The May Day holiday passed, and Yang Jian went to northern Myanmar again. On one hand, he needed to continue searching for Wan Quan and others who had been scammed into going there, and on the other hand, he had to speed up the construction of the paper mill.
Upon arriving at Meng La, Yang Jian first went to the construction site to meet with Biao Biao. Before he could see Biao Biao, he discovered two scruffy, ragged men curled up on bamboo beds, fast asleep, in the shack next to their living quarters.
"Why are there beggars here?" Yang Jian called Biao Biao over.
"Brother Jian, what's the situation with these two?"
"Brother Jian, these two are from Xichuan. They escaped from a scam company yesterday and, in their panic, sought refuge at our construction site. Their IDs were confiscated, and they can't return through the checkpoint. They have no money for illegal passage and don't know the routes. I saw they were truly desperate, so I took them in."
"Mm, from now on, we'll take in anyone like this. I'm meeting with Brother Fan later. I'll ask him to take in as many scammed individuals as possible and help them return to China. We'll cover all the expenses."
Having witnessed the plight of the scammed individuals, Yang Jian only wished to do his best to help some of them escape the devil's den. His capacity was limited, but he wanted to save one person at a time.
After briefly discussing the formation of the Sharp Sword Group with Biao Biao, Yang Jian returned to the city to meet with Yang Fan. He hoped Yang Fan would once again approach Brother Hu to continue searching for Wan Quan and the others, and also to arrange for the two men at the construction site to be sent back to China.
Yang Fan arranged for Ah Bao to escort the two men across the border, but he requested Yang Jian accompany him to the Philippines, as their casino there had opened. He suggested they could look for Brother Hu after returning.
After resting in Meng La for two days, Yang Jian, along with Yang Fan, flew directly from Yangon to Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Bai Zheng personally came to the airport to greet them.
"Brother Zheng, long time no see."
Seeing Bai Zheng, Yang Jian felt a sense of warmth. After all, they had collaborated for several years. Setting aside Bai Zheng's fugitive status, he had always treated Yang Jian well.
Bai Zheng patted his shoulder, "Xiao Yang, you've put on some weight. It seems your married life is very happy."
"It's going well, it's going well. Brother Zheng, you also look radiant and energetic."
The three of them got into the car, chatting and laughing.
"Xiao Yang, tell me honestly, when you surrendered to the police, did Lu Hao give you any hints?"
On the way to the city, amidst their pleasantries, Bai Zheng suddenly posed a question.
Yang Jian knew Bai Zheng was still bothered by this matter and had prepared himself mentally. "Brother Zheng, I swear by heaven and earth, when I surrendered, it was genuinely because my whereabouts had been discovered. Lu Hao gave me no hints. If he had, wouldn't I have told you?"
"It's fine, it's fine, I was just asking. Actually, this question is no longer important. That casino was too big, and I knew something would happen sooner or later. Speaking of which, I should thank you. Because you left so suddenly, I was prepared to flee at any moment and ultimately evaded the police dragnet."
"There's no need for thanks. As long as we brothers are all safe, that's what matters. The three of us brothers are quite fortunate. To be reunited today is a fate cultivated over lifetimes."
"Yes, yes, yes. With our brothers united, we can conquer anything. This time, we will build an even larger casino empire."
Although he was hesitant about partnering in an online casino, Yang Jian appeared very interested. "Brother Zheng, I know nothing about online gambling. Can you briefly explain the operating model?"
"No rush. When we get back to the company later, I'll give you a live demonstration."
Bai Zheng's Lincoln commercial van drove from the airport into Manila city and finally stopped in front of a building called Pearl Tower.
"Xiao Yang, everyone who enters and exits this building is a casino staff member. The entire building houses dozens of gaming companies, and our company is on the sixth floor."
After they got out of the car, Bai Zheng began to explain the operating model of the online casino in detail.
"Online gambling is a legal industry in the Philippines. It transmits live gambling videos to the world via the internet. As long as there is an internet connection, gamblers can participate in gambling at any time. The characteristic of online gambling is that it's convenient, discreet, and safe for gamblers to participate. They can play at their offices, homes, or internet cafes, unlike in domestic casinos where they worry about being arrested by the police. With the gradual popularization of computers, even most rural areas in China now have internet access, and the scale of online gambling is beginning to develop exponentially within the country."
As they spoke, the three of them had already boarded the elevator to the sixth floor. Yang Jian was surprised to find that it was very similar to Brother Hu's company in Meng La. The lobby was filled with young men and women in uniform busy at their computers.
"Xiao Yang, these are all sales representatives. They send casino website links through QQ, WeChat, SMS, etc., to invite people from China to gamble. Their salaries are based on performance commissions. If they don't meet the standards within the specified time, they will be dismissed and have to compensate the company for losses."
Entering the first hall, Bai Zheng began his explanation again.
Yang Jian asked doubtfully, "Brother Zheng, these are all Chinese. Through what channels did they come here? It shouldn't be illegal immigration, right?"
"No, they are all recruited through domestic intermediaries. Tens of thousands of people are engaged in casino operations here, greatly boosting the local economy."
"Do casinos rely on these people to promote and find gamblers?"
"No, these people also find agents in China. The agents in China are divided into first-tier and second-tier agents. Each sales representative can recruit dozens or even hundreds of agents. This model is similar to pyramid schemes. It's precisely because of such a large sales team that the number of gamblers continues to increase."
After passing the first hall, the three entered the video hall. This was the core area of the casino, the live venue for gambling. They saw many young, beautiful, sexy, and scantily clad female dealers dealing cards to the cameras. The tables in front of them were the same as the ones at the Xin Tai Casino, except there were no gamblers present. They were broadcasting live.
"Xiao Yang, our casino is just starting. Currently, we only offer Baccarat gambling services. We will develop other projects later." Bai Zheng continued his explanation.
Yang Jian didn't understand. "Brother Zheng, how does our casino make a profit?"
"We have many profit models. First, commission. This is the same as our Xin Tai Casino. The house wins 5% commission, and the player wins no commission. The second model is rental. Not every gaming company has our live video streaming capabilities. We can rent out transmission services to other gaming companies, which is why gamblers often see the same footage on various websites."
"Brother Zheng, can this be rigged?"
"It can be rigged, but it's unnecessary. Just like at our Xin Tai Casino, once a gambler starts, they become addicted. No matter how much they win, the ultimate outcome is still losing. Additionally, we can freeze the funds of those who are lucky enough to win a lot, preventing them from withdrawing their winnings. We can simply use excuses like system malfunctions or malicious betting."
This tactic was too ruthless, and Yang Jian was somewhat surprised. "Aren't you afraid this will affect the reputation of the casino website? If everyone knows we do this, who will come to play?"
Bai Zheng laughed heartily, "There's no need to worry about this at all. Firstly, online gamblers do not gather to gamble, and their communication with each other is limited. We are dealing with customers nationwide. Even if we rip off some gamblers, not many people will know. Moreover, if there are too many complaints, we can immediately change our appearance and operate under the guise of another gaming company. People who love to gamble will continue to search for gambling websites. When we promote, we offer many incentives, such as a 50% bonus on the first deposit, a 5% bonus on subsequent deposits, and then rebates based on turnover during gambling. Many people participate in gambling just for these rebates, thinking the casino is giving them money, unaware that it's bait to lure them into gambling, and in the end, they lose their principal. Some people also exploit platform loopholes to profit. Once discovered, their principal can be legitimately frozen. The income from this area is quite substantial."