Chapter 74: Chapter 67: Today Is the Best Chance to Take Advantage of the Chaos

"Not really, we’ve only met a couple of times," Li Wei explained. "He has a son who goes to our school, but I don’t think I’ve ever met him..."

Then he explained the whole story to Wen Si and Miller.

"Huh? People like that actually exist? Dragging his whole family to the United States of America?" Miller sounded like he’d heard the funniest joke. "He thinks no registration fee means it’s free? In the United States of America, only one thing is free: a ticket to Hell."

"You know, he actually might get away with pocketing the money," Wen Si said after a moment’s thought. "But the price would be living off the grid for the rest of his life, with no credit score and no legal status. He wouldn’t be able to get a job or rent a place."

"Stay away from people like that. I only asked because I was worried you might get tangled up with the wrong crowd," he said, patting Li Wei’s shoulder. "You’re about to become a huge star. A net worth in the tens or even hundreds of millions of USD isn’t out of the question. This is exactly the time to be careful of broke relatives around you—especially classmates, friends, and distant family you’ve never even heard of."

"I’ve seen it too many times," he said very seriously. "Rap stars, sports stars... it happens a lot with Black celebrities. But since I haven’t worked with many Chinese people, I’m not as familiar with the situation, so I have to give you an extra warning."

Li Wei nodded, taking Wen Si’s advice to heart.

Right now, he was Wen Si’s prized discovery. Wen Si was counting on capitalizing on the buzz around Li Wei to get a promotion and a raise, reaching the pinnacle of his career. He was so invested he practically wanted to name Li Wei his godson.

On the way home, Coach Miller and Wen Si Scout got into a huge argument over who would get the privilege of driving Li Wei. In the end, Wen Si Scout won with the reasoning, ’You drove him here, so I should be the one to drive him back,’ successfully securing the right to take Li Wei home.

"Uncle Don Quixote?"

When Li Wei got home, he found their very first guest in the living room—Jose.

After a few days of rest, his spirits were much better, but he still looked like he could have a relapse at any moment.

"...Don’t worry," Don Quixote said with great certainty. "I had a colleague who used to cook the books for a mob family in the United Kingdom. An underground casino’s ledger is almost never kept in a safe. The cash flow from an underground casino or a loan shark is extremely fragmented, with dozens or even hundreds of transactions every hour. Are they going to open the safe every single time?"

"So, the ledger is most likely in an office drawer," he said. "Or they keep a fake ledger on the desk and the real one in a drawer."

"You’re leaving tonight?" Li Wei looked at Don Quixote. "You’re not going to wait?"

"No more waiting," Don Quixote shook his head. "Jose’s friend who works the night watch at the construction site said someone is causing trouble at the casino tonight, creating a pretty big disturbance. They’ll probably move locations tomorrow. Tonight is the best chance to take advantage of the chaos."

Li Wei nodded. Before he could say anything, a dialog box popped up in front of him:

[You have received a quest: Unfinished Business]

[Knight Don Quixote is uneasy about the task he has entrusted to his squire, Jose. His intuition and reason tell him that Jose is not a reliable choice, yet he feels this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As his friend, you want to help him, but you don’t want him to know.]

[Quest Objective: Covertly assist the two in completing their mission and obtain the item Don Quixote desires.]

[Quest Reward: Agility +0.1]

’Just as I thought,’ Li Wei mused, looking at the quest. ’Don Quixote himself is having second thoughts about a variable like Jose.’

He originally thought that Jose might be able to complete the mission, assuming he was in relatively good health and his mind was clear.

But seeing him like this, the probability of success had likely plummeted.

...

The nights in Queens were like a pool of stagnant water, with only the distant wail of sirens stirring the occasional ripple.

An old Toyota was parked on the side of the road not far from the construction site. Don Quixote and Jose sat inside.

"Stop shaking," Don Quixote said, patting Jose’s shoulder. "Relax. Just pretend you’re really going in to gamble. I’ll wait for you here."

"But... I’m still scared, Don," Jose stammered. "They’re a bunch of devils..."

"Don’t screw this up, Jose..." Don Quixote grabbed Jose by the hair, pressing their foreheads together. "Think about it. Your life, your wife’s life, even my life—we’re all tied together."

"If you’re not sure, just get out, understand? We can find another chance," he said, his expression grim and his tone as sharp as a knife. "Don’t get yourself dragged into it... and if you do, don’t drag me and—"

"Mr. Don Quixote," Jose cut him off. "In the name of God, I will never drag you into this."

"You’re a good man," he said, taking a deep breath. "The only good man I’ve met since I came here."

’Fifty-fifty on that,’ Don Quixote thought, swallowing the rest of his sentence. He patted Jose’s shoulder. "Go on, kid."

...

’What are those two muttering about?’

Li Wei watched the Toyota from a distance, speechless.

He was the oriole stalking the mantis, who was stalking the cicada. He’d been squatting here for over an hour, and Jose was still fucking dilly-dallying.

He couldn’t even use his phone for this operation, so he’d just been waiting in the dark for over an hour.

Finally, he saw Jose get out of the passenger seat and stagger toward the casino.

Li Wei kept his distance, tailing Jose from afar.

The evolution of his physique had also greatly enhanced his night vision, allowing him to see everything clearly even in the dim light.

Jose slowly approached a factory building where two Italian thugs stood guard at the entrance.

One of them obviously recognized Jose and said jokingly, "You again? Here to buy some ’stimulant’?"

"Who can live without the stimulant we mix up?" the other one laughed. "Methamphetamine mixed with a little alprazolam and a dash of fentanyl will let you work for 12 hours straight without feeling tired."

"Forget work," the first guy said, smacking his lips. "Remember our last party? After taking it, I couldn’t get soft for a full four hours."

"No," Jose forced a smile. "I’m here to try my luck, see if I can win big."

While they were joking with Jose, a figure slipped past the entrance like a ghost and scaled the sheet-metal wall to the second floor, moving in a way no normal human could.

The second-floor window wasn’t locked, probably because no one ever imagined someone could free-climb a smooth, nearly 10-meter-high wall.

Li Wei slipped through the window with ease. He crouched low and crept forward through the shadows of the second-floor corridor. Looking down from his vantage point, he saw that the factory’s interior, once partitioned, had been completely opened up and was now brightly lit.

Below was a sea of noise. Crowds were packed around a dozen huge gambling and poker tables, surrounded by all kinds of slot machines.

Li Wei made a rough estimate. This casino alone probably had a daily cash flow of over seventy or eighty thousand USD.

And that wasn’t even counting the real source of profit: loan sharking.

According to Jose, the mob controlling this construction site typically offered "6-for-5" loans: borrow 500 this week, pay back 600 next week—a weekly interest rate of 20%.

Li Wei saw a commotion at the entrance as Jose walked in.

After entering, Jose quickly located Leto’s office—at the end of the second-floor corridor.

But to his despair, he saw two burly Italian-American thugs permanently stationed at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor.

That old fox Leto hadn’t left a single opening to exploit. Forget sneaking in to steal the ledger; if Jose even dared to linger at the staircase for a few seconds, the bulging objects at the thugs’ waists would teach him a lesson in the American quick-draw.

As time ticked by, Jose felt his heart about to leap out of his throat.

He had to do something, or tonight would be a complete waste of time.

He subconsciously drifted over to a Texas Hold’em table. He casually placed some bets while his eyes darted around, cold sweat beading on his face.

Meanwhile, someone else had noticed Jose.

"Why’s this guy so nervous?" one of the thugs said. "You think he’s trying to cheat?"

"Go check him out. See if he’s carrying any cheating devices."

Jose turned his head and suddenly realized several people were walking toward him.

He was so terrified his soul nearly left his body, his heart about to burst from his chest.