Inside a luxury car!
The head of the Zhou Family looked grim.
The clan elder grumbled, "This is outrageous! They actually took one of our secondary licenses? This is clearly a deliberate slap in our faces... Big Brother! Are we really going to just endure this?"
The Zhou Family head replied, "What else can we do besides endure it?"
The clan elder said, "Make a scene..."
The Zhou Family head looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Make a scene? What era do you think this is? Still wanting to make a scene... Do you want to die?"
"Commissioner Pu is just looking for an excuse to deal with our Zhou Family. Do you want to rush to give him one?"
"The moment we make a scene, he'll take action..."
The clan elder asked, "So we're just going to watch as Qin Jiang takes our gambling license? Watch him team up with the Ning Family to suppress us? Watch ourselves slowly fall?"
The Zhou Family head said, "The Zhou Family has been rooted in the Pu Region for over a hundred years with numerous industries here. While losing a gambling license is a heavy loss, it won't shake our foundations. As for Qin Jiang and the Ning Family cooperating! That won't happen! Although the two families have some history, Qin Jiang's casino will absolutely not seek cooperation with the Ning Family. If that happened, the reputation of a three-legged balance of power would be lost, and Commissioner Pu wouldn't allow it. Qin Jiang's main base is in the northern mainland; he won't interfere too much in Pu Region business. To him, this is just a transit point, an optional stopover. It's just expanding his footprint, but he won't focus on development here. After all, the Pu Region doesn't have the soil for him to develop!"
He spoke with absolute certainty.
He had conducted a detailed investigation into Qin Jiang and the Black Dragon Group and knew the direction of their industrial deployment.
Tourism! Catering! Entertainment! Real estate!
These industries generally don't adapt well to the Pu Region and have no room to take root. The market value of those industries adds up to hundreds of billions. Relatively speaking, the value produced by a gambling license in the Pu Region is nothing. As long as Qin Jiang is a smart man, he won't shift his focus to the Pu Region; he'll just act as the third force to balance both sides. This is what Commissioner Pu wants to see! Or rather: this is also the reason Commissioner Pu chose him!
What?
The clan elder was shocked!
His own family head said that Qin Jiang wouldn't value this gambling license he had just obtained? That was a gambling license! Something so many people dreamed of!
Qin Jiang didn't value it?
What right did he have?
Did he deserve it? Hmm! He deserved it!
He had to admit that Qin Jiang had the capital to not value it: with a net worth of hundreds of billions, he probably really didn't care about the profits of a casino, let alone that his main base wasn't here, so the influence generated here wouldn't be of much use to him.
The clan elder asked, "So, the family head means he won't cooperate with the Ning Family, then who will he cooperate with?"
The family head said, "He will choose a force from the local Pu Region, that is, choose an agent. With his reputation and status in the Pu Region, he no longer needs to choose those with strong backgrounds; he will only choose one that is easy to handle! I guess those small and medium-sized forces are going to go crazy..."
Everyone knew that being selected by the Black Dragon Group as an agent, even if only as a figurehead, could definitely make a small family take off.
Money! Status! Everything would skyrocket!
Especially status: as an agent for a gambling license holder, one would be a prominent figure in the Pu Region.
Then, they would have the qualifications to share the cake, and the future channels for making money would be countless. Being Qin Jiang's agent was a massive opportunity for small and medium-sized families.
...
In the car!
Third Master Ning said, "Family Head! I didn't expect Commissioner Pu to really give the new gambling license to Mr. Qin Jiang..."
The Ning Family head said, "It's very reasonable! Qin Jiang obtaining this gambling license is the optimal choice for Commissioner Pu."
Third Master Ning said, "He occupies the right time, the right place, and the right people! Would you say this young man has destiny on his side..."
The Ning Family head said, "What destiny? Destiny also requires ability to be attained. If it weren't for his hundreds of billions in net worth, if it weren't for his existing influence in the mainland, if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't care about the value of this gambling license, and if it weren't for the fact that he and the Zhou Family are already at odds, this gambling license wouldn't have been given to him. So this is not destiny at all? It's only natural! To put it boldly: the gambling license needs him, not him needing the gambling license."
Third Master Ning said, "That's true! By the way... Mr. Qin obtained one gambling license, plus the Ning Family's three! From now on, it's a four-to-two situation, and the Ning Family can finally firmly hold the upper hand over the Zhou Family."
"After decades, we've finally won a round!"
Over these years, although the Zhou and Ning families seemed evenly matched, the Zhou Family was actually suppressing the Ning Family everywhere because they had support from external forces. This can be seen from the fact that Rong Xing is the number one junket agent.
The Ning Family head said, "It's not four-to-two! That one of Qin Jiang's is independent... and it must be independent."
Third Master Ning said, "You mean we shouldn't help Qin Jiang set up the casino."
The Ning Family head said, "He won't ask us for help, and we cannot help. What the higher-ups want to see is a three-legged balance of power, not one family dominating... Previously, the Zhou Family had a faint trend of suppressing the Ning Family, and with external forces involved, that is why Commissioner Pu introduced a new force to create a three-way balance. Stability is the primary element of development."
"Of course, Qin Jiang won't care about one gambling license, and he certainly won't spend great effort shifting his focus. I estimate that Qin Jiang will soon choose an agent in the Pu Region."
Third Master Ning said, "Then it seems some small and medium-sized families are about to take off... Who could it be? Wait... It seems Qin Jiang really has some relationship with a small family in the Pu Region... Tsk tsk... The Zhong Family! They are likely going to take off..."
The Ning Family head said, "The Zhong Family? That's good luck... It's both timing and destiny!"
...
In the car!
Zhao Shanhe said, "Brother Jiang plans to find that Zhong Family to act as the agent..."
Qin Jiang said, "It depends on their sincerity..."
Zhao Shanhe said, "This Zhong Family is indeed quite sensible. Even in our previous situation, they didn't distance themselves, nor did they bow to Rong Xing. They have backbone, and they value loyalty too..."
These Black Dragon Personnel also had a very good opinion of the Zhong Family. After they were attacked by Rong Xing, everyone avoided them, but only Zhong Ling came to the hospital to see them. The Zhong Family didn't stop her, and afterwards, they didn't attend Rong Xing's birthday banquet, which revealed a lot.
They valued loyalty! They weren't two-faced! They knew when to advance and retreat!
Zhao Shanhe and the others, who came from the streets, valued this highly; they didn't like those who were slick. For example, they were willing to associate with Ning Hua but unwilling to associate with the Ning Family, as some of the high-level members of the Ning Family were very slick.
Qin Jiang said, "When does the auction start..."
Zhao Shanhe said, "At 7 PM, we board at the ** pier, and at 8 PM, we sail into international waters to officially start the auction!"
Qin Jiang said, "While there is still time, call the person in charge of the Zhong Family over!"
Zhao Shanhe said, "Understood!"
...
The Zhong Family!
Upon learning that Qin Jiang had obtained the new gambling license and had sent someone to summon their manager, the whole family was shaken.
They seemed to have a premonition of something...
Old Master Zhong said loudly, "Quick! Prepare the car! Eldest, Second, Third... and Little Ling, come with me... Also, prepare a generous gift, and bring that painting by Tang Bohu that I treasure..."