As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

After he finished speaking, Lin Chen's tone turned slightly serious as he earnestly advised, "But let me give you a heads-up: there's never a good ending to stepping into the gambling world. Most people who become addicted to gambling don't have a good outcome; family ruin and death are commonplace. This industry is too murky. Besides, do you even know how to gamble?"

With just a few simple words, he left the passionate Shotaro speechless, frozen in place for a long time.

He's good at investigating cases, but he doesn't know anything about gambling skills.

After a moment of silence, Zuo Xiangtaro's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned his gaze to Lin Chen, saying matter-of-factly, "Isn't there you here? You were able to take out a large sum of money so easily before, it's definitely not just good luck, you must be very good at this."

Lin Chen gently shook his head, immediately dismissing his idea: "You're overthinking it. Besides, Kaga Tai doesn't want to see me again from the bottom of his heart."

These inexplicable words immediately made Shotaro Hidari and Akiko beside him frown, their faces filled with great confusion.

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Lin Chen didn't keep them in suspense any longer and frankly told them about how he had won all the chips, big and small, at the casino.

After hearing the whole story, both Shotaro and Akiko were immediately incredulous, finding it too outrageous. How could someone so easily win all the chips in such a large underground casino?

Seeing this, Lin Chen was too lazy to explain any further, so he simply shut his mouth and stopped talking.

In the brief moment of their tense silence, Lin Chen's gaze inadvertently swept to a secluded little door at the back of the casino, and he immediately recognized Kaga Tai walking out of it.

At this moment, Kaga Tai was dressed in a formal suit and looked slightly hurried, clearly intending to leave the casino temporarily.

Lin Chen immediately raised his hand to signal the two people beside him to be quiet, and pointed in the direction of Kaga Tai. Kaga Tai quickly got into a private car waiting by the roadside, and the car started up and drove straight away from the area.

Upon seeing this, Shotaro Zuo immediately turned around, rushed to the roadside, mounted his motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and chased after the motorcycle, disappearing into the end of the street in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, only Lin Chen and Akiko were left on the scene. Akiko looked in the direction where Shotaro had gone, exchanged a helpless glance with Lin Chen, and couldn't help but complain, "That half-baked guy was too hasty. He just left the two of us here and didn't care."

As soon as the two finished speaking, a clear female voice rang out beside them, her tone tinged with impatience: "What are you two doing standing there blocking the doorway? Don't block the way."

The two turned around at the sound and saw a young girl walking straight into the casino with a blank expression.

Akiko quickly pulled out the photo that the client had sent her from her pocket, carefully compared it with the girl's back and figure, and immediately lowered her voice to say to Lin Chen, "That's right, it's her, Izumi Yuko."

As Kaga Tai drove away, Shotaro Sato rode after him on his bicycle. Lin Chen said to Akiko beside him, "Don't just stand there, come on, Akiko-san, let's teach this girl who's so caught up in the gambling a lesson today."

After they finished speaking, the two of them walked together and followed the flow of people into the bustling and noisy casino.

After entering, Lin Chen went straight to the chip exchange counter, intending to exchange some chips.

But as soon as he stood still, the waiters behind the counter froze instantly, their faces showing fear, their eyes darting around, and they were extremely nervous.

Lin Chen stared intently at them, immediately recognizing the group as the same staff who had been on duty when he had raided the gambling den a couple of days ago. After experiencing that ordeal, they were still there working; Lin Chen thought to himself, they were truly dedicated.

To avoid an awkward situation and not wanting to cause a commotion and disrupt the plan as soon as he entered, Lin Chen quickly reassured everyone in a soft voice: "Don't be so nervous. Don't worry, I'm just here to have some fun. I won't cause any trouble."

Hearing these reassuring words, the waiters relaxed a little and carefully brought over a tray full of chips of various colors, neatly pushing it in front of Lin Chen, without even mentioning the matter of collecting money for exchange.

Lin Chen stared at the large pile of chips that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his mind filled with confusion. He couldn't understand what the other party was doing and looked at the person behind the counter with a puzzled expression.

One of the bolder waiters explained in a low voice, "It was specifically instructed by our boss, Kaga Tai. If you come to the casino again in the future, just give us the chips as usual, and you can take as many as you want without losing a single cent. But we absolutely cannot let you exchange the chips you win for cash and take them away."

As soon as he said that, Lin Chen instantly understood what the other person was thinking.

To put it bluntly, it means letting yourself play around at the gambling table as you please, no matter how many chips you win. In the end, you can only spend them in the game and can't convert them into real money. Ultimately, the one who benefits is still Kaga Tai himself. The other party is determined to use this method to control him.

Akiko, who was standing to the side, was completely confused and couldn't help but ask the waiter why such a strange rule was set.

Now they were all talking at once. The staff members took turns recounting in detail the glorious scene from two days ago when Lin Chen swept through the entire casino and easily won all the chips.

Akiko stood aside, listening quietly to everything that had happened. Her mouth slowly opened wider, her eyes filled with shock. She turned to look at Lin Chen beside her, not expecting that what Lin Chen said was actually true.

The casino was bustling with noise. Lin Chen and Akiko followed the flow of people and quickly found Izumi Yuko at a blackjack table. At that moment, her eyes were bloodshot, her face was full of fanaticism, and there was a high pile of chips in front of her. She was on a winning streak, and the dealer opposite her had been defeated by her more than ten hands in a row. His face turned pale and he didn't even dare to breathe.

Lin Chen smiled faintly and walked straight to the empty dealer's seat to sit down. Akiko stood next to him.

Lin Chen looked up at Izumi Yuko, who was still immersed in the thrill of winning money, and said with a smile, "Miss, seeing that you're having such good luck, why don't you come and have a good game with me? Don't worry, I'm much more interesting than the last one."

Upon hearing this, Izumi Yuko looked up, her eyes filled with disdain and fanaticism, and scoffed, "You? Don't cry if you lose."

Chapter 117 Taking Advantage of a Loophole

At the gambling table, the atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

Yuko Izumi's eyes widened, her body trembled slightly, and she stared intently at the center of the table—the chips that had been piled up in front of her, worth a full 100 million yen, were now all neatly placed in front of Lin Chen, not a single one left.

In less than half an hour, she went from being full of vigor and dominating the game to being completely suppressed by Lin Chen, and she was completely outmaneuvered in every round.

She rubbed her hands together in disbelief, repeatedly examining her cards, muttering to herself, "Impossible... How could this be... I was having such good luck..."

The fervor on his face completely vanished, leaving only disbelief, confusion, and panic. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and all his strength seemed to have been drained away. He slumped into the chair.

Having lost all her chips, Izumi Yuko completely broke down. Her previous arrogant demeanor vanished, and she slammed her hand on the gambling table, standing up abruptly. Her voice was hysterical: "Impossible! You cheated! This bet doesn't count!"

She stared at Lin Chen with both eyes, unwilling to admit that she was inferior in skill.

Since stepping into this casino, she has been caught up in the thrill of winning money and greed, her mind clouded by gambling desires, her bones filled with only obsession, and she simply refuses to face the fact that she has lost everything.

The surrounding gamblers all turned to look, and whispers rose and fell. Some mocked her for being a sore loser, while others enjoyed the spectacle. Their harsh words were like needles piercing her, making her lose face.

Embarrassment and anger intertwined, making her increasingly agitated, and her breathing became rapid.

Seeing this, Akiko couldn't help but step forward and gently advised, "Miss Yuko, stop being so stubborn. If you lose, you lose. Stop now. If you keep gambling, you'll only sink deeper!" But Yuko Wada wouldn't listen to any advice at the moment. Her mind was filled with the thought of turning the tables and winning everything back. She had no time to think rationally.

She went berserk, shamelessly rushing to the gamblers around her, grabbing their sleeves and begging for money. Her behavior became increasingly extreme and erratic, and she kept muttering, "Lend me some money! Just a little! I'm sure I can win it back! I'll pay you back when I win!" When she was refused, she immediately pounced on the next person.

Seeing that Yuko Wada showed no signs of realizing what was happening, Lin Chen pointed at her and said to the waiter next to him, "Throw her out. If she comes to the casino again, don't let her exchange any chips."

The waiters exchanged glances, their faces full of difficulty. One of them, who was a little bolder, hesitated before speaking up: "Sir, we're just employees. Doing this... I'm afraid it will be hard to explain to the boss." They knew Kaga Tai's temper well and didn't dare to offend Lin Chen without permission. In their eyes, Lin Chen was also a monster, and they were caught in a dilemma.

Looking at their expressions, Lin Chen didn't want to be too harsh on these working people who were just trying to make a living: "Think it over carefully. I'll be coming here often in the future. If I see her at the gambling table again, you'll have to bear the consequences yourselves."

He said this, but he knew perfectly well in his heart that he could not come here often. Shotaro had already chased after Kaga Tai, and this casino farce, controlled by money, would soon come to an end.

Akiko, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "This is for her own good; we can't let her gamble anymore!"

After a moment's hesitation, the waiters finally stepped forward and, with two men supporting the still-hysterical Yuko Wada, carefully dragged her out of the casino.

Lin Chen glanced at the mountain of chips piled on the table, casually picked out a lucky spectator from the crowd, and promised to help the person exchange all the chips for cash, giving them one percent as a commission after the job was done.

Everyone else thought that a 1% commission was not much, but no one knew how astonishing the total amount of money in front of them was. The 1% commission alone amounted to more than one million yen.

The lucky audience member was overjoyed. Although he didn't know why Lin Chen didn't exchange it himself, he immediately agreed without thinking and rushed to the exchange counter.

The casino staff inside were stunned upon seeing this. They exchanged glances, all with bitter expressions, never expecting that Lin Chen would come up with such a way to exploit a loophole.

For a moment, everyone was caught in a dilemma. If they obediently exchanged a large amount of cash, the casino would suffer a huge loss for no reason. But if they refused in public, with so many onlookers, if word got out that the casino would never be able to open for business again.

After much deliberation and weighing of options, having no other choice, she could only grit her teeth and comply, obediently counting the amount and taking out the full amount of cash. She even thoughtfully gave him a black briefcase and handed it to Lin Chen, hoping that this ruthless man would leave as soon as possible.

The two carried the money box out of the bustling casino. Akiko, still unable to calm down, stared in disbelief at the heavy suitcase in front of the casino. After just a few games, she had easily transformed into a wealthy person with considerable assets.

Noticing the envious look on her face, Lin Chen's expression instantly turned serious, and he solemnly reminded her: "You must never be envious, and you must never get involved in gambling. There is no gambling game in this world that can make people profit in the long run. Losing everything and being disgraced is the ultimate fate of all gamblers."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen pointed to a corner on the street. Akiko looked in the direction he was pointing and immediately saw the disheveled Yuko Wada.

At this moment, Yuko Wada was kneeling on the cold ground, looking utterly dejected. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, and she was still unable to shake off the cruel reality of losing everything and being thrown out of the casino in front of everyone.

Akiko's heart softened, and she quickly stepped forward, bent down, and helped her up. She spoke softly and patiently, deliberately mentioning her biological parents who worried about her every day and searched for her everywhere, hoping to use family affection to awaken the lost girl.

Upon hearing the words "parents," Wada Yuko, who had been listless and numb, suddenly seemed to grasp at the last straw. A glimmer of light finally appeared in her silent eyes, and she straightened up abruptly, rushing towards home.

Akiko was no child after all. She realized as soon as she spoke that her words, which seemed to be comforting, had inadvertently given Izumi Yuko a glimmer of hope to continue gambling. She quickly caught up with her, afraid that she might do something impulsive and foolish again.

Lin Chen stood still, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, without moving to follow them.

The most important thing right now is not to continue following up on Izumi Yuko's matter, but Shotaro Sato is chasing Kaga Tai alone, and we don't know how he is doing now.

Let's go back to the detective agency first and see if there's any news from Philip.

...

Lin Chen pushed open the door and walked into the Narumi Detective Agency, and the oppressive atmosphere inside immediately hit him.

Shotaro slumped in his chair, looking exhausted and frustrated, his brows furrowed tightly. Philip, on the other hand, huddled alone in a corner by the window, hugging his knees, radiating an inescapable depression. Even his beloved books were carelessly tossed aside, and he seemed completely lost in an emo state, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Seeing this, Lin Chen slowed down and walked forward, his gaze falling on Zuo Xiangtaro. He asked softly, "What happened? Didn't you chase after Kaga Tai? How come you came back so quickly? And what happened to Philip?"

Shotaro took a deep breath, rubbed his throbbing temples, and slowly began to recount everything that had happened during the pursuit.

He rode his motorcycle and chased after Kaga Tai all the way, eventually following him to a house called Murasame. He secretly lay in wait and observed, only to discover that Kaga Tai's purpose was to collect gambling debts.

But his so-called "recovery of gambling funds" was not the usual debt collection, but as Lin Chen had said before, he wanted to extract the life force of those gamblers who had lost everything and refine it into life coins.

At that moment, a gambler was having his life force drained by Kaga Tai, his face ashen and on the verge of fainting. Shotaro immediately transformed into W to stop Kaga Tai's evil deeds.

After transforming, W unleashed her full power, relying on their perfect teamwork to suppress the money imposter all the way, leaving the opponent with no chance to fight back. It seemed that she was about to make a move to completely end Kaga Tai and eliminate this hidden danger.

But at that moment, Kaga Tai suddenly revealed a sinister smile and threatened, "If you dare to kill me, all the Life Coins in my body will explode at the same time, and all those whose life force has been drained will be reduced to ashes along with me!"

He paused, then deliberately emphasized his words, each one piercing: "Don't you think about these innocent people? Shouldn't you think about their families? If they die, what will happen to their elderly parents and children?"

The word "family" was like a needle, piercing Philip, who was connected to Shotaro's consciousness.

Because Philip had lost all his previous memories, he had an extreme obsession and sensitivity towards his "family." Upon hearing these words, he had a strong stress reaction on the spot, his mind was in chaos, and his consciousness broke down. This also affected Shotaro, causing his movements to pause briefly.

Kaga Tai seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, broke free of his restraints with all his might, and took advantage of the moment when the two were off guard to escape in a disheveled state, disappearing without a trace.

Shotaro could only dejectedly deactivate his transformation and rush back to the agency. But as soon as he entered, he found Philip frantically mobilizing all the power of the Earth Library, doing his best to search for all information related to his family.

No matter how hard he searched, he searched through all the relevant information, but he still found nothing. He couldn't even find a trace of his family members' names or appearances.

The series of disappointments completely broke Philip, and he became depressed, which is why Lin Chen saw him like this.

After blurting everything out, Zuo Xiangtaro suddenly snapped back to reality the moment he finished speaking, and shoved Lin Chen, who was leaning against him, away: "Strange, why did I have to tell you so much..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen remained calm and quietly withdrew his dispersed spiritual power. He thought to himself: I didn't expect that this weak spiritual guidance could actually affect people and make Zuo Xiangtaro reveal all the truth without any defenses.

He didn't point it out, but simply nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to Philip in the corner, a barely perceptible hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.

Remembering his previous displeasure at being warned, he decided to flip the table.

And this was precisely an opportunity, so he spoke up directly:

“I know Philip’s family!”

Chapter 118 Distorted Words

Lin Chen looked at Philip, who was no longer emo and was approaching with hopeful eyes, then met Shotaro's gaze, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke, his tone solemn:

“Philip, your former name was Sonozaki Raijin, the youngest son of the Sonozaki family—and the Sonozaki family is the mastermind behind the sale of Gaia Memories and the manipulation of the Fuuto Monster incident.”

After saying this, Lin Chen waited quietly for their reaction. He thought he would be met with Philip's shocked questioning or Zuo Xiangtaro's disbelief, but to his surprise, the two just looked at each other with blank expressions, as if he had said something irrelevant nonsense.

After a moment of silence, Zuo Xiangtaro spoke first, scratching his head with a hint of confusion in his voice: "Hey, Lin Chen, what do you mean by that? We know your name is Lin Chen, you're from outside Fengdu, and you're here to find a woman named Sherrard. You don't need to repeat that. Stop with the irrelevant stuff and tell us about the Philip family. What exactly happened?"