Night.
Casino.
Top-floor work area.
The sky had long since gone dark. This was also the casino's busiest time of day. Due to the nature of the business, there was a great deal to handle, and no one was idle. This was an internal casino office, not open to the public. Screens of all sizes surrounded the room, displaying real-time footage sent up by the cameras downstairs: the lobby, the casino floor, even views above every gambling table. Of course, full coverage was still impossible, which was why so many staff members were stationed on-site, ready to report anything they noticed upstairs at any moment.
Beep beep.
The radio crackled. "There's a situation in the Long Hall!"
A young staff member immediately picked up his radio. "What situation?"
The radio sounded again. "I think I just saw someone from the list come in. About twenty-five, short hair, male, white shirt, casual pants, black leather shoes."
"Are you sure?"
"Not completely."
"Which category?"
"Third Category."
"Third Category? I'll check. Keep the channel open."
The young man knew that many of the people stationed downstairs were not security guards, nor were they there to maintain order. Their real purpose was to identify certain special groups. Their training focused on memory, requiring them to memorize vast numbers of photographs and recognize the people in them. There were those with records of cheating, those with a history of gambling misconduct, and others... gambling experts. People who could not be proven to have cheated and showed no signs of foul play, yet always walked away with huge winnings. Internally, such people were usually called the Third Category Group. That was also how they were labeled in the photo database.
The casino did not welcome these gamblers.
Of course, it was only a matter of not