Chapter 242: Easy Money

A night passed quietly, and the next day arrived.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast provided by the hotel, Xia Yu set out with his team.

To avoid drawing attention, Li Wuming, Yan Shining, and Hou Sheng didn't stay close to Xia Yu. Instead, they scattered a few meters away, blending in as ordinary passersby.

Considering they were all Asian and might attract attention, each wore a hat or glasses to avoid recognition.

This caution was necessary because they were heading out to place bets, so they wanted to disguise themselves as much as possible.

Even though there was a LVB betting point inside the hotel, Xia Yu decided not to place his bets there. High odds bets would leave a record, and if someone checked the hotel registration, it might expose him.

If betting discreetly meant making smaller profits, it would be better not to bet at all. So, Xia Yu planned to place his bets at external betting shops or points.

Soon, Xia Yu found a William Hill betting shop. After disguising himself, he went in to check the odds for major matches. Based on his memories, he placed a total of £10,000 in bets. If the outcomes matched his memory, he could earn around £250,000 even after accounting for high betting taxes.

The high potential earnings were due to the fact that he wasn't betting on simple win/loss outcomes but on high-risk, high-odds value ratios.

He then left and found a public telephone booth to place bets over the phone with LVB. This method was very convenient, and LVB, being the top phone betting company, handled this business exceptionally well!

In addition to Xia Yu's own bets, Yan Shining, Li Wuming, and others helped place bets using the papers Xia Yu had prepared. They didn't need to communicate; just follow the instructions.

Over the next few days, Xia Yu traveled randomly across major British cities, choosing betting points at random and avoiding concentration in one betting company.

Although the three major British betting giants were the primary targets, Xia Yu also placed bets with smaller and mid-sized companies.

With £200,000 in funds, if Xia Yu placed all his bets with one company, especially on high-odds bets, he could potentially win around £50,000,000. This would prompt the betting companies to notice something was off, leading to trouble for him.

By spreading £200,000 across more than ten betting companies, each with £100,000 to £200,000 as the principal, and with bets scattered across locations, it wouldn't be too noticeable.

Xia Yu didn't believe that these ten or so betting companies would share confidential data with each other. As long as they didn't share, they wouldn't notice any issues, and Xia Yu would stay safe!

After a day of running around, Xia Yu had spent the £200,000 he brought, leaving £100,000 for expenses. He had successfully placed bets with the remaining £190,000.

Interestingly, the amount in Xia Yu's bank accounts had increased to £2,400,000.

This was because, during these days, there had been several World Cup matches. On June 11, four group stage matches took place.

For instance, France won 3-1 against Hungary in Group 1, the host Argentina lost 0-1 to Italy, and West Germany drew 0-0 with Tunisia, among other matches.

Although Xia Yu didn't remember the exact scores of some matches, he knew the top eight teams and could infer outcomes based on existing rankings and goals. This led to high accuracy in his bets. Despite a few incorrect bets, most were correct, causing his funds to soar.

In the evening, after making a significant profit and feeling great, Xia Yu decided to explore London and enjoy the night view.

While walking around, Xia Yu found that London's night scene couldn't compare to the bustling cities of modern China.

At this time, the UK's economy was in a downturn, so most of London's buildings were outdated, reflecting a look from twenty or thirty years ago. Newer buildings were planned in a new area on the west side of London by the government to revitalize the city.

As Xia Yu and his team passed by an old-fashioned pub, the cheers from inside caught his attention.

He stopped to look at the pub, seeing a sign that read "Hans's Pub." Through the window, he saw a television mounted on a wall, broadcasting a football match. Everyone in the pub was cheering and celebrating.

Xia Yu thought it must be the 24th group stage match, between Scotland and the Netherlands, and that Scotland must have just scored.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to go in with Li Qian and the others.

Whether in this life or his previous one, he had never experienced a foreign pub. Since he was out to relax, he wanted to experience it properly tonight.

As soon as they entered, Yan Shining and the others discreetly spread out but kept an eye on their surroundings, staying close to protect Xia Yu and Li Qian.

Their arrival was noticed by many in the pub, but after a quick glance, most returned their attention to the television. Only the smiling pub owner, Hans, kept an eye on Xia Yu and his group.

Hans was a man in his sixties with a wrinkled face and a prominent red nose, but his smile was warm and welcoming.

"Would you like some beer?" he asked.

Xia Yu looked at Li Qian, and before she could refuse, he said to Hans, "Two beers, please. Thank you!"

He placed a banknote on the bar counter. After Hans poured two beers, Xia Yu told him there was no need for change, took the beers, and found a table to sit down.

"Let's try and see what British beer tastes like. Don't worry if you can't finish it," Xia Yu said with a smile.

Li Qian, who usually didn't drink, nodded obediently, picked up her glass, and took a tentative sip.

Her cute little nose wrinkled, making her look quite interesting. Xia Yu couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha!"

Xia Yu chuckled, took a sip of his beer, savored it with a smacking of lips, and said with his eyes closed, "The flavor is authentic, with a strong malt aroma. It tastes quite good."

At that moment, the pub erupted in cheers again.

"Wow, God bless!"

"Goal!"

"Go Scotland! Long live Scotland!"

The pub was filled with noise, screams, and various cheers. Everyone seemed to be celebrating, hugging each other excitedly.

"Cheers!" A middle-aged man sitting next to Xia Yu, with a joyful expression, raised his glass and bumped it with Xia Yu and Li Qian's glasses, saying happily, "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Xia Yu responded with a smile, took a big gulp of his beer. Li Qian, looking slightly embarrassed, also took a large sip. Her beautiful face flushed with a rosy glow, which was quite charming.

Looking at the score on the TV screen, Scotland was leading the Netherlands 3-0, showing a significant advantage.

Previously, the Netherlands had won 3-0 against Iran, and Scotland had lost 1-3 to Peru. Now, in the last group stage match of Group 3, Scotland had managed to score three goals in a short time. If the match ended now, Scotland would match the Netherlands in terms of wins, goal difference, and points.

If Scotland scored one more goal, they could achieve an upset, surpass the Netherlands on goal difference, and advance to the knockout stage.

Unfortunately, Xia Yu didn't remember the exact final score between Scotland and the Netherlands.

But it didn't matter. Xia Yu had bet on various scores such as 3:1, 4:2, and 2:1. Even if he won only one bet, subtracting the losses from the others, he would still earn over six times his investment.

As time passed, the Netherlands realized their peril and launched a vigorous counterattack, scoring a goal. The score was now 3:1.

Immediately, the TV camera caught Dutch fans in the stands cheering, while British fans looked dejected. Even the Scottish players on the field appeared disheartened.

Despite Scotland quickly regaining their morale and launching several attacks, they didn't score again before the match ended. The final score was 3:1. Everyone in the pub had mixed feelings.

Although Scotland defeated the Netherlands, with all other data being equal, England's goal difference was one less than the Netherlands, thus missing out on the knockout stage.

Feeling the sadness and disappointment in the pub, Xia Yu nodded to Yan Shining and the others and left the pub.

While the fans were disheartened, Xia Yu was in high spirits. He had bet on the 3:1 scoreline and earned at least £300,000. How could he not be happy?

"This money came too easily! It's addictive…"