Reborn in Hong Kong Island, I can see loyalty

Ye Haoxuan glanced at his watch and whispered into the walkie-talkie, "Jiaju, are you in position?"

“In place, the back alley is sealed off.” Chen Jiaju’s voice was steady and powerful.

"action."

As soon as Ye Haoxuan finished speaking, he suddenly kicked the iron gate.

With a loud crash, the iron gate slammed against the wall and bounced back, sending dust flying.

The two people inside were startled and stood up abruptly, reaching into their pockets to pull something out—two switchblades, their cold gleam flashing in the dim factory.

"Police! Don't move!" Ye Haoxuan shouted sharply, pointing his gun directly at the two men.

The two men did not back down at all; instead, they roared and pounced on them.

Yang Liqing reacted extremely quickly, sidestepping behind one of the men, grabbing his shoulder, and using the momentum to execute an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the man to the ground.

The man screamed in pain, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground. Yang Liqing took the opportunity to knee him in the back and grab his wrist with his other hand.

On the other side, Ye Haoxuan dodged the knife the other party swung, and his elbow slammed heavily into the man's chest.

The man groaned and staggered backward. Just as he was about to regain his balance, Chen Jiaju, who had climbed in through the back window, slammed him against the wall and locked the handcuffs with a "click".

"Search them to see if they have any weapons or communication devices."

Ye Haoxuan gave the instructions, then his gaze swept over the factory. Inside, it was filled with abandoned textile machines, covered in dust. In the corner were three folding beds, a few empty mineral water bottles, and cigarette butts, clearly a temporary base.

Yang Liqing crouched down and examined the left arm of the man he had subdued—sure enough, there was a hideous scar, matching the Yi Lian Gang mark Ah Lang had given him.

She pulled an old-fashioned keypad phone from the man's pocket and handed it to Ye Haoxuan:

"Team Leader Ye, this is all we have. There are a few missed calls in it, and the numbers are anonymous."

Ye Haoxuan took the phone and scrolled through it, his brows furrowing:

“It’s an encrypted number; Zijie has to crack it.” He looked at Chen Jiaju. “Have you found the third person? Ah Lang said there are three remnants.”

Chen Jiaju had just finished inspecting the folding bed when he heard this and shook his head:

"Only two beds showed signs of use, and the cigarette butts were from two different brands, so it should only be those two. The third one might have gone out to gather information, or..."

He paused, then pointed to the back door, "They ran away ahead of time."

Ye Haoxuan walked to the back door and pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door.

Beside a pile of junk in the back alley, there was a string of fresh footprints, covered with a little brown powder.

He crouched down, dipped his fingertip in the powder, and smelled it – it smelled like oil paint, with a hint of turpentine.

"This is...imported oil paint?" Yang Liqing leaned closer. She had taken art as an elective at the police academy and was very sensitive to the smell of paint. "There are very few shops on Hong Kong Island that sell this type of paint. It has a very unique smell. It's made in Belgium."

Ye Haoxuan's eyes flickered, and he rubbed the powder onto a tissue and put it away.

"Zijie, find out which shops on Hong Kong Island sell imported Belgian oil paints, especially in Sham Shui Po and Yau Ma Tei, and send me their addresses."

He called Song Zijie and instructed, "Also, have the technical department analyze this packet of paint to see if they can find a matching source."

Meanwhile, outside the Chengxin Hardware Store in Yau Ma Tei.

Stephen Chow leaned against the newsstand across the street, pretending to read the newspaper, while his eyes were fixed on the entrance of the hardware store.

Old Gui, wearing blue overalls, had just seen a customer out when he turned back behind the counter. He took an envelope from the drawer, rubbed it repeatedly, and looked wary.

"Zhou sir, there's something going on." A police officer lying in ambush at the alley entrance sent a text message: "A man in a black trench coat is walking this way, carrying a black plastic bag. He looks like someone who's making contact."

Stephen Chow immediately straightened up, pretending to buy cigarettes, his eyes fixed on the man in the trench coat.

The man walked slowly, glancing back every few steps, and when he reached the hardware store, he knocked on the counter.

Old Gui looked up and saw him. His eyes narrowed, and he got up and walked to the door. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones and quickly swapped envelopes and plastic bags.

Zhou Xingxing took out his mobile phone and dialed Ye Haoxuan's number, his voice extremely low: "Brother Xuan, Lao Gui's contact has appeared. He's wearing a black trench coat and carrying a black plastic bag. They just finished exchanging things and are heading into the alley! Should I follow them?"

Ye Haoxuan had just arranged for officers to escort the two remaining accomplices toward the police car when he heard this and immediately said:

"Don't get too close. I'll be there as soon as I'm done here. Have the officers at the alley entrance keep a close eye on him, keep their distance, and watch out for the plastic bag in his hand; it might contain weapon parts or drugs."

"Roger that!"

After hanging up the call, Ye Haoxuan handed Yang Liqing a tissue containing paint powder:

"Take these two remnants back to the police station and hand them over to Zijie. Have him focus on investigating the anonymous number and the whereabouts of the third person. I'm going to Yau Ma Tei to find Xingxing and track down the contact and Lao Gui."

"Team Leader Ye, I'll go with you!" Yang Liqing said quickly. "I can recognize the paint type, maybe I can help."

Ye Haoxuan looked at her determined eyes and smiled:

"Alright, keep up. Be careful. Old Ghost is much more cunning than these two remnants. He's Lin Huai Le's old contact, and he's definitely hiding a lot of secrets."

The two quickly walked out of the alley and got into the police car.

The siren pierced the twilight once more as the car sped toward Yau Ma Tei.

Yang Liqing sat in the passenger seat, carefully placing the tissue containing the paint powder into the evidence bag. The faint scent of turpentine still lingered on her fingertips. She turned to look at Ye Haoxuan, her tone resolute:

"Team Leader Ye, after we meet up with Xingxing later, I can keep an eye on the streets of Yau Ma Tei. If there are any galleries or art supply stores, I can tell at a glance whether they sell this kind of Belgian paint."

Ye Haoxuan turned his head to look at her. The girl's eyes were full of seriousness, without a trace of the timidity of a newcomer. Instead, they revealed a firm determination to fight alongside him.

He could clearly sense that their joint efforts in the capture and his initiative in volunteering had increased her loyalty to him by 5 points, reaching 93, while her intimacy level had risen to 76.

This change in the numbers is not just a cold accumulation of digits, but a reflection of the trust, recognition, and intimacy that arises from the bottom of her heart.

He reached into the car's storage compartment, took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and handed it over, his tone gentler than before.

"No rush, take a breather first. Old Ghost is cunning, and our contact is also wary, so we have to proceed cautiously. Your ability to accurately identify the pigment type is a key advantage in itself, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Yang Liqing took the bottle of mineral water, her fingertips accidentally brushing against his hand. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip, her voice soft yet firm:

“I’m not afraid of pressure. I just want to help you find clues as soon as possible and prevent Lin Huai Le’s remaining gang from committing further crimes. I’ve learned more from working with you on cases than I did in a year at the police academy.”

She paused, then added, "Don't worry, I will never hold you back, and I will never let you down."