"Black Star... this is the place!"
Lock pointed his cane at the sign in front of them and spoke to Annie.
A burly man in a white shirt and trousers stepped forward from the entrance. He ignored Lock at first, looking instead at Annie behind him. "You're from the Military Police Corps... little girl, it's not time to pay up yet, is it? What brings you here?"
Lock thought to himself that it was no wonder the place seemed so legitimate; they were paying regular protection fees to the Military Police Corps.
He explained patiently, "I hired her to protect me. After all, it's my first time visiting Underground City, and my family was a bit worried."
The man stared at Lock for a moment before saying, "Entrance fee is 100."
Lock pulled out a bill and suddenly asked, "100 per person?"
Seeing the man nod, Lock had no choice but to pull out another one.
The man pushed open the door, signaling that the two could enter... From the outside, Black Star looked like a small three-story residential building, but once Lock stepped inside, he realized they had hollowed out all three floors, making the interior space appear exceptionally large.
It wasn't peak hours yet, but there were still quite a few people inside.
Lock could tell from the bloodshot eyes of several gamblers that many had stayed up all night. In the nearby lounge area, several drunks and those who couldn't stay awake any longer were slumped over.
Some people were startled when they saw Annie and hurriedly hid their drug paraphernalia.
Watching this scene, Annie frowned and walked over, asking, "Who do you want to ask?"
Lock smiled. "The boss, of course."
Annie looked at the eager glint in Lock's eyes and asked suspiciously, "You don't plan on playing here until the boss shows up, do you?"
"No!"
Lock gave a confident smile. "I'm going to win until he shows up."
The casino had many games, but because there weren't many people, only a few tables were currently open.
Lock chose the dice table.
Just as he sat down, a provocatively dressed woman leaned in and said in a sweet voice, "Boss, would you like something to drink? I'll get it for you."
Just as Lock was about to speak, he heard Annie, standing to the side, say flatly, "Two lemon sodas, thank you."
The woman looked at Annie's unfriendly expression and said resentfully, "Fine, fine, Military Police Officer."
Once the woman had walked away, and Annie saw Lock smoothly lose his first round, she frowned. "How much money did you bring? Is it enough for you to waste?"
Lock smiled and uttered a classic gambler's line: "Don't worry, I'll win it back in a moment."
Annie didn't look at him again. She turned and went to the lounge area, sitting on a sofa to observe the casino's security forces.
She was thinking about how she and Lock would take these people down later... Lock guessed wrong for several rounds in a row at the start. Fortunately, there weren't many people, or he would have been mocked mercilessly by those around him.
The young dealer shook the dice cup again. Lock closed his eyes and listened quietly.
Thud
The dice cup landed on the table, and the dealer repeated the words he had said countless times: "Please place your bets."
Lock opened his eyes, a confident smile curling his lips. "All in on small."
...Annie used her glare to ward off a thug who wanted to hit on her. Suddenly, she heard the noise from Lock's table growing louder.
She stood up and walked over, hearing someone shout, "The seventh win! That's the seventh in a row!"
The dealer wiped away sweat and said with difficulty, "Sir, are you still going all in?"
Looking at the mountain of chips piled in front of him, Lock smiled confidently. "Yes, all in."
At that moment, a middle-aged female dealer walked over and gave the original dealer a look. The latter immediately left the spot with a look of relief.
Some regular customers recognized the female dealer and immediately suppressed their urge to follow the bet, deciding to observe first.
The female dealer came to the table and bowed to Lock. Lock raised his hand, signaling her to begin.
She picked up the dice cup and began to shake it.
There were no flashy movements; she simply shook it for a full minute.
Thud!
The female dealer looked at Lock and smiled. "Please place your bet."
Lock looked at the female dealer and showed his signature smile. "I'm still going all in."
The female dealer wasn't surprised and asked calmly, "Big or small?"
Lock said slowly, "I'm betting on Triples."
A collective gasp went up from the crowd, everyone shouting that he was crazy.
The female dealer's expression remained calm. She didn't open the cup but instead gave Lock a forced smile. "Care to make a friend?"
Lock smiled and nodded. "It's fine if I bring a bodyguard, right?"
After receiving her consent, he said to Annie, "Let's go, it's time to see the boss."
...Led by the female dealer, Lock and Annie arrived at the casino's VIP room.
Four or five burly men in shirts stood in the room, clearly not people to be trifled with.
Both Lock and Annie looked at the only person sitting on the sofa.
A white suit, a pink turtleneck, hands full of rings, and smoking a cigar.
Both of them internally labeled this man, who looked to be in his thirties, with the same word—nouveau riche.
Seeing the two enter, the man put down his cigar and asked politely, "Were you hired by someone to shut me down?"
Lock shook his head.
The man stared at Annie's uniform and asked Lock, "Then do you know Division Commander Nile Dok?"
Lock smiled and nodded.
The man snapped his fingers, and a burly man nearby brought out a briefcase and opened it toward Lock.
"Here is the 300,000 you just won, not a penny less. Do you want to count it?"
Lock stepped forward, closed the briefcase, and handed it to Annie behind him.
Then he pulled a portrait from his coat and placed it on the table. "I'm here to ask about someone. Do you recognize him?"
The man picked it up and took a look. "I know him. He lost everything here two days ago and was taken away by those loan sharks."
Lock asked, "Do you know where they would have taken him?"
The man stared at Lock and said, "Why should I tell you?"
Lock smiled and said, "I can promise not to come back again."
Only then did the man speak. "That gang is in Dog Town. This guy might have been fed to the dogs already for all I know."
"Thanks. Until we meet again."
Lock turned and left, with Annie following behind, carrying the briefcase.
Seeing their boss's grim face, a subordinate nearby couldn't help but say, "We're just going to let them leave like that?"
The man grabbed an ashtray and smashed it over the subordinate's head, shouting angrily, "Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?"
...Walking out of the casino, Annie was still a bit dazed while carrying the briefcase.
She asked Lock, "How did you do it?"
Lock shrugged. "Maybe I just have good luck."
Annie tossed the briefcase to Lock and said crossly, "Forget it if you won't say. Are we going to that Dog Town now?"
Lock caught the briefcase and said, "Let's go soon. Maybe we can still snatch a hand back from the dog's mouth to complete the mission."
Annie reached out her hand toward Lock.
Lock asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Annie said calmly, "I've finished the first bag. Where are the other two?"
Lock seemed to have been waiting for this moment. Like a magic trick, he pulled an identical paper bag from his coat.
"Heh, I had them ready."
Annie reached out and took it, saying, "Let's go, Detective."