Luke stroked her head with a smile. “Stay vigilant in case someone steals your purse.”
Selina simply waved her hand, too lazy to talk anymore.
Luke stood up and converted ten thousand dollars into chips, before he went to a blackjack table.
He found an empty seat and sat down, and started to place bets.
An hour later, the chips before him had increased to more than thirty thousand dollars.
But barely anyone paid attention to him, not even the dealer.
In Las Vegas, it wasn’t unusual for lucky dogs to win a hundred thousand dollars with just a thousand.
Luke didn’t pursue consecutive victories, and gave up when the number was close enough. He was simply betting on chance.
Suddenly, someone walked past and sat down opposite him.
Luke glanced at him and felt like laughing. Why was this guy here? Shouldn’t he be at Caesars Palace Hotel?
Although Aurora Hotel and Caesars Palace Hotel were on par with each other in Las Vegas, their styles were quite different.
Aurora Hotel was famous for its new pool and its recreational and entertainment facilities, whereas Caesars Palace Hotel was known for luxury and top service.
Thus, people who wanted fun would check into Aurora Hotel, while the rich and powerful who wanted to show off usually stayed at Caesars Palace Hotel
The difference was partly reflected in the names of the two hotels.
Aurora was glamorous and fickle, while Caesars was certainly majestic.
But though Luke, as well as most people nearby, recognized the person who had just sat down, the person had clearly forgotten who Luke was.
The man was laidback, and Luke easily detected more than one type of perfume on him, along with the smell of makeup and alcohol.
Luke knew that the man had been fooling around with at least three women just now, but hadn’t returned to his room yet.
Since the man didn’t remember Luke anymore, Luke certainly wouldn’t greet him. He remembered what a bad temper the man had.
Different from the other gamblers, the man threw in chips worth five thousand dollars without looking at his cards.
Luke put in five hundred dollars as per usual. He had been increasing his bets slowly as he won more money.
After a few games, the newcomer complained, “This isn’t fun. You go away. I’ll be the banker.”
The dealer said, “…Mr. Stark, please wait a moment. I’ll have to ask for permission.”
Yes, the arrogant newcomer was none other than Tony Stark.
He was a superhero on the side of justice, but he wasn’t the most approachable person.
Tony Stark’s characteristic ego and pride prevented him from getting along with other
people.
Even the Avengers could barely get a nice word out of him if they weren’t gorgeous ladies.
He could be quite mean to someone even if he secretly admired them. He was the stereotypical arrogant genius.
Of course, it was also because of his pride that he dared to stand up to any enemy.
Only a few minutes later, Tony Stark took the banker’s place.
Happy, the fatty who was the head of his security detail, didn’t move. It was another bodyguard who dealt the cards.
Tony Stark, on the other hand, idly enjoyed his drink and gambled against the other people, including Luke, without moving his fingers.
A moment later, Tony suddenly gave Luke a strange look. “You’re quite good, aren’t you?”
When Tony Stark became the banker, most tourists started to lose, while Luke was the only one who won as many times as he lost. In the last round, however, he won five thousand dollars.
It was highly unnatural.
Luke knew the reason.
Blackjack was one of the few games where mathematics really mattered. In the movie, 21, some geniuses from MIT won a fortune in Las Vegas with their math models.
Tony Stark had probably invented the prototype for Jarvis by now, and he was winning money from the tourists instead of the hotel. So, the hotel wouldn’t step in even if he played any tricks.
Luke knew that Tony Stark was wearing a micro-earpiece; it was possible that the Jarvis prototype was counting the cards for him.
Cheating?
It definitely wasn’t cheating.
How could it be cheating, when the man was using his abilities to win money?
Luke, for one, had also been changing the cards in the card box remotely with his personal space, which was his own ability.
He had figured out more functions of the personal space, including the ability to store or release items remotely, but that was limited to a range of five meters.
Also, remote storage and release demanded more of Mental Strength.
To put it simply, it was easier for him to move smaller, inert and uncovered objects.
A card couldn’t be more than five grams in weight, and Luke could store and release them hundreds of times a night.
Luke simply smiled at Tony Stark’s compliment. “It’s just luck.”
Tony snorted. “Really? You’re very lucky, so why are your stakes so low?”
Luke chuckled. “I’m only playing for fun. I don’t like big bets.”
Tony said, “You think the chips on this table are big?”
Everybody was lost for words. Do you think everyone is as rich as you?
Tony frowned at Luke, who smiled but didn’t say anything. He suddenly thought that the young man seemed familiar.
He whispered something, and Jarvis did a check of Luke’s identity.
A moment later, Tony was dazed. “You’re that young police officer from Houston?”
Luke smiled but didn’t say anything.
Tony had a strange expression on his face.
He had paid a small price previously to get the young officer and his beautiful partner transferred to Los Angeles.
But he had been so busy attending end-of-year pageants that he forgot about them.
Luke had been sitting in front of him for quite a while now, but Tony hadn’t recognized him at all.
“Interesting. You have enough money for this place? Aren’t you a police officer now?” asked Tony.
Luke said, “I’m on vacation and I’m playing with a few thousand dollars. I don’t think I’m the only person in this country who can afford that, right?”
Tony couldn’t argue with him.
“Alright, let’s play,” said Tony.
Luke found that odd. “Aren’t we playing already?”
Tony said, “I’m talking about a game between us.”
Luke said, “Whatever.”
