Chapter 23: Catching Gamblers (Part 2)

"Brother Zhu, why did you come so late?" Hou Yong heard the footsteps and knew it was Zhu Da Dong. During the day, Zhu Da Dong had told him about a place where people were gambling. Hou Yong was skeptical but decided to believe him since he hadn't reported it to the chief. Even if Zhu Da Dong couldn't find the gambling den, it wouldn't be a big deal; they could just pretend to be on stakeout elsewhere, as they hadn't had any results in the past few days.

"Brother Hou, the best time to catch gamblers is on a dark and windy night." Zhu Da Dong smiled. He had just walked around the street, turning up his hearing to the maximum, and indeed heard several places.

"Why do I hear that dark and windy nights are good for murders?" Hou Yong kept stomping his feet. He was wearing a military overcoat, but the cotton shoes on his feet were useless at this hour, and his feet were almost frozen.

"You guys catch gamblers and impose fines, isn't that almost like murder?" Zhu Da Dong laughed.

"Brother, stop dilly-dallying. Is what you said really true?" Hou Yong rubbed his hands and finally lit a cigarette. Normally, smoking was not allowed during stakeouts because the red glow of the cigarette could be seen from far away at night, but he couldn't care less now. It seemed Zhu Da Dong was just teasing him.

"I found three places. Do you want to hit them all at once or one by one?" Zhu Da Dong smiled.

"Cough, what?" Hou Yong couldn't spit out the smoke and coughed several times, not believing his ears. There were actually three places. All the police officers and over ten security guards had been dispatched, but they hadn't heard any news in the past few days.

"One is at the east end of the street, one at the west end, and the last one, you probably wouldn't believe, is at our school." Zhu Da Dong said slowly. He was most angry about the gambling at the school. What kind of place is a school? It's for education, not for gambling. Now, during the holidays, it was being used as a gambling den, which was outrageous.

"They are all far apart. We'll take them one by one. You wait here, I'll go get some help." Hou Yong quickly extinguished his cigarette. Catching gamblers was more important than smoking.

"Brother Hou, remember what you promised me. Don't let anyone know. I don't want to be the target of everyone's anger." Zhu Da Dong whispered from behind.

"Don't worry, no one will know." Hou Yong whispered back and disappeared into the darkness.

Although he couldn't see Hou Yong, Zhu Da Dong could hear his footsteps. By his hearing, he knew Hou Yong was walking towards the middle of the street. Soon, he stopped behind a two-story building, softly calling a few names, asking them to follow him quickly.

When Hou Yong was still over a hundred meters away from Zhu Da Dong, he turned and quietly told them to wait there. He then tiptoed to Zhu Da Dong's side.

"Take me to scout first, then I'll bring the others to raid." Hou Yong said.

Zhu Da Dong knew he was doing this to keep his identity secret and was deeply moved. Despite his rough appearance, Hou Yong was actually quite meticulous.

"Alright, follow me. Let's go to the school first?" Zhu Da Dong whispered.

"Sure, you lead the way. Wherever you point, I'll go." Hou Yong smiled softly.

The two quickly arrived at Shulin Middle School. As soon as Hou Yong entered, he looked around, but the entire school was pitch black. Where was the gambling? Just as Hou Yong was about to ask, Zhu Da Dong grabbed his wrist and led him to the bottom of the student dormitory building. Zhu Da Dong whispered in Hou Yong's ear, "The second room on the right on the second floor. They've blocked the windows and doors with sheets, so you can't see any light."

Hou Yong then observed more carefully and noticed that the second room on the right on the second floor was indeed unusual. If he listened closely, he could hear voices. He felt a surge of joy, gently patted Zhu Da Dong's shoulder, and signaled him to go out and talk.

After leaving the school, Hou Yong whispered to Zhu Da Dong, "Wait for us to act, then quietly return to the dormitory. Meet us at the same place in an hour."

"Chief Hou, where did you get this information? Is it reliable?" Li Huaqun, the police officer in charge of public security, had already noticed that Hou Yong had left them here to meet his informant. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could faintly hear voices. In the quiet night, even the smallest sound could travel far.

"Is it reliable? We'll know soon. Get ready. The people are in the student dormitory at the school. Everyone knows the place, the second room on the right on the second floor." Hou Yong ignored Li Huaqun and gave the order softly.

"Damn, these people actually went to the school. No wonder." Li Huaqun had been on stakeout with three security guards at an old gambling den for several hours, drinking the cold north wind, but hadn't seen a single person.

"Maintain discipline. If anyone escapes, I'll deal with you." Hou Yong shouted.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The door to the second room on the right on the second floor of the student dormitory at Shulin Middle School was kicked open by Hou Yong. Inside, a candle was indeed lit. He was delighted and shouted, "Don't move, it's the police!"

The only way in and out of the dormitory was through the door. Hou Yong and his team blocked the door, leaving no escape for the people inside, who could only surrender.

"Mr. Yuan, why aren't you gambling at home? Why did you come to the school?" Li Huaqun's flashlight revealed the old gambler. He had been on stakeout at Mr. Yuan's house all night, but never expected him to come to the school during the holidays.

"Officer Li, I didn't expect you to be so capable. We only came here today, and you already found us." Mr. Yuan wasn't nervous at all, smiling. Since he was caught, the gambling money would be confiscated, and he might have to pay a fine, but he wouldn't have to go to jail. His cousin was the town mayor, Yuan Ping.

"Our police are naturally capable. Li Huaqun, gather the evidence and take them back to the station." Hou Yong had seen the money on the table when he entered. A quick glance told him there was at least several thousand. These people were really rich, especially Mr. Yuan, who had made a lot of money thanks to his cousin being the town mayor.

"Chief Hou, can you show some mercy? It's so cold, staying at the station for a night would freeze us. Let me go home first, and I'll bring the fine tomorrow. Okay?" Mr. Yuan said with a grin.

"Take them back to the station first." Hou Yong said thoughtfully. Mr. Yuan should know better than to plead for mercy in front of so many people, even if his cousin was the town mayor.

The first raid was a success, which greatly increased Hou Yong's confidence in Zhu Da Dong. He never expected Zhu Da Dong to bring him such a big surprise. Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can one measure the sea with a bucket.

However, he didn't act on his own for the next two gambling dens. Since there were still two more to raid, he needed to report to the chief. He couldn't do everything alone, and the credit shouldn't be his alone. Having been in the police force for a long time, Hou Yong knew some rules needed to be followed. Sometimes, going too far could be worse.