Dewi stared, her mouth agape. Arman didn't cheer. He just pointed at the screen. The final odds had returned to their starting position, like a lock clicking shut.
For 70 minutes, his world crumbled. Arema scored first. Dewi stared at him with cold disappointment. But Arman wasn't watching the score. He was watching the live odds . The code was shifting. The away team’s odds to win were dropping rapidly—from 4.20 to 2.50. The bookies were panicking.
"That," he said, "is the secret. The odds don't tell you who will win. They tell you what the bookies already know . The code is their arrogance. And tonight, we cracked it."
They walked out of the warnet into the clearing night. Arman had won back his house ten times over. But he didn't look happy. He looked terrified.