On the way here, I had already called Xianyu in advance, asking him to have his brother describe all the relevant information about this private casino in detail.
Especially regarding security and the undercover operatives.
Because I never go into battle unprepared!
This casino, located in a residential building, operates on a system of bringing in new customers through existing ones.
Just having familiar customers guide others isn't enough; if a familiar customer doesn't accompany a new one inside, then, sorry... you're sent right back where you came from!
The reason familiar customers must go in with new ones is primarily to prevent new faces, who might cause trouble, from acting recklessly inside.
As long as a familiar customer is present, if any new customer causes a disturbance, and the person cannot be found afterward, the blame will be entirely placed on the familiar customer.
Furthermore, since there are no high-tech instruments inside, all gamblers must be searched before entering.
Of course, the so-called search is merely a symbolic pat-down of your pockets and any bags you carry.
Private areas are not touched.
However, even without touching private areas, I didn't hide a single card.
This is because this民间赌场 (folk casino) uses Binwang poker cards, produced in Zhejiang province.
Binwang poker cards, the favorite of cheaters!
According to Yu Fei's description, gamblers can freely request to cut or switch cards.
Therefore, as long as I have a chance to touch the cards, I can use the palm-card technique to steal cards.
And after the game ends, I can use the return-card technique to secretly return the cards to the deck.
Silently, I can achieve the goal of leaving no trace of my actions without anyone noticing!
The reason this民間赌场 is so lenient is purely due to its customer base.
To put it bluntly, there are no truly wealthy or influential figures among the guests who come here; most are villagers from the surrounding villages who are fond of gambling.
Casinos located in rural areas like this primarily profit from commission and loans.
Yu Fei didn't actually owe 1.2 million in gambling debt; rather, it accumulated to that amount through the relentless cycle of high-interest loans.
Without further ado, let's get back to the main topic.
As we followed Yu Fei into the residential building, Xianyu and I were constantly observing our surroundings.
This was something we had agreed upon before coming.
Because I wasn't sure if we could leave smoothly after winning money.
Of course, I didn't intend to hit it big in one go and leave after winning 1.2 million.
My self-set goal was: to win a fraction of the 1.2 million first to test the waters.
Therefore, it was crucial to scout the terrain in advance, simulate and map out escape routes in my mind...
As we made our way to the second floor, the characteristic noisy atmosphere of a casino gradually reached my ears.
Upon arriving at the modified second floor, the first thing that caught my eye was a large iron door that had been reinforced and welded shut.
After knocking three short and two long times...
The iron door was opened from the inside, revealing a woman.
She was a heavily made-up, provocatively dressed young woman with tattoos on her arms and chest.
The moment she saw Yu Fei, the young woman, without a word, fully opened the iron door from the inside.
After all three of us entered, she turned around and locked the iron door from the inside.
This sight immediately made Xianyu's eyelids twitch.
As for me, my expression remained calm as I surveyed the surroundings, assessing the scale of this民間赌场 and taking the opportunity to search for new escape routes.
As the saying goes: "A sparrow may be small, but it has all the vital organs!"
Despite the small size of the venue, there were quite a lot of people playing!
At a glance, there were at least fifty to sixty people.
Having not found any escape routes, I decided to start working.
Lighting a cigarette and taking a puff, I looked at Yu Fei beside me and asked, "What did you gamble and lose money on, then borrow high-interest loans that compounded?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Fei pointed to a gambling table not far away and replied in a low voice, "Dice!"
Hearing Yu Fei's answer, I frowned and asked, "Why did you choose to gamble on dice?"
"Because my brother told me that any gambling involving poker cards is basically nine out of ten times a scam!"
Hearing this, I was immediately speechless.
No wonder he got trapped; what an idiot!
From ancient times to the present, dice games, while seemingly purely based on luck, are actually the most deceptive gambling games, bar none!
Dice games were already very tricky in our ancestors' time, but due to limited conditions, there were fewer methods of cheating, only small tricks like lead-filled or mercury-injected dice.
As it has evolved to the present day, dice games not only have multiple cheating methods derived from the dice themselves but can also directly use electronic dice cups, employing the purest technological power to defeat human skill!
But since Yu Fei lost to dice, I could only approach it from that angle, making him understand what true "nine out of ten times a scam" means!
After confirming we would play dice, I had Yu Fei lead me and Xianyu to the table he usually gambled at.
I had already discussed with Xianyu beforehand that since we were here, we had to gamble with real money to lower the guard of the undercover operatives mixed in with the gamblers.
So, what Xianyu had to do was to act as a "money-scattering boy" and leave all his money on that gambling table. As for me, I would temporarily play the role of "Chen Xiaodao."
When we arrived at the gambling table, I saw that the dealer for the dice game was a thug-looking person.
Buzz cut, tattoos, gold chain – the three standard accessories of a thug.
Using someone like this as a dealer was clearly meant to maintain order.
Seeing Yu Fei bring me and Xianyu over, the buzz-cut thug revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth and smiled, "Yo! We have rare guests!"
"Yu Fei, the sixth installment is due soon. Will you continue to pay interest and defer the principal, or settle the entire debt at once?"
This is a common tactic used by民間赌场 to fleece customers.
Paying interest is usually determined by the actual amount borrowed by the customer and their remaining potential value.
Until a gambler's value is completely squeezed out, the loan sharks in the establishment will gradually lure the target into a deeper pit.
This is how many people end up losing their houses and cars.
The reason Yu Fei, despite owing 1.2 million due to compounding interest, could still come to the establishment to gamble unharmed is most likely because of Xianyu.
It's highly probable that Xianyu, who had previously paid off Yu Fei's gambling debts several times, has already been thoroughly investigated by the people at the establishment.
Xianyu's previous role as a "die-shuffler" (叠码仔) was highly favored by these small民間赌场.
They were likely waiting to let Yu Fei's debt grow to a number that Xianyu couldn't afford to pay, and then extract additional "benefits" from him.
Upon hearing this, Yu Fei replied with the pre-arranged script, "Continue to pay interest."
"Alright! Remember to prepare the interest in advance, and don't make me call you to chase it!"
After speaking, the buzz-cut thug covered the dice cup and began to shake it in a pretense of fairness.
"Come on, come on! Place your bets!"
"Bet a little, turn your bicycle into a motorcycle!"
"Gamble a bit, turn your motorcycle into a Jeep!"