Chapter 132: Child of Fortune
by xennovel“I just knew it; as soon as Xiaobai stood in front of people, she was bound to dazzle everyone!”
Du Qiu stood with his arms folded beside the display platform, watching as passersby tentatively interacted with the Xiaobai robot. From time to time, someone exclaimed in amazement.
Lin Suyu said next to him, “President Du, the first time I saw Xiaobai, I was also stunned by her. She is so much better than the test version we use internally.
How is this synthetic skin made? The moment the robot is clad in this layer of skin, it immediately gives off a completely different feel.
And, this skin is actually warm. President Du, you’re amazing.”
“If this skin didn’t lack living properties, it could indeed be used for patients who need skin grafts,” Du Qiu said with a smile.
In fact, Du Qiu had improved upon the synthetic skin used by that counterfeit female mercenary. At the very least, this skin could maintain a constant temperature through microtubing set up beneath it, similar to an electric blanket.
The original synthetic skin had no temperature issue when applied to humans because it was thin enough for human body heat to come through directly.
But applied to a robot, it felt rather cold.
The issue is that there still isn’t the kind of synthetic flesh and blood you see in the Terminator movies. If you peel back this layer of skin, you’d see the cold carbon fiber shell beneath.
That’s right, the robot is essentially made from carbon fiber materials, which are cheaper than alloy steel and lighter in weight.
A robot with Xiaobai’s stature weighs about the same as an adult female, with the main weight centered on the lithium battery and the motor.
Of course, a significant proportion of weight is also made up of the various sensors inside, but this is still much less by comparison.
Lin Suyu remarked with a sense of regret, “That’s really too bad, otherwise it could be used for cosmetic surgeries. But that would be a bit too scary; everyone could easily change their faces.”
Du Qiu was taken aback. This girl had indeed touched on the original purpose of synthetic skin.
In fact, Du Qiu had also casually made several synthetic human skin masks and carried them with him, planning to use them when he went to see that artificial intelligence.
Change his face and wander through the gambling floors of this famous casino city. No matter what extraordinary actions he took, nobody would suspect him.
The reason for the disguise at the casino is that Star Ocean had detected the artificial intelligence’s trace within the network of the Megahigh Casino in the gambling city.
Watching the crowd around the display platform grow increasingly lively and even more people heading their way, Du Qiu knew that Xiaobai’s appearance was a success.
Next, it was time to pursue his other major goal for coming to Las Vegas.
“Hey, buddy, will the ‘Child of Fortune’ be here tonight?”
“I don’t know, but if he comes, I can make a fortune by following his bets again.”
“Yeah, he’s so good at blackjack!”
“He always just manages to beat the dealer, which has earned me quite a bit.”
“Are you talking about the ‘Child of Fortune’?”
“Yeah, you know him too?”
“How could I not? I was the first to find him a few days ago. I followed his bets at the roulette table and won $100,000.”
“You’re so lucky!”
“Yeah, it’s a shame he hasn’t shown up these past few days. I couldn’t help myself and went to gamble, losing $80,000 already.”
“Well, at least you didn’t lose it all. I advise you to wait a bit longer. When the ‘Child of Fortune’ arrives, we’ll bet with him and make some easy money. Why not?”
……
As Du Qiu walked into the Megahigh Casino, he could hear similar conversations along the way. It seemed that everyone was talking about someone known as the ‘Child of Fortune.’
A thought occurred to him; the appearance of this ‘Child of Fortune’ coincided with the time Star Ocean noticed the artificial intelligence.
Du Qiu scanned the casino floor, and oddly enough, while it should have been bustling at each gambling table, it was eerily quiet.
There were a lot of people, but they were all waiting on the sidelines, with hardly anyone placing bets to start the games.
Inside the casino’s surveillance room, the manager, Morris, looked at the screens with frustration and said to another older man, “Balor, if that kid shows up tonight, you have to catch his cheating. Otherwise, the boss is definitely going to throw us into the desert to be cactus.”
The old man, Balor, nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely catch him cheating tonight.”
“Do you think, if the guy decides to leave while he’s ahead and doesn’t show up tonight, these gamblers will really stop gambling?” the manager asked with a frown.
Balor grinned and said, “You said it yourself, these are gamblers. They didn’t come to the casino for the ‘Child of Fortune.'”
“You’re right, you’re right. Look! That Eastern man is now going to play roulette.”
In the casino.
Du Qiu arrived at a roulette table.
In order to trace the artificial intelligence in the casino network, Du Qiu was not only prepared with a mask but also ready to be in real-time contact with Star Ocean.
A micro-earpiece in his ear canal could wirelessly connect to ubiquitous cellular networks around him, allowing him to hear Star Ocean’s instructions.
As for the password for the cellular network, it was never an obstacle for Star Ocean.
If he went outside the city, Du Qiu had also prepared a satellite signal receiver to keep in contact with Star Ocean through satellites.
Du Qiu would gamble on various games under Star Ocean’s command, trying to see when the artificial intelligence would appear.
At this point, Star Ocean had already taken control of the casino’s internal network. All the cameras and security devices were under Star Ocean’s control.
Otherwise, with Du Qiu’s level of gambling experience, which was practically non-existent, he would have to rely solely on luck.
“Sir, place small bets at the roulette table first, so I can record and calculate,” Star Ocean directed.
Following Star Ocean’s suggestion, Du Qiu took out a $10 chip and casually placed it on number 26, which offered a payout of 35:1.
That meant the casino, if it lost, would pay out 35 times the bet to the gambler.
“Hey, someone couldn’t resist gambling. The ‘Child of Fortune’ isn’t here, and this is just giving money to the casino.”
“Not necessarily. Have you always been giving money to the casino?”
“I’ve had great gambling luck. Back in the day…”
“Look, that Easterner is lucky! He actually hit the number.”
……
Indeed, Du Qiu won his first bet, and his chips turned into $350 in front of him.
Du Qiu smiled, took a $100 chip, and tossed it into number 33.
“This guy’s so confident, betting on a single number again? That’s very hard.”
“Yeah, hitting it once is possible, but definitely not a second time.”
……
Gradually, people began to gather around.
“See? He didn’t hit. I told you, betting on a single number is difficult.”
Once again, Du Qiu casually took another $100 chip and placed it on number 18.
Very soon, Du Qiu lost again.
Switching his bet every time, Du Qiu managed to bet on every number on the roulette wheel in succession.
Aside from the first win, all subsequent bets were lost.
As if watching a fool’s performance, various comments emerged, but Du Qiu acted as if he were deaf to them.
Aside from the bets with winnings where he wagered $100 or $50, Du Qiu gambled with his own money, each time betting either $10 or $20. So far, he had lost $480.
The surrounding crowd also gradually dispersed, losing interest in watching a fool lose money. If he were losing a lot of money, they might have been more interested.
Since Star Ocean had not spoken in the earpiece, Du Qiu naturally kept betting.
“Sir, place a $20,000 bet on number 1.”
Hearing this, Du Qiu maintained his smile. He had exchanged for $50,000 in chips upon entering and still had over $40,000 left.
Casually, Du Qiu piled $20,000 in chips on number 1 and then signaled the dealer to spin the wheel.
“Wow, this guy made a big bet—$20,000. If he hits, that’s $700,000!”
“It takes guts; he has the same spirit I had in my prime!”
“This must be someone from Tang Country.”
“Why from Tang Country and not from Japan?”
“Buddy, you’re out of the loop. These days, the richest Easterners are from Tang Country.”
……
Amidst the hubbub, the roulette wheel came to a stop.
A sharp intake of breath and a flurry of footsteps followed; those who left the table returned.
“He hit it!”
“35 times!”
“He made $700,000 – what luck!”
The dealer’s expression changed, and he carefully pressed a button.
In the casino’s surveillance room, the manager stood up abruptly, “How is this possible?”
“Manager, calm down. It’s possible. He’s gambled many times, so hitting one more time is feasible – it’s just good luck,” Balor said.
“Hopefully, it’s just a one-time fluke. If another ‘Child of Fortune’ shows up, we’re really done for.”
Indeed, Du Qiu then began to lose money again. Some people who followed his bets also lost, and they started cursing.
Just then, someone shouted, “The ‘Child of Fortune’ has arrived!”
Du Qiu ceased betting and turned to look.
A somewhat haggard-looking blond young man was making his way through, with the crowd naturally parting to form a path.
The blond young man walked up to the roulette table and, seeing the pile of chips in front of Du Qiu, was taken aback for a moment.
Then, he smiled at Du Qiu.
“Buddy, it looks like you’ve won quite a bit.”
Du Qiu calmly replied, “Just lucky, won two rounds.”
The blond young man said, “Let me try, or you can bet with me.”
Du Qiu shook his head, “No need, let’s each play our own game.”
The blond young man laughed and turned to place a $10,000 chip between the black 35 and red 12.
This was a split bet, with a payout of 17:1, meaning a win would pay 17 times the bet.
Without hearing anything from Star Ocean, Du Qiu casually placed $1,000 on number 20.
What followed, however, left Du Qiu somewhat dumbfounded.
Numerous gamblers piled their chips where the blond young man had placed his bet, clearly following his move.
Due to the large number, the chips were stacked in confusion, and nearby attendants began taking notes one by one; they seemed quite adept at it, indicating they had similar experiences in the past.