Chapter 122: The Cleanup

After the men dragged the man who could barely keep his eyes open away, Liu Sheng spent the morning comforting Xiao Ya. Yang He's family also realized their mistakes.

"Liu Sheng, please rest assured, we will treat your sister well from now on. It is our fault that Yang He has become like this; it is our failure as parents to discipline him. Xiao Ya is a good girl who has broken her heart for this family. Our whole family has failed her."

Seeing the change in attitude toward Xiao Ya, Liu Sheng felt a bit more at ease, but as it was their family matter, he did not dwell on it.

Traumatized, Xiao Ya soon fell asleep in bed. Liu Sheng did not linger, for he was now determined to purge every single casino in Chong City.

Learning from the men earlier that there were six casinos in total, Liu Sheng called Zhou Jin, ordering him to send more men and, using his authority as the administrator of Chong City, to drive all these casinos out of the city. Liu Sheng then headed to the casino that had sent men to collect the debt.

That afternoon, Liu Yao World Film Company mobilized a large force to clear out all the casinos in Chong City. Liu Sheng also contacted Fang Po, creating an opportunity for him to earn credit; after Liu Sheng and his team finished, Fang Po could simply step in and take over, allowing him to claim success with minimal effort.

When Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong arrived at the casino, they were met with a foul, smoke-filled atmosphere. The sounds of rolling dice and shuffling tiles filled the air, accompanied by shouts of "Big! Big! Big!"

Scanning the room, Liu Sheng spotted a familiar figure. He could not be mistaken; it was Yang He.

Liu Sheng walked straight up behind him and grabbed his arm. Yang He turned around abruptly, and upon seeing Liu Sheng, he stammered with a nervous smile, "Liu Sheng, why are you here?"

Liu Sheng said nothing, dragging Yang He into the restroom. Once inside, he delivered a swift kick that sent Yang He sprawling onto the floor. "What are you doing?" Yang He grumbled, looking up.

"Weren't they unable to find you? You're right here—are they blind?" Liu Sheng retorted coldly.

Several bouncers, sensing a disturbance, burst into the restroom. "Causing trouble here is a death wish!"

Liu Sheng recognized them as the same men he had dealt with earlier that morning. Pointing at Yang He on the floor, he demanded, "If you don't give me a clear explanation for this morning's events, you won't leave here alive!"

The men remembered Liu Sheng’s ruthlessness earlier that day. They showed no fear, acting as if killing were a common occurrence. Under pressure, they confessed: Yang He owed the casino 300,000. Knowing that Xiao Ya would be distressed and that Liu Sheng would surely intervene to pay, Yang He had staged a scene with the bouncers to swindle 400,000 out of Liu Sheng—300,000 to cover the debt and 100,000 to keep gambling.

Hearing this, Liu Sheng hauled Yang He up. "I gave you 200,000 last time to pay off your debts! How did another 300,000 appear?"

Yang He, seeing the bouncers cowed by Liu Sheng, dared not speak. Even they were afraid of Liu Sheng, and Yang He knew better than to play tough. When Liu Sheng turned his glare toward the bouncers, they quickly stammered, "He did pay off the last debt; this 300,000 is what he's racked up recently."

"Have I been too merciful to you?" Liu Sheng asked, but without waiting for an answer, he unleashed a barrage of punches on Yang He. Since Yang He was incorrigible, Liu Sheng abandoned all politeness. Besides, with all the casinos in Chong City shutting down today, there would be nowhere left for him to gamble.

Once he had tired himself out, Liu Sheng turned to the bouncers. "Take me to your boss."

"The boss isn't here," they replied.

Liu Sheng knew they were lying. He glanced at Ren Xiadong, intending for him to intimidate them, but Ren Xiadong simply drew his gun. "Do as you're told, or I might lose control of my hand!"

Fearing for their lives, the men led them to an office at the back. Two bodyguards stood at the door, blocking their path. Liu Sheng delivered a high kick to one, while Ren Xiadong kicked the other in the stomach, sending him crashing through the door.

Inside, the boss was in the middle of a tryst with a woman. She scrambled to cover herself as they entered, while the boss stood naked, shouting, "Who are you people? Get out!"

Liu Sheng mocked them, "Such refined tastes, doing this anywhere. This woman clearly isn't your wife. How much does she owe you to make her do this?"

The boss pulled a gun from his drawer, but Ren Xiadong instantly leveled his own weapon at him. Liu Sheng signaled for Ren to lower his gun, but Ren refused, saying, "Put the gun down, or I'll kill you!"

The boss countered, "You put yours down, or I'll kill him!"

"Put it down!" Liu Sheng commanded Ren.

"No! Make him put it down first!" Ren refused, his nerves fraying. He had never aimed a gun at a person before, but he was prepared to shoot if anything happened to Liu Sheng.

"Put it down," Liu Sheng said calmly. "His gun has no bullets."

Ren Xiadong looked at him in disbelief but, remembering Liu Sheng's supernatural abilities, complied. Liu Sheng then walked slowly toward the boss, who retreated until his back hit the wall. Liu Sheng grabbed the barrel of the gun and pressed it against his own forehead. "Shoot, or you die."

"Don't force me!" the boss cried.

"Shoot!" Liu Sheng shouted.

"I'm really going to do it!"

"Do it!"

The boss closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. *Click.* He pulled it several more times. Nothing. He collapsed to the floor, staring at the weapon in confusion. Liu Sheng opened his hand, letting six bullets fall to the floor.

The boss looked up at him as if he were a monster. "Have I offended you in some way?"

Liu Sheng crouched down. "Is your boss Hu Yinghe?"

Terrified by the thought that Liu Sheng was more than human, the man replied, "My immediate boss isn't Hu Yinghe, but his superior is."

Liu Sheng’s resolve hardened. He could tolerate many things, but not when they involved Xiao Ya and his friends. He decided that Hu Yinghe would never be allowed to rise again.

Liu Sheng took out his authority card. "Hu Yinghe may be a man of Hua Yong with more power than me, but this is my territory, and I call the shots here!"

He signaled to Ren Xiadong, who understood immediately. With trembling hands, Ren raised his gun to the boss's chest and pulled the trigger. A loud *bang* echoed through the room. The boss collapsed, lifeless, and the gamblers in the main hall fled in a panic.

"What now?" Ren asked, his voice shaking.

"It's fine, the company will handle it," Liu Sheng said coldly. "Let's go. Fang Po will be here soon."

He retrieved Yang He from the restroom, slung him over his back, and left the casino. After dropping Yang He off with Ren Xiadong to be taken home, Liu Sheng called Fang Po to delay his arrival, giving the company time to clean up.

By the end of the day, there was not a single underground casino left in Chong City. Liu Sheng had done this to weaken Hu Yinghe's influence and to purge his jurisdiction of such destructive places. He knew that if one person in a family gambled, there would be no happiness for anyone.

As he returned home, Liu Sheng’s mind was fixated on how to make Hu Yinghe pay. The incident with Xiao Ya had left him seething. Without Hu Yinghe, there would be no casinos; without casinos, Yang He would not gamble; and without gambling, Xiao Ya would not have suffered. He wanted Hu Yinghe to suffer a fate worse than death.