The elder saw me enter the room, asked me to sit on the sofa, and poured me a cup of tea. He said, "This Old Hei is no simple man. Although both jade gambling and money gambling have the word 'gambling' in them, they are worlds apart. Jade gambling is public, done openly. Gambling, on the other hand, is illegal and must be conducted in secret. But Old Hei is different. Everyone knows he runs a casino, and it's flourishing. Isn't he afraid of being arrested or shut down? He's not afraid at all. Not only is he not afraid, but he's also very high-profile, almost an open secret in Ruili. Have you ever wondered why?"
"Why?" I asked, confused.
"He has backing. From what I understand, this person is very mysterious, holds significant power, and has considerable influence within the organization. That's why Old Hei has been able to develop to this point and remain standing firm."
That made sense. It explained why he could always escape danger during police raids and why he could operate these special businesses so openly without being shut down. It must have a lot to do with the forces behind him.
"What's Old Hei's relationship with this person behind him?"
"I don't know that yet. There are rumors going around, some say he's Old Hei's uncle, others say he's Old Hei's godfather. But no matter the relationship, it's tied to interests. With the backing of the forces behind him, he dares to ask you to hand over the park with such an outrageous demand. He knows very well that there are many legitimate channels for this park, but that doesn't stop his ambition to annex it. Think about it, a gangster boss, no matter how powerful, wouldn't dare to confront the government and seize an industry with official government approval. But Old Hei can brazenly snatch it from you. Tell me, who gives him such confidence?"
I gasped, breathing in sharply. It was true, even if Kang Gong from Nan Cheng wanted to compete with me before, he had to go through the process and bid against me, using money to oppose me. But this Old Hei was simple and crude, directly demanding the park be handed over to him!
This was too rampant.
"Are you still insistent on breaking into his casino?"
"I must go. If possible, it would be even better if we could get some photos or videos as evidence."
"That might be difficult. Taking photos would cause a big commotion, and we don't have time to set up hidden cameras."
In those days, there were no digital cameras or hidden equipment like today. Even a mobile phone could record high-definition video. In the era of film cameras, pulling out something like that and snapping pictures would likely get you beaten to death by the casino's enforcers after just a few shots.
"We'll talk about that later. I'm just going to scout the situation and see if there's an opening. I'll rely on you tonight at the Grand World!"
"That's what we should do. Since they've come knocking, we have to defend ourselves. We'll meet force with force and block the water with earth. You just focus on what you need to do."
I nodded and asked the elder to disguise me as a young master, like a rich landlord's foolish son – rich, foolish, and extravagant.
The elder nodded and went back to his bedroom to get things.
Just then, Wen Siqiang called. To my delight, he had contacted his former cellmate, who was still working at Yun Shang, but not in the casino, rather in a karaoke lounge.
However, he could help me get in. Apparently, for every person they brought in, they received a bonus, which was ten percent of the gambler's losses.
Wen Siqiang's former cellmate, named Zhen San, gave me a pager number and told me to call him when I arrived.
Wen Siqiang couldn't show up tonight. The fact that Old Hei could call his phone indicated that he knew the people around me very well. If Wen Siqiang appeared at Yun Shang, it would easily link back to me.
I took out an unused SIM card from my bag and put it into my phone. Since they could find Wen Siqiang's number, my number was probably not a secret either. It was better to be cautious.
I arranged for Xiao Zhang to rent a nicer car and to pose as my driver and bodyguard.
After making these arrangements, the elder had also prepared his tools. I went to the washbasin to wash my face and sat opposite the elder, allowing him to work on my face.
About thirty minutes later, the elder began to trim my hair. As my long hair fell, I opened my eyes and didn't recognize myself in the mirror. My hair was cut short, and a dark red scar slanted across my face, extending from my forehead to my jaw, making my otherwise refined face look extremely strange and repulsive.
Anyone not very familiar with me wouldn't have recognized that this was the same person.
I was very satisfied with this image. A rich second-generation playboy, prone to trouble, who had been slashed and ended up looking like this.
I had previously instructed Wen Siqiang to tell Zhen San that I was coming from Lijiang and was not a local.
If such a person existed locally, they could easily find out.
When introducing me to Zhen San, they would say that I liked to gamble and gambled big.
I guessed that Zhen San would have his eyes light up upon hearing this. I was a fat pig, and if he could capture me, his commission would be substantial.
After finishing with my appearance, the elder went out to select clothes for me and to create a fake Lijiang license plate.
At this time, Wen Siqiang returned. He had already collected twenty thousand yuan in cash from Jing Lei and placed it on the table.
I sat on the sofa, reviewing the plan for the evening. I understood a little about gambling. I had been to casinos a few times before, familiar with various gambling methods, and had tried my luck a few times, winning and losing. Afterward, the elder taught me some card-reading techniques, which I found quite insightful but hadn't used.
Of course, I intended to lose this twenty thousand yuan. I was a rich, foolish pig, so none of the techniques would be used.
However, I didn't know what the situation would be like on-site. It was also possible that I would win a little, but the prerequisite was that they had to know about my character.
The rest was to get Old Hei to fall into the trap I had set.
I meticulously thought through every step, like playing blind chess, with no sight of the opponent or the board, only able to play in my mind with my eyes closed.
A while later, the elder came in with a Taoist brother, who was carrying a bag. It was likely the clothes prepared for me and Xiao Zhang.
The Taoist brother opened the bag, and indeed, there were two sets of gaudy, colorful outfits.
My face, paired with these flashy outfits, was a perfect match.
I couldn't help but admire the elder's imagination. Anything that came to him became logical.
In his mind, there was a clear chessboard, and every move was very precise.
I picked up the clothes the elder handed me, changed out of my casual wear, and put them on.
Then I took the tinted sunglasses the elder gave me, put them on, and instantly, a perfect image of a foolish landlord's son stood before them.
Xiao Zhang's outfit was more formal than mine, as he was playing the role of a subordinate, and the distinction between master and servant needed to be clear.