After coming downstairs, the bald man eagerly opened the car door and invited Ian Song and Hannah Han to get in. Judging by his ride—a shiny Audi A6—he was clearly doing pretty well for himself in the underworld.
"No need. We have our own car. You drive ahead and lead the way," Ian said with a wave of his hand.
"Sure, sure! Whatever you say, young man," the bald man replied with a fawning smile.
The three cars rolled out of the neighborhood one after another.
Inside the Audi, Hugo Huang's smiling face was gone, replaced by a dark, sullen look—and a hint of venom in his eyes.
"Brother Hugo, are you really going to take that young man to the casino?" his underling asked nervously.
"Why wouldn't I?" Hugo Huang sneered.
"But what if Brother Leon finds out? Won't he be mad at you?" the underling asked, worried.
Hugo Huang was one of Brother Leon's dozens of small-time lieutenants, mainly in charge of debt collection.
Brother Leon—full name Leon Liang—was the boss of Jiangbei District, one of Jiangzhou's Five Districts. His operations included casinos, bars, KTV clubs, and foot-massage parlors.
In Jiangzhou, the underworld is split into five major districts: Jiangzhong, Jiangdong, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Jiangbei.
Each district is ruled by its own boss.
Every year, these five bosses hand over half their profits to a man known as Lord Dragon. That's why Lord Dragon is the true kingpin of Jiangzhou.
"Relax, Brother Leon definitely won't blame us. Don't forget what he likes best," Hugo Huang said with a sly grin.
The underling's eyes lit up. "I know—Brother Leon loves beautiful women."
"Follow me, young man," Hugo said, expertly leading Ian and Hannah through a hidden doorway and down a short corridor to another door at the end.
"Brother Hugo, you're brilliant! You already planned a backup!" the underling flattered him.
Hugo looked smug, sneering, "Hmph! That kid may be good at fighting, but he’s way too green to play against me. Brother Leon runs an entire district—of course he keeps experts around. I hear his four bodyguards are all top-tier masters. No matter how tough that kid is, he can’t beat Leon’s bodyguards."
"Brother Hugo, you're a genius!" the underling chimed in, buttering him up again.
"Alright, let me call Brother Leon. That kid is so arrogant—if he’d ridden with me, it would’ve taken more work to tip Leon off!" As he spoke, Hugo glanced at the car in the rearview mirror.
"See, young man? That’s Han Dayuan right there!" Hugo Huang pointed to a middle-aged man with messy hair, sallow skin, bloodshot eyes, and a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
Thirty minutes later, all three cars pulled up in front of a place called Octopus Entertainment City.
These days, the government doesn’t allow open casinos, so most gambling dens use a cover—like operating inside a hotel, a teahouse, or an entertainment complex.
The moment they stepped inside, a wave of noise hit them. Ian glanced around and saw a huge hall filled with all kinds of arcade machines—dance platforms, basketball hoops, shark-themed games, and more.
Most of the people playing in the hall were young.
"Follow me, little bro," Hugo said, expertly leading Ian and Hannah through a hidden doorway and down a short corridor to another door at the end.
He pushed open the door, revealing a whole new scene.
Compared to the outer arcade hall, this place was thick with choking smoke. The air was terrible, but the space was just as big—and packed with gambling machines.
There were big roulette wheels, banker-player tables, dice games, and card-flipping machines—all kinds of ways to gamble.
If there was a popular gambling machine on the market, you could find it here.
"See, little bro? That’s Han Dayuan right there!" Hugo Huang pointed to a middle-aged man with messy hair, sallow skin, bloodshot eyes, and a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
"Ms. Han," Ian said, glancing at Hannah.
"It’s him!"
Hannah stared at the man, her eyes filled with unspeakable disappointment. If her mother hadn’t begged her, she would’ve turned away without hesitation and let him die at the gambling table.
"So, should we go get him?" Ian asked.
Hannah didn’t answer. She just strode straight toward Han Dayuan. Ian hurried after her, while Hugo Huang quietly slipped aside and headed upstairs to the third floor.
Soon, Hugo Huang arrived at the general manager's office on the third floor.
Outside the office, two bodyguards stood like door gods. Seeing it was Hugo, they only glanced at him and ignored him afterwards.
Hugo pushed open the door, plastering a smile on his face as he greeted the middle-aged man behind the desk, "Brother Leon, I’m back."
Leon Liang looked up from his computer and smiled. "You’ve got a good eye. That girl really is top-tier."
Hugo Huang bowed slightly and said, "Brother Leon, as long as you're satisfied. But the young man next to her is very skilled—I and my men together couldn't take him down!"
"Oh? That’s interesting," Leon Liang replied, intrigued. "Here’s what you do: go give that kid a hundred thousand in chips."
"Brother Leon, isn't that a bit too generous for that kid?" Hugo asked, clearly puzzled by Leon's decision to give Song Ian chips.
Leon Liang shot him an annoyed look. "You’ve worked for me this long and you’re still so slow. If we can avoid violence, we should. Just make sure that kid racks up a big debt—do you think he’ll dare fight us then?"
Hugo’s eyes lit up and he quickly gave a thumbs-up. "You’re brilliant, Brother Leon! I’ll go set it up right away!"
Casino, first floor.
Hannah had reached Han Dayuan’s side, but he was glued to the dice table, eyes bloodshot, muttering "Big, big, big" under his breath—completely unaware his daughter was standing right next to him.
The beautiful dealer lifted the dice cup.
"Damn, I knew it’d be big! Shit, I only bet five hundred!" Han Dayuan cursed again, still oblivious to the growing coldness on Hannah’s face.
Seeing the result was indeed 'big,' Han Dayuan looked frustrated—he’d only bet a hundred, so his winnings were just a hundred.
Seeing Han Dayuan like this, Hannah felt even more heartbroken. She spoke coldly, "Dad, come home with me. Mom’s really worried about you!"
After gambling nonstop for seven days, Han Dayuan’s mind was foggy. He stared at Hannah for a moment before realizing, "Sasha, is that you? How did you find me here?"
"Dad, you haven’t been home for seven days. Please come back with me!" Hannah said, struggling to contain her anger.
"Oh, seven days? I thought it’d only been two or three. Look, you go on home, I’ll play a bit longer and then I’ll head back," Han Dayuan replied impatiently, waving her off.
"Place your bets, everyone!" the dealer called out.
"I’m betting big again—this time, five hundred!" Han Dayuan shouted.
Han Dayuan put five hundred in chips down on 'big.'
"Four, four, five—big!"
"Damn, I knew it’d be big! Shit, I only bet five hundred!" Han Dayuan cursed again, still not noticing how cold Hannah’s face had become.
She took a deep breath and said to Han Dayuan, "Dad, come home. Mom’s waiting for you."
Winning two rounds in a row, Han Dayuan was convinced his luck had finally turned and was desperate to win it all back. There was no way he’d leave now. Annoyed, he said, "I told you to go home first! I’ll be back soon!"
As he spoke, Han Dayuan threw down a thousand on 'big'—and won again.