Chapter Seventy-Three: A Visit

“For your words alone, I have to raise the stakes. I can’t let the Chinese lose face! Name your amount! But let me tell you, kid, I’m not necessarily going to lose to you—do you believe it?” Wei Hua naturally knew Maurice’s hidden card was an ace, but his own was the six of spades, and ultimately, Wei Hua’s hand was stronger. Wei Hua deliberately claimed he might win to provoke Maurice, and Maurice fell for it. Consumed by rage, Maurice had waited all night for this chance at revenge—how could he let it go? He declared, “Two hundred million dollars! I’m raising by two hundred million! Chinese boy, do you dare to follow?”

Before Wei Hua could reply, Christina grabbed Maurice and exclaimed, “Maurice! Are you insane? Where are you going to get two hundred million dollars? Even with everything in your bank accounts, you only have eighty million. Where’s the rest coming from?”

“I’ll use my shares in the family business as collateral! I can’t believe the Monte Carlo Casino won’t let me mortgage company shares. Manager! Where’s the manager? Bring me an accountant and a lawyer—I want to mortgage my shares and borrow two hundred million!” The special affairs manager of the casino stepped forward, cleared everyone from the table, sealed the game, and summoned an accountant and lawyer. Evidently, the Roche-Schuyler family’s influence in Europe was considerable, for the Monte Carlo Casino swiftly handled the mortgage loan, and Maurice soon received a two hundred million dollar check. Triumphantly, he tossed the check into the pile of chips and looked at Wei Hua.

Now Wei Hua was troubled. His chips amounted to about one hundred and fifty million; he’d already bet eighty million earlier, leaving him with only seventy million and about twenty million in his personal account. All his other funds were tied up in the futures market, and being unfamiliar with Europe, he had no way to secure a loan. Just as he was at a loss, Onokura approached him and, in Japanese, asked, “Wei Hua, is something troubling you? Tonight’s events partly stem from me—if I hadn’t purposely provoked that guy, things wouldn’t have escalated. If you’re facing difficulties, please speak plainly! I think I can help.”

“All my money is in venture investments. I never expected to need such a huge sum on the spot. My bank account only holds twenty million, and I’m more than a hundred million short!” Wei Hua recalled Onokura’s repeated overtures that evening and wondered if he could help; otherwise, Wei Hua would have to call Sakura Kinoshita in Tokyo. After hearing Wei Hua, Onokura went to Simon and spoke to him in Italian: “Simon, I need a favor! You saw the Chinese friend’s bet with the French boy, right? Our Chinese friend doesn’t have enough money—I want to help him. I’ll explain why later, but I hope your family’s name can guarantee a loan of one hundred and fifty million from the casino for our Chinese friend. Don’t worry, he’s good for it, never one to default. And with my guarantee as well!”

Simon, after hearing Onokura, summoned the casino manager, and soon a check for one hundred and fifty million was handed to Wei Hua, who deftly tossed it onto the pile and said to Maurice, “Let’s show our cards!” The result was as expected—Maurice saw Wei Hua’s six of spades and shrieked, fleeing the VIP room, with Christina running after him. Wei Hua returned the one hundred and fifty million check to Simon, who gave it back to the casino, with interest deducted from Wei Hua’s chips. Maurice was gone, Christina was gone, and Onokura had no desire to gamble further with Wei Hua, so the game ended.

Leaving the Monte Carlo Casino, Wei Hua sent Selene and the other two women with their bodyguards back to the hotel, then said to Onokura, “You helped me out tonight. Let’s consider our past grievances settled. Tonight, I’d like to invite you and your Italian friend for drinks as a token of my gratitude—how about it?” Onokura was overjoyed and nodded eagerly. Wei Hua continued, “Why not invite your Italian friend as well? I want to thank him. Your friend Simon is a straightforward man—I like befriending honest people.” Turning, he addressed Simon in Italian, “Mr. Simon, thank you for your help! Would you care for a drink with me?”

Simon was taken aback to hear Wei Hua speaking fluent Italian, and Onokura remarked, “Wei Hua, it seems I’ve underestimated you. Not only are you a martial arts genius, but a linguistic one as well. To my knowledge you speak English, Japanese, French, Spanish, and now Italian so fluently—I’m truly impressed!”

“There’s much you don’t know! I’ve always wanted to ask—why did you help me today?” Wei Hua inquired.

“It wasn’t that I wanted to help you, but rather that I encountered an opportunity! Wei Hua, let me tell you, since childhood I’ve possessed an extraordinary intuition. I rely on it for many things, and it has guided me well. From the moment I met you, my intuition told me you’re not ordinary—had you lived in an age of turmoil, you’d be a hero, a savior. It’s a pity you were born in this era, but I still believe you can lead the age forward. Since the Black Dragon Society’s downfall, I believe it even more,” Onokura said candidly.

“What’s your opinion on the demise of the Black Dragon Society?” Wei Hua asked.

“I believe their fall was inevitable. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘When the cunning rabbit dies, the hound is cooked.’ The Black Dragon Society, as a political violent organization, belonged to a bygone era; they were destined to be abandoned. But they failed to realize this, still dreaming of past glory, so their destruction was unavoidable,” replied Onokura, his words carrying truth.

“In America, I merely used Koizumi Heijiro to gather intel on the Yamaguchi-gumi, which is why I cooperated with him,” Onokura seemed eager to know what Wei Hua wanted to hear.

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