"Bang!" With a slam, he threw the two cards in his hand onto the gambling table. Even with his best efforts to control his temper, Kang Zhiwei’s face was contorted with extreme anger.
Holding a chip worth ten thousand, Kang Zhiwei had lost his former swagger.
Even though the hand holding the chip had stopped above the betting area marked "Banker," he still hesitated, afraid to place another bet.
Seeing this, after a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint in his eyes, I decided to... stop for now after this hand.
On the gambling table, examples of greed turning into poverty were all too common.
I was essentially setting a trap to con people using the casino as a platform. If I were to act recklessly and repeatedly, I feared I would eventually attract the attention of the undercover security.
Furthermore, the main purpose of this con was to test Qin Lei’s efficiency and see how much he had improved.
As it stood, Qin Lei had investigated Kang Zhiwei’s personal information quite thoroughly.
So, I planned to withdraw directly after this hand concluded…
Seeing his luck plummet, Kang Zhiwei suddenly retrieved his chips, then stood up and said resentfully, "Damn it! I'm going to the restroom to try and change my luck!"
With that, Kang Zhiwei instructed his female companion beside him to watch his chips on the table, and then walked alone towards the restroom not far away.
While Kang Zhiwei was in the restroom, I directly took out my phone and sent a message to Qin Lei, signaling him to find an opportunity to retreat with me.
After sending the message, I picked up my chips and got up from the baccarat table.
As soon as I left, my seat was immediately occupied by a gambler next to me.
And this gambler, upon arriving, mimicked my previous move, placing a heavy bet on the player.
This scene was common in casinos, and many experienced gamblers referred to it as "hitching a ride."
As for the implication, those who understand, understand.
Just as I walked out of the casino's main entrance…
"Handsome, could I borrow a lighter?"
Upon hearing this, I almost instinctively reached into my pocket to pull out a lighter.
This was a common occurrence in casinos.
But when I turned around and saw that the person asking for the lighter was the same alluring woman I had encountered at the restroom entrance earlier, the one I had scolded and driven away, I immediately sensed something was amiss.
Then, in the next second, a terrifying thought flashed through my mind…
Could I have been exposed!?
Or was this alluring woman, whom I had mistaken for a public relations manager, actually an undercover agent employed by the Tianyuan Casino? Had she been watching me all along?
As soon as this thought surfaced, I immediately dismissed it.
You catch a thief with stolen goods, you catch an adulterer in the act.
Once off the gambling table and outside the door, it was impossible for casino personnel to catch a cheat.
The alluring woman approaching me must have had another motive!
As expected, when I took out my lighter and handed it over, I saw her staring at me and smiling!
However… it was a cold smile!
Seeing this, a terrible feeling immediately arose in my heart.
Ignoring my slightly changing expression, after lighting her cigarette, the alluring woman handed the lighter back to me on the spot. However, as she returned the lighter, she slipped a piece of paper into my hand.
"You're quite skilled! But in everything, there's a matter of first come, first served!"
"Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!"
"If you come to your senses, remember to call me."
"Oh, and don't bother waiting for your companion. He… has come with us!"
With that, the alluring woman left with a smile.
Seeing the alluring woman walk away, I immediately opened the note.
Besides a phone number, there was no other information.
After tearing up the note the alluring woman had given me, I watched her receding figure, a sharp glint flashing in my eyes.
I never expected that on my first outing to test the waters at the casino with Qin Lei, I would end up being outmaneuvered by an outsider completely unrelated to the casino!
Without a doubt, I knew the alluring woman must be from the Yan Sect, one of the Eight Sects, just like me.
The Yan Sect, the only group among the Eight Sects with no male members, consisted mostly of young and beautiful women.
They used their looks and bodies to deceive others. Sometimes they acted alone, sometimes in groups of three or five, or even disguised themselves as sisters or mother and daughter!
While their methods varied, they were widely detested.
Moreover, they adhered to the principle of "Consensual intimacy negates deception," openly swindling people.
The so-called "Consensual intimacy negates deception" meant that members of the Yan Sect would initiate sexual relationships with their targets.
Once a romantic relationship was established between a Yan Sect member and the target, their subsequent actions would not constitute subjective deception or fraud.
Whether they demanded cash or any other valuable assets, it would only be considered an excessive expenditure on the part of the target.
After all, in the end, the Yan Sect member had also offered their body, hadn't they?!
Furthermore, unlike common gold diggers, members of the Yan Sect would not use obvious, unsubtle hints to demand everything they wanted.
They would only subtly imply their desires to the target, succeeding if possible, or proceeding cautiously if not…
By the time they retreated, the targets would never even think of reporting them to the police!
It was just like those cliché plotlines in movies and TV shows where people gave everything, parted ways, yet remained infatuated and unable to forget.
Of course, what I'm describing are the methods and capabilities possessed only by top-tier Yan Sect members, those who combine exceptional beauty with cunning.
If one lacked outstanding beauty and the shrewdness to plan everything, they could only compensate through acquired skills.
But as the old saying goes, "The master leads you to the door, but your cultivation depends on yourself!"
Even disciples taught by the same master have varying levels of skill, let alone the vast Yan Sect.
With the advent of peace, the various hidden factions and members of the Eight Sects in the underworld no longer held their former glory.
Especially the Yan Sect, where the skills of most members had severely degenerated, not much better than high-level gold diggers.
However, one aspect that made Yan Sect members less likely to fail was that they prioritized emotional connection before discussing money.
Once a target was identified, Yan Sect members would first commit themselves to the target before finding opportunities to gradually extract value.
Unlike gold diggers, who invariably focused on houses, cars, and money, discussing money before emotions.
This type of emotional scam, practiced by Yan Sect members, which had no clear legal framework or basis, would, once one fell victim, lead to only one outcome.
Losing both person and fortune!
…
Combining the alluring woman's previous words with the information Qin Lei had provided earlier, I could confirm that she was targeting Kang Zhiwei.
And she wasn't acting alone but as part of a team!
The alluring woman’s targeting of Qin Lei was certainly because she believed I had crossed the line and overstepped my bounds!
The intelligence gap led to an unsuccessful mission, and I, who intended to lure them in, was instead lured in by members of the Yan Sect!