Back at the hotel by lunchtime, the three of them grabbed a bite outside. Qin Feiyang suggested they check out Yang Fan's casino.
Yang Jian had wanted to speak with Ah Bao privately about his dealings with Yang Fan. Since they had plenty of time, he took the other two into the casino.
The casino Yang Fan operated wasn't very large. The hotel itself covered just over six hundred square meters, with the casino occupying the first two floors, totaling a little over a thousand square meters. It was sumptuously decorated.
The casino was bustling with people, almost all of them gamblers from the mainland. The games were primarily Baccarat, but there were also slot machines, roulette, Texas Hold'em, and other gambling tables.
Chips were used here, ranging from ten yuan to one hundred thousand yuan.
"Mr. Yang, I heard you got your start in the casino business. You must have a lot of experience with gambling. If you were to play a few rounds, would you be sure to win?" Qin Feiyang asked curiously, looking at the diverse crowd of gamblers in the hall.
Yang Jian shook his head. "Officer Qin, apart from the occasional low-stakes games I played at construction sites back then, I've only truly gambled twice. Can you believe it?"
"Twice? I don't believe it. I've heard you're known in the underworld as the Gambling King of Hancheng. No one would believe you've only gambled twice."
"It's true. The first time was a setup by Brother Mao, and I lost two hundred thousand yuan. It was because of that one incident that I started getting involved in the underworld." Yang Jian didn't hide his past, as his black history wasn't a secret.
"No wonder you hate Brother Mao so much. So that's the history between you."
"The second time was at Wu Wangchun's establishment, where I acted as the banker for a few rounds. After that, I never gambled again. This stuff is addictive, and you shouldn't play it."
"Then what about your assets worth over a hundred million?"
Qin Feiyang was cut off by Zhang Hui before he could finish. Yang Jian had gone legitimate, and asking such questions was taboo. Moreover, asking them as a police officer would likely annoy Yang Jian. Yang Jian didn't seem to mind, but he also had no intention of answering.
The three of them wandered around the casino for a while and, finding it uninteresting, decided to return to their rooms. Just then, Xiao Yu approached. "Brother Jian, Brother Bao wants to see you in his office."
"Alright. Brother Zhang, you two go up first." Yang Jian was about to look for him anyway. He quickly greeted Zhang Hui and then followed Xiao Yu to the second-floor office.
Ah Bao had already brewed Tie Guan Yin and poured a cup for Yang Jian as he entered.
"Brother Bao, the casino business seems to be doing well. Are you the manager here now?"
"No, I'm in charge of security. The manager is my uncle's cousin."
"Does Brother Zheng have shares in this casino?"
"Yes, you know that."
"How is Brother Zheng doing now?"
"He's fine. He's currently in the Philippines for an inspection, planning to open a casino there."
Yang Jian was surprised. "Opening a casino over there? Is it more advantageous than here?"
"They're mainly focused on online gambling there, and the local government is very supportive. Uncle is also going there today, planning to partner up. Are you interested?"
"Online gambling? I haven't even tried it. I don't even know how to play."
Ah Bao smiled. "Little Yang, why do you seem so out of touch with the times at your age? We're entering a full-internet era now. How can someone who's been in the casino business for so many years not know about online gambling?"
Yang Jian chuckled sheepishly. "I really don't understand that part."
"It's okay if you don't. I'll show you how it works when I have time. Online gambling has been around for a long time, but computers weren't common back then, so not many people knew about it or participated. Now that computers are widespread, online gambling is becoming popular, and this industry has great potential."
Ah Bao kept talking about online gambling, which Yang Jian found a bit strange. He had lost interest in opening casinos and planned to stay out of this business after rescuing San Pang.
"Brother Bao, tell me about Brother Fan. It was wrong of me not to inform him beforehand about bringing the police, but it shouldn't be enough for him to refuse to see me, should it?"
Ah Bao took a sip of tea. "Little Yang, you might not think bringing the police is a big deal, but Uncle is extremely wary. He's a wanted fugitive with murder charges against him. And you brought police officers from Hancheng. Put yourself in his shoes, what would you think?"
Yang Jian was stunned. He had oversimplified the situation and completely failed to consider Yang Fan's feelings.
"Little Yang, to tell you the truth, Peng Yu is still in our hands. We won't let him go until your attitude is clear."
"What attitude do you want?"
"According to Uncle and my master, we intend to eliminate these two police officers. Otherwise, we won't feel safe here."
Yang Jian stood up in fear. "Brother Bao, don't joke around. Is killing necessary for such a small matter? Besides, Captain Zhang has already assured me he won't report Brother Fan. I can vouch for them."
Ah Bao shook his head. "Little Yang, Uncle trusts you and knows you won't betray him, but you can't guarantee those two police officers. They must die."
How could this be? Yang Jian's mind went blank. This turn of events was too sudden, and he couldn't accept it. Zhang Hui and Qin Feiyang were brought here by him. If they died here, how would he explain it to Lin Nan, or to the police? But this was overseas, guns were rampant, and it was Yang Fan's territory. If he decided to kill police officers, Yang Jian wouldn't be able to stop him, and Zhang Hui and the others wouldn't be able to escape.
"Brother Bao, give me Brother Fan's phone number. I need to talk to him."
"I'm sorry, Little Yang. Uncle won't talk to you until the matter is resolved."
"Brother Bao, these two police officers can't die. They came to help me find someone. If they die, how will I report back? This is a foreign country, and even if Captain Zhang reports it, the domestic police won't be able to do anything to Brother Fan."
Ah Bao sighed. "Little Yang, sit down. This is Xiaomengla. Lin Xianming, the leader of the Fourth Special Administrative Region, was a sent-down youth from the mainland in the 1960s and 70s. He has been cooperating with China's anti-drug efforts all these years and maintains close contact with the Yunnan provincial police. Once the domestic police find solid evidence of suspects involved in major criminal cases here, the local police will cooperate with the domestic police to apprehend them. Therefore, these two police officers cannot be allowed to live. Moreover, we will make our move tonight to prevent the domestic police from tracing their way here. They have already been controlled, their phones confiscated, and there's no escape."
"No, Brother Bao, they can't die. If you're really going to do it, you might as well kill me too."
"You are Uncle's sworn brother. We would never kill you, but you also cannot stop us. In this place, no amount of martial arts skill is useful, and no one will come to their rescue."
Yang Jian sat down on the stool, his expression dejected. He suddenly felt incredibly helpless. Here, he didn't even know how to dial the emergency number, and he suspected he was being monitored. If he contacted China, their progress in killing Zhang Hui and Qin Feiyang would accelerate. Lu Yao had originally worried about being sold out by Yang Fan, but now this situation was even harder to resolve than being sold out. What to do? What to do?