Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

November 26, 1983, East longitude.

The neon lights of Shibuya reflected fragmented streams of light on the flooded pavement, like a kaleidoscope in disarray.

For ordinary people, it was just a noisy Friday night; but for the two behemoths entrenched in the underground of Tokyo, Takamagahara and Sumiyoshi-kai, it was the eve of a decisive battle that would determine the distribution of profits for the next decade.

……

At 8 p.m., in Shibuya Ward, at a top-notch teppanyaki restaurant called "Tekka".

Inside, the usually bustling atmosphere was somewhat quiet, as the restaurant had been booked out by a VIP customer. The Kobe beef sizzled on the scorching steel plate, its fat glistening and releasing a rich, enticing aroma.

According to a briefing sent by Gao Yi through secret channels, Amin is currently enjoying dinner alone here. Gao Jin is in seclusion to adjust his mindset and is not accompanying him.

Less than fifty meters away from the shop, in a dark alley, three gray bread carts lay in wait.

"Boss, are you sure it's just that woman alone?" a yakuza member with a burly face and a half-dragon tattoo on his forehead asked in a low voice.

Sitting in the passenger seat was Takuya Todo, the notorious leader of the Sumiyoshi-kai's militant faction. His face was grim as he rubbed a sharpened wakizashi in his hand, his eyes revealing a madness unique to the Japanese.

"Our own people have also confirmed it through other channels; the information is accurate. As long as we capture this woman, Gao Jin will be a dog begging for mercy on his knees tomorrow." Dongtang Zhuo pushed open the car door, his tone icy cold. "Be quick. Escape within ten minutes. Remember, alive."

At his command, more than sixty elite members of the underworld emerged like demons from the ground, all dressed in black suits and sunglasses, carrying long and short weapons wrapped in black cloth, and violently smashed open the door of "Ironfire".

"Don't move! Police are investigating!"

They even shamelessly used the official name as cover to discourage the people inside the house from resisting.

However, when Dongtang Zhuo led his men into the inner hall, he froze on the spot.

A woman in a white shirt and black tie, with an extremely aloof expression, was elegantly bringing a slice of Wagyu beef, thin as a cicada's wing, to her lips. Beside her, a girl in a school uniform skirt with a bow tie, twirling a flail in her hand, was giving them a strange yet innocent smile.

Clearly, neither of these two people is Amin.

Oren Ishii, and her number one weapon—COCO.

"Head of Toudou, you must have gone to great lengths to find this place, right?" Ishii Oren slowly put down his chopsticks, his icy eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light under the lamplight.

Dongtang Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. His intuition, honed from years of navigating dangerous situations, told him that he had fallen into a trap.

"Retreat! There's an ambush!"

He roared and turned to run away.

But it was too late.

The heavy solid wood door of "Tetsuka" was suddenly welded shut from the outside. At the same time, dozens of elite soldiers from Takamagahara, armed with cold weapons, silently appeared from behind the originally ornate screen.

"Since we're here, we should leave something behind."

As soon as Ishii Oren finished speaking, Coco beside her had already turned into a blur.

"Ugh—!"

The spiked alloy meteor hammer ripped through the air with a piercing shriek. The three Sumiyoshi-kai members at the front didn't even have time to scream before their heads were smashed like watermelons, instantly creating a gruesome ink-splatter effect on the white wall.

"Damn it! Let's fight them!"

Knowing that his escape route was cut off, Tōdō Taku drew his wakizashi and, with his remaining ferocity, lunged at Ishii Gōren.

But this was destined to be a one-sided massacre.

Ishii Oren's figure drew a graceful arc in the air. She didn't even draw the katana at her waist, but simply grabbed the long cooking knife on the counter and lightly touched the ground with her toes.

"laugh--"

The blade flashed, so fast that it couldn't be caught by the naked eye.

Dongtang Zhuo maintained his forward-leaning posture, but his whole body seemed to be frozen in mid-air.

One second, two seconds.

A thin red line slowly appeared on his neck. Then, under the influence of gravity, his head rolled like a slippery ball among the rows of still-smoking Wagyu beef.

Blood, like a fountain, stained the expensive ground red.

"ah--!"

The sudden killing of their leader completely shattered the Sumiyoshi-kai's last psychological defenses, leaving the subordinates utterly unable to mount any semblance of resistance.

COCO's flail relentlessly reaped lives in the confined space, the sounds of chains clashing and bones shattering intertwining to create a despairing funeral march.

Ten minutes later, "Ironfire" fell silent again.

The ground was littered with severed limbs, and the aroma of Wagyu beef in the air had been replaced by an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood.

Ishii Oren gracefully took out a handkerchief, wiped away the drop of hot blood from her face, and without turning her head, instructed the shadow behind her, "Remember to clean it up. The master doesn't like a messy scene."

……

The news was relayed back to the Sumiyoshi-kai headquarters.

Chairman Minegishi Shigeru was sitting in his study, holding two ornamental walnuts in his hands, waiting for good news to arrive.

When he learned that Ruotou Dongtang Zhuo had been beheaded and that his sixty-odd elite troops had been wiped out, this ruthless gangster, who was over sixty years old, suddenly stood up. His usually steady hands trembled violently, and the two priceless walnuts he had been holding crashed to the floor and shattered into several pieces.

"Damn it! How could Takamagahara have such foresight! Could it be that that bastard Takagi has betrayed us?"

But this suspicion was extinguished within minutes. Gao Yi sent back a coded telegram filled with rage: the leak was entirely due to the mischievous head of the group, Toudou Taku, who, out of distrust of intelligence, had sent men to investigate without authorization, thus alerting the killing horde of Takamagahara. Gao Yi's almost sarcastic rebuke on the phone made Minegishi Shigeru's old face flush red and then pale.

Although the suspicion was cleared, the gloom of the crushing defeat in the first battle lingered like a bone-deep ailment, clinging tightly to Minegishi Shigeru's heart. Looking at the mess on the table, Minegishi Shigeru felt his confidence dissipating little by little with the broken walnuts scattered on the ground. Tomorrow's bet seemed to have already been shrouded in a gloomy hue.

Just then, Chen Jincheng, who had been sitting in the shadows observing coldly, finally put down his wine glass and slowly spoke:

"Chairman, don't worry. Just because Ishii Oren is good at fighting doesn't mean Gao Jin can win." Chen Jincheng pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes revealing the cunning of an old fox. "I just repeatedly studied the video recordings of Gao Jin's most crucial betting games over the past five years and discovered a detail that even he himself might not be aware of."

"Oh, Mr. Chen," Minegishi Shigeru stopped what he was doing and stared intently at Chen Jincheng, "what details?"

"Although Gao Jin is impeccable at the gambling table, he has a subconscious little habit." Chen Jincheng slowly lit a long match, the blue flame reflecting the cunning of an old fox in his eyes. He lit a cigar, letting the pungent smell of tobacco fill the room. "Every time he's sure he's got a winning hand and is ready to use a bluff to win the final victory, his left thumb will unconsciously twist that jade thumb ring twice."

Chen Jincheng froze a scene on the screen, showing Gao Jin in the midst of a high-stakes all-in gamble, the subtle movements of his fingertips magnified infinitely.

"Look here, this is his Achilles' heel." Chen Jincheng revealed a confident smile. "Tomorrow, as long as we keep an eye on his ring, combined with our previous safety measures, I'm 100% certain of victory. For top bookmakers, local wins and losses are meaningless; I need their final trump card."

Hearing this, Minegishi Shigeru's manic emotions finally calmed down somewhat. He looked at the jade thumb ring that had been frozen in place, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes once again.

"Alright, tomorrow we'll make sure this gambling god dies a permanent death in Dongjing!"

……

November 27th, 2 PM.

Takamagahara, three underground floors, a specially made gambling hall.

The air here is filtered through three layers and maintained at an absolute 22 degrees Celsius. Even the slightest speck of dust will be completely absorbed by the electrostatic precipitator.

In the center of the hall stood a gambling table crafted from rosewood and nano-green tweed. Lights streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating the table brilliantly. The surrounding seating area was sparsely populated, with only Lu Chen, Ruan Wen, and several high-ranking members of the Sumiyoshi-kai seated there.

Today, Lu Chen wore a pure black fitted suit, playing with a lighter in his hand, his eyes calm and indifferent, occasionally making a joke with the article, as if what was happening in front of him was not a six-hundred-million-dollar gamble, but an ordinary afternoon tea.

"Mr. Gao, please."

Chen Jincheng was the first to sit down. Today he was wearing a pair of light blue glasses, the lenses of which shimmered with a kind of imperceptible cold light under the lamp.

Gao Jin walked in slowly, still wearing his classic black suit. He nodded slightly to Lu Chen, then sat down opposite Chen Jincheng. Amin was still by his side, while Gao Yi stood behind Gao Jin with his head down and a tense expression.

"The rules remain the same, Five Card Stud Poker," the dealer, a third-party notary specially brought in from Switzerland, said in a mechanical and objective voice, "The base bet is ten million US dollars, with no upper limit."

According to the rules, the gambling venue was provided by Takamagahara, so the gambling equipment should be provided by Sumiyoshi-kai to ensure fairness. The dealer and professional referee inspected the gambling equipment brought by Chen Jincheng and indicated that there were no problems.

The first game begins.

With the help of those high-tech glasses, Chen Jincheng could clearly see the photosensitive chemical markings on the back of each card that had not yet been dealt.

"Twenty million." Chen Jincheng casually pushed out his chips.

Gao Jin glanced at his own hand, then at Chen Jincheng, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, before following suit.

In the first three rounds, the situation was one-sided. Chen Jincheng not only won all three rounds, but also pretended to be mature and teased Gao Jin, saying, "Mr. Gao, it seems that the environment of the East Coast is not very suitable for you, the God of Gamblers. If you admit defeat now, I can leave you some travel expenses to go back to Hong Kong Island, considering your reputation as the God of Gamblers."

Gao Jin wasn't angry. He just smiled faintly, took a small piece of chocolate from Gao Yi, and put it in his mouth.

"Old man, don't forget, in gambling, no one knows who the winner is until the last card is revealed."

Starting from the fourth inning, Gao Jin seemed to gradually "adapt" to the atmosphere here. He began to launch a series of fierce attacks, using his extraordinary intuition and extreme calculations of probability.

"Add another bet, fifty million." Gao Jin's eyes were cold.

Chen Jincheng frowned slightly as he looked at the deck of cards marked "Big Hand," and ultimately chose to fold.

Over the next half hour, the two sides traded wins and losses, with chips circulating back and forth on the table. The original massive position of 600 million US dollars gradually tilted towards Gao Jin's side in this high-frequency clash.

Minegishi Shigeru sat in the shadows, his face growing increasingly grim. He glanced at Gao Yi, but Gao Yi ignored him, his eyes fixed on the box of chocolates in front of Gao Jin.

Time passed by, second by second.

Finally, before the start of the twelfth inning, Ko Chun picked up a newly opened chocolate bar again.

At that moment, Gao Yi, Chen Jincheng, and Feng Anshi, who were present, all had a burst of excitement in their eyes.

Because Gao Yi had already personally injected a secret medicine specially made by the Sumiyoshi-kai into the gaps in the foil of this new chocolate.

Less than five minutes after Gao Jin swallowed the chocolate, his movements became noticeably slower. His once sharp, eagle-like eyes began to glaze over, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Ah Jin, are you alright?" Ah Min asked, supporting his shoulder with concern.

"No...it's nothing, I guess I'm just jet-lagged." Gao Jin shook his head, trying to stay awake, but to no avail. In the next two rounds, he played extremely amateurish and terrible hands.

He should have called the flush, but instead folded; and when Chen Jincheng clearly had a strong hand, he raised wildly as if he had lost his mind.

In just ten minutes, Gao Jin's 300 million chips shrank by half.

"Hahaha!" Chen Jincheng burst into laughter, slamming his hand on the gambling table. "Gao Jin! So even the God of Gamblers is human, capable of making such a basic mistake! It seems God is on my side tonight!"

Gao Jin appeared dazed, gripping the edge of the table tightly, his breathing heavy. This out-of-control state caused great anxiety among those on Gao Tianyuan's side.

At that moment, Gao Jin seemed to have completely given up.

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, like a desperate gambler who had lost everything. He shouted at the dealer, "Give me another two hundred million dollars! I want to go all in with this old man!"

The entire casino fell into a deathly silence.

Adding to his previous balance, Gao Jin now has a total of 350 million US dollars on the table.

"Mr. Gao, are you sure?" The dealer looked at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen nodded slightly: "Give it to him, Jiahe International, and they'll acknowledge this debt."

Looking at Gao Jin's frenzied state, Chen Jincheng's last trace of doubt vanished. In his eyes, Gao Jin was now a gambler whose logic had been completely destroyed by drugs, who only wanted to turn the tables in one last round.

The dealer dealt four face-up cards.

Chen Jincheng's cards are: Ace of Diamonds, King of Diamonds, Queen of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds.

If his hole card is the 10 of diamonds, he has a straight flush!

Ko Chun's hand consisted of: 10 of spades, Jack of spades, Queen of spades, and King of spades.

Ko Chun's trump card must be the Ace of Spades to beat Chan Kam-shing.

Chen Jincheng looked down and adjusted his contact lenses. Through the light-sensitive solution, he could clearly see that the back of the card in Gao Jin's hand was marked with a "3 of Clubs".

It's not the Ace of Spades at all!

At the same time, he stared intently at Gao Jin's left hand.

Sure enough! Gao Jin's trembling left thumb was spinning the jade thumb ring twice with an extremely obvious frequency!

"He's cheating!" Chen Jincheng was overjoyed, the excitement almost suffocating him. "He got a terrible hand, but he's trying to scare me into folding with a straight flush!!"

Chen Jincheng suddenly pushed all the chips in front of him toward the center, making a loud crashing sound.

"Three hundred and fifty million US dollars! I'm all in! Ko Chun, reveal your cards and let me see how brilliant your final 'bluff' is!"

Minegishi Shigeru let out a smug, cold laugh from the shadows.

Gao Yi breathed a sigh of relief, as if he could already see six million US dollars beckoning to him.

however.

next second.

Gao Jin, who had been in a daze and covered in sweat, slowly straightened his back under everyone's gaze.

Where was there even a trace of the drug-induced daze in those eyes? They were eyes so clear they inspired despair, eyes that seemed to look down on ants like a god.

He stopped turning the jade thumb ring, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Mr. Chen, I taught you that in a gambling game, what you see is often what your opponent wants you to see."

Gao Jin slowly and deliberately revealed his hand.

That wasn't the Ace of Spades Chen Jincheng saw in his glasses; it was a radiant, even dazzling, Ace of Spades? No, it really was the Ace of Spades!

Royal flush!

"This is impossible!" Chen Jincheng suddenly stood up, frantically rubbing his eyes.

Gao Jin slowly and deliberately removed two thin contact lenses from his pupil.

"Mr. Chen, your outdated technology that requires chemical markings is already obsolete in Hong Kong," Gao Jin said calmly. "This is the latest model that Mr. Lu got for me from the lab. Those markings you mentioned were secretly replaced long ago."

Gao Jin pointed to his hand and laughed, "As for the little trick of turning the jade thumb ring? That was to make it easy for you, the 'expert,' to fall into the trap."

"And that chocolate." Gao Jin looked at Gao Yi, who seemed to have been struck by lightning, a very subtle, almost imperceptible sadness flashing in his eyes. "You really think Yi is one of yours? He's just an undercover agent."

The entire room fell silent.

As Chen Jincheng watched the mountain of chips being pushed toward Gao Jin, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, his vision went black, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He fell straight backward and fainted on the spot.

Minegishi Shigeru's face had turned a purplish-red. He had not only lost three hundred million US dollars, but also the last of the Sumiyoshi-kai's capital.

Gao Jin then affectionately put his arm around Gao Yi's shoulder and praised him, "Ah Yi, you've worked hard this time. If you hadn't followed our plan and successfully infiltrated Chairman Feng'an and Mr. Chen's circle to provide them with this 'false intelligence,' we wouldn't have won this round so easily."

Gao Yi was stunned; his brain had shut down due to extreme fear and confusion.

But his survival instinct made him realize quickly that if he admitted to being an undercover agent, he might die later, but if he didn't admit to being an undercover agent now, he would die immediately.

"Yes...yes, brother, how could I betray you after so many years of friendship?" Gao Yi gave a stiff smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Minegishi Shigeru stared intently at Gao Yi, his eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to kill his entire family.

"Fine, fine! Gao Yi, you win! You just wait, we'll meet again someday. You'd better keep an eye on things when you walk down the street!"

Knowing that staying there would only bring him humiliation, Feng Anshi gave his men a signal, and several bodyguards carried the unconscious Chen Jincheng out of the casino in a sorry state.

……

The casino returned to silence.

Gao Jin looked at the empty doorway, then at Gao Yi huddled in the corner trembling, a complex and intense emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Brother... Brother, please let me explain! I really didn't betray you, they forced me! They set me up and made me owe high-interest loans..." Gao Yi knelt on the ground, crawled to Gao Jin's feet, and cried bitterly.

Gao Jin didn't look at him, but turned around and hugged Amin tightly.

"Ah Yi, the things you said to Chen Jincheng a few days ago were clearly recorded in Gao Tianyuan's surveillance footage." Gao Jin's voice became extremely hoarse, filled with a bone-chilling sorrow. "You not only owe loan sharks, you're jealous of me, you even tried to poison my chocolate... Actually, I can forgive you for all of that, after all, you were entrusted to me by my uncle before he passed away."

"But you shouldn't...you shouldn't have betrayed Amin. You shouldn't have given her to those beasts for that little bit of dirty money."

Gao Jin reached out and straightened Gao Yi's collar one last time, then sighed, "I originally wanted you to die in Dongjing. But for the sake of your deceased father, and for the sake of the ten years you've been with me, I will spare your life."

"Let's go. Before the Sumiyoshi-kai finds us, let's go to Narita Airport and leave Japan. Never let me see you again, whether in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia."

Gao Yi knelt on the ground, trembling all over. He knew that Gao Jin had truly abandoned him at this moment.

He scrambled out of the casino.

Lu Chen walked over to Gao Jin and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're still too soft-hearted, Gao Jin," Lu Chen said calmly.

Gao Jin smiled bitterly: "We must leave an heir for our deceased elders."

Lu Chen didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly to Tian Yangsheng, who was standing in the corner.

Tian Yangsheng understood immediately. His sharp eyes locked onto the direction Gao Yi had left in, and then he quietly withdrew from the hall.

Gao Jin couldn't bring himself to kill him, but in Lu Chen's dictionary, there was only one fate for a traitor.

That night, the rain in Dongjing finally stopped.

Lu Chen stood atop Takamagahara, gazing at the distant, bustling lights. This victory not only meant winning three hundred million US dollars, but also utterly crushing the Sumiyoshi-kai's backbone.

And Gao Yi, who tried to manipulate fate, is destined to pay the ultimate price for his greed on some street corner tonight.