Chapter 187 plans to be known as the "Ghost Hand" Neo, which owns a series of shopping malls throughout northern California. He is also an avid gambler in Las Vegas, usually staying at the Grand Hotel. He is particularly fond of sports gambling and has had a lot of luck. Neo made big bets, $50,000 in football and sometimes $10,000 in basketball. He loses all the small bets, and he almost always wins the big ones, which makes him think he has a smart mind. Franos soon learned of this trait of Neo.

Neo is tall and big, about 1.82 meters tall and weighs more than 300 pounds. Fitting his size, his appetite is surprisingly large, and no matter how much he puts in front of him, he can eat it all. He boasted that his stomach had a shunt connected to it, that all the food was unblocked, that it never got stuck in his digestive system, and that he naturally did not gain weight. He was so triumphant that he declared that it was a mockery of the supreme nature of creation.

It turns out that "Ghost Hand" is a natural expert in cheating, hence the nickname. When staying at the Grand Hotel, he invited his friends to enjoy the hotel's free hospitality, completely broke the rules of the room dining department, and tried his best to record the money he spent on the money he played with the girl and bought gifts to the hotel's account. Also, when he loses money gambling and accumulates a lot of IOUs, he will put it off until the next time he comes to the hotel. Not at all like a cultivated gentleman who pays off his money in a month.

Although Neo has always had a good fortune when he gambles on sports, he has had no luck when he goes to the casino. He has superb gambling skills, is familiar with the probability of winning and losing, and does not make mistakes in gambling, but his natural exuberance often makes it difficult for him to control himself, and the money won in sports gambling is not enough for him to lose. The Eastwood family became interested in him, not for money, but for long-term strategic reasons.

The Eastwood family's ultimate goal is to legalize sports gambling throughout the United States, and any scandal in sports gambling would undermine the achievement of this goal, so the family investigates Neo's origins.

The results were so appalling that Tommy and Franos were ordered to rush to the San Bernardino mansion for a meeting. This is Tommy's first action since returning from Locketown.

Tommy and Franos fly back east together.

Don #Eastwood, Alfred, Hammer, and Thayer, among others, wait to greet them under the grape trellis in the mansion's garden. As is customary, they have lunch together before getting down to business.

Alfred put things on the table.

Investigations have revealed that Neo has cheated at some college ball games in the Midwest. He could make a fortune in professional football and professional basketball. This is done by bribing officials and certain players, which is very unsafe and dangerous. Once exposed in broad daylight, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar and become a major scandal that would nearly end the Eastwood family's plans to legalize sports gambling. Obviously, this will eventually be revealed.

"The police department invests far more manpower in investigating sports fraud than in a series of homicides!" Alfred said, "I can't say why. What does it really matter who wins and who loses? This kind of fraud does not harm anyone except the wager registration brokers, not to mention that the police department also hates these brokers. If the 'ghost hands' had ridden all of the Notre Mary football team's games and guaranteed them to win every game, all Americans would have rejoiced. ”

Tommy said impatiently, "Why are we still talking so much nonsense? Send someone to tell him to get out, no. ”

Hammer replied, "We've already tried it." That guy is no ordinary person. He had no idea what fear was all about. After the warning, he went his own way. ”

"They call him 'Ghost Hand,' and he likes it when people call him that," Fixio said. He never paid his bills, even the Internal Revenue Service, and he ran a store that refused to pay sales tax, for which he fought a lawsuit with the state of California. Damn, he didn't even want to give alimony to his ex-wife and children. He was born a scoundrel. It's useless to talk to him about anything. ”

"Franos, he gambles a lot in Las Vegas, you know him," Alfred said. What do you think? ”

Franos pondered for a moment.

"It always takes a long time for him to pay his debts. But he will definitely return it. He's a great gambler, he's not cheating, he's the kind of guy who doesn't like people, but he's rich, so he has a lot of friends, and he often goes to Las Vegas. In fact, even though he cheated in sports gambling and made some money from us, he was still a cornucopia for us. Forget it. As he spoke, Franos noticed that Thayer was smiling, as if he knew something that Francos did not yet know.

"We can't just leave it at that!" Alfred said, "Because of the fucking ghost, this Neo! It's a madman. He was preparing to make some crazy moves and cheat in the Super Cup. ”

For the first time, Don #Eastwood spoke, and he asked Franos bluntly, "Fran, is it possible for him to do that?" ”。

This question, in effect, is a compliment, indicating that Don recognizes Franos as an expert in this field.

"Impossible!" Franos said to Don: "You can't bribe the Super Cup officials, because no one knows who they are. You can't bribe the players either, because good players make too much money. Besides, if you bribe a game, you will never be 100% sure of success. If you can afford to arrange the outcome of a game in advance, you have to be able to pay a bribe for fifty or a hundred games. That way, even if you lose three or four games, you won't lose. So, if you can afford to pay bribes on a large scale, it's worth the risk. ”

"Great!" Tang said: "So, why would such a rich person do such a stupid thing? ”。

"He wants to be famous!" "To bribe the Super Cup, he has to take a huge risk and he will definitely be caught," Franos said. It was so horrible that I couldn't imagine what it would be like. The Ghost Hand will find it clever to do so. He is this kind of person, who thinks that he will get rid of the golden cicada and get rid of all troubles. ”

"I've never met anyone like this." Don said.

"It's only in the United States that there are people like that," Alfred said. ”

"Still, he's a big threat to what we want to do!" Don said: "Based on the information you provided, he is an unreasonable person. So, we have no choice. ”

Franos said, "Wait. He brings in half a million dollars a year in profits for the casino. ”

"It's a matter of principle," Hammer said. The staking registration broker pays us money and allows us to protect their interests. ”

"Let me talk to him," Franos said. Maybe he'll listen to me. It's just a small thing. There's no way he's going to cheat in the Super Cup. It's not worth the effort. It was then that he noticed his father glaring at him, and he realized that he should not object.

Tang said categorically: "This person is too dangerous. Don't ramble with him, Fran. He doesn't know who you really are. Why should he be given this opportunity? This man is too dangerous because he is so stupid, stupid as a pig! I want to eat everything. Once caught, he will do everything possible to harm others. Whether it's true or not, he's always going to involve everyone. He paused, then looked at Thayer and said, "Grandson, I think it's up to you to do this." But let Tommy do the planning, he knows the road with ease. ”

Thayer nodded.

Tommy knows it's not going to be good. If something happens to Thayer, the blame lies with him. In addition, he also saw a little. Don and Alfred have already made up their minds that Thayer will be in charge of the Eastwood family in the future. But for now, they have little confidence in Thayer's judgment.

Arriving in Las Vegas, Thayer checked in for a suite at the Grand Mansion. Neo "Ghost Hand" will not be here for a week, and on this occasion, Frans and Tommy tell Thayer about the situation of "Ghost Hand" Neo.

"The 'Ghost Hand' is an avid gambler!" "But it's not enough to live in a villa. It does not belong to the class of Arabs and Asians. His expenses for room and board were extremely large, and he wanted to take everything for nothing. He took his friends to the restaurant for a free meal and asked for the best wine, and he even wanted to buy a gift for free. We do not offer this offer to our villa-staying gamblers. He's an expert at cheating, and the bookmaker has to beware of him. He would claim to have made a bet the moment the dice came to rest on the table. When playing baccarat, he also tried to place a bet after the first card was revealed. When playing blackjack, when the next card is a three, he claims to get eighteen.

He always took a long time to pay off his debts, but he still brought us half a million dollars a year, and that was after deducting the dividends he made from sports gambling. He is cunning. He even asked for chips for his friends and put them on his own head, which made us mistakenly think that he was a fierce gambler. It's all the same little tricks that used to be used by those guys in the costume center in the past. Once you are unlucky, the more you are red-eyed, the more you will lose. Last year, he gambled $2 million, and we threw him a drinking party and gave him a Cadillac. He scratched angrily and said that he should be awarded a Mercedes. ”

Thayer said angrily: "He took the chips and money from the cashier's room, but he didn't gamble? ”。

"Yes!" "A lot of guys do that. We don't care. We like to play dumb. This makes them feel more confident when they sit down at the table. I think they're going to beat us! ”。

"Why do people call him 'Ghost Hand'?" Thayer asked.

"Because he always takes things for nothing!" Frans replied, "When he fooled around with women, he always bit them, as if he were going to bite off a big piece of meat. However, no one accused him. He's a very, very good guy at acting. ”

Thayer said in a daze, "I can't wait to see him." ”

"He never convinced Ilsa to let him live in the villa!" Franos said, "So, I don't give it to him either." ”

Upon hearing this, Thayer glared at him angrily and said, "Why can't I live in a villa?" ”。

"Because if you stay overnight, you'll have to put in a hundred thousand to a million dollars in the hotel." Frans replied.

"But Alfred always lives in the villa," Dent said. ”

"That's good!" "I'll talk to Alfred about this," Farlaos said. Both of them knew in their hearts that Thayer's request would make Alfred furious.

"Ten chances of him will agree." Thayer said.

"When you get married!" "It's possible to spend your honeymoon in the villa. ”

Tommy said, "My plan of action is mainly to use Neo's surname. Franos, stay in Las Vegas and help us lure that guy in. You'll have to get Thayer to borrow endlessly from the cashier's office before his IOUs disappear. In the meantime, everything is stuck in Los Angeles, and you have to make sure that guy is here as scheduled and in the suite he booked. Then, you throw him a cocktail party and award him a Rolls-Royce. Also, you'll have to introduce Thayer and me to him. After that, it's none of your business. ”

It took Tommy more than an hour to explain the detailed plan. Thayer genuinely admired, "Alfred always says you and Sam are the best. Don sent you to guide me, and I was annoyed at the time. Still, I could see he was right. ”

Tommy was indifferent to these compliments. He said to Thayer, "Remember, this time it's for him to disappear, not some other plan." It looked like he was running away. Judging by his file and all the cases prosecuted against him, this approach works. Thayer, don't wear your damn shorts and cowboy hat this time. People can remember the grotesque. Remember, Tang said that he wanted the guy to confess the inside story of the bribery, but this matter must not be a big deal. That guy is the general leader, and once he dies, the fraud will not be able to be done. So don't do anything out of the ordinary. ”

Thayer said coldly: "I'm out of luck not wearing shorts and a cowboy hat." ”

Tommy shrugged.

"Also, don't play tricks when it comes to unlimited loans. This is the meaning of Don himself, who does not want to lose a large sum of money for this operation. They already had to buy a Rolls. ”

"Don't worry!" "My work is my joy," Thayer said. He paused, with a sly smile on his face, and said, "I hope you can give me a good review this time." ”

Frans was shocked. It is clear that there is hostility between the two men. Thayer's daring to threaten his father made Franos even more horrified. Regardless of whether Thayer is Don's grandson or not, once this happens, the consequences are unimaginable.

But Thayer didn't seem to care. "You're a member of the Eastwood family, how old am I, dare to judge you?" Tommy said, patting Thayer on the shoulder, "We're on a mission together this time. Let's have fun. ”

After Neo arrives at the Grand Hotel, Thayer has been secretly observing him. He was tall and fat, but he was very strong, and the fat of his whole body was firmly on his bones, and he did not tremble at all. He wears a blue chinos shirt with a large pocket sewn on the left and right chest, with only a white button in the middle. One pocket was stuffed with a hundred-dollar worth of black chips, and the other pocket was a whiteboard with gold-encrusted $500 chips. The red five-dollar chips and the green twenty-five chips were stuffed in the pockets of his fat white canvas trousers. At his feet were loose brown sandals.

The "ghost hands" spend most of their time playing craps gambling, which has the highest probability of winning. Franos and Thayer learned that he had wagered $10,000 for two college basketball games and $5,000 for a horse race in Santa Anita, with illegal gambling agents in town. Neo, the "ghost hand", does not intend to pay taxes. He doesn't seem to be worried about the bet he's made. He's having fun rolling the dice.

He banked at the craps table and asked the other gamblers to bet with him. He shouted merrily and told them not to shrink back. He gambled on black chips, and all the numbers on the board were piled up, and he gambled all the way through. As soon as he picked up the dice, he threw them, bouncing them against the baffle across the table and bouncing back into his reach. Then, he tried to catch it with his hands, but the guy at the casino was alert and hooked the dice with a stick so that others could bet as well.

Thayer also sat down at the craps table and followed Neo to make a bet in order to win. Then, he only makes side bets, which are dangerous bets that he will lose unless he gambles on good luck. He pays four and ten, and the probability of landing these two numbers is extremely small. On one roll, he bet on two sixes, and on another time, he bet on units and elevens, and he bet at thirty to one and fifteen to one, respectively. He filled out a $20,000 IOU, exchanged it into black chips, and spread it all out on the table. Then he filled out another IOU. That's when Neo noticed him.

"Hey, the one in the big pants, learn to play this game!" "Ghost Hand," Neo said.

Thayer waved happily at him and went on to gamble. After Neo rolled a three-seven and was eliminated, Thayer began to roll the dice, filling out a $50,000 IOU. He spread the black chips on the table, secretly hoping that his luck would not be too good. That's exactly what happened. At this moment, Neo watched him with great interest.

Neo "Ghost Hand" eats at a café that is also an ordinary American restaurant. Neo rarely goes to the Grand Mansion's fine French restaurants, Northern Italian restaurants, or authentic British royal restaurants. Five of his friends were also at the same table for dinner. "Ghost Hand" Neo gave each of them a keno ticket, so that they could eat while watching the lottery gambling. Frans and Thayer sat in a small room in the corner.

The "ghost hand" has short-cut blonde hair, much like a jovial German citizen in Bruegel's painting. He asked for a wide variety of dishes, enough for three meals, but he was so good at saving face that he not only ate most of them, but also put his fork on his companion's plate to eat.

(To be continued)