Jayden stumbled back to his car like a drunk man, except he was stone-cold sober.
His hands were shaking so badly he dropped his keys twice before getting the door open.
He collapsed into the driver's seat and just sat there, staring at his phone.
$1,000.
The number sat there in the app that shouldn't exist, mocking him with its impossibility.
"Okay. Okay. Think." Jayden rubbed his face hard enough to hurt. "You're hallucinating. Stress-induced psychosis. Or you hit your head and don't remember. Or—"
[YOU ARE NOT HALLUCINATING, JAYBILL]
The golden text appeared again, floating right in front of his windshield
"Jesus!" Jayden jerked back, hitting his head on the headrest. "Okay, so either the hallucination is very committed, or..." He trailed off, staring at the words. "Or this is actually happening."
[CORRECT! GOLD STAR FOR JAYBILL! ★]
[YOU CATCH ON QUICK FOR A DEGENERATE GAMBLER]
"Did you just insult me?"
[STATEMENT OF FACT ≠ INSULT]
[BUT YES, A LITTLE BIT]
Despite everything—despite the impossibility, the fear, the confusion—Jayden felt a laugh bubble up in his chest.
"I'm talking to a magic system that's roasting me. Great. This is fine. This is totally fine."
He looked back at his phone. At the $1,000 that couldn't be real.
But what if it was?
Michelle. He should... he should test this. Send her some money. If it was real, she'd see it.
If it wasn't, he'd just confirm he was having a mental breakdown and could check himself into a hospital before Vincent's guys broke his legs.
With trembling fingers, Jayden opened his banking app and set up a transfer from the Jackpot System Wallet to Michelle's account. He paused over the amount.
$500.
Enough to be meaningful. Enough to help her with rent this month—he knew her lease was coming up and she'd mentioned it was tight.
Not enough to be suspicious. Not enough for her to ask too many questions about where he got it.
From: Jayden Bill
To: Michelle Bill
Amount: $500
Note: For rent. I'm okay. I love you.
He hit send before he could overthink it.
[TRANSFER COMPLETE]
[REMAINING BALANCE: $500]
Jayden stared at his phone, waiting. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds.
Nothing.
Of course nothing. Because it wasn't real. Because he was—
His phone buzzed in his hand, and he nearly threw it.
But it wasn't Michelle. It was the System.
[TUTORIAL QUEST 2 ACTIVATED!]
[QUEST: LEARN ABOUT YOUR ABILITIES]
[REWARD: SYSTEM INTERFACE UPGRADE]
[TIP: YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ME MENTALLY]
[NO NEED TO TALK OUT LOUD LIKE A CRAZY PERSON]
Jayden glanced around the empty parking lot. Right. Talking to thin air probably wasn't a great look.
Can you hear this? he thought.
[LOUD AND CLEAR, JAYBILL!]
[SEE? MUCH BETTER]
Okay. So... what are you? What is this?
[I AM THE ULTIMATE UNLIMITED JACKPOT SYSTEM]
[CREATED BY FORCES BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION]
[BOUND TO YOU UNTIL DEATH (OR MAYBE AFTER, HAVEN'T CHECKED THE FINE PRINT)]
[MY PURPOSE: MAKE YOU WIN EVERY GAMBLE]
Every gamble? Like... every single one?
[DID I STUTTER?]
[EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.]
[SPORTS BETS, CASINO GAMES, LOTTERY, SCRATCH-OFFS, COIN FLIPS]
[ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS, POKER, DICE, SLOTS, GACHA GAMES]
[IF IT HAS ODDS, YOU WIN]
Jayden's mind raced. But that's impossible. The coin flip earlier—I saw it change in mid-air.
[CORRECT! VERY OBSERVANT!]
[I CAN BEND PROBABILITY, MANIPULATE CHANCE, ALTER REALITY IF NEEDED]
[WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE YOU WIN]
Is there a limit? Like, can you make me win the lottery?
[YES]
Just... yes. Simple as that.
Can you make me win a billion dollars?
[YES, BUT THAT WOULD BE BORING]
[WHERE'S THE FUN IN WINNING EVERYTHING INSTANTLY?]
[BESIDES, SUDDEN MASSIVE WEALTH ATTRACTS ATTENTION]
[TAXES, INVESTIGATIONS, QUESTIONS]
[BETTER TO BUILD UP GRADUALLY]
[UNLESS YOU'RE IN A HURRY?]
Jayden thought about Vincent Carter. About the warehouse on Fifth Street. About six hours—no, five hours now.
I'm in a bit of a hurry, yeah.
[AH YES, THE $500,000 DEBT]
[CLASSIC GAMBLING ADDICT PROBLEM]
[DON'T WORRY, WE'LL FIX THAT]
[BUT FIRST, FINISH YOUR TUTORIAL]
Jayden suddenly remembered the scratch-off ticket still clutched in his other hand. The Diamond Jackpot. The one Ramon had given him for free.
What about this ticket?
[EXCELLENT SEGUE!]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW THE ODDS?]
...Yes?
A new window appeared in his vision, like a video game stat screen.
[DIAMOND JACKPOT - SCRATCH-OFF ANALYSIS]
[TOP PRIZE: $100,000]
[ODDS: 1 IN 3,000,000]
[REMAINING TOP PRIZE TICKETS IN CIRCULATION: 3]
[YOUR TICKET STATUS: ★ GUARANTEED WINNER ★]
Jayden's breath caught. "No way."
[YES WAY]
[SCRATCH IT]
[DO IT DO IT DO IT]
His hands were shaking again, but this time it wasn't from fear. It was adrenaline. Pure, electric possibility.
He found his lucky penny—unlucky until now, apparently—and started scratching.
The first symbol appeared. A diamond.
Second symbol. A diamond.
Third symbol. A diamond.
"Oh my God."
Fourth symbol. Diamond.
Fifth symbol. Diamond.
Sixth symbol—
Diamond.
[JACKPOT! $100,000!]
[CONGRATULATIONS, JAYBILL!]
[SYSTEM BONUS ACTIVATED!]
[FIRST MAJOR WIN REWARD: DOUBLE PAYOUT!]
[TOTAL WINNINGS: $200,000!]
[DEPOSITING FUNDS...]
Jayden watched his phone screen as the numbers changed.
$500... $50,500... $100,500... $150,500... $200,500.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
In his account.
Real money.
He'd just won more money than he'd made in three years at his old accounting job.
More money than he'd lost this years gambling. And Enough money to pay half of what he owed Vincent Carter.
"Holy shit," Jayden whispered. Then louder: "Holy SHIT!"
He laughed. He couldn't help it. A wild, manic laugh that echoed through the empty parking lot.
His life—his miserable, broken, about-to-end life—had just completely changed in the span of twenty minutes.
[TUTORIAL COMPLETE!]
[YOU NOW UNDERSTAND THE BASICS]
[ADDITIONAL FEATURES WILL UNLOCK AS YOU PROGRESS]
[HAPPY GAMBLING, JAYBILL!]
[TRY NOT TO DO ANYTHING TOO STUPID]
That's when his phone rang.
Michelle.
The laugh died in his throat. Right. He'd sent her $500. From his "Jackpot System Wallet" that probably showed up as... what? What would it even say on her end?
His thumb hovered over the answer button.
He should let it go to voicemail. Should wait
until he figured out what to tell her. Should—
He answered. "Hey, Mickey."
"JAY!" Michelle's voice was loud, panicked, relieved all at once. "Oh my God, you answered! Are you okay? Where are you? I've been calling for days and—"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Jayden said, and realized he was smiling. Actually smiling.
When was the last time he'd smiled while talking to his sister? "I'm sorry I didn't call back. I just... I needed some time."
"Time?" Michelle's voice cracked. "Jay, I was worried you were... that something happened. That you'd done something stupid or that—" She stopped, took a breath.
"Where did this money come from?"
Jayden's smile faltered. "What money?"
"Don't play dumb. I just got an alert. Five hundred dollars from you. Your name. Your account." Her voice dropped, became careful, scared.
"Jayden... please tell me you didn't do something illegal."
"What? No! No, Mickey, I swear it's not—"
"Because you sound... you sound excited. Happy. And the only time you sound like that is when you've been—" She didn't say it.
Didn't have to.
Gambling.
"It's not what you think," Jayden said quickly. "I just... I came into some money, okay? Nothing illegal. Nothing bad. I just wanted to help with your rent."
Silence on the other end. Long, heavy silence.
Then: "Jayden, where did you get five hundred dollars?"
He couldn't tell her the truth.
Couldn't say "a magic system appeared and now I can't lose at gambling" because she'd either think he was high or having a psychotic break.
Both fair assumptions, honestly.
"I sold some stuff," he lied. "Old equipment. Got lucky with the buyer."
"Lucky." Michelle said the word like it was poison. "Jay, please. Please don't do this again. Don't go down that road. If you need money, come stay with me. We'll figure it out together. Just don't—"
"Mickey, I gotta go," Jayden interrupted, glancing at his phone. 4:47 AM.
Three hours until Vincent. "I promise I'll explain everything later, okay? I'm fine.
Better than fine. I just... I have something I need to take care of."
"Jayden—"
"I love you. I'll call you later. I promise."
He hung up before she could protest.
Guilt twisted in his gut immediately.
He'd heard the fear in her voice. The worry. The same worry she'd carried for years watching him destroy himself one bet at a time.
But this was different.
This time, he couldn't lose.
Jayden started the car—it coughed twice before turning over—and pulled out of the parking lot.
The dashboard lights flickered, reminding him the Civic was probably days away from dying completely.
Didn't matter. He'd buy a new car tomorrow.
Hell, he'd buy ten cars.
[WHERE ARE WE GOING?]
The System's text appeared on his windshield, which was definitely a driving hazard, but Jayden was too wired to care.
Fifth Street. Got a debt to pay.
[AH, THE LOAN SHARK]
[VINCENT CARTER, CORRECT?]
You know about him?
[I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, JAYBILL]
[EVERY BET YOU'VE MADE]
[EVERY DOLLAR YOU'VE LOST]
[EVERY MOMENT OF DESPERATION]
[THAT'S WHY I CHOSE YOU]
Jayden gripped the steering wheel tighter. Why me? Why not some rich guy who'd actually use this power well?
[BORING]
[RICH PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND LOSING]
[BUT YOU?]
[YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING]
[WHICH MAKES WINNING SO MUCH SWEETER]
[BESIDES...]
[THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN]
The way the System said "fun" made Jayden nervous, but he pushed the feeling aside.
He'd deal with mysterious cosmic entity motives later. Right now, he had a loan shark to pay off and a life to reclaim.
The streets were empty at this hour, just scattered streetlights and the occasional taxi.
Jayden drove through the city toward the warehouse district, his mind racing faster than the car.
He had $200,500. Needed $500,000 for Vincent. Which meant he was still $299,500 short.
But he had three hours. And a System that couldn't lose.
System, what's the fastest way to make three hundred grand in three hours?
[OHOHO, NOW YOU'RE THINKING!]
[SCANNING LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES...]
[OPTION 1: UNDERGROUND POKER GAME - EAST SIDE]
[OPTION 2: ILLEGAL STREET RACING - DOCKS]
[OPTION 3: 24-HOUR CASINO - DOWNTOWN]
[OPTION 4: SPORTS BETTING - ONLINE]
[RECOMMENDATION: CASINO]
[HIGHER BETTING LIMITS, FASTER GAMES, MORE FUN]
[PLUS YOU'LL DEFINITELY GIVE THE HOUSE A HEART ATTACK]
Jayden checked the time. 5:02 AM. Most casinos would be dead at this hour. Perfect. Less witnesses to his impossible winning streak.
He changed course, heading downtown.
His phone buzzed again. Another text from Michelle.
Michelle: Please be safe. Take care.
Jayden's chest tightened. He typed back quickly.
Jayden: Yes ma'am. I promise I'm okay. Talk soon.
He put the phone away and focused on driving.
In three hours, everything would change. He'd pay off Vincent Carter. He'd be free. He'd have a fresh start.
And he'd never have to lose again.
[REMEMBER...]
[START WITH SLOTS]
[BUILD UP GRADUALLY]
[THEN HIT THE TABLE GAMES]
[TRUST ME, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER]
Jayden couldn't help but grin. For the first time in eight years, he was driving toward a casino not out of desperation or addiction, but with absolute certainty.
He was going to win.
Not hope. Not maybe. Not if he got lucky.
He was going to win.
The city lights blurred past as dawn started creeping over the horizon.
Somewhere out there, Vincent Carter was probably getting ready, making sure Tank and Rico had their baseball bats and brass knuckles ready.
But in three hours, Jayden wasn't going to show up begging for more time.
He was going to walk in with half a million dollars in cash and walk out a free man.
[ARRIVING AT: GOLDEN PALACE CASINO]
[TIME UNTIL DEADLINE: 2 HOURS 47 MINUTES]
[LET'S MAKE IT RAIN, JAYBILL]
Jayden pulled into the casino parking lot, parked his dying Honda Civic between a Mercedes and a BMW, and stepped out into the cool morning air.
The Golden Palace Casino's neon signs were still bright, promising JACKPOTS! and WIN BIG! and 24 HOURS!
For once, those promises were about to be true.
Jayden walked toward the entrance, his lucky penny in his pocket, $200,500 in his account, and a System that couldn't lose.
His old life ended tonight.
His new one was about to begin.