Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 345 Ran Away? Could she have escaped?
Ah Si hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice even further: "Dead. He was found last night by the dock, with ligature marks on his neck, like he'd been stabbed with wire."

Su Hanze's eyes were as cold as ice. He didn't ask any more questions, turned around and walked into the depths of the alley, leaving behind the words: "Tell Lao Fang to stop playing tricks. If I find out he's lying, he can forget about running his cigarette stand."

Ah Si nodded repeatedly, shrank back to the warehouse. Su Hanze didn't stop; at the end of the alley, a black sedan was waiting. The driver, Lao Liang, opened the car door and whispered, "Master Su, where to?"

“Back to Wan Chai.” Su Hanze sat in the back seat and lit another Yuxi cigarette. “While we’re at it, let’s find out what the British have been up to on Hong Kong Island lately.”

Old Liang nodded, and the car slowly started, disappearing into the night. Su Hanze leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window, where streetlights appeared as blurry halos in the mist. He muttered to himself, "Yingfang... Young Master Jin, you've laid out a very elaborate scheme."

Meanwhile, in a private bar in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jin Shao sat in a crimson velvet chair, his whiskey empty. The door to the secret room opened, and a young man in a black jacket strode in, his face betraying barely concealed anxiety.

"Young Master Jin, we've found out." The young man lowered his voice. "The one who intercepted the car was a guy called 'Knife Boy,' a straggler from the dock area who usually runs errands for people. This time, I don't know whose money he took, but he brought seven or eight men and hijacked Ma's car."

Jin Shao tapped his fingers lightly on the jade ear pick, his eyes remaining fixed on it: "Dao Zai? Never heard of him. Who's behind him?"

The young man shook his head: "We haven't found out yet. His men are very stubborn and won't utter a single word. But..." He paused, "Someone said that Daozai met a foreigner in a suit near the dock the day before yesterday."

"A foreigner?" Young Master Jin finally looked up, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "Interesting. Find out who that foreigner is, what he's wearing, and where he went."

The young man nodded and was about to turn around when Jin Shao called out to him again, "Wait. Is there any movement from Su Hanze's side?"

“He went to Lao Fang’s warehouse tonight and left in less than fifteen minutes,” the young man replied. “It seems he went to inquire about the goods.”

Jin Shao sneered, twirling the ear pick in his hand: "He's very quick. Keep an eye on him, don't let him mess things up."

The young man responded and left. Jin Shao stood up, walked to the map on the wall, and paused for a moment on the red dot of Kowloon Shipyard. His gaze was as cold as a knife as he said in a low voice, "Su Hanze, you want to play with me? I'll play along."

The night on Hong Kong Island deepened. In a dimly lit teahouse in Wan Chai, the aroma of tea mingled with the smell of tobacco. Su Hanze pushed open the door and entered. The people in the teahouse glanced up at him, then lowered their heads to continue drinking their tea. In the corner, a middle-aged man in a grey long gown was looking down at a newspaper, which obscured half his face. Su Hanze walked straight over and sat down opposite him.

"Mr. Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Su Hanze's voice was calm, as if he were meeting an old friend.

Mr. Chen put down his newspaper, revealing a thin face with eyes as sharp as an eagle's. He smiled and said, "Mr. Su, you didn't come to see me at night just to have tea, did you?"

“Of course not.” Su Hanze took a folded piece of paper out of his trench coat pocket and pushed it in front of Mr. Chen. “Take a look at this.”

Mr. Chen took the paper, unfolded it, and frowned slightly. The paper contained a hand-drawn map of the shipyard, marked with several red dots and a few lines of hastily written text. He read aloud, "Vietnamese jade, Kowloon Shipyard, British informant… Mr. Su, what does this mean?"

"Old Fang's informant is dead, and half the goods were intercepted." Su Hanze lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Your men are at the docks; have they heard anything?"

Mr. Chen folded the paper and tucked it into his sleeve, saying slowly, "Things at the dock are a mess. Inspector Zhou's men are watching, and the British are getting involved too. Last night someone saw a ship without a flag dock, unload a few boxes, and then it disappeared the next day."

“Just like Lao Fang said.” Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. “Whose ship is that?”

Mr. Chen shook his head: "It's hard to say. The waters at the docks are very deep. The British, warlords, and even the Japanese all want to get involved. All I know is that recently a few unfamiliar faces have arrived on Hong Kong Island. They speak with a London accent and live in a Western-style building on the Mid-Levels."

"Halfway up the mountain?" Su Hanze tapped his finger on the table. "Find out what they're doing."

Mr. Chen smiled and picked up his teacup: "Mr. Su, this is no cheap business. You know, my people always charge high prices for their work."

Su Hanze took a gold watch out of his pocket and pushed it in front of Mr. Chen: "Is this enough?"

Mr. Chen's eyes lit up. He picked up the gold watch, weighed it in his hand, and nodded with a smile: "Master Su is indeed generous. Alright, my people will get back to you tomorrow."

Su Hanze said nothing more and got up to leave. The teahouse door closed behind him, and the night breeze carried away a trace of tea fragrance. He stood on the street, his gaze sweeping over the distant high-rises, their neon lights appearing and disappearing in the mist. He muttered to himself, "British, Vietnamese, Yu Shi... this game is getting more and more interesting."

The next morning, before dawn broke, fog shrouded the docks on Hong Kong Island, and the air was thick with the fishy smell of the sea. Inspector Zhou stood by the dock, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes grim. His deputy, Ah Kang, approached and whispered, "Boss, we've confirmed the truck from last night. It's Ma Kee's convoy. The driver ran away, and the cargo box is empty."

"Empty?" Zhou Sir frowned. "Young Master Jin's men?"

“It’s hard to say.” Ah Kang shook his head. “Ma’s business is Jin Shao’s, but this was done too sloppily, which is not like his style.”

Zhou Sir sneered and lit a cigarette in his hand: "When has that fox Jin Shao ever done anything clean? Investigate, keep investigating! Also, keep an eye on Su Hanze. He went to Lao Fang's warehouse last night. There's definitely something fishy going on."

Ah Kang nodded and was about to leave when Inspector Zhou called him back: "Wait. What about those foreigners? Did you find anything?"

“We’re still investigating.” Ah Kang lowered his voice. “They live halfway up the mountain. Yesterday, someone saw them meeting with a guy called Daozai.”

"Knife Boy?" Inspector Zhou narrowed his eyes. "Those stragglers at the docks? Interesting. Go find Knife Boy for me; I want to question him myself."

Ah Kang responded and quickly left. Zhou Sir stood there, his gaze fixed on the sea at the dock, where the shadows of several fishing boats could be vaguely seen through the mist. He muttered to himself, "Su Hanze, Young Master Jin, and Ying Fang... what kind of tricks are you guys playing?"

Meanwhile, in a small hotel in Wan Chai, Knife sat slumped on the bed, his face covered in sweat. Opposite him stood a man in a black suit, his eyes as cold as knives. The man held a revolver, the muzzle pointed at Knife's forehead.

"Speak, who told you to stop the car?" The man's voice was deep, tinged with impatience.

Daozai swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "I...I was just doing a job for money! That foreigner gave me some money to take some men and intercept Ma's car. I didn't look at the contents of the box!" "A foreigner?" The man narrowed his eyes. "What foreigner? What's his name?"

"I don't know!" Daozai's voice was almost choked with tears. "He didn't say his name, he just told me to deliver the box to a warehouse halfway up the mountain, and he gave me the address on a piece of paper!"

The man sneered, pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, and threw it in front of Daozai: "Is this it?"

Knife looked down and his face instantly turned pale: "Yes...that's it!"

The man holstered his gun, walked to the window, and glanced at the streets outside. The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and there were few pedestrians on the street. He whispered, "Knife, you'd better behave yourself. Master Su doesn't like being played."

Daozai nodded repeatedly, collapsing onto the bed and panting heavily. The man ignored him, turned and left, the hotel door closing softly behind him.

At the same time, in the secluded room of Jin Shao's tavern, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead. Jin Shao sat in a velvet chair, the jade ear pick in his hand pausing. Opposite him stood a man in a gray suit, a slight smile on his face.

"Young Master Jin, how's the investigation going regarding the goods?" The man's voice was steady, with a slight London accent.

Jin Shao raised his eyes, his tone indifferent: "We found something. The box was intercepted, the goods are gone. Was it your men who did it?"

The man smiled and shook his head: "Young Master Jin, that's not fair of you. My men are only responsible for receiving the goods. As for any problems that arise on the way, that's your problem."

Jin Shao sneered and tapped his earlobe lightly with his finger: "Really? Then I heard that your men met with Dao Zai the day before yesterday?"

The man's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Young Master Jin, you're very well-informed. But a small fry like Daozai can be bribed by anyone. You don't think I'd be stupid enough to get involved myself, do you?"

Jin Shao didn't speak, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment, as if trying to extract something. He stood up, walked to the map, and pressed a red dot with his finger: "The goods are gone, I can't explain this. You'd better give me an explanation."

The man shrugged, stood up, and straightened his suit. "Young Master Jin, it's common for goods to go missing in business. If you doubt me, you're welcome to investigate. However, let me warn you, Hong Kong is a very complex place, and there are some people you can't afford to mess with."

Jin Shao remained silent, his gaze coldly fixed on the man's retreating figure until he walked out of the secret room. As the door closed, Jin Shao muttered to himself, "Yingfang... what exactly do you want?"

Night fell again, and the lights of Hong Kong Island lit up, like countless eyes watching over every corner of the city. Su Hanze stood on the balcony of his apartment in Wan Chai, holding the string of yellow jade beads in his hand, his gaze fixed on the distant pier. The phone rang, and he answered it; Mr. Chen's voice came through.

“Mr. Su, we’ve found it.” Mr. Chen’s voice was deep. “The foreigners in Mid-Levels, the leader is called James, from the Military Intelligence Bureau. They’ve been active in Hong Kong Island recently. They rented a small warehouse at the pier, and someone saw Knife deliver a box there last night.”

"A box?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "What's inside?"

“I don’t know.” Mr. Chen paused. “However, my people said that James met with a man in a gray suit last night, who seemed to be one of Young Master Jin’s men.”

Su Hanze's fingers stopped, his eyes as cold as ice: "Young Master Jin?"

“Yes.” Mr. Chen’s voice was even lower. “Mr. Su, this situation is getting increasingly chaotic. What do you plan to do?”

Su Hanze didn't speak, his gaze shifting to the night outside the window. The police lights at the dock were still flashing, like the beating pulse of the city. He whispered, "Investigate, keep investigating. Dig out all the leads on James and Jin Shao."

After hanging up the phone, Su Hanze lit a Yuxi cigarette, the flame flashing and disappearing in the night. He muttered to himself, "Young Master Jin, Ying Fang, Vietnamese jade... who's really playing this game?"

The night on Hong Kong Island was like a black silk ribbon, enveloping every corner of the city. Su Hanze stood on the balcony of his apartment in Wan Chai, the cigarette butt of Yuxi cigarette glowing and fading between his fingers, the smoke dissipating in the damp, cold air. He had just hung up the phone with Mr. Chen, and the names of James, Knife, and Young Master Jin were still swirling in his mind. The police lights at the pier flashed in the distance, as if reminding him that every move in this game was fraught with danger.

The phone rang again. Su Hanze glanced at the old-fashioned telephone on the table and frowned. He went back to his room, picked up the receiver, and a hoarse voice came through: "Master Su, it's me, Ah Si."

"What message did Lao Fang ask you to deliver this time?" Su Hanze asked coldly, his fingers stroking Huang Yuzhu.

Ah Si's voice was a little panicked: "It wasn't Brother Fang, it was... I heard it myself. Last night I was near the dock and I saw Dao Zai arguing with a man in a gray suit. Dao Zai seemed very afraid of him, his voice was trembling badly."

"A gray suit?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "What did he say?"

"I couldn't hear clearly," Ah Si said in a low voice, "but I saw Dao Zai give that guy a paper package, it was quite thick, it looked like money. The guy in the gray suit took it and left, heading towards the hillside."

Su Hanze didn't speak, his finger pausing on the yellow jade beads. Halfway up the mountain, James, the gray suit… these clues were like scattered beads, unable to be strung together, yet vaguely pointing in a certain direction. He whispered, "Where is Daozai now?"

"I don't know." Ah Si's voice was even lower. "He hasn't returned to the dock since last night. It's like he's hiding."

"Find him." Su Hanze's tone left no room for argument. "Find him and bring him to see me."

Ah Si responded repeatedly, and the phone call ended. Su Hanze lit another Yuxi cigarette, his gaze sweeping across the night outside the window. The neon lights of Hong Kong Island were blurred in the mist, like faces veiled. He muttered to himself, "Knife, you'd better not go too far."

Meanwhile, in a secluded room of a pub in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jin Shao sat in a crimson velvet chair, his jade ear pick turning more slowly. The whiskey glass on the table was empty, and beside it lay a folded piece of paper with a few hastily written words: Mid-Levels, James, Warehouse. A young man in a black jacket stood before him, bowing his head to report.

“Young Master Jin, Daozai has run away.” The young man’s voice was deep. “Last night, someone saw him meeting with a man in a gray suit at the dock, and then he disappeared.”

Jin Shao's eyes turned cold, and he tapped his earlobe lightly with his fingers: "Ran away? Do you think you can escape?"

(End of this chapter)