Gao Fei truly disdained gambling ventures that appeared out of nowhere.
But why then did he have his childhood friend, Hu Xu, place a bet?
The reason was simple.
His struggle with Kong Liwei and Feng Kunlin had reached a critical juncture. He didn't want the person behind the gambling to interfere.
Where there's gambling, there's manipulation.
The bookie behind the scenes, upon noticing an imbalance in bets or an unfavorable trend, would inevitably step in to control the situation.
Gao Fei's current conflict with Old Kong and Old Feng was proceeding according to his plan. Therefore, he had to be wary of whoever was orchestrating this gambling setup.
As for why he invited Hu Xu to bet?
When the bookie saw a stranger, a college student, and moreover, someone not from the southern district, placing a bet, they would undoubtedly grow suspicious.
At that point, this so-called bookie would surely send people to tail and investigate.
Gao Fei's stratagem was called "luring the snake out of its hole."
After his call with Hu Xu, he dialed Wang Desheng at the Kyoto Police Department.
"Hello, Xiao Gao."
"Hello, Captain Wang."
As soon as they exchanged greetings, Captain Wang immediately said, "Xiao Gao, if you're trying to inquire about the progress of Hu Qing and the other two's cases, I'd be stepping out of line."
"Don't worry, Captain Wang. I am a law-abiding citizen and will absolutely not inquire about any case progress."
Gao Fei smiled wryly to himself. Aside from Director Ge Qing, people at the police station now were hesitant to meet or speak with him.
After all, the case involving the Hu Qing brothers had far-reaching implications, and they needed to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
"It's not about the case. Do you need something else?"
"I'm here to give Captain Wang an opportunity for a major accomplishment."
"What do you mean?"
Following that, Gao Fei gave a general overview of the gambling situation in the Chengnan Industrial Zone.
Upon hearing about a ten-million bet and a hidden bookie, Wang Desheng's eyes widened in shock.
"This is indeed a major case. What other information do you have?" Captain Wang continued to ask.
Gao Fei didn't hold back, directly describing the "lure the snake out of its hole" plan: "To draw out the people, my friend's classmate will certainly need your protection and counter-surveillance.
Therefore, I'm hoping for your support, Captain Wang!"
After hearing the plan, Wang Desheng gave a wry smile. This Xiao Gao was truly daring.
"Xiao Gao, your plan is very risky. To provide support, I might need to inform the head of the district branch. I'm just afraid..."
"Don't worry, Captain. After I speak with Director Ge Qing, you can bypass the usual procedures and proceed with the case!"
"Alright, I'll await your news."
Ending the call, Gao Fei immediately contacted Ge Qing.
He didn't beat around the bush, explaining the plan he had just discussed, and also mentioning Wang Desheng's predicament.
Director Ge, who was already filming a police documentary, heard about a new case to film, and moreover, one involving the criminal investigation team. He assured Gao Fei that he would bring his people to meet him in an hour.
With all parties contacted, Gao Fei patiently waited in his office.
An hour later, Hu Xu's classmate, plainclothes detectives from the criminal investigation team, and Ge Qing and his crew all gathered at the old cosmetics factory.
Everyone was wearing casual clothes, not uniforms, and didn't attract much attention.
Gao Fei had already outlined the basic plan over the phone.
Upon their meeting, Wang Desheng began to deploy his team. To be safe, the classmate who was supposed to place the bet was replaced by a probationary officer who had just joined the team.
Ge Qing's filming crew, on the other hand, were equipped with pinhole cameras.
After a swift briefing, Ge Qing and Wang Desheng quietly departed, not drawing any attention from the factory staff.
Everyone assumed they were distributors discussing cooperation.
As for how the operation would proceed, how it would be filmed, or what the timeline was, Gao Fei didn't ask for details.
He was still dealing with Hu Qing's case, and he aimed to maintain a low profile, focusing only on executing his planned role.
...
The next morning.
Six trucks one after another drove into the old cosmetics factory.
The second batch of raw materials ordered by Gao Fei from an unknown manufacturer had arrived.
Seeing the large quantity of materials being unloaded, the factory employees privately calculated that all the raw materials would likely arrive by tomorrow.
The production of the new perfume was imminent.
However, just as the second batch of raw materials was unloaded in the morning, the third batch arrived simultaneously.
While the factory workers were unloading, Gao Fei immediately convened a meeting with the heads of each department.
Only the department heads were permitted to attend today's meeting; other staff were not allowed to listen in.
After the meeting, besides the department heads, everyone only knew one thing: the new product would commence production tomorrow.
News of the production launch reached Feng Kunlin that very afternoon.
However, Feng Lao Keng, who had long anticipated this, remained unperturbed.
The puppet factory director and workshop supervisors at the factory were puzzled.
Gao Fei now had all his raw materials and was ready to start production tomorrow. Why wasn't his rival, Director Feng, heartbroken in any way?
Instead, he acted as if nothing was amiss, continuing his routine at the factory.
Feng Kunlin offered no further explanation to them, merely stating that everything was under control.
...
Eight o'clock in the evening.
The sky over Kyoto had darkened, with scattered stars twinkling faintly in the night sky.
Dim yellow streetlights illuminated the streets of Chengnan District, and nearby residents stepped out for a stroll after dinner to cool off.
Two hundred meters from the old cosmetics factory, by the roadside, two white vans were parked. Their windows were covered with thick solar film.
At a glance, it was impossible to see what was inside the vehicles.
However, a careful observation of the slightly flattened tires revealed that there were certainly no fewer than six people inside.
Inside the first van.
A man in the passenger seat rolled down his window a crack, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and smoke drifted out of the vehicle.
In the back seat sat seven young men, dressed in a rather rowdy fashion, with an average age of seventeen or eighteen.
The seven of them were heads down, playing mobile games, and didn't feel crowded at all.
On the contrary, they would occasionally curse or laugh due to their games.
Just then, a middle-aged man approached the white van.
The driver sat up alertly, lowered his voice, and called out, "Big brother, someone's here!"
As he spoke, the seven young men in the back immediately put down their phones and simultaneously reached under their seats.
"Don't rush, it's one of us."
The man in the passenger seat waved his hand and rolled down the window further.
The seven in the back and the driver immediately put on masks, appearing very professional.
The man outside the car did not look inside but faced away from the window, pretending to light a cigarette.
He scanned the empty street around them and said, "The situation is a bit unusual. The number of security guards on duty tonight has changed, increasing from the original six to ten. Each of them is equipped with pepper spray and a baton."
"Understood. Be careful yourself."
The man acknowledged and then rolled up the car window.
The middle-aged man dropped his cigarette butt and casually walked away.
Concurrently, two streets away from the old cosmetics factory, in front of the gate of an old residential complex.
Four or five cars and SUVs, with tinted windows, stopped near the residential area.
Inside the leading vehicle sat Wang Desheng and Ge Qing.