It wasn’t until evening that Zhushi Jiu finally saw Sun Hao Ran.
Sun Hao Ran’s expression was calm, without any hint of resentment that Zhushi Jiu had imagined. Zhushi Jiu didn’t understand why Ji Hui and the others would come to find him to ease the atmosphere. Had Sun Hao Ran finally come around, or had someone else persuaded him again? He just couldn’t get it.
However, this was only a small issue. Previously, Zhushi Jiu had poked holes in Sun Hao Ran’s feelings towards Ji Hui, just to collect more information. Who knows when it would come in handy? Now, regardless of Sun Hao Ran’s mood, it wouldn’t affect the bigger picture.
Sun Hao Ran appeared alongside Ji Hui and the others.
They were in the luxurious cruise ship’s 16th-floor grand ballroom, where Wang Chong had invited them for two consecutive nights of banquets. After the two banquets, the luxurious cruise ship would set sail in the Pacific Ocean for a week.
This was the first night of the banquet, and Wang Chong and his four friends were dressed to the nines. Even the ladies accompanying them, with their light makeup and elegant evening gowns, looked like they belonged to wealthy families.
As the discussion group 5637475, Wang Chong first stood on the stage, facing the microphone to address the guests. The entire ballroom of over a thousand people gave Wang Chong face, and his speech was met with thunderous applause that lasted for a while.
“In short, the purpose of organizing this event is not for anything else, but for a grand gathering of people from all walks of life! I wish everyone a great time, with great food, drinks, and fun!”
With that, Wang Chong concluded his speech, and the banquet officially began. The soft, soothing sound of a piano filled the ballroom.
After stepping down from the stage, Wang Chong walked towards them, smiling.
“Not bad,” Zhushi Jiu said, raising his hand to greet him.
Wang Chong laughed and said, “Brother Zhushi, that last sentence was specially meant for you. I heard you ate thirty beef steaks for breakfast?”
“Haha, they told you that? I do have a big appetite.”
You said you have a big appetite, but I didn’t know it was that big.
Wang Chong chuckled and said, “Don’t worry about eating tonight! We have more than enough food!”
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“Then I won’t hold back,” Zhushi Jiu said.
“Oh, by the way, Brother Zhushi, come here for a sec,” Wang Chong said.
“What’s up?”
Wang Chong pulled Zhushi Jiu aside and asked in a low voice, “Brother Zhushi, which of them is suspicious? I’ve interacted with them all today, and they seem normal.”
Zhushi Jiu glanced at the others before turning to Wang Chong and saying, “If they seem normal, that’s good enough. Our goal isn’t to uncover someone’s true identity, but to complete our mission and get me to the Irregular Island.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Hey, what are you guys whispering about?”
Ji Hui’s voice suddenly cut in, startling Wang Chong, but Zhushi Jiu remained calm and collected.
“Nothing, just discussing where to go play later.”
“Where to play? Take me along!” Qian Ze Le chimed in as soon as he heard the word “play”.
Sun Hao Ran strolled over, saying, “How about we head to the casino tonight?”
“That sounds like fun! Let’s go!”
Sun Hao Ran looked at Zhushi Jiu and asked, “Are you coming?”
Zhushi Jiu initially wanted to decline, but suddenly thought of something: “Is the casino just for gambling?”
“Of course, it’s for gambling!” Qian Ze Le exclaimed. “What’s a casino if you can’t gamble?”
Wang Chong quickly added, “Not gambling with money, though! Strictly speaking, we’re gambling with chips! In any case, no matter how many chips you win on this ship, they’re just chips. But once you get off the ship… you understand.”
I understand what? I don’t understand. Zhushi Jiu didn’t get it.
Ma Qun Bo whispered an explanation: “Of course, you can also renege, but the Wang family will cut off all economic ties with whoever does that. With the Wang family’s influence in the domestic business circle, who would dare to renege? It’s equivalent to going bankrupt.”
Zhushi Jiu asked, “What if the people who come to the casino don’t have any money?”
“Haha, our casino welcomes high-end customers, and you need to have at least a certain amount of assets to enter. It’s not open to ordinary people. But do you know how many of the two thousand guests have qualified to enter the casino?”
“5637475.”
“How many?”
“Over 1,300!”
Zhushi Jiu understood, which meant that the casino on this ship had no shortage of customers.
“So, are you coming?” Sun Hao Ran asked, flashing a smile, but with unknown intentions behind it.
Zhushi Jiu asked, “What’s the minimum asset requirement to enter the casino?”
“One million.”
“I don’t have that much.”
The others were shocked. “What? You don’t even have one million in assets?” they exclaimed.
They didn’t expect that even Zhushi Jiu, who was feared by Wang Chong, didn’t have that much money.
Their conversation had attracted quite a bit of attention, and many people were staring at them in surprise. Who was speaking so boldly? Oh, it was just Wang Chong’s rich friends. No big deal.
Wait, who was the young man chatting with those rich kids? Was he a new rich kid in town? Looked like he had two bodyguards following him, too.
Zhushi Jiu didn’t care about the attention he had attracted. He only hoped that the hidden enemies would reveal themselves as soon as possible.
Facing the suspicious gazes of the others, Zhushi Jiu smiled faintly: “I don’t have money now, but I will soon.”
Sun Hao Ran’s eyes widened: “What do you mean?”
Zhushi Jiu looked at Ji Hui and the others: “Don’t you remember our bet?”
Qian Ze Le exclaimed, “You’re too confident, Brother Zhushi!”
Ji Hui patted Zhushi Jiu’s shoulder, saying, “I’ll give you some advice: young people shouldn’t be too arrogant. You might just lose.”
Zhushi Jiu smiled faintly: “Is being young and arrogant the same as being confident?”
Ma Qun Bo didn’t dare to speak up.
Sun Hao Ran looked puzzled: “What bet did you guys make?”
The three of them exchanged glances, telling Sun Hao Ran about their bet, but omitting the contents of Zhushi Jiu’s loss.
Wang Chong was stunned. You guys are making a bet with him? This isn’t a joke, is it? I’ve given him the guest list, and you think you can win?
Sun Hao Ran frowned: “You’re not even punishing him for losing. Isn’t that just giving him money?”
…
“Darling, shall we go to the casino tonight?” Lydia, actually a fake name, asked, playing the role of a wife.
The man, whose real name was Xue An, smiled wryly: “You’re not going to gross me out, are you? Nobody’s paying attention to us, so stop acting.”
Lydia gave him a white-eye: “You’re not taking it seriously. Jing Jing reminded us to blend in.”
“Screw that. Just tell me what you want to do.”
“I read the lip language of Wang Chong and his friends earlier. They’re probably going to the casino tonight. The casino is open to guests with assets over one million.”
“Your point is? You want to fish for some money?”
Lydia rolled her eyes: “I’m not interested in money. You forgot our mission?”
Xue An suddenly understood.
“You want to use those capitalists as targets for our mission?”
Lydia said, “We can filter out the suitable ones. We can find someone who’s willing to cooperate with us.”
“I think it’s a waste of effort. Most capitalists only care about their own interests. If they’re affected, they’ll betray us faster than anyone.”
Lydia smiled calmly: “But you said ‘most’, didn’t you? Our organization’s funds are always tight, and the Black Troop has been using outdated equipment. That old man, Wang, is always clamoring for research funding, but we’ve been dragging it on for too long.”
Xue An didn’t speak up.
“This is an opportunity, as well as a challenge. Our mission is to find suitable talents during Wang Chong’s gathering of social elites, but how we retain them depends on our organization’s strength. Economic power is also strength.”
Xue An muttered a curse: “This damn job is going to kill us.”
They wanted to save the world, but the world was telling them, “You can’t save me without money!”
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The Black Troop was a bunch of crazy people who were like rats hiding in the shadows, not daring to show their faces. Not having money was indeed a deadly sin. Talents would leave if you couldn’t keep them.
Xue An asked, “What are Jing Jing and Ruo Ruo doing?”
“They’re breaking down the cruise ship’s navigation route in the room.”
“Let them stop. We’ll focus on the casino tonight!”
…
The banquet continued.
Zhushi Jiu wasn’t eating much, instead asking Wang Chong and the others, “How’s that? Did I guess correctly?”
Qian Ze Le came back from greeting another guest, exclaiming, “You’re amazing! There wasn’t a single mistake.”
Earlier, Zhushi Jiu had taken them on a round of the banquet, pointing out the people he had deduced earlier, and Wang Chong and the others had gone to confirm whether his deductions were correct.
It had to be said that these tools were really useful. The guests all recognized them, and as long as they went to chat, the guests would give them face and answer their questions without any resentment. Zhushi Jiu had also become familiar with these high-society people by frequently walking among Wang Chong’s group.
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Ji Hui and Ma Qun Bo also finished verifying the guests they had interacted with, saying, “Big boss is indeed big boss! The deductions from earlier were spot on!”
Zhushi Jiu smiled: “That means you guys owe me nine hundred million now.”
Sun Hao Ran deliberately teased him, saying, “You still need one million to enter the casino. Where are you going to get it from?”
Wang Chong laughed: “I’ll help…”
“It’s them who’ll help me.”
Zhushi Jiu pointed to a couple sitting at a nearby table.
They were the suspicious people Zhushi Jiu had noticed earlier.
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