Chapter 152: Straw Sandals

Chapter 152: Straw Sandal

The outer gambling hall on the first floor of the newly opened Victoria Harbour Convergence Casino, located at No. 18, Kowloon Center, Yau Ma Tei, was packed and buzzing.

Officers from Teams A, B, and C of the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit were disguised and mingling among the gamblers.

Team A was responsible for investigating armed brawls inside the casino.

Team B was tasked with feeling out the casino management to see if they would cooperate with the police investigation by clearing the area.

Team C was assigned to assist the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit in disposing of explosives on the top floor.

Chen Jincai went inside for a moment and came back out, whispering, "They won't let us go upstairs. Chips under HK$200,000 are only allowed on the first floor. Judging by the situation inside, it's unlikely the upper floors will cooperate with the West Kowloon investigation."

For Teams B and C to carry out their tasks, they would have to blow their cover.

Guan Yingjun thought for a moment and said, "Let's go in and case the place first."

"Okay," Chen Jincai tapped his communication device. "Contact me within ten minutes if there's any progress."

Guan Yingjun: "Got it."

Jian Ruochen, Guan Yingjun, Sizheng Liu, and Ding Gao formed a team.

Jian Ruochen wore a bowl-cut wig and a thick black silk shirt, with the collar half-open, revealing a neck dotted with hickeys.

He had one hand in his pocket, his shirt sleeves rolled up, exposing a pricey watch on his wrist.

Guan Yingjun had an arm around him, wearing a plain white knit sweater in comparison. Only his watch was expensive, making him look like an ordinary employee who had just been "kept" because he didn’t want to work hard.

As the four entered the casino hall, they immediately understood why Chen Jincai thought the place wouldn’t cooperate with the West Kowloon investigation.

The hall was adorned with a golden ceiling-mounted crystal shell chandelier, shimmering with delicate light. Dark red light strips were embedded in the ceiling grooves, casting shifting shadows across the red and green felt gambling tables, making everything appear hazy and indistinct.

In the center of the hall was a split-level banquet area, featuring a three-story-high Christmas tree.

The star at the top glowed with white light, while the tree was wrapped with fairy lights and plastic colored balls, reflecting a dazzling, galaxy-like brilliance.

The area for exchanging chips on the first floor was packed with people.

Portly bosses and gaunt hustlers—men and women, tall and short, fat and thin—all wore expressions of fervent excitement, waving their collateral contracts high, hoping to strike it rich and turn their luck around in one go.

Behind the chip exchange counter, an attendant in a vest, cigarette dangling from his lips, deftly counted chips. "I already said, if you don’t own a house or a parking space, don’t bother using them as collateral. How much are these gold chains worth? Sweetheart, take my advice—if you don’t have money, don’t come here to play!"

The woman clutched the golden railing of the counter, urgently pleading, "If the gold chain isn’t worth much, then what about me? What am I worth, then?"

She had lost so much already, but maybe next time she could win it back.

Her luck had been so good at the start of the day—she was sure she could win it back!

The male attendant glanced up, giving her a once-over before letting out a suggestive chuckle. He counted out 20 chips worth 10,000 each, neatly arranged them in a brass tray, and slid it across the counter with a slip of paper. "Write your name, ID number, and contact info on this paper. Leave your ID with me."

The woman hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip before taking the paper and handing over her ID. "Okay."

The attendant took it. "What’s your favorite color?"

"Blue."

He stubbed out his cigarette, picked up an empty blue ornament identical to those on the Christmas tree, stuffed the woman’s ID inside, and called to an assistant behind him, "Hang it on the middle of the tree."

He squinted at the woman with a smirk. "I’ll hang it high for you. If you win, remember to come back and redeem it. If you lose... well, snag a sugar daddy."

The woman said nothing, turning away and disappearing into the cacophony of clattering mahjong tiles, shuffling cards, and the rattling of dice.

·

Jian Ruochen’s expression shifted slightly.

This casino was even involved in exploiting women to lure gamblers!

He looked away and whispered, "It doesn’t look like there’s an armed brawl here."

"Probably not on the first floor. They wouldn’t let a fight hurt business," Guan Yingjun leaned close to his ear, chuckling softly as if flirting, though his words held no hint of romance. "Let’s look around first."

Sizheng Liu and Ding Gao followed behind them, pretending to be bodyguards accompanying a wealthy young master.

Ding Gao’s eyes lingered on the base of Jian Ruochen’s neck, murmuring in admiration, "Mr. Jian, how did you get those hickeys to look so real? Your makeup skills are amazing."

Sizheng Liu shot him a look as if he were an idiot.

Not far away, the clatter of ball drops and lottery draws sparked waves of cheers.

"Boss Qian, what great luck! It’s number 8 again! Fortune!"

"Boss Qian’s surname is perfect! Money, money, money! Fortune, fortune, fortune! Hehehehehe."

"Come on, next round!"

"If you keep winning like this, Boss Qian, you’ll be able to pluck a prize from the Christmas tree by the entrance! Such good fortune!"

"Boss Qian, what color ornament do you like?"

"Hehehehehe, another round! The more you win, the higher the fruit you can pick—the higher, the prettier!"

Boss Qian pushed a stack of chips to spot number 9, blowing a smoke ring toward the beautiful dealer and declaring boldly, "Today, I’m determined to hit the jackpot! Let’s go, next round!"

·

Ding Gao stepped forward, leaning into the gap between Jian Ruochen and Guan Yingjun. "That’s Hehe Bro, the manager of the first-floor casino. According to my informant, Hehe Bro is daring to get involved in drug trafficking."

Jian Ruochen’s expression twisted slightly.

What kind of name is that?

Not far away, Hehe Bro was watching Boss Qian laugh: "Hehehehehe."

The three of them put their heads together, creating a peculiar sight that immediately drew the attention of the casino’s vigilant enforcers.

Guan Yingjun quickly shoved Ding Gao back, pulling Jian Ruochen closer with one arm while using the other to lift his cap slightly, revealing the lower half of his face. He smirked and said, "What? Being a bodyguard isn’t enough for you? Trying to use sneaky moves to climb the ranks?"

Ding Gao stumbled backward, meeting the suspicious gaze of Hehe Bro at the neighboring table, momentarily speechless.

Hehe Bro, with his buzz cut, silently curled his lip at Ding Gao.

A gold chain hung around his neck, and he lounged with his arms draped over the back of his chair. When he smiled, he revealed a mouthful of yellow, smoke-stained teeth. His narrow, upturned eyes, more white than black, gleamed with a shrewd, unsettling intensity.

Ding Gao's Adam's apple bobbed, his body tensed up, instinctively wanting to reach for the gun at his lower back.

The enforcers on the side of the casino immediately took a step forward.

Jian Ruochen reacted quickly, pinching a bank card between his fingertips and handing it to Guan Yingjun, comforting him like a spoiled young master, "Alright, chill out. He's just the help. Go exchange this for a million in chips to play with."

Guan Yingjun pressed his lips together and didn't move.

No one could see the expressionless face beneath his hat, only thinking that this kept man was playing hard to get.

But who knew if the rich young master preferred this type?

Brother Heihei narrowed his eyes, watching the drama unfold.

Jian Ruochen stopped smiling, coldly staring at Guan Yingjun, his tone flat and unemotional, "Don’t want it?"

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Even the dealer lowered her eyes, no longer spun the roulette wheel. This area seemed cut off from the noisy, bustling casino, standing out starkly.

Brother Heihei suddenly burst into laughter, "Heiheihei! Boss Qian, see that? This young master who is sugar-daddying a man is a hardcase. He has bodies."

That was the look of someone who had killed.

Guan Yingjun stared at Jian Ruochen’s stern, cold expression, feeling a bit itching.

He licked his lips, took the card, glanced sideways at Ding Gao, and whispered as he brushed past him, "Notify Chen Jincai. Too many enforcers inside. Teams B and C call off the undercover op. Go loud."

As he spoke, he held Ding Gao's gaze.

From any angle, it looked like a victory glare from a romantic rival.

Ding Gao felt the enforcers' eyes almost all on him. Not even daring to turn his head, he managed a weak scoff at Guan Yingjun and looked away.

Guan Yingjun wasn’t surprised he couldn’t keep up.

It had always been like this. Few police officers could perform under such high-pressure situations on the spot.

After all, not everyone in the Major Crimes Unit was cut out for undercover work.

Ding Gao had already done quite well.

Casinos served as money-laundering fronts for various criminal organizations, and each group would send people for protection.

Driven by profit, these people were on high alert.

Ding Gao knew it well.

If it weren’t for Consultant Jian and Inspector Guan’s quick reactions and perfect sync, this operation would likely have blown because of him.

Teams B and C were conducting overt searches.

Their Team A, investigating the gang fight, had to protect the informant.

They still didn’t know who had called in the tip. Acting rashly could easily put Li Feiquan in jeopardy.

Li Feiquan’s life was in Team A’s hands.

They had to answer for it.

Jian Ruochen glanced at Ding Gao, helping him find an excuse to leave, "What are you fucking doing standing here with your thumb up your ass? If you need to piss, don’t you know to find a goddamn toilet? Do you need me to find someone to hold your dick for you?"

The attitude of a spoiled young master was fully displayed.

Ding Gao immediately bobbed his head in thanks, holding his crotch as he ran out, using the Major Crimes Unit signal to notify Inspector Chen Jincai of Team C and Inspector Ren Qiuhua of Team B as he went.

The bouncers at the edge looked at each other.

Brother Heihei slightly raised his index finger, and they immediately backed off.

The atmosphere relaxed again.

"Heihei, wanna play?" Brother Heihei smiled at Jian Ruochen, gesturing to himself, "What do you think of me? Am I good enough for you?"

Jian Ruochen clenched his fingers in his pocket, his jaw tight, openly looking Brother Heihei up and down carefully.

The snake-print shirt showed no wrinkles or damage, and there were no fresh knuckle scars on his fingers, indicating he likely hadn’t been involved in any recent scrapes.

It really wasn’t on the first floor.

They needed to go up.

There was still no news from Inspector Chen. It seemed their reconnaissance wasn’t going well either. They might have been taken directly to the top floor without a chance to check the other levels.

Brother Heihei let him look, waiting for an answer.

These people were new faces. If there was anything sketchy, he’d be finished.

Liu Sizheng was sweating bullets, his eyes fixed on Jian Ruochen’s back.

This was a trap. If Jian Ruochen didn’t answer well,

they were finished!

If he said he was enough to keep him company, they’d be stuck here.

If he said he wasn’t, Brother Heihei would likely be pissed off, causing even more trouble.

What to do?

Liu Sizheng’s mind went blank, but then he heard Jian Ruochen gave a light laugh and say casually, "You look too intimidating. You’d be too controlling. I don’t like that."

The man laughed heartily, "Hey, kid, you've got a smooth tongue!"

In a place like this, saying something like that was no different from praising him for his authority!

"Here! 200,000 in chips, on me! Come play a few rounds?"

Jian Ruochen could certainly string him along, but they couldn’t afford to dawdle on the first floor.

Guan Yingjun returned just then. Jian Ruochen took the chips he had exchanged, counted out 400,000, and stacked them in front of Brother Heihei, "Let me treat you instead. Double, just as a peace offering."

In his previous life, he’d often read dime novels and watched crime flicks for fun, so acting came naturally to him.

Jian Ruochen tapped Guan Yingjun’s breast pocket and held out two fingers, "Cigarette."

Guan Yingjun plucked one out and offered it to him.

Jian Ruochen took it and passed it to Brother Heihei, waited for him to put it in his mouth, watched him take a light, then walked around the gambling table and patted the back of his chair, "Brother, I’ll catch up with you to play another time. I brought company today, and I want to go upstairs for some fun."

Hehe Bro looked Guan Yingjun up and down with a satisfied smile. Just as everyone thought his suspicions had completely vanished, the man suddenly said, "What kind of lover has to hide their face, wearing a hat even when going out? Take it off and let me see. If you don’t like the intimidating-looking type, then what do you like?"

Sizheng Liu’s heart tightened, his head spinning, and he nearly staggered and fainted.

If Detective Guan wasn’t considered intimidating-looking, then no one was.

Besides, the boss often appeared on TV and was very recognizable. If that hat came off, it’d be game over!

It absolutely must not be removed!

Jian Ruochen turned back and said, "Take it off, let Hehe Bro have a look."

Sizheng Liu felt his ears ringing and vision blurring.

Guan Yingjun pressed his lips together and took off the fisherman’s hat.

He was wearing a blonde wig, a pair of silver-rimmed plain glasses hiding his overly sharp eyes. A beauty mark dotted the tip of his nose and a tear mole near the corner of his eye, making him look even more refined.

Even Jian Ruochen was momentarily stunned at first glance.

Damn, he’s handsome.

Especially those two little moles he had added before they set out.

Hehe Bro: …

Why does he look so familiar yet unfamiliar?

Who was this?

It seemed like he’d seen him on TV before.

Was he some model or celebrity?

Sizheng Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

His blood pressure spiked and dropped; he almost passed out.

Detective Guan had been wearing that fisherman’s hat the whole time, so no one had seen his disguise. Who would have thought he not only had a new wig but had even added moles!

Guan Yingjun quickly put the hat back on.

Hehe Bro rubbed his fingers together, then suddenly shuddered.

He shook his head, took out a small metal bottle about the thickness of a thumb from his pocket, skillfully poured the powder inside onto the dealer’s table, used a bank card to portion some out, then lowered his head, casually rolled a bill into a small straw, and snorted sharply.

Then his eyes rolled back, and he began trembling in his chair.

Jian Ruochen gritted his back teeth hard.

This guy was actually doing drugs right in public!

No wonder Ding Gao said Hehe Bro had intentions of dealing drugs—was he trying to fund his addiction by selling?

He really wanted to cuff him right then and there, but he couldn’t.

Hehe Bro had a supply, which meant there were still suppliers above him. If they arrested him, they’d lose the chance to track down the supplier.

There are still people in West Kowloon still pushing drugs despite the crackdown!

Jian Ruochen curled his lip and turned to leave, "I'm out, man. Enjoy yourself here."

Just as he tried to slip away, Hehe Bro grabbed his wrist.

Guan Yingjun moved his hand back, seemingly resting it on his hip, but actually reaching for the gun tucked in the back of his waistband.

"Heh heh heh heh, you gave me 400 large, I'll give you a tip-off. Th-third floor, the Straw Sandal is having a brawl. Fifth floor is a rub-and-tug, go play over there. Climb... take the elevator." He tugged at his collar, leaned back in his chair, and passed out cold, releasing Jian Ruochen's hand. His face was splotchy with red and white patches.

Jian Ruochen knew his mind was unstable, his guard down, leaking information purely because he was too high to think straight.

But to keep up the act, he patted Hehe Bro's shoulder, "Thanks."

The group got their money checked at the stairwell, moved into the hallway, and once out of the bouncers' sight, they collectively let out a sigh of relief.

Jian Ruochen leaned against the wall to catch his breath, "What did he mean by all that?"

Guan Yingjun pulled out a wet wipe to clean the hand Jian Ruochen had used to pat Hehe Bro, "Straw Sandal are second-tier members of the triad, essentially the liaison officers. Probably Boss Fei. 'Open slice' means they're throwing down. Fifth-floor rub-and-tug is a massage bathhouse, handjobs and happy endings."

Sizheng Liu crouched on the ground, dizzy, taking a moment to recover, "This is a way bigger operation than Lu Qian's bathhouse."

Jian Ruochen had also stepped up his game compared to the Lu Qian investigation.

His acting, his presence.

Truly worthy of the man who shot and killed robbers during the old gold shop armed robbery case.

Guan Yingjun balled up the used wet wipe and tossed it into a trash bin in the corner, "British Hong Kong operation, fronting as legit, naturally on a larger scale. Get word to Ji Bailou, have them keep an eye on Hehe Bro."

Jian Ruochen met his gaze, and they said in unison, "Li Feiquan is in the third-floor fight."

"Call it in, head to the third floor."

Whether Li Feiquan is exposed or not, they must do everything to protect Li Feiquan!

The security here is so tight, the identity of the person who called the police is questionable.

It's very likely that it was Li Feiquan who called the police.

·

At the Lu residence study, the phone rang abruptly.

Lu Rong picked up the receiver, "Hello, who's this?"

The man on the other end spoke in English, "Mr. Lu, the person you placed in the casino to help launder money has got into it with other Triad guys."

His British English sounded mush-mouthed, as if he couldn't open his mouth properly, "Mr. Lu, the amount you're laundering is too large. When you win, the small-time players lose. Lose too much, and they want to die."

He sneered, "Suicide is suicide, but they rigged up bombs, accidentally alerting the West Kowloon police. You understand me, right?"

"Mr. Lu, there's an old saying in China: 'You gotta pay to make trouble go away.' Have you heard of it?"

Lu Rong instantly tightened his grip on the receiver.

He knew from the start that cooperating with British Hong Kong was like dancing with the devil, which is why he always wanted to get in with the mainland.

Unfortunately, there was no way to collaborate.

Lu Rong was freaked and suspicious.

Who exactly alerted the West Kowloon police?

Was it British Hong Kong, the suicide, or Li Feiquan, whom he left at the casino as the money laundering contact?