The Chief Detective Inspector is dead. I'm now the top police officer in Hong Kong!

Chapter 34 He walked in wearing a reflective vest
That evening, a hot pot restaurant on Jordan Street.

Lin Tiansheng called Chen Anquan, Zhong Zhihui, and Zhang Jinrong to celebrate Deng Gengyun's transfer to the Major Crimes Unit.

While simmering beef in hot pot, Chen Anquan complained, "Boss, even the boxers in Yunzai are carrying guns now. When are you going to transfer me to the Major Crimes Unit?"

Zhang Jinrong poured the whiskey into a plastic cup and sipped it slowly, saying, "Chicken Head, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, wait a moment."

"Beep beep beep." Lin Tiansheng's cell phone suddenly rang. He answered, "Where is this?"

I thought it would be some nobody calling, but to my surprise, a hoarse, old-fashioned voice came through the phone: "Ah Sheng, it's me, Uncle Deng from the New Territories. We met before at Brother Lok's house."

"Uncle Deng?" Lin Tiansheng's heart skipped a beat, his eyes wide with surprise. Zhong Zhihui, Zhang Jinrong, and the other three exchanged glances, then fell silent.

"Haha, Ah Sheng, I know you still remember me." Deng Yuchang laughed heartily and asked, "Long time no see! I heard you've been promoted to probationary inspector?"

“Yes, Uncle Deng is very perceptive; he gets the information very quickly,” Lin Tiansheng replied casually. Deng Yuchang chuckled, “Heh heh, Ah Xian and the others, relying on the favors Ah Le left behind, can they really get you promoted to Inspector, Senior Inspector, or even Superintendent?”

"This year's going rates: a probationary inspector's approval vote is HK$150,000, a senior inspector's is HK$360,000, and a superintendent's is HK$5 million. How much do you think Ah Lok's remaining face is worth?"

To climb the ladder, you need money. So-called systemic corruption is a chain reaction in which political groups exploit each other in order to advance their careers.

Although the hard-earned achievements from those who fight desperately cannot be erased by their superiors, the higher the rank, the greater the proportion of administrative duties, and the fewer opportunities there are to risk one's life on the front lines.

The higher the position, the fewer seats there are.

When there are limited promotion opportunities and two people are competing for one position, having someone to support you becomes especially important.

It's not that you have to buy all the tickets for every promotion, but with a long career ahead and a limited lifespan, every opportunity to be promoted is extremely precious.

It's unrealistic to place all your bets on "public opinion." Some skeptical people, after being educated a few times, will inevitably go astray.

Lin Tiansheng, however, was not impressed with Uncle Deng's statement and chuckled dryly, "Uncle Deng, is that what you call Ah Le?"

With a single question, he placed himself in a superior position and demonstrated his stance.

Deng Yuchang's tone changed, and he said coldly, "Heh, you're not convinced, are you? Young man, wait until you've hit your head and are bleeding, then you'll know I'm doing this for your own good."

Lin Tiansheng hung up the phone and muttered, "For my own good? Old bones like you just reek of corpses. Damn it!"

However, Deng Yuchang's words were not without value, pointing out "Li Junxia" and "Xu Qi'an" regardless of whether they liked him or not.

At least they gave face to the remnants of the Communist Party, allowing him to pass this promotion. After all, the Criminal Investigation Department used to be all-powerful; even Chinese officers in the Special Branch had to have connections with the Chief Detective Inspector to climb the ranks.

However, due to the special nature of the Political Department's work, it was not affected by the anti-corruption storm, and the two senior officers are not necessarily clean.

"It's easy to get promoted to inspector, but it's difficult to get promoted to senior inspector." Lin Tiansheng felt this way. He looked at the four brothers beside him with different expressions, but their eyes were full of arrogance. Instead of being discouraged, he thought, "Life is interesting when you have brothers, rivals, and enemies. Fighting with others is endlessly enjoyable."

Even if we lose, my brothers and sisters will die with me!
Zhong Zhihui chuckled, picked up his chopsticks, started cooking the meat slices, and said, "Luckily we were prepared. Boss, Yunzai, let's get to work tomorrow."

"Strike while the iron is hot."

Deng Gengyun buried his head in eating fried rice, not saying a word, just shoveling rice into his mouth. He never cared about things that required thinking; he was only responsible for doing the work.

Temple Street, Changhong Chess and Card Room. A gangster wearing a brown jacket and smoking a cigarette hurriedly entered the room, pushed open the door of a private room, placed a takeout bowl of shark fin soup next to the boss "Chuixi", and said in a low voice, "Boss, I heard that the one who kidnapped Sister-in-law last time was a cop."

"Police?" Chui Xi, with a face full of scars and a burly build, sat upright in a chair, washing mahjong tiles, and asked with raised eyebrows.

In Cantonese, “吹西” is not a good word. It translates to “吹B”, literally meaning someone who likes to “boast” or “brag”.

It both alludes to his boastfulness and mocks his lecherous and shameless behavior, implying he's shameless and indifferent to women's stench. Gangsters with such vulgar nicknames were among the worst henchmen. But often, the worst of the worst rise through the ranks in gangs, resorting to any means necessary to secure a position within the organization.

"Chui Xi" refers to the number gang leader Yi, who runs a business on Temple Street. He manages over thirty entertainment venues along the street and has five or six hundred subordinates, making him quite powerful.

The man who delivered the shark fin, "Yaoyang," nodded and bowed beside him: "Yes, that cop was a corrupt cop. He used to be involved in criminal activities, but he was recently transferred to West Kowloon as an undercover officer."

Chui Xi's mind raced, and he remembered that the big boss "Bearded Yung" had made a fortune of more than six million Hong Kong dollars three years ago, which was rumored to have been brought by his sister-in-law.

It's no secret that the eldest sister-in-law was once the wife of a corrupt cop. Bearded Yung often boasted that he even slept with police officers' wives, so he wasn't afraid of retaliation.

After his sister-in-law was kidnapped, the boss simply ordered his men to investigate and didn't take it too seriously. They had many "sisters-in-law," and if one went missing, she could have run away with someone, or she could have offended someone. Women who came from prostitute backgrounds were never surprising in their affairs. As long as they hadn't absconded with the money, the underworld wouldn't make a big fuss. But if it was confirmed that corrupt police were seeking revenge, solving the boss's problem would be a merit in itself.

"Is the news reliable?"

Yaoyang said, "Absolutely reliable. My sworn brother in the Tsim Sha Tsui branch, Ah Hu, told me. Those guys in Tsim Sha Tsui are already preparing to do something, boss."

Chui Xi glanced at Yao Yang and slowly said, "Brother Yong entrusted the task to 'One-Eyed Guy' in Tsim Sha Tsui, but if you're determined to rise to the top, don't say that I, as the boss, am not giving you a chance. Select ten capable brothers to arrest that corrupt cop and bring him back to the boss for disposal. Remember, do not use guns."

Yaoyang swallowed hard: "Boss, the plainclothes officers have guns."

“He’s a policeman, it’s normal for him to carry a gun, what are you!” Chuixi slammed down a card and cursed, “A coward should just park his car, he doesn’t deserve to be in charge.”

A corrupt cop who kidnapped someone for revenge the moment he got his gun back—Chui Xi wasn't even worth a second glance—but he was still a coward. Whether he lived or died, and what to do next, was up to Brother Yong to decide. Given the underworld's information channels, unless they were already involved, it was extremely difficult to ascertain the internal changes within the police force. Especially after police reforms, buying information from the police was incredibly difficult, often costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many underworld figures, except for triad leaders, lacked political acumen.

Yao Yang, realizing he was just an undercover police officer, hardened his heart and said, "I'll bring him back tonight."

"Row."

"I'll wait for you here." Chui Xi picked up the shark fin, scooped up a spoonful, and after Yao Yang left, spat it on the ground with a look of disgust: "Pah, pah, pah, what garbage, you didn't even pick out the sand."

His friend, who was playing cards with him, laughed and said, "It's good enough that you have some food. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

It was 6 p.m. on Shanghai Street, at Rongchang Building.

Yaoyang led his brothers into the building, divided the twelve men into two groups, and ambushed them at the left and right entrances of the corridor. He also arranged sentries downstairs.

After Lin Tiansheng drove Deng Gengyun back to the building, the sentry at the bottom of the building turned around and picked up the walkie-talkie: "Brother Yaoyang, two people."

"Two?" Li Yaoyang was startled for a moment, and hesitated. Two plainclothes officers had twelve bullets; feeding them one bullet each would be just right.

The younger brother suddenly laughed and said, "There's one with a reflective vest hanging on his arm; he's a traffic cop."

"Phew, get ready to get to work." Li Yaoyang breathed a sigh of relief, gripped the watermelon knife in his hand, and stared intently at the elevator door.

(End of this chapter)