I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 151 Entering the Casino
"You guys play first, I'll come over when this is over."

Seeing that Han Ling and Tong Feng agreed, Sister Meng took her leave.

The private room erupted into revelry once again. Several girls went to the private dance floor and danced energetically to the music. One of the girls invited Han Ling and Tong Feng, but the two declined, citing that they had drunk too much and needed to rest.

Sitting on the sofa, Han Ling looked at the slender figure in front of him, exuding hormones, and searched around for a cigarette, but couldn't find one.

The girl in the sundress reached out and put a cigarette in Han Ling's mouth, lighting it against his body.

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Han Ling asked, "Are you affiliated with the casino?"

It's clear that Xiaoya doesn't seem to have much to do with the casino; it was Sister Meng who came forward, indicating that the connection between the two establishments isn't that deep.

The girl smiled and said, "No."

Han Ling: "Oh... so there's a collaboration?"

Girl: "You could say that. Do you need me to go up with you later?"

Han Ling shook her head: "Never mind, no need."

He wondered if the nightclub owner knew about it; it was uncertain.

Three possibilities.

The first possibility is that the nightclub owner was completely unaware.

The second possibility is that the nightclub owner not only knew about it, but also had a partnership with the casino, exchanging customers and perhaps even sharing profits.

The third possibility is that the nightclub owner knew his employees were secretly referring customers to the casino, but turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.

Han Ling believes it should be the second or third possibility.

Given how close they were, he couldn't believe that someone who had worked in the entertainment industry for decades wouldn't know there was a casino on the fifth floor, nor could he believe that the two owners wouldn't know each other.

It all depends on how bold the nightclub owner is.

Running a nightclub is at most borderline; if investigated, it will be shut down and fined, and at least no one will be hurt. But if it involves a casino, that's a serious matter; the crime of operating a casino is no joke.

At that moment, in the manager's private lounge, Sister Meng transferred three thousand yuan to Xiaoya in person as compensation for poaching the customer.

The marketing manager at Phoenix Nightclub earns a high commission on room bookings, reaching 10%. That means if a customer spends 10,000, the manager can earn 1,000.

Xiaoya was somewhat reluctant to part with them. She could tell that Han Ling and his companion had considerable spending power and would definitely spend more than 30,000 yuan at the nightclub in the future.

There was no other way; she was able to work at Phoenix Nightclub thanks to Sister Meng. Over the years, Sister Meng had been teaching and mentoring her, and people should know how to be grateful.

“Sister Meng, introducing clients to them is a quick way to make money, but it’s too dangerous.” Xiaoya couldn’t help but say this every time, she had said it countless times. “I’ve looked it up. Introducing clients to a casino makes you an accomplice to the crime of operating a casino, and you can go to jail.”

Sister Meng said nonchalantly, "How difficult is it to find a money-making opportunity? People like us can never achieve upward social mobility without taking risks."

Xiaoya: "You've earned enough."

Sister Meng: "This is only a little bit. Let's wait until we earn ten million before we talk about it. Then we'll buy a few houses in Jinghua. I heard from my friends there that buying houses now is a sure way to make a fortune. We'll buy as many as we can, and we'll buy houses within the Second Ring Road."

"Really?" Xiaoya didn't quite understand. "Then I'll go buy a set too."

Sister Meng smiled and said, "Okay, let's settle down together in Jinghua. It will be very beneficial for the children's education."

Han Ling's time was up quickly, so he didn't extend the timer and asked everyone to leave.

As soon as the door closed, Tong Feng spoke first in a low voice: "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Let's go for a stroll and take a look." Han Ling took out his phone and sent a text message to Fang Zhou. "Report to the team first. When you don't have a phone, just follow behind me. Don't look around or say anything out of line. Oh, and delete or modify anything that seems to be related to the police, just in case."

The phone is password protected, and the casino wouldn't bother cracking it for no reason; it's a matter of respect for the customer.

It's fine to crack their code; they're investigating gambling, not drugs, so the risk is minimal.

Tong Feng took out his phone and muttered, "When will my mascot status be changed?"

After sending the detailed text message, Han Ling immediately deleted it, then deleted the QQ app on his phone, changed several contact names, and performed any actions that seemed suspicious.

Ten minutes later, Sister Meng came in and led the two out of the private room to the fourth floor via elevator, without taking their phones away for the time being.

"Come with me." Stepping out of the elevator, Sister Meng waved.

The fourth floor still looks like the Phoenix Nightclub, but there's no one there; it's very quiet.

Sister Meng led the two to the end of the corridor, through the fire escape, into the stairwell, where there was another door with a combination lock.

She skillfully entered the password, without bothering to hide it from Han Ling and Tong Feng, and let them enter first after opening the door.

Han Ling and Tong Feng went inside and discovered that there was an elevator hidden inside.

"Give me your phone first, I'll hand it over to the casino manager later, and I'll return it to you when you leave."

"Don't worry, it won't move."

Sister Meng pressed the elevator button [↑] and reached out her hand to the two of them.

The phone was handed to the other person, and the three of them took the elevator to the fifth floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, it was the same as always. Sister Meng entered the password to unlock the fire escape door, then led the two through a long corridor, turned right at the end, took a few steps and turned left, finally standing in front of a double metal door.

The route isn't complicated; theoretically, there are multiple routes to get there, but the casino owner has definitely blocked off the other routes.

For example, taking the elevator directly from the first floor to the fifth floor is definitely not feasible.

Sister Meng made a phone call, and the door opened quickly. It was pitch black inside, with only a faint light source about ten meters away. "Brother Liu, the new guy," Sister Meng said, handing him the phone.

The man nodded and politely gestured for the two to come inside.

Sister Meng left and didn't come in. She probably only takes a commission from each person she meets or from the amount spent, and doesn't care about anything else. She's more likely to take the risk of committing a crime by introducing customers to the casino, unless the commission from each person she meets is very high.

Entering this door doesn't mean you've entered a casino; Han Ling didn't hear any noise.

"This way, please follow me."

The man quickly stepped forward to lead the way, and after several twists and turns, he opened a keypad door, revealing the entire casino to the two of them.

The deafening noise and the murky air rushed towards me as if they were real. Unlike the nightclub downstairs, the noise here was a suppressed buzz, and you could even faintly hear the rustling of money.

Han Ling looked up slightly. The casino had an unusually high ceiling, with a gap of at least six meters, clearly the result of connecting the upper and lower floors, which increased the sense of oppression.

The entire casino hall is oval-shaped and brightly lit, with no shadows even at the edges.

Looking around, you can find everything from baccarat and blackjack to roulette, sic bo, and slot machines.

Tong Feng was stunned.

The clatter of chips, the gasps and shouts of gamblers, and the upbeat music all blended together, making him feel as if he were in another world.

Han Ling twitched his fingers, a flutter in his heart. He wasn't addicted to gambling; in his previous life, gambling and women had helped him relax.

At his peak, he was blacklisted by several casinos.

However, after he went to the casino owner and had a friendly conversation, the blacklist was turned into a whitelist.

The man led the two men to the front desk to exchange chips.

"The boss had a great time."

Han Ling exchanged 20,000 first, and then the two strolled around the casino.

Now that we're certain the casino exists, we can shut it down anytime, but the phone is gone now.

Pretend to play a couple of rounds first, then leave and report to the branch office to surround the area; that would be a safer approach.

It's a safe approach, with both advantages and disadvantages. I wonder if the casino owner considered the possibility of an exit strategy beforehand.

"What game do you want to play? Do you know how?" Tong Feng asked.

We absolutely have to play, otherwise it will definitely arouse suspicion, cause unnecessary trouble, and affect the branch's subsequent actions.

Han Ling looked into the distance: "Fortunately, I had a mentor when I was in the orphanage. He said I was a genius, one in a million, and that given time I could become a world-renowned gambling god."

Tong Feng: "???"

He had no idea what was wrong with the other person.

Han Ling was looking at the deepest part of the hall, or more precisely, the second floor, where the lighting was relatively dim and he could vaguely see several figures sitting there.

It should be the location of the casino owner.

The second floor is not a traditional room, but a cantilevered structure like a theater box, towering above all the gambling tables. It is completely enclosed by a transparent glass panel, reflecting the fleeting images of the casino below, as if an emperor were overlooking his territory.

To reach the second floor, you need to take a winding staircase, but there are two people guarding the entrance, so ordinary guests definitely can't go up.

Han Ling was absolutely confident that he could launch a strong attack and single-handedly take down the entire casino, but Tong Feng's safety could not be guaranteed.

"You're such a burden," he said casually after temporarily abandoning the idea of ​​taking action.

Tong Feng was bewildered: "What did I do? You're being strange, suddenly saying something like that."

Han Ling ignored him and went to the Sic Bo area to play with the chips.

Guessing the number of points with three dice is a simple and popular game, but Han Ling gave up immediately after discovering that the dice cup was an electronic one.

Electronic dice cups are an electronic upgrade of traditional dice cups. The core technology is to automatically determine and record the dice rolls using built-in electronic components, which can greatly reduce the possibility of experts identifying the rolls by sound.

Han Ling felt it was a bit unnecessary. How could a place like Qingchang have such an expert? That kind of expert would only appear in places abroad where gambling is not prohibited.

However, electronic dice cups are very cheap, and with technology advancing, there's no harm in using them; the owner is quite prudent.

Since it's an electronic dice cup, the player's win rate is basically stable at 48%. Even if he can't increase the win rate much, the house will win in the long run.

Afterwards, Han Ling went to the blackjack section, watched for a while, and then sat down.

There weren't many customers today, probably because of the crackdown on prostitution. They're all too afraid to come. If the crackdown on prostitution happens to wipe out the casino as well, then we'll be really unlucky.

"You keep playing, don't get carried away. I'll go find Shao Fei," Tong Feng whispered. (Shao Fei was the intermediary who introduced Xiong Chuan to the loan sharks, mentioned in previous chapters.)

Han Ling turned around and grabbed Tong Feng, whispering, "There's still a possibility that Shao Fei is involved in drugs. Be careful and don't expose yourself under any circumstances. Let me know first, I'm not joking with you."

If Shao Fei were here, he naturally wouldn't dare to make a move here. Han Ling wasn't worried about that; he just didn't want Tong Feng's face to appear in the memories of those involved in drug use.

People involved in drugs are ruthless and insane; it's hard to guarantee they won't retaliate against police officers and their families afterward.

He was an orphan all alone, unlike Tong Feng, who had a happy and fulfilling family life.

"Ok, I know."

Seeing Han Ling's seriousness, Tong Feng remembered it.

(End of this chapter)