The first instalment,

...

A gun had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which was truly terrifying.

Not only was the middle-aged man stunned, but the Li surnamed bodyguard following him was also instantly dumbfounded, both staring blankly at the gun lying on the table.

Their attention had been completely captured by Qin Fang's movements and the characters formed by the poker cards in midair, but they could not figure out when Qin Fang had taken out the gun...

Without doubting the authenticity of the gun, both the middle-aged man and his bodyguard, who were part of a line of work on the fringes, naturally had their own protective measures; both were old hands with guns. At the very least, the middle-aged man had a gun on him, apparently as a precaution.

However, handguns were mostly used for intimidation, and anyone firing a gun on such a quiet night would undoubtedly alarm the gamblers up ahead, potentially causing chaos.

The gamblers were unaware of what had happened behind them and hearing gunshots would prompt their first thought – someone had been killed. In the Ninghai Underground casino, the most obvious inference would be loan sharking gone wrong.

Linking thoughts that way, it wouldn't be long before the patrons here started diminishing, as nobody wanted to be the next unlucky victim shot dead...

But when Qin Fang pulled out that gun, the situation changed, with the panicked ones not being Qin Fang, but the two men across from him.

Qin Fang's current identity was that of Eighth Elder, the trusted confidant of Ninghai Underground overlord Li Rui. His presence here already signified a message from Li Rui – if they remained oblivious, it was very likely they wouldn't even make it out the door and would end up bound and dumped into the Yangtze River.

There was no doubt about this. To become the underground king of a major city, one had to be ruthless. Without that, the position was impossible to keep.

All involved in the underworld of Ninghai were aware of Li Rui's notorious reputation, not to mention the well-known names of his subordinates, all ruthless individuals.

Furthermore, the middle-aged man thought of even more.

The security at the entrance of the casino was rather tight. Dangerous items like firearms, daggers, and detonators couldn't possibly get in. He certainly did not want to be viewed as "Fat Sheep" by others and become a victim of robbery by his own kind.

Not to mention, those who owed high-interest debts and were pushed too hard could easily act in desperation, doing something extremely out of line, such as barging into the casino with the intention of a murder-suicide.

And to ensure absolute security, he had arranged for a double layer of safety checks to guarantee that none of these items could be missed...

Qin Fang had passed through two layers of security checks before entering the casino, which he was very clear about. Yet now, Qin Fang had taken out a gun, which really was quite problematic.

Although it was winter and everyone was wearing relatively more clothing, allowing for more items to be concealed, it was impossible for such a gun to be overlooked during a security check.

Therefore, the only explanation was that those he trusted apparently weren't as reliable as he imagined. At least one person, or possibly even several, had betrayed him, allowing Qin Fang to smuggle the gun inside...

It was even more likely that someone within his ranks had been bought out, bringing the gun inside and then secretly handing it over to Qin Fang. This possibility was not small. Although the casino was under surveillance, with so many people crowded together, anything could happen...

Regardless of the reason, it all indicated one thing: his every move was being watched by the other party. If he didn't behave, it would be quite possible that he might not leave Ninghai alive.

With betrayal among his ranks, he had to worry if his own safety could still be assured. Just as he could spend money to arrange someone to kill Qin Fang, Qin Fang could also spend money to secretly kill him.

Or rather, completely support the betrayer to kill him and take his place... There were too many such precedents, and he simply could not guarantee that everyone was solidly united.

"Lord... Lord Ba... there's no need for this, right?"

Looking at the gun on the table, the middle-aged man couldn't help but swallow his saliva before speaking with an extremely bitter expression.

"Whether it's necessary or not isn't for me to say, it mostly depends on how you conduct yourself... It's getting late, and I should be going,"

Qin Fang's smile was remarkably calm as he picked up the gun from the table, carelessly slipped it into his clothes, and stood up to leave.

Essentially, the conversation had reached the point it needed to, and pressing any further would only risk pushing the other party too far – that could end up being troublesome...

"I understand what to do now! Rest assured, Lord Ba..."

The middle-aged man was now completely compliant, his words exceedingly pleasant to the ear as he respectfully saw Qin Fang out.

As Qin Fang approached Li Rui's bodyguard, he moved suddenly, catching the bodyguard completely off guard with an elbow strike to the abdomen...

The intense pain immediately caused his stomach to spasm as if he might vomit his last meal, and it spread outward, rapidly attacking every cell in his body. His face contorted so severely it seemed entirely deformed.

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