Chapter 5

Thus, Zhao Yao returned home, instructed Matcha to guard the house well, and then proceeded to apply for a Hong Kong and Macao travel permit and book a flight. Fortunately, he had been to Macao for tourism before and had already obtained a travel permit, which could be renewed on the same day. This allowed him to board the flight to Macao that evening.

At 9 PM that afternoon, Zhao Yao's plane landed in Macao on time. As he walked out of the airport and looked at the city under the night sky, Zhao Yao exhaled, a hint of nervousness flashing in his eyes.

Gambling might be one of the fastest ways to make money with the ability to stop time. And in all of China, the safest place to gamble, where one doesn't have to worry about being cheated by the casino, is probably Macao. In this city of lights and glamour, people lose everything every day and every month, while others win millions or even tens of millions and take it home.

The most crucial thing is that the reputation here is solid. Zhao Yao didn't have to worry about being cheated by the casino if he won some money.

"Let's see if this works."

Taking the casino shuttle bus from the airport, Zhao Yao arrived directly at the Grand Lisboa Casino. As the largest casino hotel in Macao, the Grand Lisboa exudes an aura of opulence and luxury, with its lavish decor, facilities, and service.

As soon as he got off the bus and entered the casino hall, he saw a bustling crowd, with people coming and going, and the sound of voices filling the air. Everywhere, there were densely packed gambling tables and gamblers.

Desire, fervor, pain, despair, and the allure of wealth and beauty mixed together, emitting a fatal charm.

All the casinos in Macao use Hong Kong dollars, and gamblers exchange their Hong Kong dollars for chips.

Due to his family's poor economic conditions, Zhao Yao had always been frugal during his four years of university and constantly worked part-time jobs to earn money. He thought about the various part-time jobs he had done over the years, from distributing flyers, working as a store clerk, and part-time jobs at convenience stores and milk tea shops, to internships as a programmer in his junior and senior years. Zhao Yao felt a sense of reflection.

After four years of part-time work and one year of employment, Zhao Yao had finally managed to save some money.

But in the casino, this money quickly turned into 100,000 Hong Kong dollars worth of chips. In other words, if he lost all these chips, his savings from several years would be gone.

Therefore, Zhao Yao was very cautious at this moment. He didn't place a bet immediately but first took a walk around the entire casino hall.

This hall was where ordinary gamblers played, with Baccarat being the main game. At almost any moment, one could hear people shouting in excitement or anger.

Watching the thousands and tens of thousands of chips being won and lost, each table's chips were several times, dozens of times, or even hundreds of times his monthly salary. Zhao Yao felt a sense of devaluation of money. The total salary he might earn over a decade might just be someone else's win or loss in one game.

However, that was all in the past. Now, with the ability to stop time, Zhao Yao felt like a fish in water in the casino.

In the frozen space, Zhao Yao casually flipped over the cards on the table, saw the 2 of Clubs, smiled lightly, and put them back.

The next moment, time resumed, and no one could detect his action of flipping the cards.

"Once I gather some capital, I can consider playing Baccarat."

Zhao Yao approached the roulette table, where there were only four or five people, mostly women. Under their watchful eyes, the ivory ball continuously bounced on the roulette wheel.

Roulette is a game where the wheel, divided into small squares, spins clockwise. After the betting time ends, the ball is launched counterclockwise and rolls on the wheel, eventually stopping in one of the squares.

The goal is to predict which color, number, or combination of numbers the ball will land on. The highest payout is 35 to 1 for a direct number bet, which is Zhao Yao's target.

As the ball slowed down, Zhao Yao moved to the position closest to the wheel, squinted his eyes, and activated his time-stopping ability.

He quickly reached out, grabbed the ivory ball, pressed it down, and then withdrew his hand, standing still.

When time resumed, Zhao Yao maintained his original posture, and the excited crowd around him didn't notice anything.

The ball gently hit the side, bounced twice, and stopped in the 12 slot.

The group of men and women immediately burst into cheers and sighs, with some winning and others losing. Even the winners only hit combinations, receiving a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 payout.

To win 35 to 1, one needed an almost supernatural level of luck.

However, seeing the number the ball landed on, Zhao Yao frowned. In fact, he had intended to make the ball stop at 15, but his first attempt was a bit off.

'The side has many barriers, and the rebound force is stronger than I imagined.'

Thus, Zhao Yao stood by the roulette table, not placing any bets, and watched the dealer launch the ball, then manipulated it as it was about to stop.