Chapter 694
Chapter 694:
“Over there,” Alistair nudged me.
He pointed to a darkened corner of the warehouse. A velvet rope blocked off a staircase leading up to a mezzanine level. Two bouncers the size of refrigerators stood guard. They were checking cards.
“VIP area,” I said. “That’s where the real money goes p>
“And probably where the missing trainees are,” Alistair added grimly.
We needed a way in. I turned to Parker, who was staring at a Space Invaders cabinet with intense focus.
“Parker,” I said, grabbing his shoulder. “Focus. How do we get upstairs p>
“The algorithm,” Parker whispered, pointing at a slot machine. “These aren’t random number generators. They’re rigged. I wrote a script to track the payout intervals. But here’s the kicker: once you hit a loss threshold of a thousand dollars, the machine dispenses a black token p>
“A black token p>
“Yeah. I saw a guy get one earlier,” Parker said. “He took it to the bouncers at the VIP stairs. They let him right up p>
“It’s an invitation,” I realized. “They identify the whales, or the desperate addicts, and invite them to the high-stakes room p>
“Exactly,” Parker said. “I was trying to calculate the exact loss ratio needed to force a dispense p>
I looked at Alistair. This was our way in.
“Parker,” I said, a slow smile spreading across my face, “do you want to win your money back p>
Parker’s eyes lit up. “Does a bear code in the woods p>
“Good.” I pulled a roll of cash from my pocket, emergency funds I always carried. “Go lose this. Get that token. And get us upstairs p>
“Wait,” Alistair interrupted. He took the cash from me and handed it to Parker. “Don’t hack it. Play it. If you hack it, they’ll kill you. If you lose money like a degenerate gambler, they’ll welcome you with open arms p>
Parker nodded, swallowing hard. “Right. Act like a loser. I can do that p>
𝖣a𝗂𝘭y 𝗎рd𝗮𝘵еs 𝗼n 𝘣𝗲.𝖼𝗈𝗺
He walked over to the nearest high-stakes machine and started feeding bills into it. We watched from a distance as his “luck” ran out, dollar after dollar disappearing. Finally, after twenty minutes, the machine chimed. A single, matte-black coin clattered into the tray.
Parker grabbed it, his hand trembling. He looked back at us. I nodded.
He walked toward the bouncers, flashing the token. The guard sneered but unhooked the rope.
“Friends?” the guard grunted, jerking his chin toward us.
“My… uh… financial backers,” Parker improvised, his voice cracking slightly. “They want to see me win it back p>
The guard laughed, a cruel sound. “Sure, kid. Bring ’em up p>
“More lambs for the slaughter p>
The VIP level was a different world.
The noise of the arcade below was muffled by soundproof glass. The air up here was cool, scented with expensive perfume and old money. The floor was covered in plush carpet, and the lighting was low and golden.