Hearing Yang Jian ask this, Lu Hao realized he wasn't feeling unwell.
"Now you're scared, aren't you?" he chuckled.
"Brother Hao, how could I not be? This is my second time getting caught. I don't want to spend a single day in there, especially now that the provincial department is after me. Getting caught again means I won't get out easily."
"Hmm, it's good that you're scared. Being in the underworld means one foot is always in prison. What goes around comes around, it's not just a saying. You really can't do anything illegal."
"Brother Hao, don't lecture me yet. Answer my question: Am I in danger right now?"
Lu Hao laughed heartily. "Look how scared you are. Don't worry, I promised you. If anything happens to you, I'll use all my resources to get you out, no matter the cost."
Yang Jian's expression changed. "So you're saying I will be arrested?"
"It's not that serious. Gambling offenses are different from other criminal cases. During an arrest, only the main organizers are severely punished. For the workers and subordinates, they are usually released after six months of detention. So, as long as you weren't caught at the scene, your associates don't testify against you, you deny everything, and with a little maneuvering, you'll be fine."
"You mean, if I withdraw from the casino now, the police won't arrest me later?"
"Exactly. Gambling offenses require evidence of being caught in the act. If you're no longer running a casino, why would they arrest you?"
"But I heard that all of us who organize casinos are on the police's internal blacklist."
"So what if you're on a blacklist? It's normal. Running a casino disrupts social order, so the police naturally want to keep track of these unstable elements. A little inquiry can reveal who runs which casino, and they'll be registered internally. This registration isn't evidence of your crime; you still need to be caught with the casino to be convicted."
Yang Jian suddenly understood. "Oh, I get it. No wonder Li Jin always emphasized that we shouldn't frequent the casinos too often. He must have known this trick all along, probably advised by someone in the police."
"That's for sure. If you run such a large casino, you wouldn't last a day without a protective umbrella. Li Jin's umbrella is at least a deputy chief of the public security branch or higher-ranking police officials, otherwise, he couldn't be covered."
"Then I'm relieved. As long as I don't go to the casino, the police won't easily move against me."
Lu Hao shook his head. "Don't celebrate too soon. I'm talking about ordinary casinos that require being caught red-handed. However, for large casinos that seriously affect social order, cause major casualties, or disrupt the social financial order, the police can arrest the organizers at any time, regardless of their location. After dismantling the casino, they might even issue a warrant for the organizers."
"What? Does Li Jin not know this rule? Why isn't he afraid of being arrested? Can his protective umbrella really guarantee his safety?"
"In terms of safety, his odds are definitely higher than yours. If something goes wrong, he'll shift all the responsibility to you because of his protective umbrella. You'll be the scapegoat."
Yang Jian fell silent. He didn't doubt Li Jin's motive or intention to use him. After all, running a casino was a mutually beneficial arrangement. He had also reaped huge profits from it. What he needed to do now was to withdraw as soon as possible. If necessary, he should also persuade Li Jin to shut down the casino. After all, Li Jin had saved him once before and was also the general agent for the template factory, still owing him some payments for goods.
"Little Yang, since you've decided to withdraw from the casino on the tenth, it shows you have a strong sense of self-preservation. Pulling back from the brink of crime makes you a winner in life. You must have earned a lot of money from the casino and are now safely ashore. You should be grateful and never cross the legal line again."
Seeing Yang Jian's prolonged silence, Lu Hao spoke again to advise him.
This made Yang Jian suddenly think of another matter. "Brother Hao, there's something else I need your analysis on. Can you help me with it?"
"Go ahead. Although I didn't graduate in law, I come from a police family and am quite proficient in general legal knowledge. Judging by your tone, it probably involves the underworld again."
"You guessed right. This matter does involve dealing with underworld forces."
Yang Jian then recounted Zhou Tao's invitation to invest in sand mining. He felt he was too naive and didn't consider things comprehensively, losing his basic judgment in the face of profit. Lu Hao, with his experience and insight, could guide him.
"Little Yang, don't get involved in this. That Zhou Tao is using you as a pawn to confront underworld forces with violence. This is even riskier than running a casino because such conflicts can lead to death. You know, people who have attended high school have heard Marx's discourse on capital, right? With 50% profit, capital will take the risk; with 100% profit, capital will trample on all human laws; and with over 300% profit, capital will commit any crime, even fearing death.
Illegal sand mining is incredibly profitable. I've been to the Dàxīn River. Mining sand there only requires a shovel loader or a simple sand suction boat. You can sell tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of sand in a day and night. With such lucrative business, how many people would risk it? If you block their financial path, they might come after you with violence. It's easier to dodge an open attack than a hidden arrow. No matter how skilled you are, there will be times you slip up, and one mistake can lead to lifelong regret.
Also, if this business is so profitable, why would the water conservancy department outsource it? And why would Zhou Tao want to bring you in? It's all because they can't control the illegal mining incidents. Even the authorities can't effectively deal with those forces. Do you think your few skilled brothers can hold the fort? Are you being naive or foolish? If you don't believe me, ask your brothers if they are truly willing to get involved in sand mining with you. I think they'd rather stick to running casinos than partner with Zhou Tao."
Lu Hao quickly analyzed the essence of the matter from Yang Jian's account and criticized him unceremoniously.
It was like a bolt from the blue. Yang Jian was instantly awakened by Lu Hao's words, especially the discourse on capital, which was so insightful and perfectly applicable to the sand mining issue. Moreover, when he mentioned partnering with Zhou Tao for sand mining to Biao Biao and A Feng earlier today, they clearly didn't show much enthusiasm.
It made sense. They had been involved in casinos for so long, and each of them was worth millions. For ordinary people, they were already wealthy. Even if the casino closed, they had the capital to transition to legitimate businesses. Opening a small supermarket in the town or buying a couple of shops for rent would allow them to live comfortably. Asking them to fight with knives and guns again seemed unrealistic. This matter really shouldn't be pursued.