Blank Charge

Passing through the chaotic dance floor and through a hidden passage, Jin Zhou and Yang Shiyu arrived at the most magnificent VIP area in the entire bar.

The VIP area had both large and small private rooms. The smaller ones could only accommodate around ten people, suitable for small gatherings, while the larger ones had plenty of space and could even host a cocktail party without any issues.

The fake casino was set up in the largest private room, with eight gambling tables and the capacity to accommodate hundreds of people.

Pushing open the heavy door to the private room, they were greeted by loud noises and a suffocating smell of smoke. Jin Zhou waved his hand to disperse the scent that Yang Shiyu disliked and glanced at the situation inside the room. He asked the young man guarding the door, “Where is Wang Darong?”

“He lost all his money as soon as he arrived,” the young man replied. “He owes several thousand to others and is currently withdrawing money outside with some of our brothers.”

Without Jin Zhou present, the young men naturally dared not act rashly and could only keep a close eye on Wang Darong.

Jin Zhou nodded. Since Wang Darong owed money to others, it wasn’t surprising that someone was following him. It wouldn’t raise his suspicion. However, it wasn’t convenient to apprehend him outside; they had to wait until he returned before taking action.

Furthermore, once Wang Darong withdrew money from an ATM machine, the police would be able to trace his whereabouts. Therefore, Jin Zhou had to act swiftly and decisively.

“Bring Wang Darong back as soon as possible,” Jin Zhou instructed, then entered the private room, blending in with the semi-real and semi-fake gamblers.

Most of the people in the establishment were familiar faces to Jin Zhou, but apart from them, the fake casino also attracted some genuine gamblers.

Jin Zhou had seen many gamblers who lost everything due to gambling, leading to the breakup of their families. Those people lived in poverty but still couldn’t give up gambling.

Jin Zhou used to find it strange. Didn’t they know that gambling was an abyss? Later, he realized it wasn’t the case. They simply refused to admit that they had chosen the wrong path.

Understanding those people, Jin Zhou came up with a method that even the police wouldn’t dare to use to lure Wang Darong.

“Jin Zhou,” someone passing by Jin Zhou greeted him and then glanced curiously at Yang Shiyu standing behind him.

Suddenly, Jin Zhou realized that in such a short time, news of him bringing his ‘wife’ had probably spread throughout the entire bar. It wasn’t his intention originally; he just wanted to tease Yang Shiyu. But since the news had already spread, he couldn’t let his brothers think he had poor taste.

Jin Zhou started planning in his mind, thinking about how to make others notice Yang Shiyu’s exceptional nature. However, at that moment, Yang Shiyu behind him asked, “Are you sure this is a fake casino?”

“Yes,” Jin Zhou stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Yang Shiyu. “Once we catch Wang Darong, this operation will be over.”

“What about the money Wang Darong lost?” Yang Shiyu asked.

“We’ll treat our brothers to a late-night meal,” Jin Zhou replied. The others’ money would be returned, and there would be no financial transactions involved. For the efforts involved in capturing Wang Darong, Jin Zhou naturally had to reward his assisting brothers.

“Jin Zhou,” Yang Shiyu frowned, his expression as if he couldn’t tolerate any wrongdoing. “This is illegal.”

Jin Zhou had dealt with many legal battles in the local People’s Court, but he had never encountered Yang Shiyu before, whether it was by chance or not.

Yang Shiyu was a criminal court judge who only presided over criminal cases, most of which had clear facts and left little room for defense lawyers to maneuver.

Every time Jin Zhou had free time, he would go to watch Yang Shiyu in court and imagine what defense strategy he would choose if he were a defense lawyer. However, after seeing Yang Shiyu handle so many cases, he rarely saw Yang Shiyu adopt the defense lawyer’s advice.

This was not because the judge had a subjective bias but because during the prosecution stage, the prosecutor’s office had already objectively determined the nature of the case. If a defense lawyer wanted to turn the tables, they could only find loopholes in the prosecutor’s case, which was a challenging task.

But the current situation was different.

The “case” at hand was extremely complex, and it wasn’t as simple as Yang Shiyu saying it was illegal for it to be illegal.

Jin Zhou calmly asked Yang Shiyu, “What crime do you want to charge me with, Your Honor?”

Yang Shiyu glanced around, still furrowing his brows, but remained silent.

“Organizing gambling?” Jin Zhou casually put a charge on himself. “But I have no intention of making a profit.”

If setting up a fake gambling scene was also illegal, then such scenes should not appear in any movies or TV shows. Although some unidentified real gamblers were mixed into this fake gambling scene, even if they were caught, it would only result in administrative detention and not constitute a crime.

Jin Zhou was able to handle the situation with ease because there was ample room for defense. It wasn’t up to Yang Shiyu to decide how he would be judged.

“But by not returning Wang Darong’s money, it can be considered fraud,” Yang Shiyu said.

“Is there a victim who filed a report?” Jin Zhou asked.

“Filing a case can be done without the victim,” Yang Shiyu said.

“But without a victim, how can the facts of the case be investigated clearly?” Jin Zhou’s speech speed increased, and an indescribable excitement surged through his brain.

It was an addictive feeling, one that Jin Zhou had never experienced in any courtroom debate. He secretly hoped that Yang Shiyu would continue speaking, overpowering him with various serious charges, and imprisoning him indefinitely…

However, Yang Shiyu fell silent because, as Jin Zhou had said, they didn’t even know how much money Wang Darong had lost. It was all just empty talk.

“After catching him, we’ll return the money to him,” Yang Shiyu stopped discussing with Jin Zhou. “You’re a lawyer, don’t always try to exploit legal loopholes.”

The courtroom play had just begun, and the judge was already giving up. The wave of excitement faded like a tide, but Jin Zhou’s lack of interest lasted only for a moment. He smiled, his mood improved, and looked at Yang Shiyu. “So, you know I’m a lawyer.”

This was the first time Jin Zhou heard Yang Shiyu admit his identity as a lawyer.

The relationship between the two of them was very subtle.

Two WeChat friends who hadn’t been in contact for a long time could only learn about each other’s recent situations through their moments. “I posted on moments, so I assume you know”—this was a one-sided cognition, and it would only become a fact when the other party said they knew.

Yang Shiyu always seemed indifferent to Jin Zhou, so Jin Zhou could only assume that Yang Shiyu knew he had become a lawyer.

Even though his assumption carried 99.99% certainty, it was still different from hearing Yang Shiyu say it out loud.

Now, the one-sided assumption had turned into a mutual understanding. Jin Zhou could finally confirm that at some moment or moments he was unaware of, he had appeared in Yang Shiyu’s thoughts.

“I’m not blind,” Yang Shiyu’s gaze lingered at the corner of Jin Zhou’s eyes, where it inexplicably lifted with excitement.

“Yes, you see me,” Jin Zhou said with a smile. “Didn’t you call me a small rogue before?”

“If you became a lawyer just to exploit legal loopholes,” Yang Shiyu said, “then you’re no different from a rogue.”

Whether he was a lawyer or a rogue, Jin Zhou didn’t care either way. He nonchalantly put his arm around Yang Shiyu’s shoulder, hanging on him like a boneless body. “Don’t be so serious, Judge Yang. Let’s go, I’ll show you a good time.”

There was a gambling table right next to them. Jin Zhou hooked his arm around Yang Shiyu’s shoulder and led him over. One of his men by the table immediately wanted to vacate his seat, but Jin Zhou motioned for him to stay, only picking up a chip from the table and asking Yang Shiyu, “Which side do you bet on?”

The chip flipped lightly between Jin Zhou’s fingers, like finger acrobatics, with skilled movements.

Yang Shiyu lowered his gaze, watching those skillful fingers, and furrowed his brow as he asked, “Do you often play these games?”

“Yeah, I do,” Jin Zhou said casually. “I’m well-versed in gambling, drugs, and other illegal activities.”

The lowered gaze instantly shifted to Jin Zhou’s face, with a mix of shock, disbelief, and a hint of incredulity. Jin Zhou was amused by Yang Shiyu’s expression and chuckled, “You believe everything I say. How did you become a judge?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Zhou felt a sudden pain in the back of his neck. He had been hanging onto Yang Shiyu all along, but he didn’t expect it to provide Yang Shiyu with the convenience to grab his neck like a stray cat.

“Hey, be gentle, brother! Everyone is watching!” Jin Zhou frowned and stood upright.

Tiger had already misunderstood, and he couldn’t let other brothers get the wrong idea.

However, instead of releasing Jin Zhou, Yang Shiyu exerted more force, twisting his head to the other side and said in a deep voice, “It’s Wang Darong.”

Following Yang Shiyu’s line of sight, Jin Zhou saw a middle-aged man with a lean figure and shifty eyes walking into the private room, observing the situation at the gambling table.

Jin Zhou couldn’t help but feel a bit stunned. The last time he saw Wang Darong was during the trial of his parents’ car accident case.

Wang Darong was brought into the courtroom by the bailiffs, and as soon as he started speaking, he began wiping away tears, expressing his apologies to Jin Zhou’s family.

At first, Jin Zhou couldn’t understand why Wang Darong only received a six-year sentence for causing the deaths of two people in a car accident.

The judge in charge of the trial, in order to accommodate Wang Darong’s emotions, took the time to explain that traffic offenses resulting in fatalities are often considered as negligence rather than intentional acts, making a significant difference from charges of intentional murder.

Jin Zhou truly couldn’t sense any ill will from Wang Darong towards his family, and he always believed that the accident years ago was a mere accident.

However, now as he looked at Wang Darong, indulging in gambling at the casino, he felt a chilling sensation sweep over his entire body, and he was acutely aware that this chilling sensation was his own animosity towards Wang Darong.

“…Jin Zhou… Jin Zhou!”

Yang Shi Yu’s voice abruptly brought Jin Zhou back to his senses. He tossed aside the chips in his hand and gestured with a tilt of his chin to the waiting brothers around him, saying, “Capture him.”