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

Chapter 346 The goods are in our hands, no one can turn the tables!
“We’re still looking.” The young man paused. “However, someone at the pier said that Knife Boy took some money and seems to be preparing to leave Hong Kong Island.”

"Leave?" Jin Shao sneered, stood up and walked to the map on the wall, his finger lingering for a moment on the red dot halfway up the mountain. "Whose money did he take, James's?"

The young man shook his head: "I don't know. But the guy in the gray suit who met with Knife last night looks like he's from the British side. Someone recognized him; he lives in that villa on Mid-Levels, James's right-hand man, what's his name, Thomson."

“Thomson…” Young Master Jin narrowed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “The British are quick on their feet.” He turned around, his gaze falling on the young man: “Go, investigate this Thomson’s background. Find out where he lives, who he’s met, and all that.”

The young man nodded and was about to leave when Jin Shao called him back: "And what about Su Hanze?"

“He went back to Wan Chai last night, and someone saw his car go to Causeway Bay this morning,” the young man replied. “It looked like he was going to see Mr. Chan.”

“Mr. Chen?” Young Master Jin’s fingers paused on his earlobe, his eyes growing colder. “That old fox Su Hanze has a nose even sharper than Inspector Zhou.” He paused, then said in a low voice, “Send someone to keep an eye on him, don’t let him mess things up.”

The young man responded and left. Jin Shao sat down again, picked up the paper on the table, and his gaze lingered on the name "James" for a moment. He muttered to himself, "Yingfang, Yushi, Su Hanze... who goes first in this hand?"

In the early morning on Hong Kong Island, the fog hadn't yet lifted. In a teahouse in Causeway Bay, smoke and the aroma of tea mingled, making the air stifling. Su Hanze pushed open the door and entered. The people in the teahouse glanced up, then lowered their heads to continue drinking their tea. Mr. Chen sat in his usual spot, a newspaper obscuring half his face, a cup of Pu'er tea in his hand.

"Mr. Su, you've arrived earlier than I expected." Mr. Chen put down his newspaper, smiled, but his eyes held a hint of probing.

"Enough with the nonsense." Su Hanze sat down opposite him, took a slip of paper from his trench coat pocket, and pushed it in front of Mr. Chen. "This is the address Daozai delivered to Mid-Levels last night. What did he find out?"

Mr. Chen took the note, glanced at it, and frowned slightly: "The warehouse halfway up the mountain? Mr. Su, your information is quite fast." He paused and said in a low voice: "This place is rented by the British. James's man, Thomson, went there the day before yesterday and took a few boxes in. Nobody knows what's inside."

"A box?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "Is it related to Vietnamese jade?"

“It’s hard to say.” Mr. Chen picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. “However, my people have heard that James has recently been in contact with a guy named Ma Liu. Ma Liu is a veteran at the docks, specializing in smuggling, and he knows the Vietnam trade routes very well.”

"Ma Liu?" Su Hanze tapped his fingers on the table. "What's his relationship with Young Master Jin?"

Mr. Chen smiled and shook his head: "On the surface, there's no connection, but Ma Liu's convoy was intercepted the day before yesterday, and the goods were lost. Young Master Jin came to him, and they had a fight."

Su Hanze didn't speak, his gaze lingering on Mr. Chen's face for a moment. He lit a Yuxi cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Where's Ma Liu?"

“He’s hiding.” Mr. Chen put down his teacup. “However, I know he’ll be going to a gambling den in Kowloon tonight, a jade gambling place. If you want to find him, I can arrange it.”

Su Hanze nodded and stood up: "Make the arrangements. I'll go meet him tonight."

Mr. Chen smiled and nodded, watching Su Hanze leave. The teahouse door closed, and morning mist seeped in through the cracks, adding a touch of coolness to the aroma of tea. Mr. Chen muttered to himself, "Master Su, this water is getting muddier and muddier."

As night fell, a gambling den in Kowloon was filled with smoke, the air thick with the smells of sweat and alcohol. A group of people surrounded a table for gambling on jade, several rough stones laid out on it. The blades flashed across the stones, revealing jade flesh in shades of green and white. Ma Liu sat in a corner, a cigarette dangling from his lips, a freshly cut piece of jade clutched in his hand, his face as gloomy as the calm before a storm.

Su Hanze pushed open the door and entered, the hem of his trench coat swaying slightly, attracting several glances. He went straight to Ma Liu, sat down opposite him, and said calmly, "Ma Liu, long time no see."

Ma Liu looked up, his eyes wary: "Master Su? What brings you here?"

"I heard you lost a shipment." Su Hanze lit a Yuxi cigarette, his gaze sweeping over the jade on the table. "From Vietnam?"

Ma Liu's hand trembled, and cigarette ash fell onto the table. He chuckled dryly, "Master Su, you're very well-informed. The goods are lost, but this has nothing to do with me. Someone double-crossed me."

"Who?" Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes as cold as knives.

Ma Liu swallowed hard and lowered his voice: "I don't know. The goods were tampered with before they arrived at the port; half of the boxes were fake. I suspect it was someone at the docks, but I have no proof."

"The docks?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "Knife Boy?"

Ma Liu was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head: "Dao Zai? He's just a gofer, how could he have that kind of guts?" He paused, then said in a low voice: "However, I heard that he met with a foreigner the day before yesterday and got some money."

"A foreigner?" Su Hanze's fingers traced the yellow jade bead. "James's men?"

Ma Liu didn't speak, his eyes flickered, as if he wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Su Hanze sneered and stood up: "Ma Liu, you'd better explain the goods clearly, otherwise next time it won't be the goods that get lost."

Ma Liu's face turned pale, and he nodded repeatedly: "Master Su, I really don't know! If I find out anything, I'll tell you first!"

Su Hanze ignored him and turned to leave. The gambling den door closed behind him, shutting out the noise. He stood on the street, lit a Yuxi cigarette, and glanced at the Kowloon night. In the distance, a black sedan slowly came to a stop. Old Liang opened the car door and whispered, "Master Su, we've found Daozai."

"Where?" Su Hanze stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes darkening.

“Yau Ma Tei, a small hotel,” Old Liang replied. “He’s hiding on the third floor, looks terrified.”

"Let's go." Su Hanze got into the car. "Let's go meet him."

The small hotel in Yau Ma Tei was a complete mess, with peeling paint and a musty, tobacco-smelling atmosphere. Su Hanze pushed open the door to a room on the third floor, where Daozai was slumped on the bed, his face as white as paper. When he saw Su Hanze, he was so frightened that he almost fell off the bed.

"Master Su...Master Su!" Daozai's voice trembled like a leaf. "I didn't provoke you!" "Didn't provoke you?" Su Hanze sneered, sat down on the edge of the bed, and locked his gaze on Daozai. "Tell me, how much of James's money did you take? Where is the goods?"

Knife swallowed hard, his eyes darting around in panic: "I...I don't know what kind of goods! That foreigner only told me to intercept Ma's car and deliver the boxes to the hillside; I didn't do anything else!"

"Halfway up the mountain?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "Thomson?"

Knife paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, it's him! He gave me some money and told me to keep quiet. I really didn't see what was in the box!"

Su Hanze didn't speak, his gaze lingering on Daozai's face for a moment, as if trying to glean something from that terrified expression. He stood up and said, "Daozai, you'd better not be lying."

Daozai nodded repeatedly, collapsing onto the bed, panting heavily. Su Hanze walked out of the hotel; the night breeze carried away a musty smell. He lit a Yuxi cigarette and muttered to himself, "James, Thomson, buddy... this game is getting more and more interesting."

At the same time, in a secluded room of a pub in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jin Shao sat in a velvet chair, gently swirling the whiskey glass in his hand. A young man in a black jacket strode in and whispered, "Jin Shao, we've found out. Thomson met with Dao Zai last night and took a paper package; it looks like money."

Jin Shao's eyes turned cold, and he tapped his earlobe with his fingers: "Paper package? That kid Daozai has some nerve." He paused, then whispered, "Have you found out anything about Thomson's warehouse halfway up the mountain?"

“We found it,” the young man replied. “The warehouse was rented by the British. Someone delivered a few boxes in last night. The security is tight, and no one dares to get close.”

Jin Shao sneered, stood up and walked to the map, pressing his finger on the red dot halfway up the mountain: "Yingfang, Yushi... are they planning to double-cross us?" He turned around, his gaze falling on the young man: "Go, find Daozai for me, I want to ask him myself."

The young man nodded and was about to leave when Jin Shao called him back: "And what about Su Hanze?"

“He went to a gambling den in Kowloon tonight and looked for Ma Liu,” the young man replied. “After that, he went to Yau Ma Tei, seemingly to look for Dao Zai.”

Jin Shao narrowed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips: "Su Hanze, quick on the uptake." He whispered, "Keep a close eye on him, don't let him mess things up."

As night deepened, the lights in the streets and alleys of Hong Kong Island formed a net, trapping countless secrets. In a Western-style building on the Mid-Levels, James sat in a leather chair, a glass of red wine in his hand, his gaze fixed on the night outside the window. Thomson stood before him, reporting in a low voice, "Sir, the knife has been dealt with. The goods are in the warehouse, and we can sell them tomorrow."

James nodded and smiled. "Very good. How about Kim?"

“He’s still investigating.” Thomson paused. “However, his men are keeping an eye on Su Hanze, probably trying to muddy the waters.”

James sneered and swirled his wine glass: "Su Hanze, Jin Shao... let them fight it out. The goods are in our hands, and no one can turn the tables."

Thomson nodded and was about to leave when James called him back: "Wait. Has Inspector Zhou at the docks found anything?"

“He’s still wandering around the dock, like he’s caught wind of something,” Thomson replied. “However, he doesn’t have enough manpower and hasn’t found a warehouse yet.”

James nodded and whispered, "Keep an eye on him, don't let him mess things up."

The night wind swept through the streets of Yau Ma Tei, carrying a damp, salty smell, like a sigh blowing from Victoria Harbour. Su Hanze leaned against the door of the black sedan, the cigarette butt of his Yuxi cigarette glowing and fading in the darkness. He squinted, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated wooden door of the small hotel, the image of Daozai's terrified face still lingering in his mind. Old Liang stood beside him, whispering, "Master Su, that kid Daozai was really scared; he probably wasn't lying."

Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice low: "Not lying? Hmph, if he were truly innocent, would he be hiding in this run-down place?" He paused, his gaze shifting to the neon-lit street corner in the distance. "Thomson, Banshan, Huo... Old Liang, tell me, who's playing chess here?"

Old Liang rubbed his hands together and frowned, saying, "Master Su, this matter is complicated. Ma Liu lost the goods, Dao Zai took the money, and Thomson has James backing him up. Jin Shao's side is probably not clean either. Last night I heard that he met with some dockworkers at a bar in Tsim Sha Tsui, and it seemed like they talked about something."

Su Hanze stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes turning cold: "Young Master Jin? What kind of trouble is he stirring up?" He opened the car door and got in. "Let's go to the hillside and check out Thomson's warehouse."

Old Liang nodded, started the car, and the black sedan silently glided into the alleyways in the night. Outside the car window, the lights of Yau Ma Tei, like shattered glass, reflected on Su Hanze's face, flickering in and out. His fingers caressed the yellow jade beads, while his mind rapidly pieced together clues. Ma Liu's goods, Dao Zai's money, Thomson's warehouse, and James's fox-like smiling face... This game was far more complex than he had imagined.

The road halfway up the mountain was narrow and steep. The car stopped in front of an inconspicuous gray warehouse. All around was quiet except for the low chirping of insects and the faint sound of ship horns from the distant harbor. The warehouse's iron gate was tightly shut, and two foreigners in black suits stood by the door, their waists bulging, clearly carrying weapons. Old Liang lowered his voice: "Master Su, the guards are tight; the goods are probably really inside."

Su Hanze didn't speak, his gaze sweeping over the warehouse wall, which was topped with barbed wire, and a dim streetlamp in the corner. He whispered, "Old Liang, go keep watch in that alley over there. If there's any movement, give a signal."

Old Liang nodded and silently slipped into the darkness. Su Hanze pulled down the brim of his trench coat and went around to the back of the warehouse. There was a pile of abandoned wooden crates in the corner. He crouched down and observed them in the shadows. The back door of the warehouse was ajar, with a faint light coming from inside, and he could vaguely hear voices coming from within. He held his breath and slowly approached.

"...The boxes have been checked. Thirty pieces of jade, all high-quality." A deep male voice, with a slightly foreign accent, said; it must be Thomson.

“Thirty dollars? Mr. James said he'd only sell for at least fifty dollars.” Another voice sounded impatient, like a local. “Mr. Thomson, are you sure you didn't miss out?”

"Leak?" Thomson sneered. "You don't trust Knife to handle things? Nobody dares to touch the goods from the dock to here."

Su Hanze narrowed his eyes, his finger pausing on the yellow jade bead. Thirty pieces of jade, the dock, a knife… it seemed Ma Liu’s goods were indeed here. Just as he was about to listen further, a soft sound came from behind him, like a shoe crushing a dry branch. He turned around abruptly, his hand already reaching for the dagger at his waist.

"Who?" he hissed, his voice as sharp as a knife.

In the darkness, a thin figure slowly emerged, wearing a tattered gray cloth jacket and carrying a bamboo basket. It was an old man selling late-night snacks, who shakily raised his hand: "Sir, please...please don't misunderstand, I'm just selling some roast goose, just passing by!"

Su Hanze glanced at the old man's face, and only after confirming that he posed no threat did he release the dagger and say in a deep voice, "What are you selling roast goose for so late? Get lost."

(End of this chapter)