Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Funds Double, Players at the Table Each with Their Own Status

Monaco, a country where luxurious cars and sports cars like Bugatti, LaFerrari, Pagani, 765LT, F50, and Porsche 918 can be seen everywhere.

Compared to these cars, the Lamborghini driven by Luo An and Caroline this time was not particularly eye-catching.

However, fortunately, the Lamborghini Luo An drove was red, and its bright color still attracted quite a bit of attention.

By three o’clock in the afternoon, the Monte Carlo Casino had already gathered quite a crowd; the red Lamborghini parked at the entrance did not attract too much attention.

But when the handsome Luo An got out of the driver’s seat and extended his hand to help the elegantly dressed Caroline–who wore an exquisite dark red gown and whose curvaceous figure was accentuated by a revealing snow-white back–exit the car, it immediately drew a crowd of onlookers.

Especially upon seeing the long scar on Caroline’s shoulder, the crowd took a sharp breath–in dismay for some men, admiration for some women, and of course, some just frowned and averted their gaze.

Caroline, who was already quite proud, proved indifferent to those disdainful looks at her scar; she regarded those people as trash, uninterested in acknowledging them. Once Luo An tossed the car keys to the valet, she strode into the casino with him.

This time, Luo An was posing as Caroline’s subordinate, so he followed a step behind her down the path, perfectly playing the role of a bodyguard.

Not rushing to gamble yet, they first went up to the second-floor bar. Caroline sat while Luo An stood beside her.

Feeling many glances at the scar on her back, Caroline chuckled, handed Luo An a drink and whispered:

“It seems your plan is quite successful.”

Luo An took the drink with a thanks, smiled and whispered back:

“Because you’re beautiful. Humans dislike seeing cracks in beauty, don’t they?”

“Haha…”

Caroline laughed softly, sipped her drink, and looked at the card tables upstairs and downstairs, and asked:

“What’s your plan next?”

The two of them brought a total of two million four hundred thousand dollars into the casino.

Of this, five hundred thousand dollars were from Caroline, with the rest being money Luo An had accessed from overseas accounts from the No.2 team leader murder case and several other incidents.

However, the gambling games Brenekoff-Robert participated in on the third floor started at a minimum of five million dollars with no upper limit.

Thus, Luo An needed to gather an additional two million six hundred thousand dollars swiftly to go to the third floor and join the game where Brenekoff-Robert was.

Caroline was well aware that gambling was a probability game in which the house always wins. Though she had seen Luo An play cards in Las Vegas from afar, she truly did not know where his confidence stemmed from.

Luo An grimaced with a smile, drained his cup in one go, and returned it to the bar:

“You’re right; gambling is not good. No one can always win; all gamblers end tragically.”

Facing Caroline’s doubts, Luo An casually said a few words but didn’t provide an exact answer, instead just giving her a look before heading straight to a nearby “Five Card Stud” tables.

With its full name being Five Card Stud, this poker game is decided by the arrangement and combination of five cards.

At the start of the game, each player receives one face-down card (which can only be flipped at the end).

After the second card is dealt, the one with the more favorable hand decides the betting amount, with others having the right to “call,” “raise,” “fold,” or “go all-in.”

When all five cards are dealt, all players reveal their face-down cards to compare, and the highest hand wins.

Luo An himself did not like gambling. Once, in his past life when he was still young, an old assassin had played a hand of cards with him. Instead of money, if one lost, they would be whipped.

In previous rounds, Luo An had both losses and wins but predominantly wins. Later, certain he would win a game, Luo An increased his bet to fifty lashes. Unfortunately, the old assassin cheated, leading to Luo An’s disastrous loss and enduring fifty brutal lashes.

Since then, Luo An had realized gambling is not about the cards, but about the player outside the game, and had never touched cards again.

If not for the “Emotion Sensing” ability in his mind this life, allowing him to sense different emotional fluctuations in others based on their cards, Luo An would never have stepped into a casino to join a game.

And even with “Emotion Sensing,” Luo An remained extremely cautious; he guessed, tested, and verified every step. If something felt off, he chose to fold, never taking risks.

Standing nearby with a glass in hand, watching, Caroline felt her heart experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.

Luo An initially lost four out of five rounds, then slowly progressed to winning two out of five, and finally, to winning four out of five rounds, leaving Caroline watching with bated breath, her heart racing, and her face considerably more flushed than when they had first arrived.

Three hours later, at six thirty in the evening, amidst the envious and resentful stares of those around him, Luo An successfully increased his chips from two million four hundred thousand to six million seven hundred thousand, then excused himself and left with Caroline to enjoy dinner at the restaurant.

Inside their private dining booth, Caroline grasped Luo An’s hand tightly, her face full of disbelief as she asked:

“How did you do it? How exactly did you manage it?”

“Control your emotions, Caroline.”

Luo An stared deeply into Caroline’s eyes as he spoke in a firm voice:

“Don’t forget the purpose of our trip, OK?”

“…OK.”

Seeing the stern look in Luo An’s eyes, Caroline, whose adrenaline and dopamine levels had surged, caught her breath, averted her gaze, and let go of his hand.

She moved to the other side, took a few deep breaths, and as her emotions gradually stabilized, she felt slightly uncomfortable. She apologized to Luo An in a low voice, then stood up and went to the restroom.

A moment later, Caroline returned to the booth just as their meal was served. Luo An gestured for her to start eating, intending to discuss their next steps afterward, but Caroline grabbed his arm:

“Luo An, there’s been a new development.”

Luo An was slightly stunned:

“What do you mean?”

“I saw someone familiar.”

Caroline’s complexion looked troubled as she explained that she had seen Mrs. Hanover and a few others, laughing and talking as they entered the restaurant.

“Mrs. Hanover?”

Luo An’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, while Caroline asked anxiously:

“Could she be in league with Benekoff-Robert?”

Luo An pondered for a moment and then slowly shook his head:

“It’s not very likely.”

Caroline was about to say something more, but Luo An pressed her back into her chair with a smile, saying:

“No matter what, let’s finish our meal first. This dinner cost us nearly twenty thousand dollars.”

Hearing this, Caroline’s eyes widened, she gave Luo An a look and quickly began tasting the food.

Half an hour later, under Luo An’s reassurance, Caroline regained her lofty demeanor and walked with Luo An to a large room on the third floor of the casino.

In the center of the understatedly decorated room was a large gambling table. Positioned centrally at the left side of the table sat a dealer, a woman in her thirties wearing a black suit and white gloves, with an expressionless face.

Around the other areas of the table sat five card players.

Their target, Benekoff-Robert, was seated at the far left of the table, and Mrs. Hanover was now sitting at the center of the right side, with a large stack of chips in front of her.

Unlike Caroline, Luo An’s gaze did not linger on Mrs. Hanover or on Benekoff-Robert, but rather on the other three players at the table.

Previously, Luo An had asked Mona to investigate the regulars at this table.

Among the three, there was a blonde man in a suit, a white woman in a blue dress, and an African man wearing a gold Rolex.

Luo An selectively ignored the African face. According to Mona’s investigation, the man was from the United Kingdom and suspected to be MI6, while the woman was from the Federation and suspected to be CIA.

Soon, the African-faced man, having lost a significant amount, opted out of the game and left the room. Without hesitation, Luo An took his place at the table, sitting where the man had been.

Seeing that everyone at the table–including Benekoff-Robert, Mrs. Hanover, a woman possibly from the CIA, and a man possibly from MI6–had turned their gazes to him, Luo An chuckled, lifted his glass towards them, and cheekily asked:

“Do you mind?”