The whole circle was still vibrating.
Sweat beaded down my back, each drop reminding me that I was in charge.
[SECOND ROUND: AMERICA.]
My voice sounded like a military order.
The Americans froze. Their comrade's corpse hadn't disappeared. It still lay on the ground, a silent witness to what happened to those who lost. Its blood, now brown, formed a dark pool that no one dared approach.
They knew it. And now it was their turn.
And the dead man on the ground reminded them that he was betting big.
The big American, Djesone, regained control. His eyes shone with a manic gleam, as if he had finally found his place or a plan for this game.
He raised his hand, still stained with sweat.
- Number 2. Three million.
His voice cracked like a bullet.
The small group stared at him in horror. Another, larger group frowned.
-You're sick, we don't all have that kind of money
The tall one sneered.
- We're not here to survive, man. As long as we're here, I intend to go home with my pockets full. We're here to win. And winning costs money.
He made a sharp gesture, as if to cut short the protests.
*[you can offer them money]
A-09, nervous, ran his tongue over his lips. His eyes slid from the corpse to the die, then to me. His voice trembled:
- Number 5… one million.
A heavy silence fell.
[THE BET IS NOT ENOUGH]
-I'm just that, please I haven't found any help
[THE DICE CAN BORROW MONEY FROM YOU BUT WITH VERY HIGH INTEREST RATES]
Silence
-how much…. How much, A-09 murmured with difficulty
[20%.....For you]
*[. Ha ha ha now that's very funny]
A-09, sat up abruptly, almost furious:
- Okay. I'll borrow three million from you.
He stared into the tall man's eyes, as if challenging him.
A-03, chuckled A laugh:
-number 2, for 5 million
The group's eyes widened in shock.
Then the last one, red with anger, shouted
-number 4, I borrow 10 million from the die
[UPDATE AND UPDATE, ADD GAP]
A-09, biting his nails can convince him to continue betting, so he shuts up and looks away
Unlike A-3
-I increase the stake
[BETS ARE RECORDED.]
[ A-02, A-09, A-04]
The tall one turned to A-09:
-Hey, bet
A-09 shook his head, almost crying:
- I… I don't want to… I can't… I want to withdraw my bet
[CANCELLATION NOT POSSIBLE.]
His watch lit up in spite of himself. Even though he remained frozen at the sight of the message
A-09 began to tremble more violently.
I grab the die in my hand.
A wry smile.
*[you don't give me anything for my idea?]
*[Do you see their faces, Ki-Moon? Do you feel how they breathe? You have the power. You. I can help you reach new heights]
I clenched my jaw.
Have fun? I don't know.
CLANG.
The die spun, rolled slowly. Each bounce seemed heavier than the last.
He stopped.
[ … 1. ]
A silence. Then everyone looks at each other…. …
-Who bet on this number?, whispered Djesone
He burst out laughing nervously, his hands shaking.
[PICK THE LOSER OF THE LOSERS.]
[since there is no winner, nor any previous losers, another round is imposed on you]
All eyes were on me. Djesone was still sneering, but his eyes were flashing. A-09, on the other hand, almost collapsed to the ground, begging me with a look.
[MAKE YOUR CHOICES AND BET]
Djesone, looking at this watch, blew
-number...number 3…4….no number 2 number 2, 10,000 pieces
This time he played it safe, as did most, after losing so many millions it was normal with a debt to me
-number 1, 10,000, blew A-09
-number 5, 10,000, A-03 said
-number 1 and 4, blew A-04
[You cannot bet on 2 numbers at the same time]
-AND WHY NOT?
His protests echoed throughout the circle. But I was already rolling the die.
CLICK
The die fell and rolled several times before stopping in front of A-03
[.... 4….]
-I won, I won, A-3 yelled
[Since there are no winners, we will move on to the next round.]
-IT STARTED, BUT I BET ON 4, A-03 yelled
The American player screamed in anger. His watch lit up, showing the withdrawal was an astronomical sum.
-where is my money, replied the pseudo winner.
Voices mingled, and the buyers' room echoed with murmurs. Some seemed delighted by the spectacle. Others whispered, intrigued.
*since when has this rule existed?
*The dice is weird
I'm shaking. The die vibrated in my palm.
[NEXT ROUND: FRANCE.]
-I didn't get my money, continued A-03
[SILENCE OR I'LL PLAY ALL THEM]
The whole circle tightened again.
My heart was pounding with excitement.
I was planning to play this game again.
[LET THE NEXT ROUND BEGIN]