Chapter 255: USA Casino Chip, the Ghost Once Hunted by Q

This eerie wedding photo.

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, then slowly walked to the master bedroom’s bedside and reached out to take down the framed photo.

Next, he twisted open the locking clasps on the back of the frame and removed the photo from within.

After a careful look, he noticed a distinct patch of missing dust on the back of the frame—like the imprint of a finger pressing against it.

There was no doubt.

Ghost had definitely hidden something important—either a clue or evidence—inside this frame. But after fleeing the room yesterday, he had taken it with him, or perhaps destroyed it in the bathtub.

From this, Su Ming could further deduce…

All the usual places where clues might be hidden had already been cleaned out by Ghost.

If he wanted to find any remaining traces, he’d have to look in spots that were easy to overlook. Only then would there be a chance.

With that in mind, Su Ming immediately gave up on checking the wardrobe or the bedside table. Ghost would have certainly double-checked those places before escaping to make sure nothing was left behind.

He scanned the entire bedroom.

After a brief moment of thought, Su Ming bent down and touched the wooden floor beneath the master bed.

When he pulled his finger back, it was blackened with thick dust.

Ghost had been out of prison for less than a year. If he had replaced the master bed during that time, there wouldn’t be this much dust underneath.

But now, just a single touch left his hand filthy. This clearly proved that Ghost had never changed the bed.

The reason he didn’t replace the bed he once shared with his wife, Su Ming guessed, was likely to maintain the image of a devoted husband—a persona he used as a cover.

Of course, the exact reason didn’t matter. Su Ming had no intention of digging into that. Right now, the only thing that mattered was uncovering clues.

He grabbed the edge of the bed with both hands and began to pull it out with force.

Creak—creak—creak—

The sound of the bed frame scraping against the wooden floor was sharp and grating.

After pulling the bed out by several dozen centimeters, Su Ming didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it into the gap behind the bed.

In the beam of light, dust floated in the air like shimmering waves.

Su Ming leaned slightly to the side, carefully inspecting the corner behind the bed, hoping to find some leftover trace or clue.

After a few moments of scrutiny, he narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he went to the wardrobe and pulled out a clothes hanger, using it to hook at something near the wall.

After a few careful attempts, Su Ming pressed the hanger down and slowly dragged it out.

At the tip of the hanger emerged a square, palm-sized piece of paper, coated in dust. He had found it wedged in the gap behind the bed.

He picked it up and gave it a glance.

Su Ming frowned in confusion. This wasn’t what he had expected—not some critical message or a note left behind by Ghost’s wife.

It was… a lottery ticket.

A welfare lottery ticket dated five years ago.

Seeing the ticket, Su Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into thought.

Five years ago.

That was before Ghost murdered his wife. It was also before the two of them went to the United States.

Although a lottery ticket doesn’t cost much—just a couple of yuan for a shot at millions—most ordinary people don’t usually buy them, especially not the kind that require selecting numbers.

Scratch cards, at least, feel like a game of luck with a chance to win big.

But number-draw lotteries are often manipulated by insiders. They appear random, but the results are often predetermined. Just like the recent news about someone using 100,000 yuan to clean out an entire prize pool, and not even wanting to pay taxes on it.

That alone showed how unfair the lottery really was.

Still, under certain circumstances, ordinary people might buy one—when they’re desperate for money, or when they’ve lost all hope.

That’s when they’d pray for a miracle and pull two yuan from their pocket.

Of course, that’s just one possibility. Maybe a housewife bought one on her way back from the market. Or maybe someone, after getting scolded by their boss at work, stopped by a lottery shop after hours, dreaming of quitting if they hit the jackpot.

What exactly happened back then, no one could say for sure. And this ticket in Su Ming’s hand didn’t seem to hold much value anymore.

He sighed silently, stood up with the ticket in hand, and was about to search elsewhere for more clues when Xu Changsheng’s excited voice called out from the study.

“Xiao Ming!”

“Come to the study, quick!”

“I found an American casino chip tucked inside a book!”

…

Meanwhile.

On the top floor of the Xingsheng Building in the Cangshan District of Luzhou City.

K was still lounging in the same recliner as before, a glass of fine red wine placed beside him.

But his expression now was far from relaxed. There was a heavy, unspoken tension in his demeanor.

Even the call from his mentor earlier, meant to calm him down, seemed to have lost its effect.

As he watched the surveillance feed on his computer abruptly cut off, K slowly sat upright. His expression grew more serious, his gaze cold and sharp.

He took a deep breath.

Then he looked across at Priest, who was puffing on a cigar while gently wiping down a heavy sniper rifle. K spoke in a calm but grim tone.

“Demon Witch is still in the clear.”

“But Ghost’s real identity has been exposed.”

“Even though Ghost had gone into hiding before, this time the lead dog is heading the investigation. I’m worried Ghost won’t be able to stay hidden for much longer.”

Hearing that Ghost’s identity had been uncovered, Priest’s hands paused mid-wipe. Then he resumed cleaning the rifle and rumbled in his deep voice.

“Ghost is important.”

“If he gets captured alive, it could drag a lot of things into the light.”

Just like before, Priest didn’t ask what needed to be done. He knew K would have a plan. All he had to do was follow orders and execute.

K swirled the wine in his glass, then downed it in one gulp. Without hesitation, he dialed an international number.

After several seconds, the call connected.

K didn’t wait for the person on the other end to speak. He immediately began.

“Q.”

“The Ghost you were hunting before—he’s now being targeted by the police.”

“I think… you’d better find a way to deal with this. Otherwise, whether it’s your casino or my organization, we’re both going to be in for some serious trouble…”