Chapter 154: A-Zhe

Zhang Luyao leaned against the wall, her complexion as pale as paper, her stomach still churning with relentless dry heaving.

As a psychological expert who had seen countless crime scenes, the scene she had just witnessed completely shattered her professional understanding.

That was not death.

That was dissolution.

It was a form of torture she could not comprehend.

When Chen Yu walked past her,

Zhang Luyao raised her head and looked at him as if he were a lunatic.

This man had just witnessed a supernatural death of the utmost horror, yet he could remain so calm?

Was he even human?

...

The Provincial Investigation Bureau, top-security conference room.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt as though water could be wrung from the air.

"Emerald Island, Butterfly Dream Manor."

Chen Yu's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, as he calmly recited the two names.

Han Li, Zhang Luyao, and Lin Xiaoyu all stared at him.

"How do you know?"

Zhang Luyao finally could not hold back, locking her gaze onto Chen Yu. "What exact relationship do you have with Lin Li? Or rather, what involvement do you have with this case? Don't tell me you guessed it!"

She practically roared the words.

The gruesome state of Lin Li's death, coupled with the critical information Chen Yu had blurted out, stirred an extremely absurd and terrifying thought in her mind—could Chen Yu possibly be a member of that organization?

Damn it, this woman has quite an active imagination.

Chen Yu muttered internally, almost rivaling a web novel author.

He couldn't be bothered to explain the system to her; even if he did, no one would believe it.

He looked directly at Han Li, the highest-ranking official present.

"Director Han, now is not the time to question my source of intelligence."

Chen Yu's tone allowed for no objection. "The crucial point is that we now know where the enemy's lair is and what it is called. The next step is figuring out how to get inside."

Han Li tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes profound.

Unlike Zhang Luyao, he did not lose his composure; a veteran detective like him had seen all kinds of storms.

He was more concerned with Chen Yu's subsequent statement.

"What are your thoughts?" Han Li asked.

"We know nothing about the situation on the island. Launching a reckless frontal assault is tantamount to suicide, and it's very likely to force them to eliminate the hostages prematurely."

Chen Yu analyzed, "Expert Zhang's previous proposal of entering under the guise of a psychologist, while the risk is far too high, is at least a method."

"But that's her way in!"

Zhang Luyao bit her lip without refuting.

"And my only method," Chen Yu paused, laying out his plan, "is to infiltrate from the bottom up."

"The bottom up?" Lin Xiaoyu blinked her heavily made-up eyes and chimed in.

"Yes," Chen Yu nodded. "Any closed system requires consumables. Cleaners, servers, porters... these most inconspicuous yet indispensable 'consumables'."

He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Han Li's face.

"I want to become the exact kind of 'consumable' they need—obedient, cheap, with a background so clean that no issues can be found, and completely unattached, someone no one would look for even if they died."

Silence filled the conference room.

Both Zhang Luyao and Lin Xiaoyu stared at Chen Yu with incredulous eyes.

Is this human language?

Isn't this voluntarily going to act as cannon fodder? And the kind of cannon fodder that gets thrown away immediately after use without leaving a trace!

"Are you out of your mind?" Zhang Luyao blurted out. "Do you know what kind of place that is? Did you not see how Lin Li died?"

"I'm not crazy." Chen Yu looked at her, his gaze chillingly calm. "I know what kind of place it is, which is why I have to go."

Chen Yu calmly looked at the psychological expert who had repeatedly lost her composure, wondering if she was even competent!

Yet, upon reflection, the scenes from earlier truly did not seem like something a normal person could accept.

At the same time, he thought of Li Qing.

That foolish woman was likely on that island right now, experiencing the same despair as Lin Li.

Every minute he waited put Li Qing in greater danger.

He could not wait.

"Director Han," Chen Yu ignored Zhang Luyao and addressed Han Li directly, "this plan requires your full cooperation."

Han Li remained silent for a long time.

He looked deeply at Chen Yu, as if trying to read something from his face.

Finally, he sighed, pulled a file from the drawer, and pushed it across the desk.

"Your idea coincides completely with what our intelligence team has discovered."

The file contained records of several covert operations belonging to the Xiangdong Group.

"We found that Dong Zhan's Xiangdong Group has several shell companies that routinely recruit individuals from the mainland who have criminal records or are in desperate financial straits, operating under the guise of 'high-paying overseas work' through overseas human smugglers."

Han Li pointed to a line in the file.

"Most of these people share one common trait—they vanish off the face of the earth."

"We have reason to suspect this is the channel used to replenish the bottom-tier 'consumables' on 'Emerald Island'."

Chen Yu took the file and scanned it quickly.

Good, the path had already been paved.

"Then it's settled." Chen Yu slapped the file onto the table. "Since a new identity has been prepared for me—'A-Zhe', a heavily indebted gambler driven to desperation. Leave the rest to me."

"Chen Yu..." Han Li looked at him, his tone heavy. "This is too dangerous. You..."

"Director Han," Chen Yu interrupted him, "don't forget, Chen Yu is already dead. The person standing here now is merely a ghost seeking to save someone."

His voice was soft, yet carried an unshakable resolve.

...

That same night.

Jiangcheng, a casino hidden in the basement of the old district with no signboard.

The air was thick with a mixture of cheap cigarettes, body odor, and despair.

The lighting was dim, the voices chaotic.

"Roll! Roll! Roll! Big! Big! Big!"

"Damn it! It's small again!"

"Stop pushing! Move aside! Let me place my bet!"

A young man wearing a cheap jacket, with sunken eye sockets and bloodshot eyes, was staring fixedly at the dice on the gambling table.

He was "A-Zhe", Chen Yu's new identity.

To make it look convincing, he had even had Lin Xiaoyu apply makeup to make him look like he hadn't slept in three days.

"A-Zhe, you still playing? Get lost if you've got no money!" The dealer tapped the table impatiently.

A-Zhe pulled a final handful of wrinkled bills from his pocket and pushed them all forward.

This was the final "gambling fund" provided by the provincial bureau.

He complained inwardly: Damn it, in all my life, this is the first time I'm using taxpayers' money to gamble. If that old stick-in-the-mud Yan Zheng finds out, won't he be so angry he jumps out of his office?

"All on small!" A-Zhe roared, his voice hoarse and laced with a desperate madness.

The surrounding gamblers looked at him as if he were a fool.

It had been small eight times in a row; this round was bound to be big.

The dice cup was lifted.

One, two, three. Six points, small.

"Damn it!"

A chorus of curses filled the room.

Only A-Zhe had glowing eyes, gripping his winnings like a drowning man grasping a straw, frantically pulling the money toward himself.

He knew this round was bound to be small.

Because this casino was secretly controlled by the police.

His purpose in coming today was not to win money, but to lose this entire sum in the most reasonable and convincing manner possible.

Over the next hour, A-Zhe experienced what it meant to be a "gambling god."

Bet big, it landed on big; bet small, it landed on small.

The chips in front of him piled higher and higher.

He acted increasingly frantic, increasingly arrogant, shouting at anyone who crossed his path, "Get the hell out of my way, don't stop me from getting rich."

He portrayed the image of a bloodshot gambler to perfection.

The looks in the eyes of those around him shifted from treating him like an idiot to envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Finally, when the stack of chips in front of him reached nearly three hundred thousand, he knew the climax of the act had arrived.

He began to lose.

Hand after hand, he lost.

As arrogant as he had been a moment ago, he was now just as pathetic.

In less than half an hour, the three hundred thousand in chips was completely wiped out.

The transition from heaven to hell took only the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

"Gone... how can it be gone..."

A-Zhe collapsed soullessly into his chair, his eyes hollow, muttering to himself.

He turned out all his pockets, unable to find even a single coin.

"Get out, get out, get out! Don't take up space if you have no money!" The dealer shoved him aside like shooing away a fly.

A-Zhe staggered to his feet, wandering around the casino like a stray ghost.

He saw those who had won laughing wildly, those who had lost cursing, every face filled with greed and desire.

His performance was a success.

He could sense that several gazes in the shadows had already locked onto him.

Like sharks smelling blood in the water.

He walked to an empty corner, pressed his back against the damp wall, slowly slid down to the floor, and buried his face in his knees.

His shoulders twitched slightly, emitting a suppressed, desperate whimper.

Tch, even the Oscars owe me a little golden statue.

Chen Yu awarded himself mental praise.

At that moment, a pair of polished leather shoes stopped right in front of him.

A greasy voice came from above.

"Brother, having bad luck?"

Chen Yu slowly raised his head, looking at the newcomer with bloodshot eyes.

A middle-aged man wearing a floral shirt, a thick gold chain, and a fleshy smile full of arrogance.

A human smuggler.

The fish had taken the bait.

"Want to... win it back?" The man squatted down, patted his shoulder, and smiled like a benevolent Maitreya Buddha.

"I've got a good gig here, quick money, food and lodging included."

"Interested in a chat?"