"Alright, even if I believe you, how do I make Ouguan play all the previous matches according to my plan?" Smith asked.
"Smith, you are the boss of the global gambling group. You should understand this better than I do," Chen Feng said with a slight smile.
"It's true that I'm the gambling boss, but my previous method was to control a few matches. Now, it's not just about controlling a few matches; it's about controlling all of them. Tell me, how do you control all the matches?" Smith asked, looking confused.
"Mr. Smith, actually, the principle of controlling a few matches and controlling all of them is the same. It's nothing more than spending money to make them play fixed matches. This is what you are best at, so it shouldn't be difficult," Chen Feng continued, looking calm.
"Chen Feng, you are not an insider of the gambling world, so you might not understand. It's very costly to bribe players to play fixed matches. Controlling a few matches is not a big problem, but controlling all matches to be fixed would be incredibly expensive," Smith said with a dejected look.
"Mr. Smith, actually, if you change your perspective, the problem becomes simple," Chen Feng replied with a smile.
"Change my perspective?"
"Yes, that's right. Ouguan has so many matches, and controlling each one is indeed difficult and costly. However, if you change your perspective, it becomes very simple. For example, instead of spending money on each match, we spend money on Ouguan as a whole, perhaps by bribing the Ouguan organizing committee."
Chen Feng explained.
"Chen Feng, do you mean that if we spend a huge amount of money on the Ouguan organizing committee, they will handle all the matches?" Smith's eyes flashed with excitement.
"That's exactly what I mean," Chen Feng nodded.
"What if the Ouguan organizing committee refuses to cooperate? You know, Ouguan is a major sporting event. It's unlikely that the dignified Ouguan organizing committee would be so easily controlled," Smith said with concern.
"Mr. Smith, you really don't need to worry about whether the Ouguan committee agrees or not. Let me put it this way: no one is incorruptible; it all depends on the size of the benefit you offer. If the Ouguan organizing committee insists on so-called integrity and refuses to participate in match-fixing, it's because the benefits you offer are not large enough. In such a case, don't think twice, just increase the amount of money you offer," Chen Feng said calmly.
"According to your statement, wouldn't the cost of this operation be astronomical?" Smith was taken aback.
"Yes, it was always going to be astronomical. Both you and I are old hands in the game of power. We should know that to accomplish anything significant, the economic cost will inevitably be immense."
"I understand the logic, but there's a problem now. Is it worth spending such a huge amount to trap the Jiang family?" Smith asked tentatively.
"You don't need to have any doubt about this; it's absolutely worth it. China is no longer what it used to be. Its economic output has surpassed that of the United States. In such an environment, the Jiang family's fortunes have soared, and they have made a fortune over the past twenty years. To put it mildly, as long as you take down the Jiang family, it will be profitable no matter how much you spend," Chen Feng persuaded Smith.
"Alright, after your explanation, I feel reassured. I'll do as you say, but there's one thing I must make clear to you." Smith said with a stern expression.
"What is it?"
"Until the Jiang family falls, you must remain under my control." Smith said seriously.
"That's no problem," Chen Feng replied casually.
"Aren't you afraid?" Smith asked, confused.
"The gambling group is known worldwide for its ruthlessness. However, it doesn't matter. This time, trapping the Jiang family is a sure thing, so there's nothing to be worried about," Chen Feng said calmly.
"Chen Feng, I have to remind you that if anything goes wrong, you will die a very unpleasant death. I'm putting all my assets on the line to trap the Jiang family in China. If I fail, I'll lose everything. However, before I jump off a building, I will definitely make you suffer," Smith said deliberately with a stern expression.
"Mr. Smith, I understand everything you've said. Don't worry, I'm prepared," Chen Feng replied calmly.
With the Ouguan matches, Smith manipulating all but the final match to be wins meant that Jiang Tian would inevitably fall into the trap.
Greed is something no one can resist. Especially when the potential gains are enormous, it's even harder to resist. After all, humans are not gods.
After chatting for a while longer, Chen Feng didn't waste any more time and immediately went to the designated hotel arranged by Smith. Initially, Smith had people closely monitoring Chen Feng to prevent him from escaping secretly. However, for several days, Chen Feng was seen having a great time with women he invited to his hotel room, which put Smith's mind at ease. Chen Feng had no intention of running away. Since Chen Feng had no intention of running, it meant that taking down the Jiang family by manipulating the Ouguan matches was foolproof. Thus, Smith fully committed himself to the operation to trap the Jiang family.
As Chen Feng had predicted, Jiang Tian was initially cautious. However, after making substantial profits in over a dozen consecutive matches, Jiang Tian's guard was completely down. He bet heavily on every match.
Before he knew it, the final match began. Smith, using Chen Feng's tactic of playing hard to get, deliberately advised Jiang Tian not to bet on the final match. The reason given was that they had earned enough and it was time to stop.
"Smith, we've gone to such lengths to manipulate all the matches this time. The final match is crucial, how can we stop now?" Jiang Tian said excitedly.
"That's true. In that case, bet a little less money," Smith continued to play hard to get.
"Bet a little less? No, no, no... This is such a rare opportunity, I want to bet the maximum," Jiang Tian said frantically.
"What? Bet the maximum?" Smith feigned composure.
"Yes, I must bet the maximum. Smith, don't worry, I won't forget your efforts this time. For the final round, I'll bet everything, and if we win, we'll split it fifty-fifty," Jiang Tian said earnestly. Jiang Tian, being an old hand, was still quite cunning. By betting everything, he had to keep Smith stable. Smith chuckled inwardly. A fifty-fifty split was nowhere near as appealing as taking it all. However, to keep Jiang Tian stable, Smith still feigned great excitement. Seeing that Smith had no objections, Jiang Tian's last lingering worry disappeared.
Within a day, all the money was wagered. This was equivalent to setting up a huge bookmaker, the largest in the world's history. As soon as Jiang Tian released all his funds, Smith immediately went to the Ouguan organizing committee to inquire about the situation. It turned out that Smith had underestimated Jiang Tian. Jiang Tian had bribed the Ouguan organizing committee with an astronomical sum of money. This meant that once the final match actually began, Smith and Chen Feng were destined to lose.
"Chen Feng, it's over, things have gone terribly wrong," Smith immediately went to the hotel to find Chen Feng.
"What happened?" Chen Feng asked calmly.
"Jiang Tian has bribed the Ouguan organizing committee," Smith said in fear.
"Are you sure?" Chen Feng was also taken aback. It had to be said that both he and Smith had underestimated Jiang Tian.
"I investigated it myself, there's absolutely no mistake," Smith said with certainty.
"It seems the plan needs to change," Chen Feng replied unhurriedly. It turned out that even before using the Ouguan matches as bait, he had already considered contingency plans in case of failure.
"The match is tomorrow, and all the key personnel of the Ouguan organizing committee are being protected by Jiang Tian. We can't possibly contact them, and even if we could, we can't reverse things. How can we change the plan?" Smith continued in distress.
"As long as the situation isn't final, there's always a chance for a turnaround, don't panic. To be honest, I actually think Jiang Tian's actions present a great opportunity for us," Chen Feng explained calmly.
"A great opportunity? Chen Feng, are you joking? With Jiang Tian suddenly doing this, I'm doomed to lose. How can it be a great opportunity?" Smith asked, utterly bewildered.
"Mr. Smith, think about it. Jiang Tian used a large sum of money to buy over the Ouguan organizing committee, what does that imply? It means that at this very moment, Jiang Tian is overconfident and believes he has secured victory. At this point, it will be easier to strike back at him." Chen Feng said calmly.
"How do we strike back? That's easier said than done. The important personnel of the Ouguan organizing committee have been hidden by Jiang Tian, so we can't strike back even if we wanted to." Smith was still bewildered.
"Smith, have you forgotten? Don't you have private armed forces at your disposal?" Chen Feng's interest grew.
"I do have private armed forces, but what does that have to do with anything?" Smith asked, confused.
"Since you have private armed forces, the matter is easily handled. Why not just forcibly seize it? Jiang Tian is overconfident and has let his guard down. All the money is in the gambling group's account. Let's just forcibly seize it," Chen Feng explained word by word.
"How can this be? If this happens, how will I continue to run the global gambling business?" Smith shook his head repeatedly.
"Mr. Smith, think carefully. If you don't do this, you might maintain your reputation, but you'll lose all your money. What's the use of reputation then? Conversely, if you abandon your reputation, you can make a fortune. To be frank, with the money from the Jiang family, you wouldn't have to do anything for the rest of your life and would still be considered part of the global elite. The key is that you can establish another shell company to run the global gambling group. It's a change of name, not a change of substance, and you can continue to make a lot of money," Chen Feng explained calmly.
"That makes sense. So, the question is, how do we seize it openly?" Smith asked excitedly.
"Directly surround the gambling financial building with private armed forces, and everything will be resolved," Chen Feng said calmly.
"That's feasible. However, will Jiang Tian also bring private armed forces? To be honest, although Jiang Tian is Chinese, private armed forces are not allowed in China. However, Jiang Tian used a sum of money to establish private armed forces overseas..." Smith said with concern.