Power had a smell.
Not just money, sweat, or fear.
Something else.
Sterile. Cold. Calculated.
Liam stood among kings and queens of illegal odds, every face a mask, every hand dipped in more blood than gold. The Meridian Conference wasn't a meeting. It was a war treaty, signed in silent gestures and betting slips worth more than nations.
And he was here to break it all.
System Scan: The FieldTarget Density: 23 Fixers
High-Value Anchors: 4 (Potential Threading Candidates)
Regional Power Division:
Latin Syndicate: 5%
Balkan Cartel: 8%
Macau Network: 13%
Turkish Cell (Arman): 16%
Unaffiliateds: 58%
Suggestion: Begin contamination in Unaffiliateds. Lower resistance.
Note: "Unaligned" = unstable. Easy to bend. Easy to break.
Liam kept his face shadowed. He wore a gray dress coat over black gloves, a scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Everyone saw him as someone else. Some assumed he was Macau's secret guest. Others thought Arman brought him as a wildcard.
Nobody knew.
But they would.
Threading the QuietHe started with a man named Dino Valez.
Mid-30s. Italian-Haitian. Known for fixing mid-level MMA fights in Eastern Europe and controlling social media betting floods in crypto casinos.
Smart, but under the radar.
Liam approached him at the bar.
No names. Just numbers.
"Fighter in Warsaw. Next Thursday. Bantamweight. Knockout in the third. +600 odds."
Dino blinked. "How the fuck do you know that?"
"I don't know it," Liam said, sipping water. "I'm going to make it happen."
He slid Dino a burner phone.
[Network Threading Initiated: Dino Valez]
Initial Resistance: 63% → 45% (Awe Factor Applied)
Anchor Probability: 58%
Contingency Trigger: Let him win, then deliver warning.
The Thing in the CornerLater that night, Liam stood near the East Wall.
The man with the upside-down book hadn't moved.
Not once.
He still smiled. Too wide. Too still.
Eyes glowing faintly.
The system refused to label him.
[ERROR]
Entity not bound to known probability strata. Not recognized by System Core.
WARNING: Anomalous Entity May Be Aware of User
Liam walked closer.
One step.
Two.
The man turned a page — still upside down.
And then he spoke.
"Curious little godling," he whispered.
Liam froze.
The man smiled wider.
"You think you own chance. You're not the first."
Liam didn't answer. But his throat burned.
"You're not the worst, either," the man added. "But be careful…"
He leaned forward.
"Even jokers can bleed."
Then he blinked—and he was gone.
System Shudder[System Alert]
Intrusion Signature Detected
Foreign Observer Tag Planted – Class: Undefined
Suggested Action: Retreat from Anomalous Field OR Anchor Higher Power Nodes to resist corruption
Liam stepped back.
The hallway felt darker now.
The air heavier.
Something had touched the system itself.
Not hacked it.
Not corrupted it.
But… laughed at it.
And that scared Liam more than anything.
The Joker Makes a MoveHe found Arman later on the balcony, smoking and watching frost coat the trees in moonlight.
"Your friend's not real," Liam said.
Arman didn't turn.
"You saw him too?"
Liam nodded.
"What is he?"
Arman exhaled. "Something older than money. Older than odds. He shows up once every generation. Never bets. Never speaks unless he finds someone… interesting."
Liam frowned. "Why let him in?"
"Because when the Devil asks to watch your table, you don't say no."
Silence.
Then Liam asked, "You trust me yet?"
Arman smiled.
"No."
Liam returned the grin.
"Good."
Meanwhile: WarsawThe fight unfolded like Liam said.
Round 3. Clean knockout.
Dino Valez made $120,000 in crypto. Quiet, untraceable.
His runner sent a video of him standing in disbelief, holding the betting stub like it was a religious artifact.
[Anchor Hook: Dino Valez – Loyalty: 36%]
Next Move: Threaten small collapse. Create dependency.
The MessageLater that night, Liam left a note under Dino's door.
No return address.
Just four words.
"Lose the next one."
Dino stared at the note for a full hour.
Then burned it.
Then cried.
He would obey.
He didn't know why.
But he knew.
System ExpansionControl Over International Betting Grid: 3.22%
Active Threads: 3
New Phase Unlocked: Masked Market Manipulation
You may now influence betting market shifts via artificial swarm behavior.
New Skill Unlocked: "Probability Stampede"
Trigger mass betting pattern shifts to manipulate odds spreads, increasing payout margins.
Liam sat in the back row of the final day of the Meridian Conference.
Silent.
Smiling.
He didn't speak as Arman made a toast.
Didn't blink as the smiling entity returned to the far end of the room and whispered nonsense to a Japanese bookmaker who would later claw his own eyes out.
He just whispered one thing to himself.
"Joker… has entered the game."