Los Angeles, San Manuel Casino VIP Room.
After Zhao Weixiang pushed his last chip into the pot, his fingers trembled uncontrollably.
The dealer revealed the hole cards—a straight flush. The stack of chips in front of him shrank once again.
The old white man sitting across from him unhurriedly raked in the chips. He was a regular at the casino and the boss of a local real estate company.
Mr. Zhao, it seems your luck isn't too good tonight?
The wheel of fortune turns, Zhao Weixiang replied, feigning indifference as he picked up his glass and downed his drink in one gulp.
The whiskey burned his throat, but it could not suppress the inexplicable unease in his heart.
This inexplicable palpitation and irritability had lasted for several days.
A few days ago, he had heard some gang-related news from San Francisco.
If it were just a turf war between ordinary gangs, he wouldn't have cared much. After all, such things were common in the States.
What really caught his attention was the woman nicknamed Black Phoenix.
Black Phoenix, Hell Giant, Black and White Fiends... why do they feel so familiar? Zhao Weixiang muttered to himself, pouring another glass of liquor.
What did you say? the old man asked.
Nothing.
Zhao Weixiang stood up to take his leave. Let's call it a night.
After he left the private room, several burly bodyguards immediately followed, protecting him in the center as they took the elevator straight to the underground parking lot.
Soon, escorted by his bodyguards, he returned to a highly private villa located in downtown Los Angeles.
As soon as he got home, his phone rang.
Speak!
We have concrete news from San Francisco. Jesse of the Corraro family has taken full control, and Rossi has been captured. That Oriental woman nicknamed Black Phoenix is named Liu Yutong. She is twenty years old and comes from the Dragon Kingdom.
I knew it was her! Zhao Weixiang's pupils shrank abruptly.
I heard she has influence in both the underworld and the legal world in the Dragon Kingdom. On the surface, she's a legitimate entrepreneur, but her power is immense. Moreover, her subordinates are each more formidable and ruthless than the last. This time in San Francisco, she crushed Rossi and the Hells Angels with overwhelming force.
What is her relationship with Bai Jingchen?
On the day Bai Jingchen was attacked, this Liu Yutong happened to be in San Francisco. After Bai Jingchen's incident, it seems she has been secretly investigating alongside the police. I feel it's only a matter of time before she traces it back to us.
Hearing this, Zhao Weixiang flew into a rage. Idiots! Couldn't you have cleaned up the mess?
For the first time, he regretted planning the attack on Bai Jingchen. It wasn't because he feared Bai Jingchen that much, but because he never expected it would draw this jinx over from across the ocean!
No one knew better than him how troublesome and terrifying a woman Liu Yutong was.
This woman was absolutely the most monstrous person he had ever dealt with, and this didn't just refer to her looks.
Dealing with her always gave him a sense of powerlessness, as if she could see right through him and every scheme fell exactly within her expectations.
Then there was the Ten Thousand Dragons Gang. On the surface, they wore the cloak of a legitimate enterprise, acting by the rules and keen on acting courageously for a just cause. But when you actually provoked them, you would discover the terrifying violence hidden beneath those black suits.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he really did not want to go up against this woman.
But now, it was too late to say anything.
The person on the other end of the phone also grew agitated upon hearing this.
How do we handle it? This has blown up. The police, the embassy, and the media are all paying attention. I'm currently trying to clean up our tracks and cut ties as much as possible.
Although Zhao Weixiang was angry, he could only suppress his fury.
How is Bai Jingchen doing now?
He's not dead yet, but he might as well be. He's had two surgeries, and I heard the chances of him waking up are less than thirty percent.
Isn't this exactly what you wanted? With the Bai family in chaos, our transportation routes on the West Coast will be rid of their biggest stumbling block.
Zhao Weixiang fell silent.
According to his expectations, this was naturally the most ideal outcome.
The little money he had embezzled from the Dragon Kingdom was not enough for him to squander in the States.
Casinos, luxury mansions, bodyguards, women... each was like a black hole frantically devouring his funds. He needed a stable source of income, and the human smuggling networks, illegal labor markets, and even organ trafficking controlled by the Snakehead Gang were all highly lucrative.
It took him a long time of maneuvering to successfully become a partner of the Snakehead Gang. Of course, he never showed his face directly; he only hid behind the scenes, providing strategies, money laundering channels, and plotting the elimination of targets who got in the way.
Bai Jingchen was one of those targets.
The plan went smoothly.
They first released fake news to lure Bai Jingchen to an abandoned warehouse in the dock district. The ambushers were all unfamiliar faces using untraceable black market firearms, and they had even prepared a scapegoat.
Once the heat died down, he would even have the chance to reach into the Bai Group. Although the guy who contacted their Snakehead Gang used multiple proxies and fake identities, what Zhao Weixiang excelled at most was digging out the identities of the people behind the scenes through money and his network of connections.
Zhao Weixiang did not tell anyone about this clue he had found.
Because this clue was extremely valuable. He had even fantasized that when the time was right, he could use it as leverage to completely clear his name and shake off his status as a wanted man.
What a tightly interlocked and promising plan.
But now, it was all ruined!
Because Liu Yutong was here.
This woman must be coming for him! With her abilities and style of doing things, following the clues to discover that the attack on Bai Jingchen was related to Zhao Weixiang was only a matter of time!
Boss Zhao, the big boss is very dissatisfied with how things are developing. He asked me to tell you that if this matter gets messed up in the end, you will have to bear all the responsibilities and consequences! Also, the big boss said that we are currently short on goods, and the deadline for the next batch is tight. You must find a way to replenish the goods on time. If he doesn't see the goods immediately... you know the consequences.
The threat was self-evident.
Zhao Weixiang knew what that batch of goods was—a batch of healthy smuggled victims, especially those from the East, were very valuable.
Rest assured, I will deliver the goods on time, but after that, I need to leave Los Angeles for a while.
That's fine. The big boss said that a residence and a new identity have already been arranged for you in Miami. Once the heat dies down, you can come back.
The call disconnected.
Zhao Weixiang put down his phone, only to realize his palms were covered in sweat.
The sense of unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
He walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself another glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, reflecting his twisted face.
Liu Yutong!
And the Ten Thousand Dragons Gang!
You all really linger like ghosts that refuse to disperse!
Fine then...
This is not the Dragon Kingdom with its strict gun control laws!
Since you dared to chase me all the way here, then be prepared to stay on this land of the free forever!
