"why?"

"There's a lion in your eyes."

Upon hearing this, He Ye's drunkenness subsided considerably. He turned his head and stared intently at Brook, curious about his reasoning.

Brooke, her cheeks flushed and slightly tipsy, sniffled.

"You're dressed so miserably now, you must have gone back to your wife to ask for your money back, right?"

Looking at his disheveled appearance, He Ye was speechless with choked emotions, and it was normal for him to think that way.

Brooke continued, forcing a smile:

"At first, I just laughed when you mentioned divorce, but I never expected you to actually do it. I had a happy marriage before, but as time went on, it turned into a tomb. That bitch made me hand over all my salary to her, but six months later when I asked her for the money, she actually said she had spent it all!"

"Fuck!"

"That's why I admire you."

"Hey—" He Ye heard this and simply raised his glass for a toast, "Let's drink."

"Thank you." Brooke understood that this was a comforting gesture.

Sometimes, getting along well is such a strange thing. After meeting a few times, you can become inseparable. How can so-called friends not be considered friends? At least the feelings of laughing and having fun together when you're drunk are not fake.

"A man's money should be handed over after marriage."

The blonde female bartender clicked her tongue as she smoked a cigarette.

The two good men ignored her, simply clinking glasses to drown their sorrows, which even made He Ye forget many things for a time.

As he downed glass after glass of strong liquor, the drowsy feeling grew heavier. Logically speaking, He Ye was moderate in his drinking and wouldn't let it interfere with his plans.

Strangely enough, they had been drinking for almost half an hour.

Nicole hasn't come down yet.

Thinking that the little one would wake him up, He Ye would immediately get up and leave as soon as she came—but she didn't come, so the pile of wine glasses kept increasing, Brooke's face became redder and redder, and his vision became more and more unsteady.

It seems I've forgotten something important.

…But ah…it’s really nice to be able to release this bitterness in my heart…

"You have a lion in your eyes, bro."

As Brooke's last words faded into the distance, He Ye unknowingly slumped onto the bar counter, closed her eyes, and, unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Brooke collapsed and fell asleep on her back.

"Ha~ Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo~"

It sounds like Patrick Star snoring.

At four o'clock in the morning, the Big Bird Bar was unusually quiet.

Only the blonde woman with the cigarettes remained on duty, watching the less restless customers in the store, yawning slightly, looking utterly bored.

but!--

……

'wrong……'

……

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no!'

……

"Damn it, this is definitely not the time to sleep!"

……

"Boom!"

When He Ye woke up from the dream, she didn't know how much time had passed. A splitting headache overwhelmed all her senses. Like a drowning person waking up from a dream, she gasped for breath!

He remembered that he should have run away immediately; how could he have gotten drunk and fallen asleep?
Wow, that's amazing!
Incidentally, it seems he hit the back of his head.

Ke Heye didn't have time to worry about his injuries. He quickly looked around and saw a glimmer of dawn, which meant that it was at least six in the morning before the sky was this bright.

There should still be time, there should still be time...

"First...sir, sir."

Startled, He Ye heard the noise and instinctively looked around but saw no one. There was only a messy bar counter, Brooke lying sprawled on the floor, and several other hungover customers nearby. The female bartender, who had been smoking a cigarette, had also changed position and was fast asleep on the bar counter.

If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a sleeping party!

Wait, who was calling me just now?
"Sir...you're awake?"

Nicole, her forehead flushed, innocently peeked out from the side, carrying a suitcase and a blue cloth bundle in her hands, as if she had been watching over them all night without sleeping.

He Ye realized what was happening and was immediately filled with mixed feelings.

"No, Nicole, why didn't you wake me up? Didn't I tell you to come down when I earned five thousand crowns and then wake me up?"

"Uh, about this..."

Nicole stammered.

The fingers of her two hands were carefully fighting each other again.

"Oh well! The most important thing now is to run away!"

He Ye waved his hand dismissively, not caring at all, or rather, not having time to care—who told him to be so drunk and sleep until dawn?

"Ah...bro...are you leaving already? Not staying a little longer?"

Seemingly awakened by the noise, Brooke lay on the ground, groggily tilting his head back to look at He Ye. His sleepy eyes, narrowed to slits, looked like an emoji.

"I'm off, brother, see you again someday. I'll miss you! ... Ugh, so unlucky, so unlucky, so unlucky..."

He Ye muttered to himself as he hurriedly packed his things, soon preparing to stride confidently out the door again. He had the money Nicole had won back; with a little more money, a taxi driver would floor the gas pedal to take him to the dock without a second thought, and he could leave on a black-market ferry!

In any case, in just five or six hours, the news from Baplo Company shouldn't have spread. It also takes time for one's own portrait to be published in the newspaper. Let's think positively!
"Let's go, Nicole!" He Ye straightened his clothes, his gaze sharp.

"Okay, okay!" Nicole lifted it up with both hands, one on each side.

Although the incident last night was unexpected, He Ye believed he could handle it. He took a deep breath and walked towards the door, already regaining his spy-like demeanor.

Push the door open!
As the clear morning light fell, the disheveled He Ye and Nicole stepped out, while white doves soared in the sky to the sound of church bells. Not far away were patrolling police officers, citizens going to their early shifts, and newspaper boys carrying backpacks.

"Wangcheng Express! Wangcheng Express! A mysterious man who smashed eggs was spotted in the Kobolo neighborhood last night! A group of 37 wicked homeless men vandalized the Baplo Credit Loan Company, resulting in a horrific scene of 29 injuries and 3 deaths! For more exclusive reports, please purchase our newspaper!"

"Royal City Express! Royal City Express!~"

The newsboy ran past cheerfully, shouting enthusiastically. On the newspaper he held, a portrait could be vaguely seen; the man in the picture bore a striking resemblance to He Ye himself—

It's the kind of place where you'd definitely get questioned if you just walked by on the street.

"Boom!"

Without a doubt, close the bar doors!
Returning the way I came, my heart was pounding!!

"Fuck!..."

The words, spoken slowly and deliberately, revealed the shock in He Ye's heart. His eyes widened, speechless and choked with emotion. He wanted to curse, but what surged within him was a shock like a tsunami.

what happened?

How did it get published in the news that the police officer was questioning him?
This speed is beyond the normal range of the National Security Bureau! Could it be that there's some big shot behind that Baplo Company? But if so, what's with that ambiguous portrait above?

And what the hell is this "mysterious egg-crushing man"?
Even if it's just Sergeant Mallens or Mr. Nice Guy, those names would be fine! Why not just publish their real name instead of having it published, and then take this strange approach? Their birth!

“Oh my god…”

With countless thoughts churning in his mind, He Ye could only murmur in disappointment, never expecting that missing just a few short hours would lead to this situation.

Really bad.

(End of this chapter)