"Fuck you!"
Jose suddenly burst out. His eyes bloodshot, he violently flipped over the pile of chips in front of him and roared, "You're cheating! These cards are marked!"
CLATTER—
Chips scattered across the floor. The surrounding gamblers froze for a moment, then a commotion burst out as they scrambled to grab the chips on the ground.
"You're asking to die!"
One of the thugs guarding the second-floor staircase frowned. He gave his partner a look and strode over, his hand already reaching for his waist.
Suddenly, the lights in the hall flickered and went out for a few seconds.
Jose's mind went blank. But driven by the crisis, he squeezed out the last dregs of his potential, using the few seconds of darkness to slip along the wall to the rear of the second-floor corridor.
"Fuck! What's going on?!"
"Where's the backup power? Leto! Is someone trying to rip us off?!"
"Nobody move! I'll shoot anyone who makes a sudden move!"
