Chapter 83

Chapter 81: The Antiques of the Black Tiger Gang

At this moment, everyone saw the end of the high-stakes gambling session with a total of 40 million yuan, and the onlookers were thrilled, but they also lost interest in continuing their own games. After all, after witnessing a grand feast of gambling with tens of millions of yuan, no one was willing to return to their own small stakes, which were less than a million. So, they all took their chips, exchanged them, and left.

Liu Dong originally wanted to show some gratitude to the young man in the black T-shirt who had stepped forward to help him. However, by the time he and Wang Haitao transferred the money to his card and came back, there were already very few people left on the second floor. Seeing this, a hint of regret appeared in Liu Dong's eyes.

"Liu brother, the antiques I've been collecting have been organized. Would you like to take a look?" At this moment, Wang Haitao, standing beside him, suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Liu Dong's eyes lit up. Apart from carving, he was most interested in antique collecting and appraisal. Moreover, after absorbing a lot of antique knowledge from Old Li's notes, he indeed needed to practice his appraisal skills with actual items. After all, the extraordinary ability he gained at his brow was too mysterious and sudden, and Liu Dong couldn't be sure it wouldn't suddenly disappear.

Furthermore, no matter how good an ability was, it couldn't replace his own extensive knowledge. After all, that was what would truly benefit him for life and ensure his future. So, when he heard Wang Haitao's words, Liu Dong nodded in agreement.

Seeing him nod, Wang Haitao was naturally pleased. This gambling session had given him a new understanding of Liu Dong. The impression of his strong presence hadn't faded; instead, the image of a young tycoon had become even clearer. This further confirmed that the ordinary-looking young man in front of him was indeed extraordinary, just as he had thought.

Of course, after seeing that Liu Dong's net worth exceeded 40 million yuan, he had basically given up on the idea of recruiting him into the Black Tiger Gang. However, his years of experience in the underworld had made him determined to befriend this potential rising star.

"Are we not going down the stairs?" After following Wang Haitao for a few steps, Liu Dong asked in surprise.

"Hehe, after your big win, I bet many people on the first floor want to meet the gambling god who made 30 million yuan. If you want to go down and be admired like a monkey, we can take the stairs."

Hearing this, Liu Dong, feeling a bit embarrassed, touched his nose and said, "Then let's not!"

At this moment, Liu Dong realized that with the departure of the people on the second floor, his performance at the gambling table, where he won nearly 30 million yuan from Han Lei, the sole heir of the Han-style jewelry, had already spread throughout the entire casino.

Moreover, those who came here at this time were naturally true gamblers. Even those who, like him, came to play a few small games in their spare time, would be interested in high-stakes gambling.

Thinking about the much larger crowd in the first-floor hall, he believed that if not for the guards at the stairwell and the Black Tiger Gang's control, these people would have already rushed up to admire him, the new tycoon who had won 30 million yuan at the gambling table.

Seeing the unnatural expression on Liu Dong's face, Wang Haitao couldn't help but smile. It was the first time he had seen such an awkward expression on the calm, 20-year-old young man.

After this, Liu Dong obediently followed Wang Haitao without saying anything more.

In the Black Tiger Gang's casino, besides the stairs on the second floor, there was actually an elevator. The principle of having multiple escape routes was even more evident in such a place that couldn't be exposed to the light.

So, this elevator was generally only used by the Black Tiger Gang's internal casino staff to transport money and chips. At this moment, Wang Haitao led Liu Dong out of the casino through this elevator.

After turning a few corners in the sealed corridor, they arrived in front of a password-protected security door. When Wang Haitao personally entered the password and pressed his right thumb, a light 'click' sound was heard, and the tightly closed security door split open, leaving a gap of just a few millimeters.

Seeing this, the Black Tiger Gang members standing on both sides of the security door immediately stepped forward and pulled the door open from the inside.

"Liu brother, let's go in!"

"Sure!" Hearing this, Liu Dong, who was already curious about the place, followed Wang Haitao inside.

After entering, Liu Dong found that the space behind the security door was not as spacious and grand as he had imagined, filled with various antique art pieces. The space was only about 20 square meters, rectangular in shape, with a one-meter-wide aisle in the middle. On both sides were four steel display racks, each about five meters long and four layers high, directly welded to the surrounding walls and floor.

Although the racks were now filled with items, Liu Dong felt disappointed because most of the items on the steel racks were not the antique art pieces he was eager to see, but rather luxury items like gold watches and jewelry.

Seeing the expression on Liu Dong's face, Wang Haitao could guess what he was thinking and couldn't help but smile. "Liu brother, you know that antique appraisal requires a keen eye. My men are good at fighting, but they are far from being able to appraise antiques. So, the items we accept as collateral are mostly gold, silver, and jewelry, which are easier to value. I'm sorry to disappoint you!"

In fact, Wang Haitao was only telling half the truth. The reason there were so few antique art pieces was that a large part of them had been given away as gifts. After all, in today's political arena, the era of giving large sums of cash was long gone. Antique art pieces, which are elegant, can appreciate in value, and carry less risk, have become the best gifts in the political arena. Wang Haitao naturally catered to this. Therefore, most of the genuine art pieces from the casino were given away, though he couldn't directly tell Liu Dong this.

"Wang brother, you flatter me! I'm just a beginner in antique appraisal!" Liu Dong wasn't being modest; it was his true situation.

However, Wang Haitao wasn't really concerned about this. He was more focused on how to build a good relationship with Liu Dong. Especially after Liu Dong won 30 million yuan from Han Lei, the idea of recruiting him into the Black Tiger Gang had become impossible. He needed to find a way to make them true friends. Otherwise, with Liu Dong's gambling skills, if he came to the casino every day, Wang Haitao's casino would be in for a lot of losses.

Of course, Liu Dong didn't know what Wang Haitao was thinking. Even if he did, he wouldn't care, as he had already decided not to involve himself in the casino unless necessary.

Although the money here came quickly and easily, it was easy to get addicted. He didn't want to become a pure gambler. While it might allow him to earn a lot of money in a short time, what would be the point of such a life? Moreover, earning money from others in the casino could easily make enemies, even putting his life at risk. After all, whether in China or abroad, those who control casinos are often involved in the underworld, and none of them have clean hands. Although Liu Dong wasn't afraid, he didn't need to invite unnecessary trouble.

Seeing that Liu Dong wasn't interested in the various gemstone and luxury items, Wang Haitao led him to a display rack on the right side of the wall. This rack held the antique art pieces that Liu Dong was truly interested in.

However, although the tall iron rack contained various antiques such as porcelain, paintings, and bamboo, wood, and ivory carvings, there weren't many. Liu Dong didn't count them, but he estimated there were about 30 to 40 pieces. Apart from a few, most of these antiques had a common feature: they were old and worn. Many of the porcelains had obvious cracks and chips, which made one feel a bit sad.

However, Liu Dong wasn't bothered by this. After all, items that had survived for hundreds or even thousands of years would naturally have poor condition. Although this greatly reduced their value, it was to be expected.